Safer Gambling at PlayOJO
OJO’S PROMISE
Safer Gambling
At PlayOJO, we believe gambling should be purely for fun. We want all of our OJOers to enjoy themselves by gambling safely. We’re here to ensure you get the most from your playtime and give you a helping hand if you need it.
OJO’s Safer Play Promise
We pride ourselves on being fair, transparent and socially responsible. Whether it’s the games we play or the way we assist our players, Safer Gambling comes first.
We offer a range of Safer Gambling tools to help you manage your play, and the OJO crew are always available to provide advice and support 24/7.
Here are 5 ways we make gambling safer at PlayOJO:
- Protect minorsand the vulnerable from harm
- Inform our playersand give them the best tools to gamble safely
- Monitor account activityand proactively address the signs of unsafe gambling
- Train all of our staffto understand safer gambling and encourage its use
- Help friends & familyknow how to identify the signs of problem gambling and get support
Protecting minors
In the UK you have to be at least 18 years old to sign up and play. As well as verifying the age and ID of every new player, our team uses a range of automated and manual processes to prevent underage gambling. If we suspect someone is under 18, we’ll take immediate action to suspend their account while we verify their age and if necessary, take steps to prevent them finding a new way to play.
If you have children under 18 and you’re worried about access to gambling products, check out the Internet Matters website for advice on how to keep your children safe online. You can also install parental control software such as Net Nanny or specialist anti-gambling software like GamBlock on computers and mobile devices. If your children are over 18 but you’re worried about their gambling or just want them to have all the info to gamble safely, visit our Friends & Family page.
SAFE MATE
Safe Mate
Safe Mate is a handy new tool you can find under the ’Safer Gambling’ section in Your Account which allows you to track how much money you’ve spent, what you’ve won or lost, and how much time you’ve spent gambling over the last 6 months.
But it’s more than just your stats. Think of Safe Mate as your Safer Gambling personal assistant who shows you if your playing habits are changing, compares you to other players like you, and gives you a quick health check score.
You can also compare what you think you’ve spent with what you actually spent, and Safe Mate sends you perfectly-timed alerts containing personalised tips for safer play.
[VIEW SAFE MATE]
Playing Behaviour
Check how long you’ve played for and what you’ve deposited, withdrawn and spent overall across a range of time periods. You can also see if you’re playing more or less than other players who have a similar profile to you.
Game Types
See how much you’ve staked on different game types, for example slots, roulette or blackjack.
Trends
Graphs are a quick and easy way to see how your gambling activity has changed over the last 4 weeks. If you spot concerning trends and identify the cause, we can help you take immediate action to manage your gambling.
Self-Assessment
Having a true picture of your gambling behaviour is vital to gambling safely. With the self-assessment test within Safe Mate, you can guess how much money and time you’ve spent recently and compare it against the actual figures. If your guesses are far less than the reality, it’s a good indication that you should use tools like deposit limits and time alerts, and even seek further support to manage your play.
Risk Score
Get quick risk scores for your level of gambling activity. The scores are calculated using a range of financial factors including total wagers, deposits and withdrawals, as well as play management factors like the length of your play sessions and the times of day you play. Most players who play for real money will fall into the No Risk category. If you see any High-Risk scores and would like to know what they mean and how you can respond, please contact our Support team.
Messages/alerts
It’s not always convenient to check your activity stats during or after a play session, but you can sign up for personalised alerts which will keep you informed and highlight any activity we think you should be aware of, or any actions you might want to consider.
If you play with other casinos operated by SkillOnNet, the information shown within Safe Mate will be a combination of all play on those accounts. If the Safe Mate data does not match the information displayed in your ‘My Account’ section, please treat the information in ‘My account’ as the latest data.
TOOLS
Safer Gambling Tools
OJO’s Safer Gambling tools are there to help everyone enjoy their play. With features such as time checks, play history and deposit limits, we give you the support you need to gamble safely. Discover the tools below before you kick off your OJO adventure and you’ll always know how to manage your time and money, and keep gambling fun.
