If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-522-4700.Responsible Gaming

Responsible Gaming

Mission statement

We strive to assist and protect customers who are at risk of the potential negative effects of gambling through a number of means, including self-exclusion tools, guidance on responsible gaming, risk identification and player verification.

We believe in educating our customers to empower them through knowledge. Click here for an interactive presentation on Responsible Gaming and Problem Gambling.

What we can do to help you

Age verification

Underage gambling is a criminal offense and anyone who facilitates someone under the age of 21 to gamble has committed a criminal offense and shall be prohibited from Internet gaming.

Any underage customer who has provided dishonest or inaccurate information regarding their true age may have all winnings forfeited and could face criminal prosecution.

  • Every person signing up for a new account must check a box that indicates that they are at least 21 years of age. This notifies everybody that we don’t accept customers under 21.
  • When a customer creates an account with us, we collect their name, address, Social Security Number (SSN) and birth date to confirm that the customer is at least 21 years old.
  • We do not target underage customers with our marketing and advertising. It is neither good business nor consistent with our personal and corporate values to attract underage customers.

If you have children or teenagers in your household, take extra care to secure your computer and mobile devices.

  • All Windows computers can be set up to have password control so that you must enter a password to get to the desktop, and mobile devices can be set up to require a passcode to unlock. In general, this is a good practice, but it’s even more important when there are children or teenagers in your household. Also, keep your username and password private. You can elect to have the software not remember your password each time you log-in. If you have any concern that somebody else might attempt to access your account, you should not allow the software to remember your password.
  • If you have children or teenagers in your household, use protection software that allows you to limit the websites to which they have access, prevent file sharing, and generally give you detailed control over how your children use the Internet. Here is a list of some of those programs:
  • If you are aware of an underage person using our platform, let us know. Simply contact Support and we will get right on it. Our first step is to investigate, and if warranted, freeze the customer’s account and request identification from that customer. We take these reports seriously.
  • Be a responsible parent. In many ways, this is nothing more than keeping your eyes and ears open. If you hear your children talking about online game accounts, deposits, and withdrawals, start asking questions. If you see the software on your child's computer, uninstall it and ask more questions. A responsible parent is the best start to preventing underage gaming. You can find advice on how to talk to a young person about gambling here.

We recommend you to visit the following website for more information on underage gaming: What’s Really at Stake?

Signs

Is someone you know…?

  1. Preoccupied with gambling (i.e. reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).
  2. Secretive about his/her gambling habits, and defensive when confronted.
  3. Increasing bet amounts when gambling in order to achieve the desired excitement (“high”).
  4. Trying unsuccessfully to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
  5. Restless or irritable when not gambling.
  6. Gambling to escape problems.
  7. “Chasing” losses with more gambling.
  8. Lying to family and others about the extent of gambling.
  9. Committing crimes to finance gambling.
  10. Jeopardizing or losing relationships, jobs, education or career opportunities because of gambling.
  11. Relying on others to bail him or her out to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.

If you answered “Yes” to several of these questions, we encourage you to visit Gamblers Anonymous.

You can take the test in its entirety at one of the following websites:

www.gamcare.org.uk/get-advice/self-assessment-tool/
www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/screening-tools/

Self-exclusion and your account

Also, we provide you with the ability to exclude yourself from betting for various periods of time. To do this on mobile, go to ‘More’ > ‘Settings & Tools’ > ‘Responsible Gaming’. On the website, login then go to ‘Account’ > ‘Responsible Gaming’.

Please note that all self-exclusions and time outs are irreversible for the duration of the specified time. In addition, all self-exclusion periods are inclusive of all markets. Your self-exclusion will apply to your account, and to any product that requires your username to play.

