What is social sports betting?
Social sports betting is a big deal in the US, so it’s worth making sure you understand how it all works. Instead of placing bets using real money from your bank account and creating the risk of losing money from an unsuccessful bet, social sports betting doesn’t use real money at all.
Instead of using real-world money, social sportsbooks operate using virtual currencies. These are usually called Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins, but some platforms change the names. Even with different names, these virtual currencies tend to operate the same way across all platforms.
- Gold Coins are designed just for making social bets for fun. These Gold Coins can be used to make sports picks and if you win, you’ll win more Gold Coins to use on the platform. These can never be redeemed for prizes but instead stay in your balance to be used for future predictions.
- Gold Coins packages can be purchased if your balance gets low, but this is totally optional. To place social bets at social sportsbooks, you don’t need to make any purchases and you can often receive free virtual currencies as a bonus.
- Sweepstakes Coins, on the other hand, can never be bought, but if you amass enough eligible Sweepstakes Coins, you can redeem them for prizes. These prizes are often gift cards or cash prizes.
Since Sweepstakes Coins can’t be purchased, it’s worth knowing they can be obtained through bonuses and promotions. Some Gold Coins packages might have free SCs thrown in as a bonus, or ongoing promotions on the platform might give you more for performing tasks.
While each social betting site will have its quirks, they should usually just function like regular online sportsbooks, only that you play at them with virtual currencies.
This means that you will see a range of social betting lines for major sports like football, basketball, hockey, baseball and so on. You can then browse the odds for the social moneyline, spread, totals and props and just make a social bet with your virtual credit, rather than your own real cash.
How to Redeem Real Money Prizes at Social Sportsbooks
Redeeming real money prizes from social sportsbooks is quite straightforward. Certain brands might have slightly different criteria, but most operate as follows:
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Make sure your account is fully verified as this is essential for making a redemption request.
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Use your Sweepstakes Coins for social bets at least once to meet the platform’s minimum playthrough requirement.
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Collect enough eligible Sweepstakes Coins to meet the minimum redemption threshold. This is usually around 100SC, and they need to have been played through at least once.
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Select your redemption method (you’ll usually have a choice of gift card or bank transfer) ad confirm the amount of SC you’d like to redeem.
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After you’ve confirmed your redemption, your prize will be with you after the recommended processing period.
Best social betting apps up close
Thee are a lot of really good social betting apps available, each has their own strong points. Some cover a wide range of sports including the major leagues and eSports, while other offer more in-depth options for social picks on a smaller range of sports.
Most social sportsbooks offer a strong welcome bonus that rewards members just for signing up and gives them some virtual currencies to start making picks with.
We’ve summarized some of the key points you need to know about the social sportsbooks we recommend in the table below.
| Brand | Welcome Bonus | Number of Sports Covered | Best Feature |
| Sportzino | Up to 170,000 GC + 7 SC | 40+ | Responsive mobile app |
| Thrillzz | 3,000 Thrillzz Coins + 3 Thrillzz Sweeps | 40+ | Up to 400% first purchase bonus |
| Legendz | 500 GC + 3 SC | 30+ | Easy to navigate |
| Bracco | 10,000 Bracco Coins + 5 Bracco Cash | 11+ | Caters to high-stake players |
| ProphetX | Up to 200 Prophet Cash in the first 30 days | 7+ | Generous welcome bonus |
| Onyx Odds | Up to 100 in bonus picks | 60+ | Large variety of sports markets |
Keep reading for some more in-depth information on our favorite social betting apps:
Thrillzz – Brand new social betting app
Pros and cons of Thrillzz
- Useful welcome offer
- Good range of betting lines
- Cash prizes redeemable
- Includes college sports
- No desktop social betting
This app gives you a great way to enjoy social betting on pre-match and live odds for anything from the NFL and NBA through to college sports, soccer and even UFC fighting. You’ll find a familiar range of points spreads here alongside player props and a whole lot more.
Sign up to Thrillzz for the first time and you could $3 in free Coins as well as a 100% first purchase bonus that is optional. Plus with the ability to pick up loyalty points and redeem cash prizes, we can imagine many more sports fans signing up here.
Fliff – Market leading social sportsbook
Pros and cons of Fliff
- Redeem cash prizes
- Vast range of betting lines
- Free coins every two hours
- User-friendly app
- Only available in certain states
Everyone knows that Fliff is one of the
best sweeps coins casinos
and pioneering social sportsbooks, and so it’s no surprise that you can get its app and enjoy quality betting on dozens of sports. Not only that, but it looks like Fliff serves up well over 100 betting lines for elite-level sporting events.
