Responsible Social Gameplay (RSG)

With the potential to win real prizes without spending money, there is a possibility of developing problem gaming habits. To prevent this from happening, we at SweepsKings have decided to inform our readers of the importance of responsible social gaming.

As you read, you’ll learn how to play safely, protect your loved ones, use responsible gaming tools at the casinos we promote, and where to get professional help.

Responsible Social Gameplay vs Problem Gambling

Responsible gambling promotes casino gaming for entertainment purposes. On social gaming sites where entry is usually free, responsible gaming implies spending a controlled amount of time on the site, playing within a budget, and spending only your dedicated “play” funds whenever it becomes necessary to buy coins.

On the other hand, problem gambling is a situation in which an individual has no control over how they act when it comes to their gambling activities. Such individuals spend more money than they can afford to lose, play for an excess amount of time, and usually end up neglecting their family, friends, and jobs to enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with online gambling.

Signs and Impact of Problem Social Gaming

Everyone reacts differently to the same issue, leading to multiple signs of problem gambling. As a sweepstakes casino player, you must always be on the lookout for any of these signs and get help the moment you identify them:

• Compulsive need to risk valuable items that you cannot afford to lose in hopes of a better reward
• Making gambling your primary source of income
• Hiding your gambling activities from friends and loved ones
• Strong emotional attachment (anger, stress, frustration, misery) to your losses on social casinos
• Neglecting important real-life chores to gamble
• Inability to stick to a budget when gambling
• Constantly thinking about logging into your social casino account

The impact of gaming addiction extends beyond the potential financial ruin that many gamblers face. Suppose the signs we’ve mentioned above appear and no action is taken to control the situation. In that case, these are some of the potential consequences:

• Issues in interpersonal relationships (neglecting friends and family)
• Possibility of job loss due to poor work performance and gambling on the job
• Severe financial losses that can spiral to bankruptcy due to overdue bills, borrowing, maxed-out credit cards
• Depression and other mental health issues
• Divorce, loss of access to kids, and other legal issues

Tips to Promote Responsible Social Gaming

To ensure that you’re gambling responsibly, we have some excellent tips that you must remember at all times:

1. Always assume you will lose any money you spend on the sweepstakes casino. This way, you have minimal expectations and are less likely to chase losses.
2. Only gamble with your entertainment funds. Don’t use money for your daily expenses, and don’t borrow money to play social casino games.
3. If you don’t find any form of responsible gaming tool or promotions on a casino, don’t play on the site. The sites we recommend at SweepsKings all encourage responsible gaming, so they are okay to visit.
4. Learn the signs of problem gambling and constantly assess yourself. Suppose you notice you’re spending excess time playing games, trying to win back losses, or starting to see gaming as a source of income. In that case, it’s time to take a break.
5. Avoid visiting sweepstakes casinos when you’re mentally, physically, or emotionally down. Seek professional help for these issues, and don’t try to play games to ease your pain.
6. Always have a budget and time limit, but sticking to these limits is more important.
7. If you play with others, only roll with individuals who showcase excellent responsible gaming habits.
8. Just like driving, alcohol and social gaming don’t mix. If you’re playing casino-style games under the influence, you won’t be able to enforce your responsible gaming rules.

Responsible Gaming Tools on Sweepstakes Casinos

To promote responsible social gameplay and prevent players from developing problem gambling habits, sweepstakes casinos offer several useful tools, such as:

1. Purchase Limits: This restricts the maximum amount you can spend on gold coin packages. WOW Vegas, High 5, Chumba, and Pulsz Casino are some sites with this excellent feature.
2. Reality Check: The reality check allows you to set an alarm that reminds you how long you’ve been online. You can find this feature on Chumba and High 5 Casino, with the option to set a 1, 2, or 3-hour alerts.
3. Play/Bet Limit: This limit allows you to set the maximum amount of sweeps coins you can spend over a specific period. So, if you set a 100 SC weekly limit, your SC play is restricted once you spend 100 SC. Only a few casinos offer this limit, but you can find it at Chumba Casino.
4. Daily Time Limit: This limits the maximum time you can spend logged into your account daily.
5. Time Out: This feature temporarily locks your account. Unlike the self-exclusion, the time-out option is usually for a much shorter duration (maximum 30 days in most cases).