Self-Exclude your account

  • We offer 3-day, 7-day, 30-day, 60-day, 120-day and 180-day time out periods. You will not be able to bet with us. Once you click the button that requests a time out or a self-exclusion period the time out or self-exclusion period will begin.  You will be able to login and access the cashier, but you will not be able to deposit onto or bet with your account.
  • You will not receive any marketing emails or newsletters from us.
  • Customers who request a time-out when they still have an open bet will have the bet settled as normal.
  • Also, you will not be permitted to change your personal details registered with your account while the self-exclusion is in effect.
  • 180-day time out and indefinite exclusion. These are identical to the other time out and exclusion periods, except that we will ask you to withdraw any funds from your account. You will not be automatically reinstated, and you must serve a minimum of 6 months in the case of the 180-day time out and 12 months for the indefinite exclusion to request to have your account reopened again. If you want to return to betting with us, you will need to contact Support  after the required period has passed.
  • Self-exclusions longer than 6 months, and permanent self-exclusions. If you wish to self-exclude yourself longer than 6 months, or permanently self-exclude yourself, please contact Support.

If you would like to close your account, please contact Support with the request.

If you wish to self-exclude from all online gambling activity, consider downloading gamban®, software that helps you by blocking access to all online gambling.

You may also wish to investigate GamBlock, a software application that limits a computer’s access to online gaming sites.

What you can do to help yourself

Identify and reduce the risks

If you choose to play online, there are some general guidelines that can help make your playing experience safer, and reduce the risk of problems occurring:

  1. If you choose to gamble, do so for entertainment purposes. If your gambling is no longer an enjoyable activity, then ask yourself why you are still “playing”.
  2. Treat the money you lose as the cost of your entertainment. Treat any winnings as a bonus.
  3. Set a dollar limit and stick to it. Decide how much of your time you want to allow for gambling. Leave when you reach the time limit whether you are winning or losing.
  4. Set a time limit and stick to it. Decide how much of your time you want to allow for gambling. Leave when you reach the time limit whether you are winning or losing.
  5. Expect to lose. The odds are that you will lose.
  6. Make it a private rule not to gamble on credit. Do not borrow money to gamble.
  7. Create a balance in your life. Gambling should not interfere with or substitute for friends, family, work or other worthwhile activities.
  8. Avoid “chasing” lost money. Chances are the more you try to recoup your losses the large your losses will be.
  9. Don’t gamble as a way to cope with emotional or physical pain. Gambling for reasons other than entertainment can lead to problems.
  10. Become educated about the warning signs of problem gambling. The more you know, the better choices you can make.

There are risk factors caused by gambling which can impact many aspects or your life, such as family and relationships, as well as financial, health and job risks in the following ways:

  • Problem gamblers might miss family activities, including meals, birthdays, and other important events.
  • Increased arguments within the family often caused by financial issues, such as increasing debts, overdue utility bills, borrowing money from family and friends, pawning personal and family valuables or passing bad cheques.
  • Compulsive gamblers often provoke reactive violence in their spouses, which makes them more likely to become separated or divorced.
  • Problem gambling is also associated with emotional, physical, and psychological health issues.
  • Self-esteem declines as losses increase, which increases stress and anxiety.
  • Problem gamblers suffer more from moodiness, attention deficit hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and clinical depression.
  • High proportions of problem gamblers seriously consider or even attempt suicide.
  • Problem gambling can also have an adverse effect on individual’s ability to perform well at work, college or school.
  • Problem gamblers are often late for work, skip entire work days, and are more likely to take sick leave to gamble.

They are also more likely to experience a decrease in productivity, ask employers for pay advances, borrow money from co-workers, steal from their place of employment, and embezzle.

If you are finding it hard to stop gambling, or if you’re already suffering from consequences related to your gambling behavior, it may be time to get help.