The brand has conjured up a decent welcome offer that will give you $500 in Fliff Coins for spending $100 and you will also get up to $5 in free credit each day. Plus with XP leaderboard challenges and free coins every two hours, you should have plenty of fun here.
Stake.us Social Casino Promo
25 SC and 25K GC signup bonus
Onyx Odds – Strong Welcome Bonus for new members
Onyx Odds: Pros and Cons
- Generous promotions
- Popular sports to choose from
- Diverse payment options
- Loyalty program
Onyx Odds rewards new players when they sign up with 1,000 Onyx Coins to use on making social picks. These work like Gold Coins on other, similar platforms and can’t be redeemed for prizes. However, if you choose to make an Onyx Coins bundle purchase of $10 for your first purchase, they’ll give you 25 Onyx Cash as a free bonus. Eligible Onyx Cash can be redeemed for prizes once it meets the redemption criteria.
This social betting site is widely available, with only 12 restricted states on the list. It also offers lots of social sports predictions markets, covering at least 10 of the most popular sports in the US, including more niche markets like La Liga and UFC.
| 🚀 Launch Date | October 2024 |
| 🎁 No Purchase Bonus | 1,000 Onyx Coins |
| 💰 First Purchase Bonus | Spend $10 and get 25 Onyx Cash |
| 🗓️ Daily Bonus | N/A |
| 🏈 Number of Sports Covered | 10+ |
| ❌ Restricted States | Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington |
ProphetX – Generous Welcome Bonus Over 30 Days
Prophet X: Pros and Cons
- Exchange-style betting model
- Available in most U.S. states
- Strong mobile app experience
- Welcome bonus requires purchase
- No live chat support
The welcome bonus at ProhetX works a little differently to other platforms. There’s not a traditional no-purchase or first-purchase bonus, like other social sportsbooks offer. Instead, when you sign up, you automatically enroll onto the welcome bonus that gives new members up to 200 Prophet Cash in the first 30 Days.
The way to collect this welcome bonus is based on whether you purchase Prophet Points bundles (these work like traditional Gold Coins) and will match your spend in the Prophet Points store with the same amount given to your balance in the form of Prophet Cash.
ProphetX has built up a following in the social sportsbook world as it boasts up to 20% better odds than other popular social betting apps. It’s able to do this because it’s a peer-to-peer social sports exchange, so things work a little differently. The platform is available in 38 states, so if you’re somewhere ProphetX operates, you might want to check out the odds on offer.
| 🚀 Launch Date | August 2022 |
| 🎁 No Purchase Bonus | N/A |
| 💰 First Purchase Bonus | Up to 200 Prophet Cash in the first 30 Days |
| 🗓️ Daily Bonus | N/A |
| 🏈 Number of Sports Covered | 10+ |
| ❌ Restricted States | California, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Washington, Idaho, Michigan, Tennessee, Louisiana, Montana, Connecticut, Nevada |
Bracco – Widely Available Across the US
Bracco: Pros and Cons
- Sizable sign-up offer
- Place social bets on over 10 different sports
- Over 1,500 casino-style games
- Multiple secure payment methods
One notable thing about Bracco is that it has a wide availability across the US, and can be accessed in 40 states (which is more than most platforms).
Newcomers can also bag 5 Bracco Cash to make a social bet with, and on top of that, enjoy the ongoing welcome bonus where they can receive up to 2,000 Bracco Cash across the first 30 days of using the app. It’s awarded as Bracco “Cashback”, so whatever you spend on Bracco Coins packages, you will receive a matched amount in Bracco Cash back (up to 2,000 Bracco Cash).
The platform is quite new in comparison to its competitors, having only launched in 2025. It was quickly able to cement itself a social sportsbook worth visiting and cover more than 10 of the most popular sports markets for US social bettors.
| 🚀 Launch Date | August 2025 |
| 🎁 No Purchase Bonus | 5 Bracco Cash |
| 💰 First Purchase Bonus | 100% bonus on Bracco Coins purchase |
| 🗓️ Daily Bonus | N/A |
| 🏈 Number of Sports Covered | 10+ |
| ❌ Restricted States | California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York |
Legendz – Huge Variety of Sports Markets
Legendz: Pros and Cons
- Available in most US states
- User-friendly interface
- 24/7 live chat support
- Top sports coverage
- Can be tricky for new players
Legendz is a social sportsbook that’s worth paying attention to. With a strong welcome bonus on offer of 500 GC and 3 SC and over 30 popular sports markets to make predictions on, there’s plenty to keep newcomers interested straight off the bat.
