This report evaluates the Massachusetts Voluntary Self Exclusion Program. Voluntary self-exclusion is a popular intervention carried out by governments and casinos. Self-exclusion allows people to ban themselves from certain casinos for a specified period of time. This report summarizes data collected from the program during its first 29 months of operation. The sample included 263 enrollees who entered the program between June 25th, 2015 and November 30th, 2017. The objectives of the report were:
- Evaluate the program as carried out at the Plainridge Park Casino.
- Assess the gambling behaviours, problems, mental health, and well-being of enrollees.
Overall, enrollees had a positive experience with the program. They showed improvements with their gambling behaviours, problem-gambling, and well-being. Key findings of the report include:
- The majority of enrollees reported financial harms and lost the most amount of money on electronic gaming machines (EGMs).
- Enrollees who chose longer self-exclusion periods showed a smaller reduction in gambling than others.
- Self-exclusion did not appear to act as a gateways for gambling treatment.
Recommendations to improve the program include:
- Collaborate with substance use and mental health treatment services to promote the program.
- Create a database to better link and keep track of data collected through the self-exclusion process.
- Standardize the information collected from enrollees to improve the intervention.
