Reinstatement

A comment on this blog from last June informed us of the process for ending a self-exclusion in Pennsylvania. The idea is that once your chosen term for exclusion is over, you still might have to jump through some hoops to be reinstated. I think that there is something to be said for the need to take a positive step to be reinstated, as long as that step is not too onerous. (One of the problems with making reinstatement difficult is that wavering people might decide to forgo self-exclusion entirely; I think that also is a problem for exclusion schemes that offer only lifetime or long-term bans.)

The National Center for Responsible Gaming publication on Self-exclusion (54-page pdf here) contains an appendix summarizing self-exclusion programs in US states and selected other jurisdictions. Drawing on this source, some of the reinstatement schemes that involve barriers, and those barriers, follow:

Illinois: requires an affidavit from a mental health professional indicating that controlled gambling is feasible; Louisiana has a similar provision;

Kansas: excluders must take courses on healthy lifestyles and undertake a problem gambling assessment;

Pennsylvania: two personal visits, at least five days apart, are required for reinstatement; classes might be mandated, too;

Delaware (racetrack casinos): an in-person request for reinstatement is mandated;

Florida (racetrack casinos): A written request, and evidence of treatment, is required from the excluded individual; further, the casino manager must indicate in writing why the ban should be lifted;

Maine, New Mexico, and West Virginia (racetrack casinos): a petition is necessary for reinstatement; some New York racinos also require a petition for reinstatement;

SKYCITY Adelaide in Australia: excluders seeking reinstatement must undergo counseling, and agree to limits on both gambling spending and casino visits;

Ontario and Nova Scotia, in Canada: petitions are required for early reinstatement, and an investigation is then triggered;

Singapore: self- or family-excluded individuals must apply in person for reinstatement;

South Africa: an application, plus evidence of treatment, are required for reinstatement;

United Kingdom: an application for reinstatement is required, with a one-day cooling off period before the ban can be lifted.