You’re not alone if you’ve sought information on casino self-exclusion and had an unpleasant or unhelpful experience.
An audit of casino self-exclusion in the Memphis, Tennessee, area found that the gambling industry could be failing its most vulnerable customers. The U.S. commercial casino industry won $72.04 billion from gamblers in 2024, an all-time high.
The audit consisted of two studies, one over the phone and the other through in-person visits. Research assistants posing as casino patrons conducted the audit in the summer of 2024.
The study focused on the Memphis area, but the audited casinos are owned by companies with properties across the country.
The authors of the paper, published on Oct. 23, 2025, were Margaret Anne Gunnigle, Brianna Morelli, Chance Dow, Meredith Ginley, James Whelan, and Rory Pfund. The study was a companion to a similar audit published in May.
What is Casino Self-Exclusion?
Self-exclusion programs are a form of consumer protection against gambling addiction. It is most often used by individuals who have been harmed by gambling for quite some time.
It is never too early to self-exclude from gambling.
These programs allow individuals to voluntarily ban themselves from entering casino properties. Self-exclusion periods can range from months to years to a lifetime, depending on the state.
Entering a casino for any reason after self-exclusion can result in a criminal trespassing charge. A self-excluded gambler would also forfeit any winnings from a return trip to the casino.
Self-exclusion varies by state, with some requiring licensed operators to offer it and educate customers about the program. These casinos also must train employees to direct customers to informational materials.
Some states do not mandate casinos to offer self-exclusion.
Some casino operators enforce self-exclusion across their properties in multiple states. However, for many self-excluded gamblers, they can visit a neighboring state to gamble.
States with online gambling — sports betting or iGaming — also usually have a self-exclusion program dedicated to online gambling. You can typically self-exclude through the gambling operator or through the state gambling regulator.
Sometimes, self-excluding does not work, which is a serious regulatory violation. Some online gambling platforms have been fined for allowing these players to continue gambling. Others have been fined for sending marketing materials to these individuals.
Unfortunately, self-exclusion is virtually impossible for gambling on the lottery.
Study Findings
The Memphis study dealt only with brick-and-mortar casinos. Research assistants asked seven casinos for information on how to self-exclude from gambling.
Casino employees provided self-exclusion information that was often “unreliable or incomplete,” the study found.
“It was particularly surprising that very few employees were able to verbalize general information about self-exclusion,” researchers wrote.
They found that information received over the phone was particularly inconsistent. When casinos provided information, callers were often transferred to multiple employees and placed on hold for long periods.
Calls were sometimes abruptly disconnected, researchers uncovered.
“When requesting information about self-exclusion in-person, casino employees were often dismissive,” the study said. “While some employees were attentive and expressed concern, others appeared judgmental, with one even attempting to dissuade the customer from self-excluding.”
Why it Matters
Gambling addiction is a serious public health issue. The addiction has high rates of suicide.
Unpleasant or unhelpful experiences while seeking out self-exclusion information could deter individuals from using the resource.
“In the event a person experiences gambling problems and is considering self-exclusion, they would be unlikely to reach out to an operator multiple times,” researchers wrote. “As such, it is disappointing that the responses to requests for help were inconsistent and a relatively uninformative experience.”
Casinos can cause great harm to individuals and communities due to their “bare minimum of care.”
Bottom line: Don’t be discouraged by the study’s findings. Seek help if you think you are experiencing a gambling problem. You might need to be persistent to self-exclude in your location, but you can still enroll.
Self-Exclusion Data Doesn’t Encapsulate the Addiction Crisis
As we can see, casinos are preventing some — potentially a great many — individuals from using self-exclusion programs.
States usually provide updates, at least annually, on the number of people who self-exclude from casino gambling. We’ve learned that some people who are interested in self-exclusion are being turned away from obtaining information.
Because of the stigma associated with using the programs, self-exclusion was already a poor barometer for understanding the scope of the U.S. gambling addiction crisis. It’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Still, we do sometimes see significant upticks in self-exclusion participation. It might mean that casinos in a particular state are doing a relatively better job.
According to an annual Pennsylvania gambling report released in October 2025, requests to join the state’s self-exclusion lists grew by 34% year-over-year in 2024.
Unregulated Gambling
The casino self-exclusion study did not look at unregulated casinos, whether brick-and-mortar gambling dens or offshore online casinos.
While regulated operators appear to be falling short on helping players self-exclude, unregulated casinos provide no resources or programs. Sweepstakes/social casinos, one insidious form of unregulated gambling, often direct users to the wrong addiction support group.
Unfortunately, so-called “prediction markets,” quasi-legal gambling apps that have generated much media attention in 2025, also provide no self-exclusion.
Gambling in the U.S. has run amok in recent years.
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