On sweepstakes casinos offering a purchase or play limit, a request to decrease your limit will be processed instantly. In contrast, a request for an increase usually has a pending or cooldown period.

Self-Exclusion on Social Casinos

On the social casinos we promote, we verify that they all offer the option for players to exclude themselves from their service for a period. To do this, you must use the self-exclude feature (if available in the account section) or email the customer support team stating your request.

Activating the self-exclusion feature on any social casino will have multiple effects, including:

• Inability to access your account on the casino
• A stop to promotional emails and other marketing materials
• Pending payouts or new prize redemptions will not be processed

Although social casinos will do their best to prevent your access to their platform, this will only work on the associated user ID. So, if you’re helping a friend or loved one, you should watch out for them creating a new account or email address to access the site.

Helping Loved Ones Struggling with Gambling Addiction

If you find out that someone close to you is struggling with problem gambling, you can help them get over this addiction. However, when you try to help, don’t try to control their life or be judgmental.

At SweepsKings, some of the actions we recommend to help out your loved ones include:

1. Talk to them about the problem and let them know the consequences (debt, strained relationships, health issues).
2. Use blocking software like Netnanny, Gamblock, BetBlocker, or Betfilter to prevent access to gambling sites.
3. Be careful when lending money to anyone with a gambling problem. Only do this if you can control or know what they will be spending it on to avoid encouraging their gambling habit.
4. Protect your banking details and find ways to address withdrawals from a joint account.
5. Find new activities to help them socialize, deal with boredom, or overcome stress – depending on why they gamble in the first place.
6. Help them get professional support to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Your Duty as a Parent – Preventing Underage Gambling

There is a limit to how much a sweepstakes casino can do to prevent underage gaming. In most cases, the only effective tool is the age verification process, and many casinos only enforce this process during redemptions. Therefore, your duty as a parent/guardian is to protect your children from social or real money casino sites.

Everyone will have a unique approach when it comes to preventing underage gambling, and here are some of the best ways to help:

1. Don’t visit social casinos in the presence of your kids so they don’t subconsciously gain interest.
2. Don’t use the “remember me” option when logging in to your casino accounts.
3. Have clear rules to limit internet use in the home.
4. If the kids need to make online payments using your credit card, ensure you know what they are paying for.
5. Find the right way to talk to them about gambling.
6. Learn the signs of addiction and look out for them.

When dealing with kids, there are some unique problem gaming signs you need to look out for. These often appear alongside other signs, and they include:

• An increase in time spent on online games (some console games have a bit of gambling involved nowadays)
• More interest in gambling-related shows (WSOP, European Poker Tour)
• Frequent borrowing of money from family or friends without any meaningful purchase
• A sudden increase in spending money (indicating a cash-out)
• Frequent mood swings (especially after sporting events) and drop in grades

Conclusion – Seeking Professional Help

In addition to our tips on responsible gameplay and dealing with gambling addiction, you can also reach out to professional support groups if you’re unable to maintain control.

One of the recognized professional groups for problem gambling support in the US is the National Council on Problem Gambling. It’s a nonprofit organization offering services in all parts of the US. If you need professional help, you can reach out to them through these channels:

• Call: 1-800-GAMBLER
• Text: 800GAM
• Chat: 1800gamblerchat.org

Furthermore, you can also find problem gambling organizations in your state and local phone numbers you can call in the table below:

If you reside in a state without a local problem gambling help organization, you can always reach out to any of these self-help organizations:

• Gam Talk
• Gam-Anon
• Gamblers Anonymous

For further direction, don’t hesitate to contact SweepsKings and we will ensure you get in touch with a professional.