The United States is launching the first nationwide self-exclusion program for troubled gamblers to opt out in all regulated states instead of regionally. Gambling has become an even bigger business in recent years, with sports betting revenue alone forecast to hit $50 billion this year.
The National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (NVSEP) is set to begin operation this summer, pending all regulatory and other approvals. It will launch in New England as a pilot program before opening up more broadly in subsequent months.
The program will empower players to self-exclude themselves from betting regardless of their home region. The program will also direct problem gamblers to additional resources like support groups and other health options, as well as a nationwide portal for regulatory info.
“A national program has been needed for a long time, and I am thrilled that New England has the potential to lead the way with this remarkable step forward to a more seamless approach to voluntary self-exclusion,” said Marlene Warner, CEO of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health.
“With the national program, individuals will soon have a unified platform for seeking help and support across the entire United States.
“I encourage all state gaming regulators to join this initiative to provide a stronger safety net for consumers.”
Online sports betting is available in more than two dozen states in the U.S., and regulated casino gaming is operational in six.
Although most resources can be regionally confined, due to the basis of where betting is legal, opening a national program will give those more options if they are not in the northeast or mid-Atlantic, which are almost universally betting-legal states.
“Conducting research on voluntary-self exclusion has shown the process can be confusing for those seeking help,” director of the Gambling Research and Policy Initiative at East Carolina University Michelle Malkin said. “This is especially if they are looking to self-exclude across multiple jurisdictions.
“Having an opportunity to engage with a tool using a single process across states will assist those using self-exclusion as a deterrent to gamble. It will help make self-exclusion easier to understand, which may increase engagement.”
Responsible gaming tech company idPair has come up with the technology for a nationwide program. idPair states its program will allow states to participate without needing to change their own individual programs, which is what has log-jammed previous ideations of the nationwide self-exclusion database.
“States do not have to change the terms of their individual programs to join NVSEP, a key detail that solves a problem that held back this advancement in player protection for so long,” idPair CEO Jonathan Aiwazian said.
The current state programs will coexist with the new option, giving [players] the flexibility to exclude from as many or as few states as they choose, including both land-based and online gambling.”
States have been slow to offer help to problem gamblers. The federal government only opened its 1-800-GAMBLER hotline outside of New Jersey in 2022 – even though online sports betting became legal in 2018.
With NVSEP, the U.S. offers an additional online level of support to those who need it.
“While current self-exclusion protections don’t travel, people do,” Aiwazian said. “We look forward to working with more states to use technology to provide a more comprehensive level of protection to those who need it most.”