Responsible play

Why limits matter, even when it is free

Arcade Marigold costs nothing and pays nothing. That makes it gentler than gambling for money, but it does not make your time free. Reels, wheels and cards are made to be watched, and an evening can slip away one spin at a time. Free play can also shape habits: getting used to chasing a near miss is not a good habit to carry anywhere.

We would much rather you played for twenty cheerful minutes and closed the tab than stayed for three hours out of momentum. The tools below are here to help with that, and they work the same way on every game.

Signs it has stopped being fun

• You often play for longer than you meant to.
• You reach for the games when you feel low, stressed or lonely, rather than when you fancy a go.
• You feel irritable when you cannot play, or keep thinking about it while doing something else.
• You play down, or hide, how much time you spend on games like these.
• You find yourself wondering whether gambling for money would feel more exciting.

If any of these sound familiar, take a break with the tools below and talk to someone. The organisations further down this page are free, confidential and used to hearing from people at every stage.

Your play-time tools

• Reality check: a reminder every 15, 30 or 60 minutes of play, or none at all. It appears at the bottom of the screen and never stops a game mid-spin.
• Take a break: locks every game on this device for 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days. While the lock is on, the games show you when they open again.
• Reset my balance: puts your tokens back to 5,000 MT, if you would rather start fresh.
• Forget my settings: removes your balance, age confirmation and reminder choice from this device, which is handy before passing it on. An active break is not lifted: it stays in place until it ends.

Under-18s and family devices

Arcade Marigold is for adults aged 18 and over, and every game asks for confirmation before the first play. Even so, games like these are not for children, and an age question is only as good as the person answering it. If you share a phone, tablet or computer with young people:

• turn on the parental controls built into the device, such as Screen Time on Apple devices, Google Family Link on Android or Microsoft Family Safety on Windows;
• switch on your broadband provider’s family filter, which most UK providers include at no charge;
• keep separate user profiles for adults and children, and lock yours with a passcode;
• talk to them about how games are designed to keep people playing, and why that matters.

Free support in the UK

• National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 Free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day. Run by GamCare, with live chat through BeGambleAware.
• BeGambleAware Advice, a quick self-assessment and directions to free treatment near you.
• GamCare Support by phone, chat and counselling, plus an online forum for people affected by someone else’s gambling.
• GamStop Free self-exclusion from UK gambling websites and apps for six months, one year or five years.
• Gambling Therapy Free online support and groups, in many languages.
• NHS NHS gambling clinics treat people in England, and your GP can refer you.
• Samaritans: 116 123 Free, any time, if you are struggling to cope with anything at all.

A note on regulation

Gambling for money in Great Britain is regulated by the Gambling Commission. Arcade Marigold is not a gambling service: nothing can be staked except free tokens and nothing of value can be collected, so it sits outside that system and holds no licence from it.