Besides the no purchase welcome offer, there is a 100% first-purchase bonus. As if that wasn’t already generous enough, Legendz keeps its members coming back by offering 10 spins of the prize wheel, just for logging in each day. This can award members with GC and up to 0.15 SC each spin.
Legendz is currently restricted in 14 states, so it’s not quite as widely available as some of its competitors, but if it’s available where you are, you can click one of the banners on this page to visit the site and claim the sign up bonus.
| 🚀 Launch Date | November 2024 |
| 🎁 No Purchase Bonus | 500 GC + 3 SC |
| 💰 First Purchase Bonus | Get 100% bonus on first purchase (up to a purchase of $100) |
| 🗓️ Daily Bonus | 10 spins on the prize wheel, allowing you to claim GC and up to 0.15 SC per spin |
| 🏈 Number of Sports Covered | 33+ |
| ❌ Restricted States | Nevada, New Jersey, Kentucky, Maryland, North Dakota, Connecticut, Washington, New York, West Virginia, Montana, Michigan, Nebraska, Idaho, Louisiana |
How to bet with social betting apps
Making sporting picks on a social sportsbooks is similar to placing bets on traditional sportsbooks. The main difference is that you use virtual currencies at a social sportsbook and you don’t stake any of your real money.
Every other aspect of social betting is very similar, from finding the sports market you want to make predictions on and checking out the odds. Here’s a step-by-step guide below.
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Choose one of the social sportsbooks we recommend on this page and download the app.
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Sign up as a new customer by creating an account.
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Give more details verify who you are (you’ll need to take further verification steps when your account is up and running).
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Claim any no-purchase welcome offer you might be eligible for.
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Select the sports market you’re interested in, and browse the odds.
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Tap on your selection to create a social betting slip and select which virtual currency you’ll be using to make this prediction.
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Enter and confirm how much virtual currency you want to stake for your social wager, then wait for the outcome.
If you sporting prediction is correct, it’ll be reflected in your balance in the virtual currency you used to make the pick. So if you used the platform’s version of GC to make your social bet, your winnings will be reflected as GC.
Can you win real money on social betting apps?
No, you cannot directly win money when using a social betting app. This is because members use virtual currencies to make social bets, so if those bets win, you win more of that virtual currency.
If you play with the Sweepstakes Coins form of virtual currency and win enough back, you may be able to redeem them for a variety of real-world prizes.
Since most platforms use Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins for their virtual currency system, it’s important to know the difference between the two. Sweepstakes Coins can be redeemed for prizes – providing you meet the playthrough requirements and the minimum redemption threshold.
Just note that the Gold Coins form of virtual currency can only be used to play for fun, meaning that no prizes can be redeemed. Gold Coins can be purchased in Gold Coins packages too, which is also something that doesn’t apply to Sweepstakes Coins. Sweepstake Coins can only be collected for free from bonuses and promotions.
If you manage to collect enough eligible Sweepstakes Coins for redemption, you can usually choose from cash prizes, gift cards and sometimes brand merch, depending on which platform you are using.
Social betting vs real money betting
As you’ve probably realised by now, social betting and real money betting have plenty of similarities, but are different in very important ways. These differences are often the reason social sportsbooks can operate in states where traditional sportsbooks can’t.
Check the table below for the main differences between social sports betting and real money betting.
| Social Betting | Real Money Betting |
| Bets are made using virtual currencies. | Bets are made using real money. |
| SC winnings can be redeemed for cash prizes | Real money winnings credited to your account and can be withdrawn |
| No need to spend real money to place social bets | Members need to spend real money to place bets |
| Members don’t stake real money, so no real money at risk of loss | Real money is staked and can be lost |
| Legal in most states where traditional sports betting is not | Only available in states where sports gambling is permitted |
Social Betting vs DFS
Another way sports fans can enjoy predicting what might happen with their favorite players in their favorite games is daily fantasy sports. These DFS platforms are widely available across the US and are also not considered to be gambling.
DFS is quite different to social betting as members use their knowledge of stats to strategically build a team within a set budget (referred to as a salary cap). The players for your chosen team can earn points depending on how they perform, and if your team earns more points than others, you can win a cash prize.
