‘Social sportsbook’ apps are luring young fans — and raising alarms

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 7:20 PM
  • Rick Maese and Roman Stubbs, The Washington Post

In the days leading up to kickoff, users of Fliff, a popular mobile gaming app, placed more than 200,000 “bets” on last weekend’s NFL conference championship games. They bet on Patrick Mahomes throwing for at least 240 yards, on Christian McCaffrey scoring the first touchdown and the usual array of money line, point spread and over-under offerings.

They did it, in many cases, without verifying their age or even spending a dollar.

That’s because Fliff is not a traditional online sportsbook. It’s a “social sportsbook,” and a pillar of its business model involves users making bets with “virtual currency.” That has enabled Fliff and apps like it to operate with little interference from state or federal authorities that regulate sports betting despite being marketed in some places as “suitable for ages 13 and up” and easily downloaded by even younger users.