Setting limits

We are proud to offer a number of features that all customers from Colorado can avail themselves of to help better manage their funds and general sports betting experience. You can set the following limits to your account:

  • Self-Imposed Deposit Limits
  • Self-imposed Sports Stake Limit
  • Self-Imposed Spend Limits
  • Self-Imposed Playing Time Limits

You can set these limits by following these instructions, depending on how you are accessing our services:

  • Website

Log in and go to ‘Account’ > ‘Responsible Gaming’

  • Mobile App

After logging in go to ‘Menu’ (Android) or ‘More’ (iOS), then ‘Settings & Tools’ > ‘Responsible Gaming’

Set limits on your real money deposits

We believe that you should be allowed to manage your own budget for betting online. We allow you to restrict your own daily, weekly and monthly real money deposit limits. Of course, those limits may be no higher than the ones we already have for your account. Also, please note that the daily deposit limit takes into consideration the transactions made during the last 24 hours, the weekly during the last 7 days and the monthly during the last 30 days.

You can set these limits by following the above instructions and selecting ‘Restrict Deposit Limit’.

If you set a daily or weekly deposit limit, you will not be permitted to increase or remove it during the next 7 days and the monthly limit for 30 days. When you request to increase or remove a deposit limit, it will remain pending for 24 hours. After that period of time, you will be asked to confirm the request on a pop-up that will be displayed when you login to your account. All requests to decrease a deposit limit will be approved immediately.

Set deposit limits

Restricting sports betting

Setting betting limits provides individual customers with an opportunity to control their spending by limiting themselves from betting at various stakes. You can limit your betting by selecting ‘Restrict Sports Stake Limit’. There is also the option to block yourself completely from sports betting within this menu, by choosing ‘Don’t Play’.

Restrict your spend limit

Managing your bankroll is one of the most import aspects of online gaming. Using our Spend Limits feature, you can choose how much of your balance and funds you use on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The limits you select are cumulative, so all bets you make throughout the day will count towards your limit. To choose this option, just follow the above instructions and select ‘Restrict Spend Limit’.

If you increase or remove this limit, your daily limit will be processed at the end of the day, the weekly one at the of the week and the monthly limit at the end of the month.

If you request to increase or remove a spend limit, you will be asked to confirm the change 24 hours later. A pop-up will be displayed when you login to your account asking you to reaffirm the request. If you decrease any of these limits, the request will be approved immediately.

Restrict your play time

You can also limit the time spent per day playing from 1 hour to 8 hours. To choose this option, follow the above instructions and select ‘Restrict Playing Time’. Once exhausted, you will no longer be able to participate in gaming until the time limit is reset at midnight ET. Any request to lower your limit will take immediate effect, while requests to increase or remove your limit will not take effect until at least 24 hours after you have made your request.

Restricting withdrawal cancelation

You have the option to restrict yourself from cancelling your withdrawals once they have been requested. You can apply this by following the above instructions and selecting ‘Restrict Withdrawal Cancellation’.

If you activate this feature, you will disable your ability to cancel pending withdrawals on your account and we will not cancel your withdrawals at your request. This restriction is permanent and it will not be possible to restore your ability to cancel your withdrawals once you have activated it.

Set withdrawal cancellation restriction.

Account and Game History Information

At any time, you can request your deposit, withdrawal and playing transaction history in the mobile app. Tap on the Menu button (Android) or 'More' button (iOS), go to 'Settings & Tools', scroll down and choose 'Requests' and select the 'Playing History Audit' option.

From the menu that appears, you can select a date range to request the specific information required. You will also need to select a password for the file. You may choose any password you wish; however, we do not recommend using the same password as for your account.

Finally, you will need to select the output format. The options available are Excel (97-2003), HTML and a text file. HTML format is recommended for mobile devices. Then click on 'OK' to submit the request. You will be prompted to enter your password to confirm the request. An email with further instructions will be sent to your registered email address.

Be aware of common myths about compulsive gambling

We believe gambling should be done for fun and entertainment. But some customers who engage in recreational gambling do not believe they could become addicted, and sometimes hold onto false beliefs or myths about problem gambling that can lead to denial and other problems. Some of the more common myths are listed below. Click ‘More’ to read on.