Below are the key differences between social betting and DFS.
| Social Betting | DFS |
| Members make sports predictions using virtual currencies. | Members build a fantasy sports team using their knowledge of statistics to compete against other players for cash prizes. |
| No real money is staked or won. | Real money is used to enter the contest and cash prizes are available to winners. |
| Social bettors choose from fixed odds set by the social sportsbook to ‘stake’ their virtual currencies on. | DFS players have no fixed odds – instead, they pay to enter and compete against others for prizes. |
| Social betting is not considered ‘gambling’ due to the use of virtual currencies. | DFS is not considered ‘gambling’ as it is a skill-based game |
What special features do social betting apps offer?
There is so much more to social betting apps than just giving you the ability to bet on sports for free. Here are some of the other things that you can enjoy doing from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet:
A growing number of social betting apps will now let you set your own odds for any sporting encounter and then challenge a friend to a one-versus-one showdown. As mentioned above, ProphetX is is one of these platforms, and as it operates as a peer-to-peer exchange, it often has higher odds than other sportsbooks.
Here you can chat alongside other players as you enjoy social sports betting. While it can get fiery, it’s a great way to add an extra dimension to the action. Thrillzz social sportsbook is one of these platforms that has an enhanced social side of things with a popular community chat feature.
Most social betting apps will also have their own tournaments where you just have to make more successful predictions than anyone else to get a share of a big prize pool. These will usually have their own headings on the site so you can easily navigate to them and figure out if you want to take part.
Opportunities to Collect Free Virtual Currencies
Since social betting is done using virtual currencies, you don’t need to spend any money to take part. Most platforms various opportunities from promotions, referrals and social media contests to collect virtual currencies to use making social bets. For example, Bracco rewards members who refer their friends up to 50 Bracco Cash if their friends sign up through their link and complete certain tasks. They also offer lots of promotions and odds boosts
Is Social Sports Betting Legal in the US?
Social betting is legal across many states in the US as it isn’t classed as traditional ‘gambling’. This is because instead of making bets with real money, these platforms operate using only virtual currencies.
Most of these platforms use a dual-currency system where one currency can only be used for fun (usually called Gold Coins) and one can be redeemed for prizes (often called Sweeps Coins).
Social sportsbooks are a twist on traditional sports betting as members can make predictions about sporting events, but they don’t stake real money, so there isn’t an opportunity to win or lose real money.
While social sportbooks are more widely available than real-money online sportsbooks, there are a few states that don’t allow them. These include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Washington. Certain platforms may not operate in other states that aren’t on this list, but these are the main states where you won’t be able to access social sports betting.
In the states where social sports betting is allowed, it is governed by state sweepstakes laws rather than gambling laws as it is completely separate to real-money gambling.
How to Download Social Betting Apps
Social betting apps are safe and easy to download. Whether you’re using an Apple or Android Device, you’ll be able to access your preferred social betting app through your designated app store. You can also click the banners on this site to be taken directly to the brand’s website for further download instructions.
Below are the steps to downloading social betting apps and signing up for an account.
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Choose one of the apps we’ve recommended on this page and search for it in your device’s app store.
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Make sure it’s the official app and hit ‘download’.
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When the app has finished downloading, it’ll appear on your homescreen.
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Open the app from your homescreen and click ‘sign up’.
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[Input all the personal details the form asks for. You should receive a text or email with an OTP.
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Confirm your account once you receive the OTP and you should be able to log in immediately and make some social predictions.
What Sports You Can Bet on with Social Betting Sites?
Social betting sites will often have a similar selection of sports to real-money betting sites. All the apps we’ve recommended have social betting markets for all the most popular sports in the US, including: NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MMA, Tennis, Soccer, College Sports and Golf.
Some of the bigger social sportsbooks might also offer a few more niche sports and even eSports, so if your tastes veer away from the major league sports, you might need to browse a few social sportsbooks to find what you’re looking for. The social sportsbooks we’ve recommended on this page have good sports coverage and a wide selection of markets within those sports to make social picks on.
What Betting Options Are Available at Social Bet Sites?
Social betting options are very similar to real-money sports betting options. The only difference is that you’re staking virtual currencies rather gambling real money. This means you can make social sports picks on social player props, social moneylines, social parlays and same-game parlays, social spreads bets and almost any other option that’s available at a traditional sportsbook.
The difference here is that you’re making predictions by using virtual currencies instead of betting with real money at a traditional sportsbook. So the types of predictions you can usually make are the same, just no real money it staked.
Bonuses at Social Sportsbooks
Social sportsbooks give members plenty of opportunity to get the most out of their virtual currencies and lots of opportunities to collect even more for free with ongoing bonuses and promotions.
Below are some of the common bonuses you’ll find at social sportsbooks.
