Sports betting has entertained people for centuries and has continuously evolved. The introduction of online sports betting marked a significant turning point, yet many US players have faced challenges in placing their wagers due to state laws.
The recent introduction of sweepstakes sportsbooks, however, has resolved this issue for most bettors.
Sweepstakes sports betting has emerged as one of the most innovative ways to legally participate in betting activities in the United States and compete for real money prizes. These operators are legal to use in nearly all states, with exceptions of Michigan and Washington, as there is no direct exchange of money for wagers.
In this guide, we will describe how sweepstakes sports work, the types of bets you can place, sports available, as well as how to go about placing wagers and redeeming prizes. Additionally, we will highlight a couple of the most recommended sweepstakes sportsbooks available in the country.
How Does Sweepstakes Sportsbook Work?
Before delving into how to board the sweepstakes sportsbook hype train and place your first wager, let’s briefly explain how these types of sportsbooks function and why they are fully legal in most states where sports betting is prohibited.
To illustrate the workings of sweepstakes sportsbooks, we’ll take the example of one of the most popular sweepstakes brands, Fliff.
When sports bettors join this platform, they can purchase Fliff Coins. While these coins do not have real money value on their own, each purchase also rewards a certain amount of Fliff Cash, the second type of token used on the site that can be used to redeem real prizes.
You can also use Fliff Cash to place wagers and receive winnings in Fliff Cash. At any point, you can go and exchange Fliff Cash for real money prizes.
So, the most important thing to understand is that you can never purchase Fliff Cash. It is given to you as a reward for purchasing Fliff Coins, which can only be used to place fun wagers and compete on leaderboards, but they have no monetary value. Fliff Cash is awarded as a gift, not purchased directly, which makes this business model legal under current sweepstakes laws.
Here’s a concrete example:
- A bettor buys 25,000 Fliff Coins for $5.
- They receive their 25,000 Fliff Coins & $5 worth of Fliff Cash as a gift
- They use the $5 Fliff Cash to bet on the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers at +100 odds.
- Green Bay Packers win! Resulting in a win of $10 Fliff Cash.
- The bettor can go and redeem $10 in real money prize in exchange for their $10 Fliff Cash
How To Start Wagering at a Sweepstakes Sportsbook
Joining the sweepstakes sportsbook action is very easy and probably won’t take more than a couple of minutes of your time. All you need is a verified account with a sweepstakes sportsbook operator. Our top recommendation is Fliff, as they have a high selection of sports, games, and markets at the moment.
- Open a new account with Fliff
- Complete the registration and verify the account
- Become eligible for the welcome bonus
- Make the first purchase of Fliff Coins & receive your Fliff Cash gift
- Find your picks and place the wagers using Fliff Cash to qualify for real money prizes
Fliff is currently accessible in all US states, excluding Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Tennessee, and Washington. You must be at least 18 years old to open an account. Sports bettors can conveniently use Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and Bank Transfers to make purchases, which is the easiest (albeit not only) way to gain Fliff Cash.
Legality and Rules of Sweepstakes Sportsbooks in the US
As mentioned above, Sweepstakes Sportsbooks are operating under different rules than standard bookmakers. The money is not directly exchanged between a player and an operator, so they are not labelled as gambling sites.
There are a few exceptions among the states, banning the sweepstakes, such as Washington and Idaho. Most other states like New York or Florida are perfectly fine with you wagering, but there might be a limit to the maximum prize per session. Some of the other states might not allow certain operators, but sweepstakes sportsbooks are legal to join.
Which Sports/Markets You Can Bet on With Sweepstakes Sportsbooks?
There are zero restrictions when it comes to sports or market coverage you can bet on with sweepstakes sportsbooks. These platforms are doing their best jobs to mimic traditional bookies, so there shouldn’t be any major differences in terms of sports or market coverage. Sports and markets available with sweepstakes sportsbooks can be found below.
Supported Sports with Sweepstakes Sportsbooks:
- Football (NFL and NCAAF)
- Basketball (NBA and NCAAB)
- Hockey (NHL)
- Soccer (MLS, European leagues)
- Baseball (MLB)
- Boxing
- Tennis
Types of Bets You Can Place at Sweepstakes Sportsbooks:
- Moneyline
- Spread
- Totals (Over/Under Betting)
- Prop Bets
- Parlays
- Live Bets
- Same Game Parlays
Start Betting With Best Social Sportsbooks
This short guide should help you understand all there is to know about social betting sites in the US. It may feel a bit complicated at first, but it won’t take you long to get a hang of it.
The most important thing to remember is that these sweepstakes bookies make it possible to place your wagers and win real money prizes in a completely legal and safe way in almost all but few US states. So, if you enjoy betting on sports, this is how you can enjoy your hobby without any unnecessary concerns!
