Connecticut’s two tribal casinos have maintained programs for people with compulsive gambling issues for years, but the oncoming launch of online gambling and new retail sportsbooks around the state may create gaps in that protection. That’s no longer the case with a new Connecticut gambling self-exclusion website.
The program allows residents and visitors alike to bar themselves from gambling in the state for three different periods of time.
It’s a crucial part of responsible gambling in Connecticut.
How the Connecticut self-exclusion site works
It’s free to register on the self-exclusion site, but it’s important to note that people can only sign themselves up. It’s also crucial to note that once a person has enrolled, the effects are immediate.
Visitors to the site can exclude themselves from gambling in the state for a period of a year, five years, or the remainder of their lives. Those signing up will need to provide:
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number
- Legal name
- Mailing address
- Phone number
Those who opt for the year or five-year terms can apply for removal from the program once that amount of time has passed. There are no options for earlier reinstatement of privileges.
People who sign up for a five-year term can’t later change their minds and take it down to just a single year, for instance.
Additionally, reinstatement of privileges is not automatic after the term has expired. People on the list must apply for removal or the limitations can stay in place.
Users of the program are free to register for as many single-year or five-year terms as they like.
Perhaps most important to note is exactly what you’re signing up for while you consider this option. In CT, the use of this program represents a near-comprehensive ban from all types of gaming.
In-person, online, DFS, and sports betting all included
After you place yourself on a list, the state shares your information with all licensed gaming operators and partners. That signals to them your preference to not participate in gaming.
You won’t be able to do any of the following in CT:
- Enter the gaming floor at either tribal casino
- Create an account with any online casino or online sportsbook in the state
- Create an account for any daily fantasy sports platform in the state
- Place bets at any of the Connecticut Lottery’s retail sports betting locations
All of the companies involved in casino games, DFS, or sports betting in Connecticut are barred from sending marketing materials to people on the list. The site also discloses that people on the list caught gambling will not be able to collect any winnings, recoup any losses, and may have to forfeit any reward points earned.
These programs are intentionally onerous because, for people who struggle with pathological gambling behavior, safeguards must be robust. Gambling addiction is a disease that requires treatment and this is one tool to help with that.
Before online gambling starts in CT, people vulnerable to triggers of this kind can take proactive measures to protect themselves with this program.