Safe Mate
Use our Safe Mate tool to check how much time and money you've spent on gambling recently. Get personalised tips to help you play safer, see how you compare to players like you and test how well you know your own play habits
How to use it
Visit the Safer Gambling section of My Account and select Safe Mate. There’s more information on how each feature can help you on our Safe Mate page.
Limit Social Media Ads
If you would like to see fewer gambling adverts on Facebook, Twitter, or Google, you can find out how to adjust your settings to reduce or remove adverts that relate to online gambling on the GambleAware.org website.
Set Time Checks
It’s always good to know how long you’ve been playing for. Get alerts every 15, 30, 60 or 90 minutes with our Game Status Reminder feature.
How to use it
Visit My Account -> Game Status Reminder and select your preferred time interval. To activate your time alerts, log out immediately and log back in.
Play History
Want to know how much you’ve spent or how many games you’ve played? Your full play and payment history is just a few clicks away.
How to use it
To check out your Play History, visit My Account -> Game Activity, select a category (for example Blackjack), a specific game and a date range.
To view your transaction history, visit My Account -> Transaction History and select either Deposits, Pending & Reversed or Withdrawals and select a date range.
Set Deposit Limits
You can set a maximum total deposit amount per day, week and month. Once that limit is reached, you won’t be able to make any more deposits until the period is over. Daily, weekly and monthly limits are independent, and you can have 1, 2 or 3 limits active at any time.
How to use it
To set a deposit limit, visit My Account -> Deposit Limits and enter the amount you wish to set. If you are lowering your deposit limit, it will take effect instantly. If you are increasing your limit, it will take effect in 24 hours.
Freeze/Cooling Off and Self-Exclusion
If you need to take a break from playing, and don’t trust yourself to stay away, then use our Player Limitation options which can be found on the Player Limitation page of ‘My Account’, or contact customer support who will guide you.
There are a range Player Limitations you can choose from:
- You can choose Freeze/Cooling-Off, which you can choose from the following time frames, 24 hours or 1 to 6 weeks. These restrictions will apply only to the account you place them on.
- You can choose Self-Exclusion, which means that your account will never be active again unless you proactively request it, and you cannot make a request within 180 days of setting the self-exclusion. To increase this period to up to 5 years (you can choose 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years) you can contact Support after placing the Self-Exclusion. The Self Exclusion restriction will affect all known accounts you have on the same license.
During any Self-Exclusion you will not be able to gamble or deposit, nor will you receive any marketing material (it can take up to 24 hours to remove you from all marketing databases).
Block all accounts using GAMSTOP
GAMSTOP is a free service you can use if you want to restrict all of your online gambling activity. After adding your details to the confidential self-exclusion register, you’ll no longer be able to access participating gambling sites and apps in the UK.
How to use it
Visit https://www.gamstop.co.uk/ register and enter your details to confirm your identity. Once you’ve completed registration, it can take up to 24 hours for your self-exclusion to become active.
Take a self-assessment
- If you’re concerned about your gambling, take our quick self-assessment test. No login required and you can complete it in less than 60 seconds.
How to use it
TIPS
OJO’s Tips for Safer Gambling
From old tricks to new strategies, OJO’s safer gambling tips will help keep your playtime fun.
Money tips
- Manage your money- Keep betting money separate from life costs, make a budget and bet only what you can afford to lose.
- Don’t borrow- Don’t borrow money to gamble or use money that’s meant for rent, bills or other life expenses.
- Keep tabs on your play- Keep track of how often you’re playing and how much you’re spending. If you see a sudden increase or a gradual upward trend, ask yourself why.
Mindset tips
- Play for fun- Gambling is for entertainment, not a way to make money. If you’re gambling for any reason other than fun, or it stops feeling fun, take a break.
- Bet with a clear mind- Don’t gamble when you’re tired, stressed or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It can be harder to make sound decisions.
- Stay cool- If you feel the game is against you or the results seem unfair, it’s time to take a break.
Betting tips
- Don’t chase your losses- Playing to win back money you recently lost, especially by placing larger bets, is more likely to lead to bigger losses.
- Understand the maths- It’s impossible for Red to appear 10 times in a row, right? Where random luck is concerned, nothing’s impossible.
