Identifying the need

Integrity recognizes that some people suffer from a compulsive gambling disorder.  This program helps individuals acknowledge their problem and seek ways to manage it. Besides screening out underage visitors to gambling sites, Integrity has sought from the beginning to play as constructive a role as possible in helping problem gamblers to manage their addiction.  By offering a central self-exclusion service that is global in its reach, Integrity can provide to the largest possible number of addiction sufferers one useful element in a multi-part program of comprehensive addiction therapy. 

What the system does

SEL is a worldwide, confidential and highly secure database of individuals who have chosen to exclude themselves from gaming activity.  Should an individual whose name is on the list attempt to open an account with a participating gaming site, Integrity would not return a match (approval) code to the merchant, thus blocking the user’s access to the site.  Although it remains ultimately the decision of the gaming establishment which visitors to accept, the casino or website operator will not receive an approval match code from Integrity thus offering a basis for immediate exclusion.

What the system does NOT do

SEL is not a substitute or alternative to treatment for a gambling problem.  Individuals who join SEL are advised in the strongest possible terms to seek professional assistance to treat their gambling disorder.  Please be aware that NCPG/Aristotle does not view the voluntary exclusion program as an effective way to cope with a gambling problem unless it is combined with some form of counseling.

Who can access the list

Compulsive gamblers come from all corners of the globe which is why the Integrity global service website will include links from the Integrity site to the home pages of credible organizations, public and private, from many countries and local jurisdictions that offer advisory, remedial and therapeutic services in order to facilitate rapid access to possible treatment. Besides the counseling and referral services, gaming operators and individuals seeking help, the list can be accessed by legal guardians of problem gamblers, persons who are able to prove that they have the necessary legal authority to offer this form of protection to those under their care.

What’s being done now

By deploying the most robust and comprehensive database of its kind in the world, Integrity has committed itself to partnering with any and all organizations, private or governmental, that support, promote or participate in self-help programs for the treatment of problem gambling, in the UK, in the US or in the one hundred and fifty other countries covered by Integrity’s ID authentication system.  The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in Washington DC is in discussions with the Integrity team to explore how best to do all this.  The exploratory effort continues and the results will be announced in the next few months. Integrity supports the concept enunciated by NCPG that compulsive gambling is a disorder requiring appropriate treatment and that a self-exclusion system is but one in a regimen of multiple therapies necessary for effective management.  To contact NCPG, please visit www.ncpgambling.org

How It Works

By inputting your contact information on the SEL application page, you are records are submitted to the SEL database immediately.  You can choose to keep your account active in SEL for terms ranging from 1 year up to a lifetime. 

In the event an individual whose name is on the self-exclusion list attempts to open an account with a merchant in the gambling industry, Integrity would not return a match (approval) code to the merchant.  The reason for the non-return of the match code would not be specified to the merchant (it could be for underage access, false ID, criminal record, national watch list, or other markers), thus further insulating the identity and protecting the confidentiality of the list members. 

If a name needs to be removed from the SEL, you can submit a request to have your name removed from the SEL administration panel.  A black-out period of 7 days is required before any name is official purged in order to protect against on-the-fly changes to the database.