Online gambling in Michigan is just a little more than a month old, and already residents have another way to protect themselves from themselves.
Applications are available now for the Responsible Gambling Database, a self-exclusion tool for online sportsbooks and casinos.
As of Monday afternoon, no residents had applied yet for the list, according to the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Online sports betting and internet gaming launched in Michigan on Jan. 22.
How to apply for the Responsible Gambling list in Michigan
The new MGCB database gives applicants options. They can submit separate applications for online sportsbooks and online casinos, or self-exclude from both. Residents can apply before or after opening any online accounts.
Self-exclusion periods can last one year or five years. After the period expires, the applicant rolls off the list, MGCB spokesperson Mary Kay Bean told PlayMichigan.
Applicants will not be placed on this list until processing is completed by Richard Kalm, the MGCB executive director. The registration process can take up to 45 days. Applicants will be notified by email (if provided) or US mail when they have been added to the list.
Those on the Exclusion of Persons List are automatically added to the Responsible Gambling Database, as well.
According to the MGCB website:
The Exclusion List contains the names of people convicted of certain crimes in any jurisdiction and those placed on any other jurisdiction’s Exclusion List. These individuals may not enter a casino unless ordered by a court or after a hearing granting permission by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
New self-exclusion list applies only to online gambling sites
The Responsible Gambling Database is separate from the Disassociated Persons List, which applies to the three Detroit casinos. Because of a recent change, you can now apply to come off that list after five years.
However, residents on the DPL are not automatically placed in the Responsible Gambling Database.
Also of note, the MGCB outlines in the form that operators could take the self-exclusion ban further than the applicant intended. For instance, an operator such as DraftKings Sportsbook could ban the applicant from retail casinos in Michigan and other jurisdictions, too.
The agreement states:
I understand internet gaming operators and internet gaming platform providers and/or sports betting operators and internet sports betting platform providers may prohibit me, as a voluntarily-excluded person in the Responsible Gaming Database, from engaging in other forms of gaming authorized by law in this state or in other jurisdictions. This could include, but is not limited to, being banned from their casino properties worldwide for the length of my placement in the Responsible Gaming Database. I understand the Michigan Gaming Control Board is not responsible for keeping me informed of decisions such as these by internet gaming operators and internet gaming platform providers and/or sports betting operators and internet sports betting platform providers.
Other self-exclusion options for Michigan residents
Other tools, such as limits placed on your account per a certain time period, are available with different operators.
Residents can also sign up to be excluded from a single online gambling site.
BetMGM, for instance, has a self-exclusion tool called PlayPause through a partnership with Conscious Gaming. One of the ways PlayPause helps is by not allowing players to cross into Indiana, for instance, to use BetMGM products.
Online operators are required to display the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Gambling Disorder Help-line on their sites. That number is 800-270-7117.
Apps in MI also include a “responsible gambling” section or tab that helps users set deposit, wagering, and time limits. FanDuel Sportsbook’s responsible gambling section states:
We’re committed to providing you resources and support to have responsible fun, so we’ve made it easy for you to set custom limits on how much money you deposit or wager and time you spend on the app or site. You can also take a Timeout for a short period of time or close your account permanently.
Ultimately, Michigan hopes to give online gamblers plenty of ways to opt-out of playing and encourage gambling responsibly.