Quick facts about Florida sportsbooks
- Online sports betting has been legal in Florida since December 2023.
- However, you can only place real-money bets online in Florida at Hard Rock Bet.
- Sweepstakes sportsbooks offer a viable alternative to Floridians looking for more online betting access.
- The best social sportsbooks in Florida are Thrillzz, Sportzino, Fliff, Kickr, and Onyx Odds.
Are sportsbooks legal in Florida?
Well, yes and no. Although online sports betting has been legal in Florida since December 2023, the only legal betting site in the Sunshine State is Hard Rock Bet, which the Seminole Tribe of Florida operates. So, even if you've used a betting app that's legal outside the state, it becomes inaccessible once you're in La Florida. For more information on sports betting regulations, check out our betting welcome bonus guide.
Learning this gave me mixed feelings, as on the one hand, you won't have to worry about breaking any laws when wagering on sports events in Florida. On the other hand, you can only legally wager on sports at one betting site. As great as Hard Rock Bet's betting services are, it's always nice to have alternatives.
With this in mind, I started snooping around and soon discovered a group of sportsbooks that are viable alternatives to Hard Rock Bet. They're called social sweepstakes sportsbooks, and here's what I learned about them.
Social sportsbooks to the rescue
Social sportsbooks are free-to-play online betting sites where you can place sports picks on an impressive range of betting options.
The only difference between them and traditional betting sites is that they run on virtual currencies, which are typically called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, instead of traditional currencies.
Sweepstakes betting sites comply with US sweepstakes laws, so they offer bettors free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins through bonuses and promotions. Here's the best part: You may be able to redeem your Sweeps Coins for alternative prizes after meeting site-specific prize redemption requirements.
Note that you must be the age of majority in Florida for online betting (21+) to sign up and use these sites.
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5 social sportsbooks I think you should check out
If you'd like to legally make sports predictions at more than one betting site in Florida, then you should try Thrillzz, Sportzino, Fliff, Kickr, and Onyx Odds. Here's why I picked them.
| Social sportsbook | Unique feature(s) |
| Thrillzz | Squad building, pick sharing |
| Sportzino | 170,000 Gold Coins + 7 Sweeps Coins |
| Fliff | Highly responsive native app |
| Kickr | Multiple promotions available |
| Onyx Odds | Impressive variety of markets |
Thrillzz – Lots of social interaction
- Highly rated social sportsbook app
- 3,000 Thrillzz Coins + 2 Thrillzz Sweeps welcome offer
- User-friendly interface
- Always free to use
- No desktop social sportsbook or social casino
Thrillzz is built around social interaction, so you can build squads, share picks, and compete with friends on leaderboards. I particularly like its squad-building feature that lets you create private lobbies to face off against your buddies or join public groups to compete with the wider community. You can also share your sports picks with other Thrillzz bettors or track your progress on its leaderboards.
The site offers a 3,000 Thrillzz Coins + 3 Thrillzz Sweeps welcome bonus, and there's an optional first Thrillzz purchase deal that offers $50 in Thrillzz Coins for $250. It covers 10+ sports, including football, basketball, golf, soccer, and NASCAR, and also supports pre-match and live predictions. Some of its more popular markets include moneyline, spread, totals, futures, and props.
Sportzino – Generous welcome promotion
- Generous welcome bonus
- Legal in most US states
- VIP “Hall of Fame” loyalty program
- No fees on Gold Coin purchases
- No live chat or phone support
- Not available in ID, MI, GA, or WA
I consider Sportzino's welcome offer one of the top 3 Florida social sportsbook promos. It's a 170,000 Gold Coins + 7 Sweeps Coins bonus that lands in your account after creating your account and completing certain tasks. There are several other promotions for existing social bettors, including Sportsbook PaySlip Boost, Sportzino Slamz, Sportzino Swipes, Boosted Parlay, and the "Hall of Fame" VIP program.
Sportzino also does well with its sports coverage. It offers pre-match and in-play picks on major sports leagues, including (UEFA Champions League, Tennis Grand Slams, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, and more. I also found an impressive collection of props, moneylines, totals, and futures, which can effectively compete with what's available at some leading traditional betting sites.
Fliff – Highly responsive app
- Daily bonuses and challenges
- Excellent sports coverage and odds
- Strong social and community features
- No web-based predictions
Fliff is an app-based site that offers a fun, unique way to predict your favorite sports events. Its app has a fast launch time and a layout that makes it easy to view available lines and place sports picks. Plus, you'll get notifications on the amount of Fliff Coins and Fliff Cash you've used on your predictions.
Speaking of predictions, you'll find lots of competitive odds and multiple markets, including alternative point spreads and totals. It also covers a wide variety of sporting events from leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. I only wish its sign-up promotion of 1,000 Fliff Coins + 1 Fliff Cash were larger.
Kickr – Loads of promotions up for grabs
- Free Bits and Bucks for new players
- Several free promos for existing players
- Exclusive VIP program
- No live chat
Kickr offers 150,000 Bits + 4 Bucks as a sign-up bonus. There are also several optional first Bit purchase deals, with one offering as much as 5,500,000 Bits and a complimentary bonus of 21 Bucks for $9.99.
