Self Exclusion

BeardyGuts

Dormant Account
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Location
UK
Hi Folks,
Decided I needed a few months off.....i'm not really a problem gambler but trying to save for a deposit for a house so reducing expenditure on gambling would be a good help to that and having the money sitting there is too much of a temptation when sitting on a Saturday night with a beer so have decided to self exclude myself.

I thought it may be useful to post a small review on how easy/hard it is to self exclude yourself from the various casinos I have registered at over the years....so here you go:

Betfred: Information was easily available on the website, but you had to complete a form, print it off and send it back via email or post. Not ideal if you were in the midst of a gambling frenzy and wanted excluded asap. Exclusion was confirmed within 45 minutes of emailing the form, but still is a bit slow, i was lucky i had access to printer/scanner....if not it would have taken a lot longer.

William Hill: This is the worst out of all the sites I was registered too. Information wasn't easy to come by on the website so i just emailed the support who then replied saying i either had to fill out a form and post it to them, or call customer services. Now quite a lot of people would be embarrassed to call if they had gambling problems and the time it would take to post a letter, get that approved for exclusion etc etc will take days. I will update once i have called them this evening to advise how long that process takes.

32red: Easy enough, information was clear on the website, emailed support with account details who then linked me to a site to fill in more information to confirm the exclusion. Process took from start to finish about 1 hour.

Virgin: Log in to my account, go to exclusion and select the amount of time and confirm. The way it should be. Took 2 mins total.

Nordic Bet: No information i could find on the website..so just mailed support who then sent me a link to follow to confirm exclusion. What i don't like about them is that I can request my exclusion be overturned and after a 7 day cooling off period i will be given access to my account. This doesn't seem right to me it should be irreversible for the duration.

Paddy Power: According to website i email support for self exclusion..as of yet (2 hours) no confirmation received and can still access account.

Jackpot Party: As easy as virgin, just log into my account and request exclusion, the way it should be.

Ladbrokes: Website gives you a special exclusion email to send too, so i emailed them (2 hours ago at the time of writing) and as of yet no response,

Intercasino: Information was clear on the website, filled in form, then got confirmation email with 15minutes my account had been closed.

To be honest during this process my biggest surprise was the big UK bookmakers (Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred) who are pretty poor at this process. Jackpot Party and Virgin were the easiest and most user friendly....I think this process needs to be quick and should be considered for the casinomeister accreditation process if it isn't already.

Anyway i hope this can be of help to someone....
 
Well done for knowing when to take a break, that is really important part of enjoying your gambling and not letting it take over.

It's a real shame that the big boys, ake Ladbrokes and Will Hill make it so difficult. They should be made to practice better ethics than this.

Good to see Virgin was easy and quick to sort out.
 
Well done beardy, and I hope you realize your goal of home ownership soon.

When you requested self-exclusion, did you ask for just a temporary exclusion in order to realize your savings goal, or give them any reason for your request?

I'd hate to see you have difficulties with being branded as a problem gambler once you are sitting in your new house and maybe decide you can resume your hobby.
 
exclusion period..

Well done beardy, and I hope you realize your goal of home ownership soon.

When you requested self-exclusion, did you ask for just a temporary exclusion in order to realize your savings goal, or give them any reason for your request?

I'd hate to see you have difficulties with being branded as a problem gambler once you are sitting in your new house and maybe decide you can resume your hobby.
I have not asked for self exclusion at all myself ever, anywhere, but am now curious ??.

Eg: If I choose to refrain from gambling at their casino and ask to close my account due to current financial difficulties..Do I get an option for how long or what conditions apply to my request?? Guessing it is different at different casinos but the general consensus..?

Thanks azzagirt...
 
Well i was hoping i could edit my original post but i can't figure out how to do it.

Ladbrokes: Got back to 4.5 hours after original request....bit slow but at least it got done easy enough.

Paddy Power: Got back 3 hours after original request however refused to accept 6 month exclusion and i have been banned for good. Fair play to them at least they are looking out for the player i guess rather than profits.

William Hill: Now this is ridiculous...after i said initially that i have to call or post them to request the self exclusion i decided to give them a call...20mins on hold and still no response so gave up..was probably costing me a fortune in call charges. Am going to try again tomorrow and see if i have any luck but how can then even call this helping a problem gambler.

Thanks for all the positive messages folks really appreciate it.
 
I have not asked for self exclusion at all myself ever, anywhere, but am now curious ??.

