“The truth is there are 3 percent of the population that take this a little bit too seriously and need help and need interventions,” American Gaming Association spokesman Casey Clark said.

The organization also credits MGM National Harbor casino in Prince George’s County with regularly checking IDs of patrons as they enter. casinos use technology to help enforce voluntary exclusion programs. The American Gaming Association said U.S. “The only way to ensure these gamblers stay out of casinos is for them to get treatment for their gambling problem,” Whyte said. “Self-exclusion is not addressing the root cause.” Pennsylvania reported approximately 370 problem gambler “self-ban” violations between January and March 2021, up from nearly 155 violations between January and March 2020. The data showed a sharp increase as pandemic health restrictions were eased. Pennsylvania, which is home to multiple major casinos, released its numbers of voluntary-exclusion violations to the I-Team. New York and Michigan gaming agencies both declined I-Team requests to release figures on violations, instead requiring formal Freedom of Information Act requests, which remain pending. The I-Team checked with several states that operate or monitor casino “self-exclusion” programs. “Now that casinos are reopening, it’s not surprising you’re seeing this increase in violations,” Whyte said.

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