The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Conscious Gaming have jointly announced the deployment of the PlayPause self exclusion safer gambling tool.
Representing the first distribution of PlayPause in the US, the solution is being made available at no cost to operators and regulators via Conscious Gaming, a new non-profit organisation established by GeoComply.
Individuals that sign-up for the program in Pennsylvania will be provided the option of participating in PlayPause to assist them in extending the self-exclusion to other jurisdictions as they deploy the tool.
“Pennsylvania is pleased to be the first jurisdiction to join the PlayPause program,” says Elizabeth Lanza, director of the office of compulsive and problem gambling of the PGCB. “By integrating with this solution, the industry and regulators can increase wellbeing efforts and advance the effectiveness of self-exclusion.”
Powered by GeoComply, which provides the PGCB licensees with a geolocation service that effectively blocks participation in internet-based gaming when the player is not within the Commonwealth’s borders, the PlayPause solution intends to:
- Expand the protective self-exclusion bubble so that as players move from state to state, the protection that they have asked for can also move with them.
- Enable consumers to self-exclude across multiple states to prevent the incidence of simply crossing a state line and continuing to gamble.
- Empower operators to strengthen responsible gaming programs – and make more data-driven decisions – with greater insights into players that have already self-excluded in one state but need to be recognized and protected if/when they seek to play in another jurisdiction.
- Streamline the administrative burden and eliminate the silos associated with maintaining numerous separate state-operated self-exclusion databases.
“We are thrilled to see our vision for a national self-exclusion tool come to life with Pennsylvania’s PlayPause launch,” says Anna Sainsbury, Conscious Gaming trustee and GeoComply chairman and co-founder.
“We are looking forward to further collaboration with industry stakeholders to expand coverage and impact for this solution.”
