With the close of the Texas Legislature’s regular session, efforts to pass legal sports gambling and casinos in the state died when the Texas Senate failed to act on House Joint Resolution 102 and House Bill 1942 in May. It will be two more years before the next opportunity to legalize sports gambling can be official in Texas when the Legislature meets again in 2025.
At this point, Texans can enjoy one option for sports picks: three-year-old Fliff, a social sportsbook. The app, which can be downloaded on an iOS or Android device, offers virtual wagers on sporting events. It’s a great option for Texas sports fans looking to make picks.
Here are five things Texans should know about one of the latest Texas sports betting options that’s legal in the Lone Star State and most states:
1. Fliff operates as a social sportsbook
The mobile app touts itself as a free-to-play game that allows users to make wagers on sports events via coins and virtual Fliff Cash. Like most sportsbooks, Fliff offers bets against the spread, moneyline bets, futures, and parlays, and the list of sports to wager on is deep. Along with the major North American sports leagues, the app had betting options on Brazil’s Serie A soccer league and the World Putting Tour (golf) last week.
Considered a sweepstakes gaming site, new Fliff users, upon signing up, get a bank of Fliff Coins to start betting. Coins can be used to earn more coins, XP or rewards through winning bets. Fliff Cash, received when you purchase or earn coins, also can be used to make bets and enter sweepstakes that earn cash prizes.
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2. What type of sports betting is available on Fliff?
Fliff offers a wide variety of sports to wager on. Bets against the spread and on moneylines are available for all major sports. Player props are also available, and users have options such as parlays, same-game parlays and game props. The app offers live in-game betting and has a handful of daily “boosted offers” within the navigation bar that increase odds on a nightly basis.
3. The difference between Fliff Coins and Fliff Cash
Coins are for gameplay and cannot be redeemed for cash or monetary prizes. Accumulating coins helps users move up Fliff rankings and earns players XP that can be redeemed for gift cards for companies such as Taco Bell, Airbnb and others.
Fliff Cash is similar to real money: one Fliff Cash equals one U.S. dollar. It can also be used to make bets to win additional cash. Accumulate Fliff Cash, and redeem for cash prizes.
4. Get friends involved with sports betting on Fliff
Once a user has established an account with Fliff and started to wager, he can invite friends to try the app. This is where the social sportsbook becomes social.
Users can set up groups, challenge each other nightly for the best picks and create daily, weekly and monthly contests for supremacy. Setting up challenges based on sports or types of picks can also be done. Try a head-to-head competition with a fellow user or set parameters for a group contest.
5. What is the future of Fliff?
Although the app has had three years of success in the marketplace as a social sportsbook, there are a couple of challenges lately to its legitimacy.
California case
In California, a class action lawsuit against Fliff was filed by attorney Dennis Stewart. A judge and venue were set for the court case. Stewart represents Bishop Nessim, a Riverside County resident who claims to have lost more than $7,000 on the app.
The complaint claims Fliff operates an illegal online sportsbook under the guise of a free sweepstakes contest, violating the federal Wire Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law and anti-bookmaking laws. Sports betting is illegal in California.
Even though Fliff bills itself as a social sportsbook, the filing says Fliff claims to be a free sweepstakes to avoid any regulatory or legal oversight. The lawsuit also demands that Fliff cease offering the challenged conduct in the state.
A recent court order indicates Fliff’s response is due on July 3.
Ohio case
In Ohio, Fliff is one of five fantasy sports companies under investigation by the state’s casino control commission for offering wagering options that resemble player prop bets offered by sportsbooks that are legal in Ohio.
According to the American Gaming Association, the casino control commission claims the five companies circumvent new state laws that demand fantasy sports sites pay for online sportsbook licenses that could cost up to $2.5 million.
The state has issued cease-and-desist letters to the operators. As of June 1, Fliff stopped taking real-money deposits from users in Ohio in the wake of the investigations, according to Legal Sports Report.