These offers are exactly what they sound like. Platforms will boost odds for a certain social picks to give members more competitive odds than other sportsbooks. Some social sportsbooks will offer regular odds boosts on certain days of the week, while others will tie them to specific sporting events.
While social sportsbooks don’t use actual ‘cash’, they’re referring to an offer that works the same as a ‘cashout’ at a real-money sportsbook. These offers mean you can pull out your virtual currency winnings before the game is over.
Some social sportsbooks will return a percentage of the virtual currency you’ve used on social bets that you didn’t win. This is a great offer for people who regularly use social sportsbooks, as it helps keep your virtual currency topped up.
You don’t have to spend money to play at social sportsbooks, but if you wish to add to your virtual balance, there is the option to purchase a Gold Coins (or the platform’s equivalent) bundle. If you choose to do this, most platforms offer a bonus for those making their first purchase and will boost the amount of virtual currency you normally get for your money.
Most platforms reward members for referring their friends. If your friend follows your referral link, signs up and meet the platform’s requirements, you’ll receive some free virtual currency as a reward.
Now you know there are plenty of promotions to be had at social betting sites, you might be wondering which promos we rate and how to get your hands on them.
We’ve put all our top social sweepstakes sports betting site and promo codes together in the table below.
Payment Options at Social Sportsbooks
Much like real-money sportsbooks, social sportsbooks offer a range of payment options. Some platforms may differ slightly, but most will accept all major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bank Transfer. Below are all the banking options accepted by our recommended social sportsbooks.
| Social Sportsbook | Payment Options |
| Fliff | Credit Card, Debit Card, ACH, Skrill, PayPal. |
| Thrillzz | Credit Card, Debit Card, Skrill, ACH, Apple Pay |
| Onyx Odds | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Trustly, MuchBetter, ACH |
| ProphetX | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Trustly, ACH |
| Legendz
| Credit Card, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Skrill, ACH |
| Bracco | Credit Card, Debit Card, Cryptocurrencies, Fiat Payments, ACH |
How we rate social betting apps
You’ll find nearly as many social betting apps out there as
social casino apps, and that’s saying something. So here are the key criteria we used when judging a social betting app before recommending it to you:
Obviously any good social betting app will have odds for the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, but we expect much more than that. This is why we look for odds for soccer, golf, boxing, tennis, UFC and pretty much any other major or minor sports.
You will want a lot of flexibility in how you bet on your favorite sports. So we’d expect prematch and live odds for the money line, spread, totals, and all of those promos. Plus there’s nothing like a parlay social bet for adding a few fireworks.
We will be checking to see what kinds of promos you can get for downloading that social betting app. Plus we’ll see what kinds of deals you can get as an existing customer. After all, you should always be able to play those sweepstakes with no purchase required.
Your social betting will get a whole lot more fun when you know that you can redeem some prizes at the end. This is why we will see what the prize redemption process is like and reveal whether you can redeem cash prizes, gift cards, cryptos or even some fancy branded merchandise.
We will obviously take a good long look at which states the social sportsbook is allowed to operate in. Plus we will outline what steps the brand takes to keep your personal information and payments under lock and key.
Conclusion – Enjoy using a social betting app
After reading this guide, you’ll know that the process of finding the right social sports betting app doesn’t have to be a long and drawn-out process, full of trial and error and frustration. This is because you can use the reviews and comparisons on this site to do the hard work for you and save you from wasting your time downloading apps that are not fit for purpose.
You’ll also know that some of the best ways to place social sports bets might not be on apps at all and that some social casinos have websites that work so well on mobile devices they don’t need an app. Finally, you will have seen how using the resources here at thegruelingtruth.com can help you, and there are plenty more guides like this one available.
Our top social casinos for July
1.
25 SC and 25K GC signup bonus
2.
Get 200% More Coins on First Purchase – 1.5M CC + 75 SC
3.
Get up to 500K Gold Coins + 105 FREE SC + 1000 VIP points
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Social betting apps FAQ
💡 Which is the best social betting app?
We’d recommend starting out with some of the brands featured in our guide like Fliff, Thrillzz and Sportzino. Each of these sites have something unique to offer and they even offer you rewards just like those
social casinos that pay real money
redeemable prizes.
💰 Do social betting apps have welcome bonuses?
Yes, they do. Each of the social sports betting apps featured in our guide have welcome offers that give you plenty of virtual credit to make your predictions with.
📲 Where do I download the best social betting apps?
We have found that all of the best social betting apps can be downloaded for free from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play store.
