Staying in control when you play at Kings Game
Gambling should cost what you chose to spend, and no more. This page is for the moment before you play, and for the moment you start to wonder whether you should have stopped earlier. It describes the tools that Kings Game offers, the numbers that explain why a bonus can push you to play longer than planned, and the services in the UK that you can call.
How do I know if it is turning into a problem?
Some signs are easy to spot: you play for longer than you meant to, you deposit again to win back a loss, you hide the amount from people close to you, you borrow to play, or you feel irritable when you stop. Any one of them is a reason to pause. Two or three together are a good reason to speak to someone this week.
A useful self-check is a plain question asked before every deposit: if this money disappeared, would anything else on my list go unpaid? If the answer is yes, the deposit is not a gambling budget.
What can I set before I play?
Deposit limits are usually available. A limit set in advance does not depend on how you feel at the moment of the deposit, which is why it is worth deciding before you play.
The smallest deposit that counts towards a welcome stage is €20, about £16.90, so one stage on its own sits well inside a limit of £50.
Why can a bonus make me play for longer?
The welcome ladder usually runs 100%, 125%, 125% and 150%, with each stage capped at €1,000. Wagering is 35x, so a €20 bonus needs €700 of bets, about £591.35. That sum is the pressure, and it grows with the match: at stage two a €20 deposit brings €25 of bonus and €875 of wagering, about £739.18, which is 43.75 times the deposit. At stage four a €100 deposit brings €150 of bonus and €5,250 of wagering, about £4,435.10, which is more than 50 times the deposit. Work the sum out before you deposit, and compare it with the money you set aside rather than with the size of the headline.
Does the whole welcome ladder fit inside my limit?
Take a limit of £50. Four stage deposits at the €20 minimum come to €80, about £67.58, so even the smallest route through all four stages is above that limit. Taking one or two stages fits; taking all four does not.
A limit of £100 changes the picture. A €100 deposit (about £84.48) fits inside it, a €150 deposit (about £126.72) does not, and the four minimum deposits fit with room to spare.
A limit of £75 holds all four minimum deposits: the €80 they come to is about £67.58, which leaves about £7.42 of the limit unused. Even a limit of £100 sits far below the €4,000 headline, about £3,379.12. The headline is a ceiling that needs four stages and the full €1,000 bonus at each, not a sum to aim for.
What do £30, £45 and £55 limits cover in stages?
Each welcome stage asks for at least €20, so a limit in pounds can be read as a number of stages. A limit of £30 is about €35.51: it covers one €20 stage and leaves about €15.51, not enough for a second. A limit of £45 is about €53.27, enough for two stages with about €13.27 left over. A limit of £55 is about €65.11, which covers three stages and leaves about €5.11. In each case the remainder cannot start another stage, so the limit itself decides how far into the ladder you can go.
A 24-hour cool-off before a full exclusion
A 24-hour cool-off can come before a full self-exclusion.
How does self-exclusion work?
Self-exclusion is available directly on the Kings Game site. Live chat is open 24 hours a day, and e-mail is the written route. Once you have decided, tell someone you trust, so the decision is not yours alone to carry.
Who can I talk to in the UK?
The National Gambling Helpline (GamCare) is free and confidential on 0808 8020 133. It is open 24 hours, by phone and live chat. In Wales the line is 0808 2819 265. Gambling in Great Britain is for people aged 18 and over, and if you are younger than that, please do not use any gambling service.
What about the people around me?
If a relative or friend is the one gambling, the best help you can give is a calm conversation and the number above. Keep devices where a child cannot use a logged-in account, and do not share a login with anyone.
What do I say to someone I am worried about?
Start with what you have noticed, not with a verdict: the late nights, the borrowed money, the mood after a loss. Ask what they would like to change and offer to sit beside them while they call the helpline. Pressure usually ends the conversation; patience keeps it going. If they decide to use self-exclusion, the decision has to be theirs, because it is their account and their choice, and a decision made for them rarely lasts.
What happens to what I tell you?
If you write to [email protected], your message is read by the editorial team and is not passed on to the casino. We cannot see or change your casino account, and we cannot place a limit on it for you.