Social betting vs sweepstakes gaming – what you need to know
Those of you who’ve been fans of
Fliff Sportsbook
for a while now will know that social betting sites like this one are… Well… kinda unique. They allow you to pick-out sports predictions of your own, and challenge those of your friends, but play entirely using online-only coins instead of cash - either in just-for-fun or “promotional sweepstakes” mode (where the latter lets you redeem coins called “Fliff Cash” for genuine cash prizes).
Right now, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you that there aren’t any Fliff sister sites if you were looking for a similar social betting experience powered by the same brand. Having said that, in recent years a whole other sub-genre of iGaming has emerged known as “social” or “sweepstakes” casinos – which effectively offer the same kinda thing as Fliff, except for casino-style games rather than sports picks.
Introducing your sweepstakes casino starter kit
Much as Fliff runs on two tiers of online-only coins – Fliff Coins that are played for fun, and Fliff Cash that’s prize-redeemable – sweepstakes casino
sites like Pulsz
and McLuck essentially operate according to the exact same model.
In the sweeps casino world, these coins are usually called Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC), and they function as follows:
| What are they? | What can you play them on? | How can you collect ‘em? |
I know, I know, it’s quite a bit to get your head around at first, which is precisely why my site’s stuffed full of more detailed guides about how sweepstakes casinos work. You might have noticed a generous
Fliff promo code, and other social sportsbooks will offer something similar. As today’s topic is pointing out brands as-similar-to-Fliff-as-can-be, though, I’m gonna dedicate the next section to exploring three of my favorite sweeps gaming platforms at the time of writing. So, let’s go.
What are the best alternatives to Fliff in the US right now?
As Fliff’s a bit of a wild card, it’s kinda difficult for me to suggest other social betting sites similar to it right now. But as I’ve already explained, sweepstakes casinos are a great second-option if you already have something of a penchant for virtual-coin-powered gaming.
At the time of writing, three show-stoppers of the sweeps casino sub-genre of iGaming are Stake.us, WOW Vegas and McLuck. For me to show you why, I think it’s best I jump into a lil review of each one. So, here we go…
Stake.us – everybody’s favorite sweepstakes gaming destination
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
- Great for high-rollers
- 24/7 customer service
- Weekly raffles and “Races”
- 260,000 GC+ welcome bonus.
- Live chat is sometimes slow
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have registered with Stake.us since its inception, which to me doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, really. The site, which frequently features on best sweepstakes casino lists and boasts an “Excellent” TrustPilot ratings average, offers 2,000+ slots, roulette, and baccarat games. And these come served on top of a platter of cutting-edge “Stake Originals” titles, too – basically, stuff you simply won’t find elsewhere.
Stake.us might not offer social betting right now, but you can play your GC and SC on pretty much any other kind of game you could ever possibly imagine here. That includes stock market-inspired “Crash” titles and one-off card games like Hilo. You can even sit opposite a real-life dealer to enjoy Vegas-style blackjack tables where you can practically smell the cards.
High-rollers will love it here, too – frequent “Races” tournaments offer-up opportunities to win hundreds of thousands of GC or SC at a time, while playing through 1,000 SC or more in a week gets you a free-entry ticket into a weekly raffle offering even bigger potential prizes. Register today, and you can claim an epic welcome bonus using my code “DIMERS”, too, which will land you 260,000 GC, 55 SC, and 5% rakeback. Wowzers.
25 Stake Cash + 560K Gold Coins + 3.5% Rakeback
WOW Vegas – unbeatable for rewards and bonuses
Wow Vegas: Pros & Cons
- Great slots software
- More than 900 games
- Mega-value welcome offer
- Excellent purchase-linked bonuses.
In the absence of any Fliff sister casino sites right now, a ton of people are turning toward WOW Vegas – a sweepstakes casino that seems to take bonuses a lot more seriously than many of its sweepstakes casino competitors.
Right off the bat, new sign-ups in 46 different US states (that’s all bar MI, NV, WA and ID) can claim 150,000 GC-a-like “WOW Coins” and 3 SC. Later down the line, making an optional WOW Coin package purchase with the platform good for 1.75 million WOW Coins will see you net a further 35 free SC bonus, but only your first time around. Thereafer, you’ll find plenty of other great deals to choose from – or can simply kick-back and claim free coin reloads each time you log in to play.
Limits are nice here, too – you can redeem anywhere up to $10,000 worth of SC daily at a rate of 1 SC = $1 USD. Most bonus SC come with a play-through requirement of just 1x, too, which is basically about as low as play-through requirements get. The only downside? The game selection’s slots-only, I’m afraid, which might not suit everyone.
200% Extra: 30 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins
McLuck – a top pick for longer-term gamers
McLuck: Pros & Cons
- Good US availability
- Multi-tier VIP program
- Easy registration process
- New games added constantly.
If you’re looking for a sweepstakes casino you can sign-up with in minutes, and then stick with for the long-haul, McLuck is simply it on account of their epic VIP program and ever-expanding game selection.
Each time you log into this bad boy, you’ll notice that the game catalog grows weekly, and the “McJackpot” sweepstakes tournaments on offer seem to be always balooning terms of prize pot size, too. Arguably the site’s top calling card, though, is the McLuck Loyalty Club, where you can climb a VIP status ladder as you play, unlocking spruced-up customer support, supercharged bonuses and more.
