Gambling-related harms are a public health issue. One way to reduce gambling-related harms is through self-exclusion (SE) programs. SE is when someone who gambles voluntarily has themselves restricted from accessing gambling. The authors reviewed SE programs in seven high-income countries or states. SE programs differ in how they are accessed and enforced. Much is dependent on the policy balance between reducing gambling harms and increasing gambling revenues. The authors concluded that SE programs are not effective in reducing gambling-related harms at a population level due to a few factors, such as how SE registers works and differences in how SE is enforced.
