PokerStars USA has launched a series of new responsible gambling (RG) ads that are educating players on ways to set money or time limits when playing on the site.
The new RG ads first aired on Twitter on March 1, which, auspiciously, was the same day that Problem Gambling Awareness Month kicked off in the United States.
PokerStars USA operates online poker rooms and casinos in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan and is taking this opportunity to educate players of the ways they can set a variety of limits — be it time or money — when using its software.
In each US state in which it operates, PokerStars provides a complete suite of responsible gambling tools that players can implement on an ad-hoc basis, ensuring that players can always stay in control when at the virtual tables.
On PokerStars USA’s desktop site and mobile app players can:
- Set Deposit Limits: This allows players to set a maximum amount of money that they are allowed to deposit on the site in a particular length of time, i,e. $100 a week or $20 a day. Once the player hits that limit, the player will be blocked from depositing more funds until the next time period begins.
- Set Game Time Limits: This allows players to limit the amount of time spent playing certain game types.
- Set Table Limits: This limits how many tables players can play on at the same time.
- Set Timeouts: This cooling-off period is important for players who may start to chase their losses. It gives players some breathing space before jumping back into any action.
Although not explicitly mentioned in the ads, PokerStars USA also offers players the option to self-exclude.
Self-exclusion is when a player wants to ban themselves from playing on a site. The ban will last a set amount of time and is usually anywhere between 6 months to a lifetime ban. It is the most extreme, but most effective, way of preventing players from developing further harmful gambling behaviors.
The social media campaign is part of a larger effort to educate gamblers about what it means when gaming companies say, 'Please Play Responsibly’
In this instance, PokerStars USA allows players to self-exclude directly on its website, but players can also ban themselves at the state level for both online as well as live in-person casinos.
PokerStars USA is not the only one rolling out well-designed, modern responsible gambling campaigns. Last month, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) released a series of slick new adverts that highlighted the ways players can stay in control when gambling online, as part of the regulator’s responsible gaming awareness push.
“The social media campaign is part of a larger effort to educate gamblers about what it means when gaming companies say, 'Please Play Responsibly’“ the NY State Gaming Commission told Sports Shield last month.
“We want people to understand that gambling is a form of entertainment. It’s supposed to be fun. Our goal is to bring attention to the simple but important things gamblers can do to keep the fun front and center,” the NYSGC’s spokesperson added.