Eg: If I choose to refrain from gambling at their casino and ask to close my account due to current financial difficulties..Do I get an option for how long or what conditions apply to my request?? Guessing it is different at different casinos but the general consensus..?

Thanks azzagirt...

All the casinos bar Paddy power allowed you to select the amount of time you would be excluded. Most were a minimum of 6 months...however Virgin, Nordic Bet and i think Jackpot Party if i remember correctly would let you select anything from an hour up to over a year.
 
Well done beardy, and I hope you realize your goal of home ownership soon.

When you requested self-exclusion, did you ask for just a temporary exclusion in order to realize your savings goal, or give them any reason for your request?

I'd hate to see you have difficulties with being branded as a problem gambler once you are sitting in your new house and maybe decide you can resume your hobby.

Thanks Jasmine :)


Yeah i asked for 6 months at all casinos...this was granted at all of them except Paddy Power which banned me for good. Once i have spare cash available i am definitely hoping to be a recreational slot player again....but i will bear in mind which casinos were difficult in this process. I have to say i really thought the big companies (Ladrbrokes, Will Hill etc) would be the easiest and the relative minnows would be a pain in the ass...but i couldn't have been more wrong.
 
I self-excluded from 32red and the clubworld casino group about one month ago. I did the total exclusion because at that time I believed I was developing a problem. It turns out it wasn't as big a problem as I thought as I have had no difficulty staying away from the slots (both real and online) and my finances are back on track to saving for a holiday:D.

I found both casino groups really easy to exclude from and both provided very quick responses. I noted that 32red said that with the total exclusion I could apply to re-open my account in 12 months but that they would have to "consider it" and it may not be re-opened. I think that is fair as you really don't know how large a problem is until you try and quit. I think I was lucky that I recognised it getting out of control before it became too big of an issue (i.e., addiction). They also had options such as choosing an amount of time to close your account and I was informed clearly of all options by Steve and treated very kindly.

At present I am enjoying (and needing I think) my time away from gambling but given I have found stopping very (and surprisingly) easy, I think I might request them to look at this after the 12 month period. Those were the only casinos I was playing with at the time and have had no urges to play others. I found their exclusion processes easy and think filling out a form and having to post it is stupid. You didn't have to do that to join and support should easily be able to block your account. The decision to exclude yourself can be a very big step for people and a responsible gambling company should be respectful of this by making the process as easy as possible.
 
Hi Folks,
Decided I needed a few months off.....i'm not really a problem gambler but trying to save for a deposit for a house so reducing expenditure on gambling would be a good help to that and having the money sitting there is too much of a temptation when sitting on a Saturday night with a beer so have decided to self exclude myself.

I thought it may be useful to post a small review on how easy/hard it is to self exclude yourself from the various casinos I have registered at over the years....so here you go:

Betfred: Information was easily available on the website, but you had to complete a form, print it off and send it back via email or post. Not ideal if you were in the midst of a gambling frenzy and wanted excluded asap. Exclusion was confirmed within 45 minutes of emailing the form, but still is a bit slow, i was lucky i had access to printer/scanner....if not it would have taken a lot longer.

William Hill: This is the worst out of all the sites I was registered too. Information wasn't easy to come by on the website so i just emailed the support who then replied saying i either had to fill out a form and post it to them, or call customer services. Now quite a lot of people would be embarrassed to call if they had gambling problems and the time it would take to post a letter, get that approved for exclusion etc etc will take days. I will update once i have called them this evening to advise how long that process takes.

32red: Easy enough, information was clear on the website, emailed support with account details who then linked me to a site to fill in more information to confirm the exclusion. Process took from start to finish about 1 hour.

Virgin: Log in to my account, go to exclusion and select the amount of time and confirm. The way it should be. Took 2 mins total.

Nordic Bet: No information i could find on the website..so just mailed support who then sent me a link to follow to confirm exclusion. What i don't like about them is that I can request my exclusion be overturned and after a 7 day cooling off period i will be given access to my account. This doesn't seem right to me it should be irreversible for the duration.

Paddy Power: According to website i email support for self exclusion..as of yet (2 hours) no confirmation received and can still access account.

Jackpot Party: As easy as virgin, just log into my account and request exclusion, the way it should be.

Ladbrokes: Website gives you a special exclusion email to send too, so i emailed them (2 hours ago at the time of writing) and as of yet no response,

Intercasino: Information was clear on the website, filled in form, then got confirmation email with 15minutes my account had been closed.

