Getting Help With Sweepstakes Play

Most people who find SweepsGuard are here because a casino owes them money, and that is most of what we do. But we also read a lot of complaints where the money is not really the problem any more. Sweepstakes casinos run under sweepstakes law rather than gambling law, but the problems they cause are the same ones, and every service below will help you either way. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. For gambling specifically, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is free, staffed 24 hours a day and reachable by call, text or chat on 1-800-MY-RESET. Gamban blocks sweepstakes sites at the device, and GamFin offers free financial counseling for gambling debt in states where it has a partnership. Nothing on this page costs anything and we are paid by none of it.

Is it still a problem if I only play free sweepstakes coins?

It can be. The money is only one of the things it costs you. If you are losing sleep over it, hiding it from people close to you, or checking a balance you cannot do anything about, the amount you have spent is not the measure of whether it is a problem.

Sweepstakes casinos are not legally gambling. Does that change anything?

Legally, yes. They run under sweepstakes law rather than gambling law, no state licenses them the way it licenses a casino, and there is always a free entry route. Practically, no. The games behave the same way, the chasing feels the same way, and the money leaves your account the same way. Everything on this page will help you whether or not the site you play on is legally a casino.

Does blocking software work on sweepstakes casinos?

Gamban covers sweepstakes sites specifically, and SweepsGuard supplies it with a monthly list of the sweeps domains we track so its coverage stays current. No blocker is perfect and none of them removes the decision, but putting a barrier between you and the site at the moment you are not in the mood to argue with yourself is the point.

I am chasing a redemption that has not been paid. Does that count as a gambling problem?

Not by itself. Chasing money you are genuinely owed is a reasonable thing to do, and it is most of what we help with. It is worth stopping to look at when the chasing itself is costing you more than the money would — sleep, work, your relationships, or your health.

Will it cost me anything to get help?

No. The National Problem Gambling Helpline is free and does not ask for payment or insurance details, 988 is free, and GamFin's financial counseling is free to residents of states where it has an active partnership.

Can I self-exclude from a sweepstakes casino?

Most sites offer it, usually under account settings or by writing to support, and the better ones honor it across every brand the same operator runs. It is worth asking for it in writing so you have a record. Blocking software works alongside self-exclusion rather than instead of it, because it does not depend on the operator doing what it said it would.