Traditional sports betting isn’t legal in a range of US states. Fortunately, there are legal sweepstakes sportsbooks that work as a good alternative. They’re free to join and use, putting social betting within reach of many sports fans.
Many sweepstakes sportsbooks work with two virtual currencies, much like the social casinos available in many US states. Sweepstakes sportsbooks are legit sites (and apps). They offer plenty of features, though there are differences between them and traditional online sportsbooks. I’ll explain the format here and how you can use it to enjoy social betting for free.
Yes. They are available across many US states. They provide a legitimate option for sports fans who live in states that haven’t legalized traditional online sports betting. There are strict rules placed on real-money sports betting in many states.
Sweepstakes sportsbooks, as the name suggests, operate following sweepstakes regulations. This has many consequences, one of them is that social sportsbooks must allow bettors to make social bets for free with no purchases necessary.
I’ve learned never to make any assumptions here. Some sites have geo-blocks in place to prevent those from prohibited states from visiting or accessing the site. This makes my job easier if I’m in that state. However, I can’t always rely on this.
Reputable sweepstakes sportsbooks should have terms and conditions available. They usually have a separate set of Sweeps Rules as well, although these are sometimes rolled into the main terms and conditions. Either way, they should list the excluded jurisdictions or states – ideally somewhere near the top.
For example, I checked Legendz, one of the social sportsbooks I’ll review below. While they have a 31-page document covering their terms and conditions, the excluded jurisdictions appear at the end of page one, just spilling over onto page two.
For context, these are the states where Legendz doesn’t operate: Washington, Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Montana, Michigan, Kentucky, Connecticut, Tennessee and West Virginia.
You’ll usually need to select your state when joining too. This might reveal that your state isn’t on the list of choices, or lead to a popup telling you that you can’t join.
Even if you can use one social sportsbook in your state, don’t assume the same applies for any others you find. I always check the terms before creating an account.
There’s also no point in trying to get around state restrictions. All sweepstakes sportsbooks are required to put users through KYC verifications before processing SC redemption requests. Trying to get around restrictions will not only get you banned, but it’ll also make it impossible to redeem any prizes.
There are some key differences that relate to how the sites work. Even though you often find many of the same sports, odds, and formats on each type of site, make sure you’re aware of how they compare with each other.
Here are some important differences to note:
| Traditional Sportsbook | Sweepstakes Sportsbook |
|---|---|
| Allows members to add real funds to their account | Allows member to collect free virtual currencies to use; Gold Coins for social betting and Sweeps Coins to make sweepstakes bets |
| Successful bets can be cashed out by the bettor | Eligible SCs can be redeemed for real prizes once all relevant requirements are met |
| Deposits usually required to participate | No purchase necessary. All GC purchases are optional |
Before joining in with some social betting, it’s wise to know how the two in-house virtual currencies used at these sites work. You’ll soon become familiar with these virtual currencies, as they appear in similar forms on many platforms. You’ll spot them on sweepstakes betting apps too, including the Sportzino app.
Gold Coins are only used to place social bets. You can collect them for free or make optional GC purchases. However, GCs can not be redeemed or exchanged in any way. When you make bets using GC, you’ll only receive GC from your winnings.
If you make social bets using Sweeps Coins and manage to win, you can often exchange those Sweeps Coins winnings for a real cash prize. However, you can’t directly win prizes from placing social bets; only more of whatever virtual currency you used. Sweepstakes sportsbooks are similar to sweepstakes casinos in this sense. Just check this guide on how to win at sweepstakes casinos. You’ll find many similarities between the two formats.
Furthermore, Sweeps Coins aren’t available to purchase, and they have zero value. This complies with sweepstakes legislation. SCs are only available via bonuses. I often find Sweeps Coins available via a signup bonus, a daily login bonus, and through an alternative method of entry. The latter allows you to mail-in a Sweepstakes Coin request. Fliff, Sportzino, and Legendz all have this mail-in method available.
If you’re going to pick a social betting site to try, I have some solid options for you. I’ve researched and tried all the sites below and can provide you with the facts about them here.
Social betting is huge at Legendz. The welcome bonus is too. There are 500,000 Gold Coins along with 3 Sweeps Coins available for all new members. If you want to make an optional purchase of Gold Coins within your first hour on the site, you can get 50% extra GC as well.
Eight top sports hit the top of the menu, along with a live button. The full menu includes many other sports as well, including snooker, darts, and Gaelic sports.
The main advantage of choosing this sweepstakes sportsbook is the coverage on offer. There are plenty of moneyline and spread options for social betting, and I can choose from three different odds formats as well.
This app-based legal sweepstakes sportsbook gives plenty of options – whether you use Android, Apple, or a web browser. There is an app for all major devices here. I picked up 5,000 Fliff Coins when I joined, soon realizing they were the same as Gold Coins elsewhere. I also got 1 Fliff Cash, which is similar to the more familiar Sweeps Coins.
Fliff manages to combine what I wanted from social sports betting with a bigger social side too. There are daily competitions available to help me pick up XP points that I might eventually be able to convert to Fliff Cash to use on the site. Social leaderboards keep things more engaging as well. It’s this social aspect that makes Fliff a solid choice for me.
As far as signup offers go, this is among the best. There are seven separate offers to claim at Sportzino. When I completed my account registration, I received 20,000 Gold Coins plus 1 Sweeps Coin. Connecting with Facebook, signing in via Google, consenting to email and SMS notifications, and verifying my phone number provided other chances to claim more virtual currencies. Even getting the first daily login bonus adds to the total. All told, there are 170,000 GCs and 7 SCs to claim.
Upon exploring further, I found a menu containing all the top sports. Some top leagues appeared underneath that, although it was a bit out of date in places, covering the French Open tennis when it had finished two weeks previously.
I enjoy several sports, and being able to make some social bets on my preferred players and matches has made watching these events more entertaining. I can test my sporting knowledge by placing casual social bets using Gold Coins. If I’ve got enough Sweeps Coins to use, I will place a few of those on a sweepstakes social bet instead.
It’s legal to join these platforms in most US states. Thanks to that, sweepstakes sportsbooks are a great alternative for sports fans around the country. Want to try it for yourself? Visit the suggested sweepstakes sportsbooks mentioned on this page via the banners on this page.
This is a free-to-use social betting site that lets bettors use Gold Coins to make fun social sports picks. Alternatively, the sites also offer Sweeps Coins to enter sweepstakes bets. Winning some Sweeps Coins lets the bettor redeem the SCs for a real cash prize, provided all other relevant requirements are met.
If the US state you live in legally allows online sweepstakes to take place, you should find you can use a sweepstakes sportsbook. It’s best to check the law where you live, and to confirm that the site you want to visit allows bettors from your state. Their Sweeps Rules should confirm this.
Sportzino and Legendz are trusted alternatives. Like Fliff, they are legal sweepstakes sportsbooks available in many US states.
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