How to Bet on Sports If Sports Betting Isn’t Legal in Your State

Sports betting is now legal in over half the country, but unfortunately, not everywhere. If you live in a state like California, you know the frustration firsthand (catch up on my whining about that here).

Despite multiple efforts to legalize sports betting here, including two high-profile ballot measures in 2022 (prop 26 and 27), nothing passed. The result? Millions of women bettors (and men, of course) are left without access to traditional sportsbooks.

But just because your state hasn’t caught up doesn’t mean you’re out of options. If you’re looking for a legal, fun, and legitimate way to bet on sports, even in a restricted state, like CA sweepstakes sportsbooks is the way forward. It's what I use when I bet and it's better than not being able to bet at all.

Some states still don’t allow sports betting

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court gave individual states the power to legalize sports betting. Several states have since introduced their own specific laws about sports betting, but where I live (California), sports betting is still illegal. Here, two ballots were introduced to allow for sports betting at casinos and/or online but both failed!

It’s frustrating, especially when you’re a fan and ready to bet responsibly. It's not just CA: other states like Texas (where I know for a fact that there are a ton of sports bettors) has no sports betting and it doesn't seem like this is about to change any time soon.

What is a sweepstakes sportsbook?

So what do you do if you live in CA or TX (or any of the other states where you can't bet with Fanduel or DraftKings)? Introducing: sweepstakes sportsbook.

Sweepstakes sportsbooks operate under sweepstakes laws, which means that you can bet without making so-called real-money bets.

Here’s how it works:

You’re given virtual currency, which are called Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins.
You use these coins instead of money when you bet
If your bets hit you win (duh) and you can redeem the coins for prizes

This workaround is pretty smart. Because you don't use money to bet, no real money is risked, and so the sweeps casinos are compliant with laws in most U.S. states, including California. Nice, right!

There are a number of sweeps casinos or social casinos that offer sports betting, but these are the ones that I tend to return to. In fact, the bets that I have been sharing in our forum are all made with Legendz..

Sportszino

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Sportzino is available to players in most U.S. states, with the exception of Idaho, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, and Washington.

Sign-Up Bonus
Additional Bonus Offers
Key Features

Sportzino welcome bonus

New to Sportzino? Get up to GC 170,000 + SC 7 just for signing up and completing easy tasks like verifying your phone or connecting Facebook. Bonuses unlock instantly and keep coming with daily logins and promos.

🎁 How to claim:

Sign up and get 20,000 GC + 1 SC
Verify and connect for more rewards
Log in daily for ongoing bonuses

Why use sportzino casino? Here are some reasons :-)

Pretty slick interface that makes betting simple
Decent promotions and free coin drops that change regularly
They usually have good odds on major sports

In short, Sportzino is a great option for beginner bettors and experienced bettors who can't use a "normal" sportsbook.

Val C. Martinez

Founder of BettingLadies.com

Like all casinos, Sportzino offers a welcome bonus you can use to place your first bets. If you're not sure the casino is for you, using the bonus coins is a low-risk way to try it out and see what you think.

Legendz

Best odds in the country... well, at least that's what their advertising says. I have had a fantastic experience betting with Legendz.

The only thing I would complain about is that sometimes the totals betting options are not great, as they offer full units, meaning you can see an over odds of 225 instead of 225.5, which means that you can hit 225 exactly and not win the bet if you bet 225. In a traditional sportsbooks that offer would be over/under 225.5 so that you can't draw, basically.

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Terms and conditions apply

Bonuses
Payment options
Casino Details

Sign up bonus

New users get 500 Gold Coins (GC) and 3 Sweepstakes Coins (SC)
No need for any promo code
Optional first-purchase offer: 50% bonus on your initial coin package (valid for one hour after account creation)

Why Legendz, you ask. Some points as to why I like betting with them

Excellent for live betting
Fast prize redemptions, and fast betting. It takes 2 seconds to bet with the coins you have in your account
Wide variety of sports markets, including player props, live betting, etc
Responsive customer support (although I have to admit I haven't tried it yet ,but that's what others are saying)

Both Sportzino and Legendz are fully legal to use from California and many other states where traditional sportsbooks aren’t allowed.

Getting started

Sign up on the site (Sportszino or Legendz) by clicking the links above
Claim your free welcome bonus
Use Gold Coins for fun, or Sweeps Coins for a chance to win cash prizes
Place your bets just like you would on a standard sportsbook, only you use coins. Note that the minimum bet is usually one sweeps coin
Redeem your Sweeps Coins for cash if you win

Final Thoughts

It’s disappointing when your state doesn’t offer legal sports betting but sweepstakes sportsbooks like Sportszino and Legendz is a pretty solid alternative. When I bet last time I went to Vegas, I did notice how much better a real sportsbook is, but hey, a girl has to bet and it is what it is.

Hopefully, this was helpful. Happy betting and let us know your bets in the forum!