Early last month, eleven sweepstakes operators joined forces to form a new body that will focus on promoting responsible sweepstakes gaming, communicating with stakeholders and advocating for responsible operation of social and promotional games called the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA).
Millions of Americans Enjoy Sweepstakes
On Wednesday, the newly formed association held its inaugural briefing, sharing important insights and discussing hot topics regarding the legitimacy and legality of social sweepstakes games. As described by the SPGA, the briefing provides “regulators, policymakers, and consumers with a comprehensive understanding of a form of entertainment enjoyed by millions of Americans.”
The briefing was moderated by Chris Grove, the co-founder and managing partner at Acies Investments and a partner at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. The discussion included Jon Kaplowitz, CEO and co-founder of Clubs Poker, as well as Matt Kaufman, the managing director, digital and interactive gaming at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
The trio discussed the growing popularity of games among Americans that allow players to earn real prizes without the need for any purchases. Grove spoke about a popular gaming category that is referred to as social sweeps, social casinos 2.0 or social sweep casinos. “But I always prefer to call things what they are and what this category is classic social casino model with a sweepstakes prizing layer on top,” he added.
Besides the popularity of the aforementioned gaming model, Grove pointed to misinformation and different concerns regarding this particular gaming activity and how the customers can engage with it. He discussed several hot topics with the two experts, sharing insights about the world of social sweepstakes games.
Clubs Poker’s CEO Discusses a Range of Concerns
One of the concerns related to the sector revolves around compliance with anti-money laundering, player protection and fairness. John Kaplowitz, Clubs Poker’s CEO, revealed that his free-to-play poker platform requires no financial obligation from the players. The social free-to-play site that launched three months ago allows all of its users to play for free.
Kaplowitz explained that Clubs Poker isn’t a typical social casino platform, considering that it has implemented a range of policies that safeguard its consumers. Such include anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) policies. In fact, the executive revealed that Clubs Poker works with companies that provide services for casinos and sportsbooks.
“We take this (responsible gaming) very seriously and we believe we have some of the best-in-class responsible gambling tools out there.“
Jon Kaplowitz, CEO and co-founder of Clubs Poker
Focusing on responsible gaming, Kaplowitz revealed that his platform offers “very robust tools,” including purchase and time limits and even self-exclusion. He added that if a Clubs Poker user plays for more than an hour, they face the platform’s “reality check,” which encourages them to look at responsible gaming tools or take a break.
When it comes to the fairness of the games on Clubs Poker, Kaplowitz said that the platform effectively collaborates with GLI. He explained that this symbiosis ensures that the games are fair and at the same time helps protect their integrity.
