Gambler Self Exclusion

Responsible gaming is important for the player and the casino. From a player’s perspective it means that they gamble money they can afford to lose and usually set limits for themselves. For casinos it helps them maintain something critical, a good public image. Most casinos are happy to announce their responsible gambling initiatives, trumpeting how they are responsible corporate citizens. The public relations department of any casino ensures that responsible gaming is advertised somewhere along with a telephone help line for gambler’s anonymous. Normally each person is responsible for their own conduct, but what about casino’s that have instituted programs that allow players to ban themselves?

Just like poker, the legal answer here is that it depends on the situation. States with brick and mortar casinos may or may not have statutes enacted regarding these types of self banning which are technically considered self-exclusion. A state with a statute honoring self-exclusion may mean that the casino is really only required to answer to the state gaming commission for violations. If the state statute fails to make casino operators liable for failure to remove gamblers who place themselves on a self-exclusion list then there is probably no right of action. If a gambler gets in, loses money and there is no remedy provided in the statute, what some courts have said is that casinos owe no duty to protect gamblers from themselves. States with self-exclusion procedures where a gambler has excluded himself make it necessary for the plaintiff to at least show that the casino knew or should have known they were a problem gambler. There are almost always procedures in place that both the gambler and casino must follow for any request for placement on a self-exclusion list to be honored and valid.

While brick and mortar casinos have the benefit of regulation from state gaming commissions and state laws, some online casinos and online sportsbetting sites simply block a player based on their account name. This is a fairly effective method since the only way to get around it would be to have multiple accounts. If you gamble live or online and need help with responsible gaming you may want to consider self-exclusion.