Playing Safely: A Guide to Responsible Gaming

How the tools behave

• Lowering a limit, or setting a new one, applies immediately.
• Raising or removing a limit applies only after 24 hours, so a decision made in a bad moment cannot undo it at once.
• Days, weeks and months follow Kampala time.
• A time-out or self-exclusion cannot be shortened or cancelled from your account. Support will only make it longer, never shorter, at your request.
• You can still withdraw your cash balance during a time-out or self-exclusion. Your money is never locked in.

Warning signs

Gaming may be becoming a problem if you notice any of these in yourself, or in someone close to you:

• playing for longer, or spending more, than you planned;
• feeling you need to win back what you have lost;
• hiding your playing or spending from family and friends;
• borrowing money, using mobile loans or selling things to play;
• missing work, school or sleep because of gaming;
• feeling anxious, irritable or low when you are not playing.

If any of these sound familiar, stop for now. Set a time-out, talk to someone you trust and use the help below. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Setting a budget that works

1. Start from your monthly income and take out everything that must be paid: rent, food, school fees, transport, family support, savings.
2. From what is left, choose an entertainment amount you would be comfortable spending on a night out or a football match, knowing it will not come back.
3. Set that amount as your monthly deposit limit and a matching loss limit in Wallet, Limits.
4. Split it into smaller daily or weekly limits so one bad evening cannot use the whole month.
5. When the limit is reached, stop. Switch to free token games, or put the phone down.

When someone close to you plays too much

It can be hard to raise the subject with a friend, partner or family member. Choose a calm moment, not straight after a loss. Talk about what you have noticed, such as missed work or borrowed money, rather than calling them names. Offer to help them set limits or a time-out in the app, and suggest they talk to a health worker. If they ask, they can email us and we will set a self-exclusion for them.

Getting help in Uganda

• Talk to a doctor, a counsellor or your nearest health centre. They can listen and refer you if needed.
• Butabika National Referral Hospital in Kampala provides mental health and addiction services, and regional referral hospitals can refer you.
• Email [email protected] at any time. We can set a limit, a time-out or a self-exclusion for you, and close your account if you ask.
• Talk to family, a friend, a religious leader or a mentor you trust. You do not have to deal with it alone.

Protecting young people

Sign-up requires confirming you are 18 or older, and we may ask for ID. Parents and guardians: keep your phone locked and your mobile money PIN private, so children cannot use your account or your wallet. If you know of a player under 18, report it to [email protected] and we will close the account.

Honest odds

Dice are provably fair and outcomes are never adjusted. In cash games between players we take only the platform fee shown before you join. At House tables the published multiplier includes a house edge, so over many games the house keeps a share of stakes. Knowing this helps you set realistic expectations: play for fun, within limits you chose while calm.