Self-Facilitated Self-Exclusion Increases Access to Leading Responsible Gambling Scheme

Over the past 15 years, approximately 20,000 self-exclusion deeds have been submitted and 13,000 people have used the MVSE to help them control their gambling.

Patrons have been able to enter into self-exclusion by visiting a GambleAware counsellor or staff at participating clubs.

Self-exclusion has proven to be an effective tool to assist people in managing their gambling. Research shows that self-exclusion programs are beneficial in reducing gambling frequency and expenditure, a decrease in urges to gamble and improvements in psychological wellbeing.

However, in the past there have been barriers to self-exclusion. A recent study by Pickering et al (2018) found that barriers to self-exclude include feelings of shame and embarrassment, difficulty accessing counselling services, difficulty finding time, and for some people, a reluctance to self-exclude at a gaming venue as it may trigger their desire to gamble. 

To overcome these barriers, earlier this year, ClubsNSW launched the self-facilitated self-exclusion tool enabling people to apply for exclusion at any time in any place. 

In the past six months, hundreds of self-facilitated self-exclusions have been put in place. This is on top of the regular number of self-exclusions we see, which shows the tool is increasing the number of people accessing self-exclusion.

This tool demonstrates ClubsNSW's ongoing commitment to supporting clubs to deliver the safest and most responsible venues in NSW.  Patrons can access the self-facilitation tool by following this link.