- You can’t predict the future- It’s impossible to predict the outcome with games of chance. You might see patterns or get a hunch, but games are totally random
Play management tips
- Manage your time- It’s easy to lose track of time when you play. Set time checks or create your own alarms to help remind you when it’s time to stop.
- Use the tools- Our Safer Gambling tools can help you to control your play. Learn what’s available and how they work so you can gamble in a fun, affordable way.
- Protect your account- Keep your password safe and lock your screen between sessions. We don’t want anyone, especially minors, accessing your account.
FAMILY & FRIENDS
Advice for Friends & Family
If you’re worried about someone you know, here’s how to tell if they might need help managing their play and what you can do to help.
Understanding the effects
Most people gamble in moderation and don’t need any extra assistance to keep it fun. Some need a helping hand with Safer Gambling tools and that’ll be enough. However some people find it difficult to control the amount of time or money they spend. Problem gambling can affect a person’s financial, mental and professional wellbeing, as well as harming those around them.
What to look for
Although problem gambling can be difficult to spot, there are a few signs to look out for:
- Time spent on gambling– Unexplained absences from work or home, or excessive device use
- Money problems– Excessive spending, borrowing or stealing to fund gambling
- Mood change– Short term mood swings or longer term personality change
- Behaviour change– Neglecting work or normal activities, or isolating from friends and family
- Dishonesty– Hiding gambling behaviour or the impact of gambling losses
How you can help
By learning more about safer gambling, the signs of problem gambling and how to get help, you’re already on the right track.
Talk it out
Compulsive behaviour is hard to control and this person might not be ready to open up. GambleAware™ have provided some tips on how to talk to problem gamblers.
Point them to the best info and suggest that they install software such as GAMBLOCK as a starting point but most of all, encourage them to seek help.
Seek help for yourself too
Living with problem gamblers can be a difficult experience for those closest to them. Speaking to someone from a support organisation or discussing it with other people in the same situation can relieve the strain, show you you’re not alone and give you hope for a solution. If you need to talk to someone, contact one of the organisations on our Get Help page or get in touch with GamAnon, a service specifically for friends and family affected by problem gambling.
GET HELP
Contact the OJO crew
Our customer support team works 24/7 and will put any safer gambling enquiries at the top of the pile. Hit us up using one of the methods below.
YOU’VE GOT OJO MAIL
Get in touch with my trusty support crew on email, they are ready and waiting to answer any questions you may have. You can ping them an email at
Chat
TAP TAP CHIT CHAT
Just LOGIN and click on Live Chat for instant contact with my super support crew, they’ll have you all sorted in no time. Available from 06:00 till 00:00 GMT.
Block access to gambling
These confidential services can help you block or self-exclude from gambling websites and software.
Join a free, confidential Self-Exclusion register to be excluded from all participating gambling companies including PlayOJO.
A parental control tool which prevents underage users of computers and mobile devices from accessing gambling content.
Self-Exclusion software which blocks access to gambling on all of your devices.
For a list of financial services organisations in the UK that currently offer gambling blocks on debit cards see: www.gamcare.org.uk/block-gambling-transactions.
Get advice and support
Get in touch with any of these independent organisations for a range of support services related to gambling and debt problems.
GambleAware provides information, advice and directs people to support to
help keep people safe from gambling harms.
GamCare offers a moderated online forum and daily online group chatrooms to
enable those affected by gambling harms to connect with others in similar
situations, share their experience and support one another
GamCare operate the National Gambling Helpline and offer confidential information, advice and support for anyone harmed by gambling in Great Britain. The Helpline is open 24 hours every day on Freephone 0808 8020 133 or via Live Chat. Advisers will listen to you, they won’t judge and your conversation is confidential.”.
Literature, forums, chat rooms and real-life support groups for problem gamblers.
Free debt advice and management plans to help problem gamblers overcome financial difficulties.
The National Gambling Treatment Service is a network of organisations working together to provide confidential treatment and support for anyone experiencing gambling-related harms, free to access across England, Scotland and Wales.
Gambling Therapy are a global online support service, offering advice in multiple languages for people who have been adversely affected by gambling.