To be honest during this process my biggest surprise was the big UK bookmakers (Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred) who are pretty poor at this process. Jackpot Party and Virgin were the easiest and most user friendly....I think this process needs to be quick and should be considered for the casinomeister accreditation process if it isn't already.

Anyway i hope this can be of help to someone....

Very good review from a players perspective, thanks. That took some time!

Sites should outline and define their process clearer, as you've pointed out some do and others don't. They all should have a "take a break" option as I like to call it allowing a player to take a break for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months etc.. Along with "I'm a problem gambler" and I need to quit now total self exclusion option.

The term self exclusion generally groups players with problem gambling but in your case you're trying to save for a new home and would prefer not having an option to gamble right now at your favorite places which is commendable and totally understandable. So in reality you're taking a break and not really needing to quit gambling completely. it's a personal decision and not a life threatening one as I understand it.

Operators should look at your post, see the how complicated it would be for someone that needs to stop now, not tomorrow, or next week, I'm talking real problem gambler. Again in your case it was a financial decision vs. I'm a problem gambler, I'll be back in 6 months so more of a savings thing.

You've helped confirm a problem within the industry which is simple to resolve, why run to multiple sites if in fact you really have a serious problem gambling? It's complicated and time consuming! One centralized place for players to self exclude and one database for sites to monitor is the future.

Take a break, like yourself, should be done on a site by site basis because even you yourself know you can still go gamble at multiple sites on the internet with no problem, have not been totally self excluded online, not really quitting but a time out.

Thankfully you weren't in dire straits to stop now. Your post should be a point well taken within the industry peeps reading this forum! :rolleyes:
 
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Think I'll join you

Good for you! I do think I will join you, since every time I win I have to spend what I've won and much more because I just know I'm going to win back what I've lost. Probably a perfect description of a gambling addict.

Anyway, the best of luck to you!!
 
Fair play to you for knowing when to take a break.

All sites should really allow for a long or short term break, as well as allowing you to set daily/weekly/monthly limits.
I play a lot on other sites and these types of limits are the best all round. I set a 50 weekly here and there and then I know exactly what I can lose - if any sites make it too difficult to set a limit then they risk players being forced to exclude completely.

I've worked for a few companies and the difference in approach to Responsible Gaming across them is marked. To some it's a hassle and they view it as lost revenue opportunities. To others it's paramount.

It should be mandatory for all companies to allow you to control your gaming however you wish to - and to do that simply and quickly on the web site without having to get in touch with support.

Thanks for the post it was really interesting.

All the best
Andy
 
Thanks to the OP for compiling such a comprehensive list. People have different perceptions so I cant really say which is the best though it does seem William Hill is the worst.
 
I thought I'd give a few words about 3Dice, since this this the only casino I've requested a break from.

As most of you know, 3Dice not only offers real play, but a tournament mode and chat as well. I was finding it far too easy to neglect other aspects of my life, and I posted here about taking a break from posting as well.

Made the request via chat for ten days and was given options. About a week in, I'd accomplished most of what I had set out to do, and we were heading into a long rainy spell. (Yard work was most of what I was trying to do). Sent an email request asking if I could shorten my absence, and was allowed back after 48 more hours, but with all my deposit options still locked, they wouldn't shorten that for me.

After coming back, I talked about how much I had missed it, and joked that maybe I needed to be locked out during daylight hours only. I was informed that could be an option. Or after 2 am so I'd be sure to get some sleep nightly, whatever my needs.

3Dice is relatively small, and I don't expect all casinos to allow a player such flexibility, but it really is great that they do.

The option to restrict yourself from certain hours might enable a gambler who gambles responsibly except maybe late at night when they've had a few to avoid risky periods.
 
Very good review from a players perspective, thanks. That took some time!

Sites should outline and define their process clearer, as you've pointed out some do and others don't. They all should have a "take a break" option as I like to call it allowing a player to take a break for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months etc.. Along with "I'm a problem gambler" and I need to quit now total self exclusion option.

The term self exclusion generally groups players with problem gambling but in your case you're trying to save for a new home and would prefer not having an option to gamble right now at your favorite places which is commendable and totally understandable. So in reality you're taking a break and not really needing to quit gambling completely. it's a personal decision and not a life threatening one as I understand it.