Kickr also awards a daily login bonus of 5,000 Bits and up to 1 Bucks, a Drip Bonus of 5,000 Bits + 0.5 Bucks every 30 minutes, and a referral reward of 2.5 million Bits + 10 Bucks per friend. Other worthy mentions are its social media giveaways and mail-in bonuses.
Besides its array of promotions, Kickr also covers NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, soccer, Motorsports, F1, and MMA events. You can also make predictions using moneylines, spreads, totals, and props, among other markets.
Onyx Odds – Impressive variety of betting markets
- Free sports picks and predictions
- VIP program for existing users
- Low minimum Onyx Cash prize redemption
- Not available in some US states
I'd have liked to have more than the 1,000 Onyx Coins that I was offered after signing up to Onyx Odds. Its optional first Onyx Coins purchase deal, which offers $100 in Bonus Picks when you spend $10, isn't the largest on this list either. However, the site offers an impressive range of social betting markets and odds.
Onyx Odds covers for NFL, NCAAF, NHL, A, NCAAF, NCAAB, NHL, and MLB events and supports in-play live prediction for some of them. It also offers lines for every event from major leagues to niche sports. Some of the popular ones include spreads, totals, money lines, spread lines, and total lines. Plus, it supports single and parlay sports picks, and you can enjoy up to 5% margins on its available lines.
5 questions I asked when picking my top betting sites in Florida
To curate my list of recommended sweepstakes sportsbooks, I asked myself five questions. The answers to these questions helped sift through the noise to identify the best options. Here's how the process went.
🔒 What security measures are available?
Sweepstakes sportsbook or not, it's important to stay safe whenever you're online. So, I checked which security measures my recommended sites deployed. All the sites on my list use advanced SSL encryption technology to safeguard your data.
They also fully comply with US sweepstakes laws, so they tick the compliance box. Each of them also offers Responsible Play tools to help you manage your prediction sessions.
📊 How varied are the available social betting markets?
One major reason I didn't like the idea of making sports picks at just one betting site in Florida is the limited availability of betting markets. So, I thoroughly went over the available social betting markets for each of the sites I vetted to ensure you have access to a variety of betting options. All five sites I recommended do well in this regard, but Onyxx Odds stands head over shoulders above the rest.
📱 Can I place sports picks on the go?
I assumed that, like me, you'd want to use a site that allows you to make predictions on the go. That's why I also looked up the sites' mobile experience. I'm pleased to say that all five sites are great when it comes to mobile betting, although Onyxx Odds doesn't currently have a native app. If I were to choose, I'd say Fliff's betting app offers a remarkable mobile betting experience.
🎁 Are there promotions for new and existing bettors?
Everyone loves freebies, even social bettors. However, much as sweepstakes sportsbooks are built around freemium sports betting, not all of them are great with promotions. If you're into bettor promotions, Sportzino and Kickr offer generous rewards for new and existing bettors.
On the flip side, the promotions offered by Fliff, Thrillzz, and Onyx Odds could be better. However, they have other features that make up for their not-so-fantastic promotions.
👥 Does the site have a community experience?
Another thing I considered when picking the best sportsbook in Florida was the community experience. All the top sweepstakes sportsbooks are built around social interactions, which make you feel that using their services is all about having fun, not chasing correct predictions.
You'll find social media giveaways and leaderboards at my recommended sweepstakes sportsbooks. If social interaction while making sports predictions is your thing, then Thrillzz is the site to try.
Pros and cons of social betting at Florida sportsbooks
Here are the pros and cons of playing at the sites that I recommended above.
- Access to different markets
- Multiple promotions
- Great mobile betting experience
- No real-money betting
Conclusion – You'll have more access with these Florida sportsbooks
I find the online betting space in Florida very interesting. The state allows online sports betting, but only at one betting site. What's even more intriguing is that this has been the situation for at least two years. I had expected that the state would allow more online sportsbooks so local bettors would have access to more betting options.
Be that as it may, Thrillzz, Sportzino, Fliff, Kickr, and Onyx Odds are viable alternatives that allow you to make sports predictions once you meet their eligibility requirements. Each of my recommended sweepstakes betting sites offers generous promotions, access to multiple betting options, and an engaging mobile betting experience, among other things.
The good news is that all you have to do to use their services is click the on-page banners. You can also browse our complete sites like directory for more sports betting alternatives.
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Florida sportsbooks FAQs
Who can bet on sports in Florida?
Once you're at least 19 years old and physically located in the state, you can place sports bets.
What betting sites are legal in Florida?
You can only place real-money bets at Hard Rock Bet. However, you can also make sports predictions at sweepstakes sportsbooks such as Thrillzz, Sportzino, Fliff, Kickr, and Onyx Odds.
️ Why are sweepstakes sportsbooks legal in Florida?
They are legal because they run on virtual currencies and comply with US sweepstakes laws.
