PR: OPERATORS WARNED OF POTENTIAL SELF-EXCLUSION BREACH

[Casinomeister]

PRESS RELEASE –
Ref. : CMOPR18
Date : 28th April 2008


OPERATORS WARNED OF POTENTIAL SELF-EXCLUSION BREACH
Operators are being warned to take self exclusion procedures seriously after a recent incident of a potential breach in agreement was reported to the national self-exclusion scheme Count Me Out.

A problem gambler who self excluded using Count Me Out and was unable to gamble in his home town attempted to breach the agreement by traveling to other areas to gamble. When he exhausted all his funds he contacted Count Me Out staff to cancel his self exclusion which was declined. Count Me Out were already aware that the gambler was traveling to other areas through information passed to them by the gamblers family.

The mother of the problem gambler said “I am grateful that there are now self-exclusion schemes in force to try to help problem gamblers beat their addictions but we need more operators to come on board to a national scheme to make it truly successful. People with a gambling problem go to great lengths to feed their addiction and if operators are really serious about helping them and their families they need to make the self-exclusion schemes as effective as possible.”

When the individual tried to overturn his agreement Count Me Out immediately sent an alert to members of the scheme to enable them to warn their staff to the possibility that an excluded gambler might be visiting their premises and therefore breaching the order and others were informed for monitoring, engagement and social responsibility purposes. A complete audit trail of the events including dates and times of phone calls were logged.

Gary Pettengell, from the not for profit, social enterprise Count Me Out said “the national information sharing system which is the core function of Count Me Out afforded maximum protection to the Count Me Out members as not only were they immediately alerted to a potential problem but our audit trail would provide vital evidence if the self-excluder was mistakenly allowed to gamble at a premises and an attempt was made to sue the operator as a consequence. This background support is a critical benefit of the Count Me Out System and we urge operators to think seriously about whether their current self-exclusion procedures provide the level of protection and evidence they need.”

For more information on Count Me Out visit www.countmeout.org.uk

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Press enquiries and further information is available from Gary Pettengell,
Tel: +44(0)1502 576888 Fax +44(0)1502 531988 Email info@countmeout.org.uk

NSEP CIC., Riverside Business Centre, Riverside Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0TQ

Background on Count Me Out

• N.S.E.P. Community Interest Company is a not for profit social enterprise trading as Count Me Out (CMO).
• CMO’s mission is to help vulnerable children and adults who are addicted to, harmed or
exploited by gambling globally by promoting self exclusion and social responsibility.
• CMO is the only organisation in the UK and globally set up solely to offer self exclusion solutions to gaming operators and problem gamblers.
• CMO is the only organisation offering and operating a national self exclusion scheme in the UK and bespoke self exclusion software to companies to operate their individual self
exclusion schemes.
• The CMO International Self Exclusion Database for problem gamblers is the only truly
impartial and independent system available to problem gamblers, gaming operators, Payment Service Providers and ID verification companies.

International Database of self excluded persons:
• Ability to instantly self exclude from several websites, using just one agreement form
• 3rd party, malicious exclusion safeguards in place
• Encourages maximum participation by gaming operators and associated service providers
• Counselling offered at every stage of the self exclusion process and request to gamble again has to be made to a counsellor, then a 24 hour cooling off period is enforced.
• Ability to self exclude without having to visit a gaming website
• Self exclusion remains in place unless positive request to gamble again is made
• Expired self exclusion agreements are held in an archive database in order to provide
operators and associated service providers with a self exclusion history.
• Data Protection Act compliant and all systems have been legally verified
• Enables members to evidence duty of care, social responsibility, independence and
transparency in relation to self exclusion
• Allows ID verification companies and Payment Service Providers to raise awareness of
vulnerable persons to their customers who are not CMO members.

National UK Self Exclusion Program Key Points:
• CMO is the UK’s only national, multi sector and cross company, Gambling Self Exclusion scheme.
• CMO provides a central, national database of self excluded individuals which enables information to be legally shared between operators.
• CMO provides effective self exclusion both locally and nationally and complies with all the
recommendations set out in the Gambling Act 2005 and the Data Protection Act 1998.
• CMO provides an accessible, confidential and simple to use Self Exclusion Program giving vulnerable gamblers the opportunity to remove themselves from a potentially harmful gambling environment.
• CMO allows vulnerable persons to obtain self exclusion forms from the internet and support agencies and to submit these forms via a designated, responsible person such as a doctor, solicitor or counsellor. This enables them to self-exclude without ever having to enter a gambling premises to either obtain or submit their agreement forms.
• CMO notifies all members of a self exclusion agreement relevant to their geographical area.
• Notification isn’t limited to the premises named on the agreement making the scheme more effective and easier for support groups, operators and their staff to identify, monitor, engage with and support vulnerable persons.
• CMO encourages and simplifies self exclusion from a number of different premises, companies, sectors and geographical areas. As a National scheme information can legally be shared between premises and companies. By simplifying the self-exclusion process the CMO system makes self exclusion more effective, easier to monitor and evaluate.