Sweepstakes casinos are incredibly fun websites that are bursting with hundreds of video slots, table games, and arcade games and while they are free to play at, it’s still important to be responsible and take caution.
We’ve got years of experience using and testing these sites and thus have created the guide below on responsible social gameplay for your benefit. Read on to see how to stay safe and play responsibly at US social casinos, while also learning about tools and resources you can use to keep things on track and fun.
Five Key Tips to Play Responsibly at Sweepstakes Casinos
We’ve got a host of other useful
sweepstakes casino guides
you can check out for other subjects, but here we are concentrating only on responsible social gameplay. First, we’ve given you a selection of incredibly useful tips that you can put into place to protect yourself and always keep your sweepstakes gaming fun.
🔒 Keep your playing sessions short
One of the simplest things you can do to play responsibly and have fun is to limit your playing sessions. From our years of experience and testing, we know that the longer you play casino-style games, the sloppier you get. You’ll often find that your concentration slips, you lose focus, and you ultimately start making bad decisions that can lead you into a spiral. This can be avoided. All you need to do is set a timer on your phone or computer and play for short bursts. We feel that playing sessions of between 10-15 minutes are ideal. In this period, you still get to have fun, but also keep yourself fresh and alert.
🎉 Prioritize fun above everything else
Sweepstakes casinos have two virtual currencies – Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC). We recommend mainly playing with Gold Coins and keeping your Sweeps Coins gameplay to a minimum. This is because Gold Coins are for fun only and have no other function. Therefore, by simply playing with your GC balance, you can prioritize fun and just get maximum enjoyment out of the games. In contrast, always looking for Sweeps Coins or working towards Sweeps Coin prize redemptions can put additional strain and stress on your gaming experience.
💡 Know your own triggers and weaknesses
Understanding yourself is incredibly important to playing responsibly at sweepstakes casinos. Before you consider signing up or playing at any of our recommended brands, take the time to think about your personality including triggers and weaknesses. For example, perhaps you have a tendency to keep playing live blackjack until you get a prize from a hand, or maybe you are prone to using the “bonus buy” feature. By understanding your tendencies, you can do things to keep them in check, such as avoiding specific game types or features.
🛠️ Make use of responsible social gaming tools
The
best sweepstakes casinos
have proper responsible social gaming tools you can use. These will vary from site to site, but we expect things like Gold Coin purchase limits, self-exclusion tools, and even the option to outright close your account if you think the fun is gone. To find these tools and resources, most social casinos have a dedicated responsible gaming page that you can find in the website footer. Alternatively, many of the features will be located in your account management section. You can always speak to the customer support team if you want additional help, to understand how these tools work, or for more info on responsible social gaming.
Tools and Resources You Can Use to Keep Your Gameplay Healthy
Aside from tips and tricks, there is also a range of tools and resources at your disposal – you just have to know what they are and how to find them.
Built-in Sweepstakes Casino Tools
We only recommend US sweepstakes casinos that feature responsible social gaming tools. The exact nature and availability will vary from site-to-site, but generally, you can use the following:
Tool
What it does
GC purchase limits
Allows you to set daily, weekly, or monthly limits on the value of GC packages you can purchase.
Self-exclusion
Block access to your sweepstakes casino account for a pre-defined period.
Time-outs
Usually shorter account blocks compared to self-exclusion such as 24 or 48 hours.
Reality checks
Reminders that will pop up when you’ve been playing for a set period such as 30 minutes or more.
Pros and Cons of Built-in Tools
Pros and Cons
Easy to use and understand.
Readily available for all customers.
Give you a hard barrier and limits.
Difficult to undo once used.
You can’t be forced to use them.
Not all equal at different sites.
External Resources You Can Use
Sweepstakes casinos will also give you a host of external resources you can use, and there are plenty available that give advice. For instance, some sites have questionnaires you can take to see if you are playing responsibly, while others might have telephone lines or live chats you can use to get specialized help.
Now, these resources will differ depending on the state you are gaming from, and typically, you will find specialist resources and sites that are state-specific like the Betsmart Colorado site or the New York State Gaming Commission site. To get you started, we’ve listed some useful organizations below that aren’t state-specific:
National Council on Problem Gambling.
American Gaming Association.
International Center for Responsible Gaming.
You should also be able to see resources on the specific responsible social gaming pages that our recommended sweepstakes casinos have, and they will usually have links in their website footers also.
Sweepstakes Casino Gaming Should Never Be a Problem – Keep It Fun
We hope you have found this guide on responsible social gaming useful. It is important to us that we educate players on how to use sweepstakes casinos safely and how to keep things fun. There is always the chance for things to spiral out of control, so understanding the different tools these sites have, plus the external resources available, is vital.
Also, please consider the tips we have provided. Keep your playing sessions short and sweet, make sure fun is your main priority and try not to chase Sweeps Coins, understand your own potential triggers and weaknesses, and make use of the tools that the sites offer, such as Gold Coin purchase limits and self-exclusion periods. Once you’ve got these things in place, feel free to check out our high-quality recommended sites to give them a try.
Age
21+. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Not available in AL, CA, CT, DE, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, TN, WA and WV. Additional T&Cs apply.
150% First Purchase Offer: Up to 600K Gold Coins +
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No deposit limits as you can’t make deposits at US sweepstakes casinos. However, there will usually be the option to limit your Gold Coin purchases in a set period such as per day, week, or month.
You should be able to yes, but this depends on the responsible social gaming tools each site has. Oftentimes there will be a complete self-exclusion option where you can block access to the website for a specific period.
This can be different for each person depending on their tolerances, concentration, and ability to focus. Generally, we recommend playing sessions of 15 minutes or less at US sweepstakes casinos.
You can usually find responsible gaming resources specific to your state, and the sweepstakes casino will also usually provide links. Some reputable organizations include the National Council on Problem Gambling, the American Gaming Association, and the International Center for Responsible Gaming.