You’ll need to be based in a green-lit state to play here (AL, ID, GA, MI, WA and NV don’t currently make the cut, unfortunately) and you’ll probably want to make optional GC package purchases to unlock the best bonuses on offer. That said, even players interested in free-play only can claim a daily login promo good for up to 1,500 GC and 0.20 SC, so the site suits everyone, really.
Get 227,5K GC + 107.5 SC FREE
If you don’t mind subbing social betting for sweepstakes-style games, alternatives to Fliff are pretty much all over the place.
But in my own gaming experiences, I’ve found that very few sites live up to Stake.us, WOW Vegas and McLuck when it comes to the sheer quality of their games, bonuses and all-round usability. I’ve shortlisted those three for a reason, basically.
Having said that,
sites like Chumba Casino
might also tickle your fancy if you’re into jackpot-style games, while Funzpoints is probably a decent shout for those of you who enjoy more fast-paced fruit machines that come chock-full of bonus rounds.
The only real trouble with
sites like Funzpoints
and Chumba is that they don’t tend to offer quite so many game options as, say, Stake.us or McLuck. So really, it depends what you’re looking to get out of your sweepstakes gaming experience here.
Wherever you look, mind, it’s essential you have a good read-through the T&Cs of any brands on your shortlist, just to make sure they tick all the right boxes on things like:
While virtual token-fueled gaming sites don’t need to be regulated locally at a state-level, all sweepstakes casinos set their own rules in terms of green and red-lit regions – so it's important to check these before you sign-up.
Reputable payment methods
I’ve mentioned a few times in this guide that purchases aren’t mandatory at sweepstakes casinos – and it’s true. That said, the reality is most gamers will probably want to buy a GC top-up every once in a while, and it’s often totally worth doing so in cases where, like with WOW Vegas for example, a big-value SC bonus is potentially on the cards. Just make sure your preferred operator definitely supports trusted payment options like Amex, VISA or PayPal before you buy, yeah?
Even though sweepstakes casinos are free-to-play-at and don’t offer any real money games, it’s important to always play responsibly, and to make sure you stick to sites that offer solid responsible gaming tools – like self-exclusion options or close affiliations with US responsible gaming organizations, for example.
Conclusion – spice up your virtual-coin-based gaming with sweepstakes casinos today
As we’ve seen, worthwhile alternatives to Fliff are out there, they just tend to offer a slightly different style of sweeps gaming to social betting sites, in that their gameplay options tend to revolve more around casino-inspired games than sports picks.
Once you’ve gotten your head around how the two-tier coin system at sweepstakes casinos works, what kinds of games are up-for-grabs and how to claim their latest and greatest bonuses, they can be insane fun – even if you’ve literally never played at a sweepstakes casino before like, ever.
There are quite a few up-and-coming sweeps sites out there right now, but Stake.us, WOW Vegas and McLuck are by far the best of the bunch, IMHO. If you’re gonna go for the former, my special code “DIMERS” can currently bag you an exclusive bonus, too – which is good for 260,000 free GC, 55 SC and 5% rakeback on all your losses. Happy gaming, guys and gals.
Top social casino bonuses not to be missed
1.
625K Golden Coins + Up to 125 SC FREE + 1250 VIP Points
2.
Get up to 500K Gold Coins + 105 FREE SC + 1000 VIP points
3.
200% Extra: 300,000 Gold Coins + 30 SC
4.
Get 200% More Coins on First Purchase - 1.5M CC + 75 SC
Wagering: 1x Bonus
5.
Get 227,5K GC + 107.5 SC FREE
Sites like Fliff FAQ
⚙️ How does Fliff work?
Fliff is a social betting platform much in the vein of sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us and McLuck. To cut a long story short, you’ll be playing with two different types of online-only tokens here instead of cash (known as Fliff Coins and Fliff Cash) to select your own sports picks and challenge your friends over theirs. If Vegas-style slots and casino games are more your kinda thing, though, you might want to check out sites like Stake.us, McLuck and WOW Vegas instead.
❓ Which payment options does Fliff support?
At Fliff, you can purchase just-for-fun Fliff Coins using MasterCard, VISA, Discover, PayPal or ACH Bank Transfer. Naturally, the payment options up-for-grabs differ slightly at Stake.us and the other brands I’ve reviewed throughout this guide. To get the full details on any sweeps or social betting sites I’ve reviewed recently, check out my dedicated brand guides here at Dimers.
🤔 Does Stake.us, McLuck or WOW Vegas offer social betting?
At the time of writing, no – these three are sweepstakes casinos much more interested in Vegas-style slots and table games than social betting. That said, this kind of iGaming at
sites like LuckyLand
Slots and Stake.us is definitely worth checking out if you’re already well-adjusted to the concept of virtual coin-powered gaming. It puts a whole new spin on things by allowing you to play at state-of-the-art casino-style games with your online tokens instead of sports picks.
🪙 Can I use Fliff Coins or Fliff Cash at other sites like Fliff?
Put simply, no – you can’t. And the reason for that is simple. Fliff Coins and Fliff Cash are two on-site-only virtual currencies offered exclusively by Fliff, and therefore restricted to their platform only. That said, other social betting and sweepstakes gaming sites that operate a similar model usually offer their own versions of these coins, which are most commonly called “Gold Coins” and “Sweepstakes Coins”, depending on the site in question. Discover the best sweepstakes casinos in your state now via my latest comparisons and guides.
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by
Ryan Leaver
as part of our fact-checking process.
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