Last October, a new law was enacted that allowed individuals to be removed from the Disassociated Persons List in Michigan if they had been on the list for a minimum of five years. The list was first created in 2000 and as of this year, over 4,800 individuals are on it currently. As of last month, a total of 545 people have used the new law to be removed from the list. The reversal allows the players to remove a ban from casinos located in Detroit.
Details of the Change
During a meeting of the Michigan Gaming Control Board this week, executive director Henry Williams announced the latest statistics involving the list. As of the end of last month, a total of 625 applications had been submitted to the board to see names removed from the list.
Of that number, 545 were removed. Five have already asked to be placed back on the list. A total of 28 individuals were denied the right to removal. The individuals either did not qualify or they did not respond to an omission letter that was sent to them.
Additional applications are still under review. As of right now, just over 11% of those who were on the list have used the new law to try and be removed.
The new law was created to provide an option for players who might want to self-ban for a few years rather than a lifetime ban. The previous lifetime aspect of the list may have kept players from seeking help with the self-exclusion option due to the length of time the ban required.
Any individual that is on the list and they enter a Detroit Casino must face heavy penalties. The individual would be guilty of criminal trespassing. The cost of this charge is imprisonment of up to one year in prison and a fine of $1,000 or less.
The new law is a good option for players who self-excluded because they needed time to get a handle on their gambling problem. For those who have recovered and think it is safe to start gambling again, removal from the list is an ideal option.
Additional Options in Michigan for Responsible Gambling
The Disassociated Persons List is just one way that players can seek help in Michigan when it comes to gambling needs. The state also just created a self-exclusionary tool titled the Responsible Gambling Database. This option is for online gambling in the state.
Residents who want to self-exclude can take advantage of the new database and choose to self-exclude for one to five years. There are also options on offer via individual operators. The goal is to provide plenty of resources so that players can easily have a way to self-exclude if they so choose to be more responsible when it comes to iGaming.
So far, only a handful of people have signed up for the online database. However, it is expected that as the industry grows, more people will most likely take advantage of this option.
