Colorado’s Proposed Self-Exclusion Program Raises Interesting Questions

Colorado is looking for ways to improve player protection in its gambling industry. To get there, the Centennial State wants to establish a self-exclusion program that will be shared with all operators and promoted by the sportsbook. The scheme would cover both interactive and retail sports betting and it will be able to offer gamblers an exclusion period that can take anything from one to three, to five years.

Forget Manual, Go Blanket Self-Exclusion

There are 26 sportsbooks that presently hold licenses to operate in the state, which can help with pushing the program in a way that reaches the most sports gamblers in the state. The upside of such a state-wide self-exclusion scheme would be that players will have a universal way to opt out quickly and efficiently from sports gambling events in the state.

Presently, if someone wishes to exclude from all 26 licensed sportsbooks, the only way to do so is manual with each operator in the state. The Division of Gaming is keen to introduce what is generally a universally used method in other regulated jurisdictions.

The United States is known for its self-governing approach to sports gambling in general. Each of the states in the country is entitled to introduce its own rules on sports gambling, with a universal self-exclusion program seldom an option. A universal program such as this could give sportsbooks a better way to protect consumers, too.

Right now, sportsbooks cannot be sure if a person is excluded from one sportsbook or if they can check this, it usually takes a while. A universal state-wide program will fix much of this problem.

Is Lifetime Self-Exclusion the Way to Go?

One hot-button topic is whether any self-exclusion program should also come with the option to self-exclude for life. There are arguments supporting both. On the one hand, excluding for life is a clear commitment to one’s recovery, but it can also become very tempting for people to actually end up playing at unregulated gambling websites or even visiting another state.

The shorter self-exclusion bursts are far more convenient, argue others, as they can easily become lifetime exclusions without the definitive prohibition. Even then, a self-exclusion program is just part of the story. The best way to fight and tackle problem gambling is to spot the early symptoms and intervene, which is an onus that is very much on sportsbooks to carry and work actively on.