Self-Exclusion Program
Self-Exclusion Program Procedures
General
Self-Exclusion is one of the most widely used responsible gaming strategies. This process allows a person to voluntarily exclude themselves from legalized gaming activities to deal with problematic gaming behavior. The Office’s Self-Exclusion Program allows a person to voluntarily request to be excluded from legalized gaming activities within the District of Columbia for a pre-determined length of time and to be prohibited from collecting any winnings, recovering any losses, or accepting complimentary gifts or services or any other thing of value from an Office-licensed facility, retail location or mobile wagering platform.
Participating in the Program starts with an application that can be submitted using the following options:
- Class A or B sports wagering facility (Effective 3/1/2022): These are privately held sports wagering facilities licensed by the Office. Each sports wagering facility is authorized to process a Self-Exclusion Program application. The following link provides the current approved list of Class A & B sports wagering operators.
- Office of Lottery and Gaming: A person may contact the Responsible Gambling Specialist (see contact information below) to make an appointment at the Office’s headquarters located at 2235 Shannon Place SE, Washington, DC 20020.
- Online: A person may submit a self-exclusion application online through the Office’s website. The following links provide further information:
Persons participating in the Program will be excluded from gaming throughout the District. This means that if they sign up for self-exclusion at a Class A or B facility, they will not only be excluded from the particular facility, but from all gambling establishments (retail or online/mobile app) in the District.
Players having any questions regarding the Self-Exclusion Program or to make an appointment for self-exclusion can contact the Office’s Responsible Gambling Specialist Donna White at (202) 788-2102 or olgresponsiblegaming@dc.gov.
Purpose and General Rules
The Office is committed to offering gaming in a safe and responsible manner and will never place profits ahead of the health of its players. Click here to see our Responsible Gambling Plan. As part of this commitment, the Self-Exclusion Program was established as a tool or method to support persons who wish to refrain from sports wagering and other types of gambling (e.g., Lottery) offered by the Office and its licensees.
Each person electing to participate in the Self-Exclusion Program acknowledges that it is his or her responsibility to refrain from engaging in sports wagering or other gambling activities. Those applying for self-exclusion will be placed on the Office’s Self-Exclusion List (“List”) that will be used by the Office and Office licensees to prevent them from participating in sports wagering and other gambling activities. This includes the forfeiture of any gambling winnings.
To further assist players, the following actions will apply to those on the List:
- Excluded from receiving gaming related advertising materials including offers of free meals and drinks at gambling establishments;
- Excluded from receiving gaming promotional offers or player club membership materials; and
- Excluded from receiving any complimentary goods or services from gambling establishments.
The Office understands that there are many reasons why someone may want to refrain from gambling, albeit, for a limited period. For this reason, a person does not have to admit they are a problem gambler to apply for self-exclusion. In fact, they do not have to provide any reason. However, persons participating in the Self-Exclusion Program are expected make all efforts to refrain from gambling. For some this may be difficult and, if this is the case, they are encouraged to seek assistance. In the District, they may contact the National Council on Problem Gambling’s 24-hour confidential helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Required identifying Information:
In order to ensure accuracy of identification and future communications, the following information will be requested when an individual is self-excluding:
- Name, including any aliases or nicknames;
- Date of birth;
- Address of current residence;
- Telephone number;
- Email address;
- Social Security number;
- Physical description, including height, weight, gender, hair color, eye color, etc.; and
- Valid Government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport.
In addition, a photograph may be taken of the person at the time they sign up for self-exclusion. Only the person wishing to self-exclude can do so. A third-party (e.g., spouse, parent, etc.) is not permitted to submit an application to self-exclude another person.
Term of Exclusion
While participating in the Self-Exclusion Program (“Program”) is voluntary, once on the List it is irrevocable for the duration of the term selected by the player. A player may select at a minimum one (1) year term or any of the following:
- Eighteen (18) months;
- Three (3) years;
- Five (5) years; or
- Lifetime, under certain circumstances.
The term selected may be increased in duration, but it cannot be reduced. Moreover, upon the term expiration, a person is not automatically removed from the List. They must submit a request for removal from the List to the Office regardless of whether they “signed up” at a Class A or B sports wagering facility, online or in-person at the Office’s headquarters.
Lottery
It is important to understand that a person wishing to self-exclude themselves from sports wagering will also be excluding themselves from all other forms of gambling including the DC Lottery. This means persons participating in the Program will not be allowed to purchase lottery tickets at retail establishments; participate in iLottery program (online or mobile app); and redeem any lottery prize claims. Persons on the List will forfeit any lottery prize winnings. Whether a person is a lottery or sports wagering player, self-exclusion is applicable to all gambling in the District. A person cannot limit the self-exclusion to one particular type of gambling activity.
If you are in need of a language interpreter to fully understand the Self‐Exclusion Program and the questions in the application, please inform the Responsible Gaming Program Specialist in advance of your appointment.
Si vous avez besoin d’un interprète pour bien comprendre le Programme d’auto exclusion et les questions dans le dossier de demande, veuillez en informer le Spécialiste du Programme de jeu responsable avant votre rendez-vous.
ራስን የማግለል መርሃግብርን እና በማመልከቻው ላይ ያሉ ጥያቄዎችን ሙሉ በሙሉ ለመረዳት የቋንቋ አስተርጓሚ የሚፈልጉ ከሆነ፣ እባክዎን ከቀጠሮዎ በፊት የኃላፊነታዊ የጨዋታ ፕሮግራም ባለሙያውን ያሳውቁ።
Nếu bạn cần một thông dịch ngôn ngữ để có thể hiểu đầy đủ Chương Trình Tự Loại Trừ và các câu hỏi trong ứng dụng, vui lòng thông báo cho Chuyên Gia Chương Trình Trò Chơi Có Trách Nhiệm trước cuộc hẹn của bạn.
如果您需要一名口译员 来帮助您彻底了解“自我排除计划”和应用中的问题，请在预约前通知主管游戏程序专员.
자진 입장 금지 프로그램(Self‐Exclusion Program)과 신청서에 있는 질문들을 완전히 이해하는 데 통역사의 도움이 필요하시면, 예약 시간에 오시기 전에 책임 있는 도박 프로그램(Responsible Gaming Program) 담당자에게 알려 주시기 바랍니다.
Si necesita un intérprete de idiomas para entender bien en qué consiste el Programa de Autoexclusión y las preguntas de la solicitud, por favor hágaselo saber al especialista del Programa de Juego Responsable antes de su cita.