Board backs three proposed changes
The Illinois Gaming Board has unanimously approved three proposed rule changes intended to make the state’s gambling self exclusion program easier to access and broader in scope.
The proposals come as Illinois has expanded its gambling market, including the legalization of online sports betting in 2019. Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter said the existing program does not offer several enrollment routes available in other states, such as applications by mail, enrollment through treatment providers or an online application process.
Fruchter said those gaps can discourage people experiencing gambling problems from joining the program. “Research shows that shame, embarrassment, stigma and procedural friction at the point of entry are among the barriers most consistently reported by persons who considered but did not complete self-exclusion enrollment,” he told board members.
Shorter exclusion periods and wider enrollment access
Illinois currently offers self exclusion periods of five years or longer. The proposed rules would add six month, one year and three year options while retaining the five year period.
People entering the program could be automatically re-enrolled, with the option to leave at any time. Anyone seeking to leave a five year or indefinite exclusion would still have to submit an affidavit or a letter from a certified gambling addiction counselor confirming that they were no longer a problem gambler.
Applicants currently have to enroll in person at one of 32 facilities statewide. Half of those locations are casinos, and outside Chicago only five non-casino facilities are available.
The proposals would create additional enrollment pathways. They would also prevent gaming companies from marketing to people enrolled in the program for at least 12 months.
Video gaming and fantasy sports included
The revised program would extend beyond casinos and sports betting to cover Illinois’s approximately 50,000 video gaming terminals at convenience stores and other locations. Fantasy sports would also be included and regulated under the Sports Wagering Act.
About 16,000 people are currently enrolled in Illinois’s self exclusion program. A state commissioned study found that approximately 383,000 adults have a gambling problem, while another 761,000 are at risk of developing one.
A report noted that Illinois spent less than six cents on addiction treatment for every $100 in gaming tax revenue during 2025.
The proposals were advanced during September’s Responsible Gaming Education Month. The National Council on Problem Gambling describes the annual event as “a month dedicated to celebrating those in recovery, sharing lived experience, and highlighting those who have made recovery possible.”
Concern has also grown over increasing participation in sports betting among young people, with some universities launching problem gaming awareness courses. In January, Pope Leo XIV called gambling addiction a “serious problem of education, mental health, and social trust” that “ruins many families.” Colorado has also pursued additional responsible gaming measures this year, including a ban on credit card use for online sports betting.