Myth: You have to gamble every day to be a problem gambler.
Fact: A problem gambler may gamble frequently or infrequently. If a person’s gambling is causing psychological, financial, emotional, marital, legal or other consequences for themselves and the people around them, then they could be displaying signs of a gambling problem.

Myth: Problem gamblers will gamble at any opportunity on any form of gambling.
Fact: Most problem gamblers have a favorite form of gambling that causes them problems and are not likely to be tempted by betting on other things. For example, a gambler who makes weekly trips to the race track may not be tempted by lottery tickets or slot machines. Some compulsive gamblers also engage in secondary forms of gambling, but these are not usually as problematic.

Myth: Gambling only becomes a problem when you lose every last penny. Compulsive gambling is just a financial problem.
Fact: How much money you win or lose does not determine if you have a gambling addiction. Compulsive gamblers may win big and then lose all their earnings the next day, or they may only bet a certain amount each time. Typically, those with gambling problems will incur enough debt that the financial consequences of their behavior begins impacting their lives, but that is not always the case.

Myth: It’s not possible to become addicted to something like gambling.
Fact: Certain activities, such as gambling, can be just as addictive as drinking or doing drugs. Gambling may produce a euphoria that encourages a compulsive gambler to keep repeating the behavior to achieve that effect. As with drugs and alcohol, a gambling addict may develop a tolerance for gambling and take bigger and bigger risks to achieve that euphoria. A compulsive gambler will give in to a craving for gambling by doing it more often, regardless of the negative consequences. As with any other addictions and compulsive behavior, pathological gamblers may also be in denial about their behavior, and may not believe they have a problem at all.

Myth: Problem gamblers are irresponsible people.
Fact: Many problem gamblers hold, or have held, responsible community positions. In addition, even people with a long history of responsible behavior are vulnerable to developing a gambling problem. When a person is having a problem gambling episode, that person is unable to control their gambling and in this compromised state their actions look like irresponsible behavior.

Myth: Children are not affected by problem gambling.
Fact: 
Surveys show that about 10% to 15% of American and Canadian youth have experienced gambling-related problems and 1% to 6% of these individuals may satisfy diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. Additionally, children of problem gamblers have been shown to be at a higher risk of developing health-related behaviors. This includes alcohol and drug use, problem gambling, eating disorders, depression and suicide.

Myth: Financial problems are the main reason that problem gamblers’ relationships break down. 
Fact: 
It is true that money problems play an important part in ending relationships, however, many non-gambling partners say that the lies and lack of trust is the biggest cause.

Myth: If a problem gambler builds up a debt, the important thing to do is to help them get out of the financial problem as soon as possible. 
Fact: 
Quick fix solutions are often attractive to everyone involved and may appear to be the right thing to do, however, “bailing” the gambler out of debt may actually make matters worse by enabling gambling problems to continue.

Myth: Problem gambling is easy to recognize.
Fact: Problem gambling has been called the hidden addiction. It is very easy to hide as it has few recognizable symptoms, unlike alcohol and drug use. Many problem gamblers themselves do not recognize they have a gambling problem. Problem gamblers often engage in self-denial.

Myth: If I keep gambling, my luck will change and I'll win back the money I've lost.
Fact: Each time you place a bet, the outcome is completely independent of the previous bet. This means that the odds are no more in your favour on the tenth bet than they were on the first bet. Risking more, or playing longer, will not improve your chances of winning.

Myth: I have a feeling that today is my lucky day. I just know I’m going to win.
Fact: Hoping, wishing, or even needing to win money has absolutely no influence on the outcome of a game of chance.

If any of these myths are realities for you or a loved one, it may be necessary to consider seeking treatment for a gambling addiction. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-522-4700.

Need help, advice or counselling?

If you feel you might have a gambling problem, and seek further advice or counselling, you can visit these web sites: