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Over 20,000 Gamblers Self-Exclude in Pennsylvania

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The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has announced that its self-exclusion program has recorded its 20,000th registrations.

The self-exclusion service is a voluntary initiative designed to help individuals with gambling problems in Pennsylvania. Launched in 2006 in the Keystone State, the program allows gamblers to ban themselves from participating in various forms of gambling online and at physical locations.

Individuals that register with the program are prohibited from entering or gambling at casinos or retail sports betting facilities in Pennsylvania. Any player that breaches their ban will be subject to criminal trespass charges and forfeit their gambling winnings related to the casino visit.

The service allows players to self-exclude for one year, five years, or a lifetime.

According to the metrics released by PGCB, of those who have self-excluded from gambling, 12,811 are males, while 7,189 are females, with ages ranging from 21 to 102.

21% chose a lifetime ban, demonstrating their strong commitment to abstain from gambling. Additionally, 1,026 individuals decide to re-enroll in the program after having previously removed their names from the exclusion list.

To broaden the support for individuals seeking to exclude themselves from various forms of gambling, the PGCB introduced several additional-self exclusion programs in 2019.

These include the Internet gaming self-exclusion service, which allows individuals to exclude themselves from participating in online gambling activities offered by Pennsylvania licensed operators, including casinos, poker sites, and sports books. This list currently has 3,778 registered members.

The video gaming terminal (VGT) self-exclusion list was also introduced to enable individuals to exclude themselves from using electronic gaming machines found in certain establishments like truck stops and off-track betting locations. It currently has 1,467 registrations.

Lastly, a dedicated interactive gaming or fantasy sports self-exclusion program allows players to self-exclude from fantasy sports contests. 797 members are registered with the service at present.

The Casino Self-Exclusion Program, along with the agency’s three other self-exclusion programs, are effective and proven tools that allow for individuals to regain control over their lives, and to learn about other recovery resources. The PGCB encourages anyone who thinks they may have a gambling problem to seek treatment and consider taking advantage of the voluntary Self-Exclusion Programs.

Elizabeth LanzaDirector of Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling at PGCB

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