Sweepstakes play has no purchase requirement, which makes it sound harmless. The mechanics are the same as any casino game, though: variable rewards, near misses, and a coin pack available the moment a free balance runs out. That last part is where the risk sits. Most people who spend more than they intended on a sweepstakes site did not plan to spend anything.

Signs worth taking seriously

• Buying a coin pack after telling yourself you would only play the free routes.
• Playing longer than intended, or losing track of how long a session ran.
• Chasing a redemption floor when you are no longer enjoying the games.
• Hiding the amount of time or money spent from people close to you.
• Feeling irritable or restless when you cannot play.

Tools every operator in the ledger offers

• Purchase limits. A hard cap per day, week or month. The most effective single control on a sweepstakes account.
• Session reminders. A prompt at an interval you choose, more useful in practice than it sounds.
• Cool off. A short lock, typically a day to a month, after which the account reopens automatically.
• Self exclusion. A long or permanent close. Ask for it in writing and keep the reply.

If you are worried about someone else

Talk about the behaviour rather than the person, avoid covering debts, and point them at the helpline above rather than trying to manage it alone. Gam-Anon exists specifically for people in this position.

Under eighteen

Sweepstakes play is for adults only, eighteen or twenty-one depending on the operator and the state. If a young person has access to your device, the parental controls in your operating system are worth ten minutes of setup.