Responsible play and self-control

1) What is Responsible Gaming and why does business need it

Responsible Gaming (RG) is a system of measures that reduce the likelihood of harm to players and society and ensure the legality and ethics of the product.

• Protecting vulnerable groups, preventing gambling addiction.
• Compliance with licenses and expectations of payment partners/regulators.
• Long-term revenue from sustained player behavior and low complaint/chargeback rates.

2) Legal and ethical framework (high-level)

Age restrictions and identity verification (KYC/AGE).
Transparency: rules, RTP, commissions, probability of winning.
Self-control: voluntary limits and pauses, "cooling," self-exclusion.
Interventions: preventive tips, personal warnings for risk patterns.
Marketing: prohibition of targeting excluded/vulnerable, fair offers (without "guaranteed" winnings).

Confidentiality: processing of RG signals according to the principle of minimization and "privacy by design."

3) Self-control tools (what we give the player)

3. 1 Limits (profile and onboarding settings)

3. 2 Pauses and interlocks

Time out (cool-off): 24 hours - 7 days; entry is allowed, play is not.
Self-exclusion: 1-6 months, year, unlimited; closing access to rates/deposits, optional - chat/marketing.
Global registries (if valid in jurisdiction): onboarding and entry reconciliation.

3. 3 Transparency and hints

Session time and net result counter (win/loss).
Unobtrusive reminders ("You play 60 minutes," "Your clean losses today:...").
History of limits and change requests with timestamps.

4) UX patterns and texts (finished fragments)

• "Select limits to keep your game in check. They can be reduced immediately; the increase will have a delay effect on your safety"

• "The break is OK. You play 60 minutes. Current total: − €35. Take a break for 15 minutes? [Yes] [Continue]"

• "The limit increase will take effect in 48 hours. Confirm your decision. You can cancel at any time"

• "We will close access to games by [date]. You will retain access to the payment history/balance. Support will help with the withdrawal"

5) Detection of risk behavior (screening)

5. 1 Risk signals (examples)

Rapid growth of deposits/losses, frequent cancellation of conclusions (reverse withdrawals).
Increase in the size of bets after a loss (chasing behavior).
Night/long (> 2-3 hours) continuous game window.
Multiple payment instruments, frequent unsuccessful deposits.
The growth of toxic calls to support, complaints of "bad luck," mention of debts.

5. 2 Reactions (step model)

1. Soft tips (popups, email with tips on limits).
2. Support contact (script: empathy, offer to set limits/timeout).
3. Mandatory pause or limit (at high risk, according to the rules of jurisdiction).
4. Blocking/self-exclusion and referral (hotlines/NCOs).

6) Communication with KYC/AML/Privacy

KYC/AGE prevents underage access.
AML: abnormal deposits/outputs + RG signals enhance risk assessment.
Privacy: RG behavior profiling - foundation and DPIA; minimization of signals, pseudonymization, transparency for the player (a brief explanation of logic and an appeal channel).

7) Processes, Roles and Training (RACI)

Training: 1) ethics and empathy; 2) scenarios of complex dialogues; 3) local norms (for example, prohibitions of incentives during the period of exclusion).

8) RG metrics and target values

Adoption Rate limits (share of players with active limits): target ≥30 -50%.

Time-to-Intervention: <24 hours

Repeat Harm Signals after interventions: ≥50% reduction in 30 days.
Self-Exclusion Rate and Return After Exclusion (no relapse).
Marketing Suppression Accuracy: → ~ 100%.
Complaint Rate and Chargeback Rate: Stable decline.
Model Drift/Bias Checks: regular audits and threshold calibration.

9) RG Policy (skeleton for your wiki)

1. Purpose and area (all products/channels, partners).
2. Self-monitoring tools (limits, pauses, self-exclusion, registers).
3. Age and KYC (refusal and re-verification procedures).
4. Screening and interventions (signals, thresholds, RACI, reason codes).
5. Marketing and communications (prohibitions, whitelists/blacklists, suppression).
6. Data and privacy (grounds, DPIA, signal storage and term).
7. Escalations and appeals (human intervention, timing of response).
8. Reporting and metrics (frequency, format for license/board).
9. Training (frequency, certification, knowledge tests).

10) Checklists (operating)

Onboarding and profile

• Selection of registration limits (optional but noticeable).
• Screens: "lower the limit now," "increase - with a delay."
• Time-out and self-exclusion buttons in 1-2 clicks.

Monitoring and intervention

• Triggers for rapid deposit/loss growth, night sessions, inverse conclusions.
• Notification templates (in-app, email, SMS), empathic tone.
• Support scripts and reason codes.

Marketing/CRM

• Automatically exclude self-excluded and high-risk from mailings and retargeting.
• Suppression log and regular reconciliations.

Data and privacy

• DPIA for RG profiling, field minimization, retention of RG signals (for example, 12-24 months).
• Subject rights: access to limit history, explanation of interventions.

11) RG technical architecture (reference)

Event Bus: game/payment events → RG Scoring Service (rules + models) → Action Engine (prompts/locks).
Consent/Privacy Layer: consideration of regional norms and consent statuses.
Case Management: support case cards with reason codes and SLAs.
Suppression Sync: feeds in CRM/Ad platforms (exceptions).
Audit/WORM - all decisions and reasons - unchangeable log.

12) Communication playbook (empathic scripts)

• 'We've seen a recent rise in your deposits. Do you want to set a limit or take a break? It will help control the game"

• "We've temporarily restricted games to protect you from possible harm. Confirm if you want to set tighter limits or extend the pause"

• "We understand your decision. Access to games is closed until [date]. We'll help with withdrawals and show you where to get help"

13) Implementation Roadmap (6 steps)

1. Policy and DPIA: approve RG policy, triggers and thresholds, conduct DPIA.
2. UX and texts: implement limits/timeout/self-exclusion, reminders and counters.
3. Scoring: run rules + simple models; lay down reason codes.
4. Operations and training: support scripts, suppression in CRM/ads, reporting.
5. Automation: Action Engine, Case Management, SLA, dashboards.
6. Improvement: A/B UX, threshold calibration, reduction of repeated harm signals.

14) Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Hidden limits → make them available in 1-2 clicks and in onboarding.
Increase limits without "cooling" → enter delay and confirmation.
No suppression in marketing → automate and check regularly.
Lack of reason codes → without them it is difficult to defend solutions and improve models.
Dark patterns in UI → undermine trust and lead to sanctions.
Mix RG and promo → separate support from sales.

Total

A responsible game is not one banner, but an end-to-end system: understandable self-control tools, early risk identification, correct interventions and a respectful UX user, supported by policies, metrics and team training. This approach reduces harm, strengthens licenses and partnerships and increases business resilience.