Responsible Gaming

We are committed to responsible gaming, and are dedicated to an enjoyable and positive gaming experience

Mission Statement

PokerStars strives to assist and protect players who are at risk of the potential negative effects of gambling through a number of means, including self-exclusion tools, guidance on responsible gaming, risk identification and player verification.

We believe in educating our players to empower them through knowledge. Click here for an interactive presentation on Responsible Gaming and Problem Gambling

What Can We Do To Help

Age verification

Any underage player who has provided dishonest or inaccurate information regarding their true age may have all winnings forfeited and could face criminal prosecution.

  • Every person signing up for a new account must check a box that indicates that they are at least 18 years of age. This notifies everybody that we do not accept players under 18.
  • When a player creates an account with us, we collect their name, address, and birth date to confirm that the player is at least 18 years old.
  • We do not target underage players with our marketing and advertising. It is neither good business nor consistent with our personal and corporate values to attract underage players.

If you have children or teenagers in your household, take extra care to secure your computer and mobile devices.

  • All Windows computers can be set up to have password control so that you must enter a password to get to the desktop, and mobile devices can be set up to require a passcode to unlock. In general, this is a good practice, but it is even more important when there are children or teenagers in your household. Also, keep your PokerStars ID and password private. You can select to have the software not remember your password each time you log-in. If you have any concern that somebody else might attempt to access your Stars Account, you should not allow the software to remember your password.
  • If you have children or teenagers in your household, use protection software that allows you to limit the websites to which they have access, prevent file sharing, and generally give you detailed control over how your children use the Internet. Here is a list of some of those programs:

Self-Exclusion

If you believe that playing games might be a hindrance to your life rather than a form of entertainment, we want to help you. First, please review the following questions:

  1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to playing?
  2. Has playing caused you to neglect your own welfare or that of your family?
  3. Have you ever sold anything or borrowed money to finance your playing?
  4. Have you often played until your last cash was gone?
  5. Have you ever played longer than you had planned?
  6. Have you ever considered self-destruction or suicide as a result of your playing?

If you answered “Yes” to several of these questions, we encourage you to visit Gamblers Anonymous.
You can take the test in its entirety at one of the following websites:

What You Can Do To Help Yourself

Identify and reduce the risks

If you choose to play online, there are some general guidelines that can help make your playing experience safer, and reduce the risk of problems occurring:

  1. Play for entertainment, and not as a way of making money.
  2. Play with money that you can afford to lose. Never use money that you need for important things such as food, rent, bills, or tuition.
  3. Set deposit limits and ensure you never deposit more than you can afford to lose.
  4. Never chase losses. If you lose money, do not play higher stakes to try and recoup your losses.
  5. Do not play when you are upset, tired, or depressed. It is difficult to make good decisions when you are feeling down.
  6. Balance your playing with other activities. Find other forms of entertainment so playing does not become too big a part of your life.

There are risk factors that can contribute to the development of gambling issues and make it more difficult to stop gambling. Players can be more at risk if they:

  • Have easy access to their preferred form of gambling
  • Hold mistaken beliefs about the odds of winning (see “Common Myths about Compulsive Gambling” below)
  • Do not take precautions to monitor gambling wins and losses
  • Have an early big win (leading to false expectation of future wins)
  • Have had a recent loss or change in their personal life, such as divorce, job loss, retirement, or death of a loved one
  • Often feel bored or lonely, or have a history of risk-taking or impulsive behavior
  • Have financial problems
  • Have a history of mental health problems, particularly depression and anxiety
  • Have a parent who also has (or has had) problems with gambling or other compulsive disorders
  • Have (or have had) problems with alcohol or other drugs, or overspending
  • The more factors that apply, the more likely a person is to develop a gambling problem.

If you are finding it hard to stop gambling, or if you are already suffering from consequences related to your gambling behavior, it may be time to get help.

Be aware of common myths about compulsive gambling

We believe players should play for fun and entertainment. But some players who engage in recreational gambling do not believe they could become addicted, and sometimes hold onto false beliefs or myths about problem gambling that can lead to denial and other problems. Some of the more common myths are listed towards the bottom of our Responsible Gaming page.

Need help, advice or counselling?

If you feel you might have a gambling problem, and seek further advice or counselling, you can visit these web sites: