Illinois Gaming Board proposes six-month self-exclusion option
The current five-year minimum would be cut if JCAR clears the package after public comment.
US.- The Illinois Gaming Board has voted unanimously to advance rules that would let people exclude themselves from gambling for as little as six months instead of the current minimum term of five years. Under the draft, six-month, one-year and three-year options would sit alongside the existing five-year and indefinite terms.
The shorter bans would renew automatically, though a person could leave the programme at any time. Removal from a five-year or indefinite ban would still require an affidavit or letter from a certified gambling addiction counsellor confirming the person is no longer a problem gambler.
While sign-up is currently only possible via an in-person appointment at one of 32 enrolment sites (half of which are casinos), the proposed rules would add notarised mail, an online portal and referrals through treatment providers. The board has also approved a proposal that would stop operators targeting people with marketing for at least 12 months after they come off the list. Another rule would include fantasy contests in the programme, which currently covers casinos and sports betting.
The proposals must be reviewed by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. That process usually runs six months to a year. Nearly 16,000 people are currently on the self-exclusion list.
