PICKEM joins the growing list of US social sportsbooks, and the platform has been gaining traction recently. However, I don’t just follow the hype. So, I conducted this PICKEM review to check out the brand firsthand.
On the PICKEM app, I found all the top US sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. This means you can make sports predictions on the NFL, NBA, NHL, and others. The platform supports two main modes: PICKS and Career, and I’ll explain how it all works as you continue reading.
- How does PICKEM work?
- Is PICKEM legit in the US
- Insights into the PICKEM app
- Understanding social betting with PICKEM
- The sign-up bonus from PICKEM
- Other PICKEM bonuses to claim
- GC purchases and SC redemptions at PICKEM
- How support works from my PICKEM review
- PICKEM qualifies for social betting
- PICKEM review FAQs
How does PICKEM work?
To clear the air, PICKEM isn’t a traditional sportsbook, and you don’t make sports predictions with money on the platform. Instead, you use a dual virtual currency model of Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC).
The GC and SC function just like at other sweepstakes casinos and social sportsbooks. Gold Coins are for entertainment only, but Sweepstakes Coins are redeemable after meeting the brand’s redemption requirements. I find it essential to understand this difference before anything else.
Is PICKEM legit in the US
PICKEM meets the standards of a legit sweepstakes sportsbook since it uses virtual currencies. Plus, no initial payment is mandatory on the platform. I saw Gold Coin bundles during my PICKEM review, but purchasing them is totally optional.
All the same, the social betting brand isn’t available everywhere in the US. The following locations are excluded:
- Connecticut
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New York
- New Jersey
- Washington
Basically, if your state is in the above list, you can’t use PICKEM. When I signed up, I observed that the app has a geo-detector to automatically confirm user locations.
Insights into the PICKEM app
You can only access PICKEM on mobile by installing the app on Android or iOS. The social sportsbook isn’t available on desktop. I consider it a drawback, but it’s not much of a big deal since most sweepstakes bettors use smartphones.
From my tests, the mobile interface is heavy on animations. As you scroll and swap, the on-screen elements react instead of just staying plain. It’s a modern setup, and the lemon green and blue color scheme fits the design.
In my PICKEM reviews, I had access to lineups and my GC/SC balance in the top section of the app. Down below, the bottom menu highlighted PICKS, promotions, and my profile icon. There wasn’t any mix-up on the dashboard.
Understanding social betting with PICKEM
If you join PICKEM, these are the two supported modes for social betting:
PICKS
You’ll find PICKS familiar if you’re used to daily fantasy sports (DFS). The mode is all about building lineups of 2 to 6 players, while selecting More or Less on their projected performances. From my count, PICKS works on 10 sports, including:
- Football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Hockey
- Tennis
- Soccer
- MMA
- Motorsports
- Golf
- Esports
I came across a similar range during my Onyx Odds review and a few other platforms. What’s different with PICKS is that the mode is Player-to-Player (P2P). So, after building and submitting my lineup, I was added to a group with social bettors with similar picks.
The target is to outperform others and finish top of the leaderboard. PICKS lets you choose between Full Send and Save Play before submitting your lineup. With Full Send, you only get GC/SC returns if all picks are correct. Meanwhile, Save Play still offers something if you fall short on one or two.
Career Mode
In Career Mode, I was placed in an arena with 10 players. PICKEM gave me tokens to make sports predictions, and I score points if I’m correct. The more points you get, the further you progress. Each milestone has Trophies, and completing all milestones in one arena moves you to the next.
Besides Trophies, I also picked up Gold Coins and promo USD. Importantly, the promo USD isn’t actual money at all, and it only works on the sweepstakes sportsbook. I used them to purchase GC packages or make predictions in PICKS mode.
While checking out Career Mode in my PICKEM review, I spotted Prediction Cards. These are already-made sports picks, and backing any with your tokens leads to more points if correct.
The sign-up bonus from PICKEM
The first promo you receive from PICKEM is 50,000 Gold Coins and 1 Sweepstakes Coin. Once I completed my registration, I saw the bonus in my account without providing a code.
If you ask me, the welcome offer helps at the start, but I’ve seen sites with higher rewards. For instance, in my Kickr review, I got 150,000 Bits (equal to GC) and 4 Bucks (equal to SC) after registration.
The silver lining is that PICKEM has discounted deals on the first GC pack purchase. I saw up to 1 million GC (+ 50 free bonus SC), but remember that it’s optional.
Other PICKEM bonuses to claim
PICKEM has a few more promos for claiming Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins, but I didn’t locate a VIP club or referral program. It’s a major area where I believe the social sportsbook should improve. For now, these are the available bonuses:
đź’° Gold Coin Refills
If your GC balance gets to zero, PICKEM will top it up with 1,000 GC for free. I always get it automatically without taking any action.
đź“… PICKEM Login Bonus
Checking in with PICKEM daily gets you extra Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins. The reward increases per day for the first week, after which it becomes fixed at 20,000 GC and 0.5 SC. To claim this bonus, I didn’t need a PICKEM promo code. Just sign in to your account at least once every 24 hours, and you’re good to go.
🔄 Coinback
Each SC lineup you submit in PICKS mode is eligible for a coinback bonus. In other words, the platform will return a small percentage of your Sweepstakes Coins.
GC purchases and SC redemptions at PICKEM
On the PICKEM app, I saw Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay as payment methods for purchasing Gold Coin packages. Meanwhile, debit cards and online banking are the two options for redeeming eligible SC as real prizes. I didn’t come across gift cards.
The GC packages start from $4.99 to $499.99, and they include free SC bonuses. Remember that they’re totally optional, so only go for one if you choose.
In terms of prize redemption, PICKEM has a 1x SC playthrough requirement. I found the same condition during my ProphetX review and at several other sweepstakes sportsbooks. So, it’s the industry standard.
After meeting the playthrough requirement, I had to verify my account and get up to 100 eligible SC. Finally, I submitted my redemption request and received the prize after three business days.
How support works from my PICKEM review
PICKEM offers live chat for customer support, which I expected for a mobile-only platform. Each time I launch the chat, it routes to a real agent without any bot in between. Connection isn’t always fast, though, as it can take around five minutes sometimes.
The second support option is email, and it takes a few hours to receive a response. I recommend it for less-urgent or detailed issues. If you want to find answers on your own, you can check out the help center.
PICKEM qualifies for social betting
Considering its features, it’s clear PICKEM passes the check as a social sportsbook. You have PICKS and Career Mode to choose from, which helps ensure the experience isn’t singular. Also, the platform covers all popular sports, so you can find your favorite teams and players.
In my experience, the PICKEM app does the job on mobile. However, it’ll help if the social sportsbook also adds desktop or web support since some people prefer it. That said, the main drawback is the lack of a VIP club or referral program for existing bettors. I believe PICKEM will fare better if it launches both.
PICKEM review FAQs
đź”’ Is PICKEM safe?
🎰 Can I play sweepstakes casino games on the PICKEM app?
đź’» Does PICKEM work on desktop?
đź’µ Can I win money on PICKEM?
Simon Day
Simon has been writing about Gaming and Sports for over a decade, with his work featured in a variety of well-known gaming magazines. This year, he joined win.gg as an Editorial Specialist, where he continues to share his passion for the industry through insightful and well-crafted content pieces.
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