Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board upholds current self-exclusion removal standards

A proposed change to the regulation was met with dozens of public comments.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) recently decided not to move ahead with a proposed change that would make the path back to casinos easier for problem bettors, according to a local report from Spotlight PA.

The decision followed a meeting this week that involved public pushback over the change and discussion of the proposal.

Prior to meeting, the control board opened the floor for discussion via a public comment period, which lasted nearly a month. The regulator received more than 40 comments from 30 participants, according to the local report.

Gaming Control Board Communications Director Doug Harbach said, “This is how the process is to work and the Board appreciates everyone who took the time to provide input.”

Those who have participated in self-exclusion must remove themselves manually from the ban list once their self-exclusion time is up, the local report said.

However, the proposed change would have “standardized the removal across all types of gambling bans in Pennsylvania.”

Good to know: Casinos in Pennsylvania currently require manual removal from self-exclusion lists

Other betting types, including video gambling, iGaming and fantasy sports betting automatically lift expired self-exclusion bans.

Council on Compulsive Gambling of PA Executive Director Josh Ercole was among those opposed to standardizing self-exclusion ban removals.

During the meeting, he discussed the potential risk for self-excluded players to relapse if they were allowed to return to casinos right away.

He explained to local news, “Keeping individuals in a safer position rather than putting them in a potentially risky position, that’s always the right decision. I think the change would have put them in a precarious position.”

Laura Mack

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