Operators should look at your post, see the how complicated it would be for someone that needs to stop now, not tomorrow, or next week, I'm talking real problem gambler. Again in your case it was a financial decision vs. I'm a problem gambler, I'll be back in 6 months so more of a savings thing.

You've helped confirm a problem within the industry which is simple to resolve, why run to multiple sites if in fact you really have a serious problem gambling? It's complicated and time consuming! One centralized place for players to self exclude and one database for sites to monitor is the future.

Take a break, like yourself, should be done on a site by site basis because even you yourself know you can still go gamble at multiple sites on the internet with no problem, have not been totally self excluded online, not really quitting but a time out.

Thankfully you weren't in dire straits to stop now. Your post should be a point well taken within the industry peeps reading this forum! :rolleyes:

I think you highlight a point i touched on in regards to a couple of operators. If you had a genuine gambling problem and in a moment of clarity decided to take a break...the process should be easy and quick...not take 20 mins on hold to customer service (in the case of william hill) or printing of a form to fill in and send back etc.

I also think its a great idea to just have one central database where you can take a break from all casinos within a few clicks...can't see it happening but would be great solution that would genuinely help a lot of people.
 
Whilst I agree that the process should be as quick, painless and effective as possible, it is, unfortunately, an eCOGRA requirement for players who wish to be excluded to complete and sign a form. Therefore, all casinos who subscribe to eCOGRA and are audited by them will have to send you these forms.

It is far from the ideal situation but hopefully we will get to a more player-friendly solution soon.
 
An excellent thread! Well done BeardyGuts; you've brought this issue up - it's good to see how different casinos deal with this subject.

Ideally, it would be nice to see two buttons (as P.V. mentioned) one to take a specified break; another to quit for good. It's a real shame to see how some casinos disregard this.

...
After coming back, I talked about how much I had missed it, and joked that maybe I needed to be locked out during daylight hours only. I was informed that could be an option. Or after 2 am so I'd be sure to get some sleep nightly, whatever my needs...
It would be nice to see in the future a cyber-breathalyzer to negate bets when you're wasted. :p (not that you needed one of course)
 
glad to see when someone knows its time to take break to recognize it and go through with it. Causing stress in your life over gambling is just -EV.

When I excluded myself a few months ago I wrote all the sites and told them too. That was enough for like 90% of the ones I sent emails too which must have been well over 20
 
I think you highlight a point i touched on in regards to a couple of operators. If you had a genuine gambling problem and in a moment of clarity decided to take a break...the process should be easy and quick...not take 20 mins on hold to customer service (in the case of william hill) or printing of a form to fill in and send back etc.

I also think its a great idea to just have one central database where you can take a break from all casinos within a few clicks...can't see it happening but would be great solution that would genuinely help a lot of people.


Oh but it can happen and I've built a system for the process. The biggest dilemma to date is getting multiple sites/operators onboard to follow the self exclusion requests. Not a time out, but total self exclusion for a gambler that has problems, needs to stop now.

One click from a problem gambler for total self exclusion, monitored by multiple gaming sites.

Actually I've been chatting with Nevada regulators, attorneys among others trying to get this off the ground with U.S. online gambling nearing. In fact I have a phone meeting tomorrow with the National Council on Problem Gambling to discuss the same problem you've pointed out.

it's posts from players like yourself that motivate me, thanks.:thumbsup:


PS - In addition, I will speak with my programmers to discuss adding a take a break function, seperate button as CM suggested. Although take a break would be universal meaning if you take a break for 6 months, it would apply to all sites monitoring.
 
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Ideally, it would be nice to see two buttons (as P.V. mentioned) one to take a specified break; another to quit for good. )

When logged into Rival software, you can visit the Cashier, click on "Help" and then click on "Player Self Exclusion". You will then see the following:

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You can choose to Freeze your account or Suspend your account. If you choose to Freeze, then you will be given the option of 6 Days or 6 Months.

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If you choose to suspend, then you can provide a reason. Your account is immediately locked and your email address invalidated.

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We all know how hard it is too quit, so it should be made easy to do when you feel the urge to do it :)

Thanks for the post BeardyGuts and well done on making the decision you made!
 
Any idea how to edit the post to display the images so you do not have to click on the attachments?

Upload the attachment within your post, if it's the correct size and file type, it should appear. Let me see if it's working. Yep working.. :)

PS - Do a screen shot and then upload what you're wanting to show.
 

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