Betting is always changing. Over the past 10 years alone, we’ve seen mobile betting explode, crypto casinos hit the mainstream, and eSports betting become a huge industry. There’s been a lot going on. And the latest addition to the long list of new betting trends is social betting, which has gained some serious momentum since it caught fire back in 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people on the planet were locked down. What did they do to pass the time? Many of them signed up with social betting sites. At the time, sceptics in the media believed that this would just be a short-term phenomenon. However, almost half a decade later and social betting is hotter than ever, with all signs pointing to 2025 being the biggest year yet for social betting.

What is Social Betting?

Social betting is just like regular betting but without real money. Instead, you place bets using virtual currencies known as Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. The experience is designed to be more modern and community-driven, too, with social betting sites providing players with the opportunity to:

• Chat
• Compete in tournaments and climb leaderboards
• Win prizes

Naturally, the prize-winning element is one of the biggest draws of all. After all, social betting sites — including social sportsbooks and casinos — don’t let you bet or win any type of real money. Instead, players can win exciting prizes. Depending on which specific social betting site you sign-up with, these prizes typically include cash transfers, cryptocurrencies and gift cards.

What Are the Different Types of Social Betting Sites?

There are two main types of social betting sites: social casinos and social sportsbooks. You can find a ranked list of these social betting sites on SweepsKings, an industry leader on all things social betting. Unsurprisingly, social casinos are most popular with gamers and casino players, while social sportsbooks are a smash-hit with fans of the NBA, NFL, and other major sports leagues.

🎰 Social Casinos

Social casinos are extremely popular at the moment. Some of the biggest names include Chumba Casino, Stake.us, and WOW Vegas. All of these sites have over 1 million registered users, with players signing up in huge numbers so that they can access popular casino games like:

• Slots
• Roulette
• Live dealer games

Yep, social casinos have all the games that traditional online casinos do. Best of all, these games are free-to-play. No matter which social casino you join, you don’t have to spend a penny to play. Instead, just use your Gold Coins and you’re good to go.

What makes social casinos especially unique is that they’re built for Gen Z and Millennial gamers. Epic features like climbable leaderboards, mini-games, and tournaments are exactly what today’s players want, which is why many of them have ditched traditional online casinos to switch to the new social ones instead.

After registering with a social casino, you might find that you quickly start to build a collection of Sweeps Coins by playing the different games. For example, let’s say you win 100 Sweeps Coins on the Sugar Rush slot game. This converts to around $100. You can then take these coins, visit your social casino’s shop, and redeem them for any of the available prizes you like. Make sense? Great!

🏆 Social Sportsbooks

Social sportsbooks are just like regular sportsbooks. You can bet on real-world sports leagues, from the NFL to the NBA, across all the familiar markets (e.g. winner, total points, over/under). But just like with social casinos, the difference here is that you’re using virtual coins instead of real money.

After joining a social sportsbook — such as Fliff or Thrillzz – you can place bets on your favourite sports games for free using Gold Coins. On the flipside, there’s an option to play with Sweeps Coins if you’re looking to win actual prizes. Naturally, the more Sweeps Coins you collect, the more prizes you can redeem.

Although social sportsbooks aren’t quite as popular as social casinos just yet, they are growing. There are many reasons for this, with the main one being that social sportsbooks offer real-time social feeds, fun leaderboards, in-game betting, and lots more. Plus, social sportsbooks are fast building a reputation for offering things like daily bonuses and spin-to-win wheels, which are proving to be highly effective at keeping sports fans engaged.

The Growth of Social Betting Sites

What’s clear to see is that there’s a genuine appetite out there for social betting. Even though traditional betting is still booming, there’s a growing number of people out there who don’t want to bet real money anymore, especially in today’s economy. Instead, what they want is a free-to-play, social, and interactive experience, which is exactly what social betting sites are providing them with.

• Crustlabs reports that the the social casino market is now worth $7.9billion
• This growth is being driven by social gaming elements, skill-based games, and the potential to win prizes
• Social betting sites are growing fastest in North America and the Asia-Pacific

By the time the current decade comes to an end, there’s no telling how popular these types of sites will have become. After all, let’s not forget that social betting sites are technically not gambling sites. Sure, on the surface they appear to be, as you’re still placing bets on casino games, sports games, and everything else. But the twist is that you’re doing this using virtual coins, which have zero value in the real world. Therefore, in the eyes of most state lawmakers, social betting sites are not legitimate gambling sites and are allowed to legally operate in 48 out of 50 US states. In terms of growth, this will continue to give them a serious advantage over the next few years, as they’re accessible pretty much everywhere.

Final Thoughts

Some of us love sports. Some prefer casino games. And others enjoy a combination of the two. Whichever your personal preference is, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of social betting sites moving forward, especially with market growth projected to continue at a rapid rate.

What’s great about this is that sports fans and casino fanatics finally have a place to go where they can place bets without the pressure of using real money. As we’ve discussed in this guide, social betting sites use virtual coins — not real money. With these coins, any financial pressure is completely removed and you can still win prizes along the way.

With that covered, it’s recommended you check some of the leading social betting sites out over the coming year. There are some great betting markets for MLB, NFL, and NBA fans on the social sportsbooks, while social casinos have stacked their game libraries with slots, roulette, and all of the other popular games that people love. Plus, you can look forward to chatting with other people, climbing leaderboards, and plenty more, with new features being added every year.