idPair to cover California with free gambling self-exclusion

The much-anticipated National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (NVSEP) is expanding to another state with California now part of the initial launch of the program which is due to arrive in August.

Free self-exclusion gambling program expands to California

IdPair is developing NVSEP to offer the first-of-its-kind free self-exclusion program that operates nationally in the United States and creates a safeguard against problem gambling of a new kind.

Avoiding a piecemeal approach that often involves state-based self-exclusion programs, idPair is hoping that NVSEP will offer a much deeper level of protection for consumers who will be able to exclude once across multiple jurisdictions at once.

How many jurisdictions that would be will ultimately depend on where idPair’s solution is available. The initial outlook is promising, as, in early August, NVSEP is expected to launch in Colorado, Tennessee, Iowa, and Michigan, with California now joining this list.

There are no costs that people who self-exclude would be asked to pick, making the program even easier to get into in the end. To make sure that its program hits the mark, idPair is collaborating closely with the National Council on Problem Gambling.

This is also the case in California, which is the newest state to join the jurisdictions covered by NVSEP. Commenting on this, the local offshoot of the organization, the California Council on Problem Gambling, and its executive director, Robert Jacobson, said:

"California self-exclusion is a critical state program which allows individuals to request that a card room prevent them from gambling at, or in many cases entering, the premises for a designated period."

However, he cautioned that the current self-exclusion program in the state asked players to visit a card room’s premises to enrol, which could have a negative impact, prompting them back to gambling.

Remote exclusion as the one proposed by the NVSEP is a much more convenient and safer method for consumers, Jacobson mused in a press email shared by idPair.

He also said that people who are already suffering from problem gambling found it very hard to cope with their issue when there was a piling number of costs and other roadblocks that prevented them from embarking on a path to recovery.

Self-exclusion from gambling of a new kind

Jacobson hailed the fact that NVSEP is going to be available for free and could lead to a tremendous impact on the well-being of countless Californians who are wrestling with problem gambling issues.

idPair CEO Jonathan Aiwazian was similarly welcoming of the opportunity and what NVSEP can signify for struggling gamblers. He said that the solution was designed as a free and simple access of self-exclusion that would improve the lives of those who use it.

"This announcement has the potential to help many of the tens of millions of people who either call California home or make it a travel destination and need a free and effective way to protect themselves," he noted.

Presently, NVSEP is said to cover more than 100 land-based properties, 36 online operators, all across five US jurisdictions. Earlier this month, iProtekt, another company said that it would be introducing a new gambling self-exclusion product as well.

Image credit: Unsplash.com