Pennsylvania gaming regulators are tweaking the rules that govern casino self-exclusion to make it tougher for problem gamblers to walk back through the doors of a casino. This week the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) voted down a measure that would automatically end self-exclusions to land-based casinos after just one year.
Under current Pennsylvania law, self-excluded players must show up in person to end their self-exclusion period. Under the proposed rule changes, those self-exclusion periods would not auto-renew and the problem gambler would be free to return to the casino after just one year.
The thought of giving problem gamblers an easy route back into the casino did not sit well with mental health professionals who work with problem gamblers and they let lawmakers know their opinion. During a public comment period on the proposed rule change regulators received 39 comments on the subject. Nearly all of the public comments opposed the rule change and an estimated 85 percent of those comments came from professionals who work closely with problem gamblers.
Pennsylvania Rep. Russ Diamond was one of many who pointed out the obvious flaws in allowing self-exclusion periods to end automatically with no further action by the player. In a statement posted to his website, Diamond lauded regulators for not allowing the rule change saying, “The withdrawal of this proposed regulation is a huge win for the protection of our problem gamblers and our counselors and mental health professionals who work tirelessly to ensure that problem gamblers get the help they need. I hope the gaming control board will re-engage in this rulemaking to make the self-exclusion process consistent between all forms of gambling, while protecting our problem gamblers at the same time.”
The proposed rule change was abandoned on a unanimous vote by the Board.