The Invisible Line Between Playing for Fun and Chasing Coins

The Invisible Line Between Playing for Fun and Chasing Coins
Alicia Butler
Written by:
Alicia Butler
Andrew McDermott
Fact checked by:
Andrew McDermott
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Updated: July 8th 2025

Chasing coins is the sweepstakes casino equivalent of chasing wins or losses at real-money casinos.

Even though you don’t play for real money at sweepstakes casinos, you can still fall prey to problem gameplay.

Let’s discuss some of the signs you might be chasing coins and how to play safely at sweepstakes casinos.

Chasing Losses Vs Chasing Wins

Chasing wins is when you continue to play long after you’ve planned to when you’re winning. The high of winning gets to you, and you don’t want to lose the momentum.

Chasing losses is when you continue to play when you’re on a losing streak. You might feel that since you’ve lost so often, a win is surely around the corner. Or, you might feel as though you can “win back” what you’ve lost if you continue to play.

Signs You’re Chasing Coins

If you find yourself playing more when you’re up or down, failing to stick to your limits, spending more than you can afford on Gold Coins, or making deals with yourself that you’ll stop playing when you lose or win a certain amount, you may be chasing coins.

You Play More When You’re Up or Down

If your gaming habits revolve around winning or losing, you might be chasing coins. This often occurs when you keep playing to achieve a desired outcome – even after the gameplay isn’t fun anymore.

You Don’t Stick to Your Limits

Every social gamer should create their own Gold Coins budget and set time limits for gameplay. If you continue to play past the time limit you’ve set or if you spend more on Gold Coins than you budgeted for, you may be chasing coins.

You Spend More on Gold Coins

One of the biggest signs that you’re chasing coins is if you spend more on Gold Coins than your budget allows. It’s important to always keep track of how much you spend at sweepstakes casinos and to create a budget for Gold Coin purchases.

You Tell Yourself You’ll Stop Playing “When”

If you want to play responsibly, only play for fun – not for a desired outcome. You cannot control the outcome of a slot machine spin; you can only control your own habits.

Set time limits for gameplay if you find yourself playing for longer than you want to. Telling yourself that you’ll stop playing “when you win a certain number of coins” or “when you win just one spin” can lead to chasing coins.

Tips for Responsible Social Gameplay

If you’re worried you’re chasing coins, here are a few tips to pay responsibly at sweepstakes casinos.

Take Advantage of Bonuses

Even though “free” gameplay isn’t necessarily less risky than games played with Gold Coins you’ve purchased, you should still try to get as many Gold Coins and Sweepstakes Coins for free as possible.

Welcome bonuses, daily login bonuses, and other no-deposit promotions can help you increase your account balance without emptying your wallet.

Set a Budget for Gold Coins

Decide how much you can afford to spend on Gold Coins on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Stick to that limit even if you feel you can recoup losses or if you’re on a winning streak.

Use Player Safety Tools

Legit sweepstakes casinos always offer player safety tools. At a minimum, they offer account closure or self-exclusion. Yet, many also offer time limits, breaks, and purchase limits.

Take advantage of these tools if you feel that your gameplay is getting out of hand.

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Alicia Butler

Alicia is OddsSeeker's Lead Editor & Fact Checker! She's been reviewing online casinos, sportsbooks, and other gaming since 2021, but has well over a decade of experience writing and editing for some of the largest online magazines and brands since 2011! Over her career, Alicia has worked as a travel and entertainment writer & editor contributing to widely read digital publications such as The Spruce, The Balance and The Spruce Pets, VeryWell, and TripSavvy. Alicia makes sure our readers can trust every word - holding both our team & our gaming operator partners to the highest standard to ensure that our readers always have the best possible experiences playing gaming online! Beyond OddsSeeker, Alicia is a marketing expert, entrepreneur, and avid traveler based in Connecticut!

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