Illinois Gaming Board Moves to Expand Self-Exclusion Protections (Chicago, IL) – The Illinois Gaming Board is moving to overhaul the state’s voluntary gambling self-exclusion program, including new enrollment options, shorter minimum exclusion periods and plans to eventually bring the state’s massive video gaming industry under the same system.
The board approved three amendments Friday, Sept. 4, aimed at updating the Self-Exclusion Program, which was established in 2002. The changes still must go through the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules before they can take effect.
One of the most significant changes would replace the program’s current lifetime exclusion with a series of enrollment options lasting six months, one year, three years, five years or indefinitely. Under the proposed framework, five years would become the minimum exclusion period for an indefinite enrollment.
Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter said the changes are intended to reflect developments in gambling treatment and research while giving participants greater control over their recovery.
The board also approved authority to establish additional ways for people to enroll in the program. Currently, enrollment generally requires an individual to appear in person at one of approximately 41 IGB-approved locations, including Illinois’ 17 casinos.
Potential alternatives could eventually include enrollment by notarized mail, referrals through treatment providers or an online portal. The IGB said additional technical work, review and discussions with stakeholders will be required before those options are implemented.
Another proposed change would establish a voluntary Marketing Exclusion List. People completing a self-exclusion period could remain on the list for an additional 12 months by default, restricting gaming licensees from directing targeted marketing toward them.
The marketing restriction would not prevent individuals on the list from receiving promotions available generally to other patrons or from participating in those promotions.
The IGB also took steps toward a broader expansion of the program by adopting a resolution supporting the eventual inclusion of video gaming.
The current Self-Exclusion Program applies to casino gambling and sports wagering, but not to Illinois’ distributed video gaming network, which includes nearly 9,000 licensed video gaming establishments.
The board endorsed a plan that would use identity card readers and ticket-in-ticket-out technology at video gaming redemption terminals to connect players with the self-exclusion system. Under the envisioned system, video gaming terminals eventually would no longer accept or store cash directly, with patrons using tickets to begin play and redeem winnings.
The video gaming integration will not take effect immediately. The IGB said technical standards, proposed regulations and additional stakeholder discussions must occur before implementation.
The board also adopted proposed regulations for fantasy contests following recent changes to the Sports Wagering Act. Fantasy contests are legally separate from sports gambling under Illinois law, and the proposed rules establish regulatory and consumer-protection requirements for operators.
Fantasy contests would be incorporated into the Self-Exclusion Program and would carry a minimum age requirement of 21.
The new self-exclusion amendments and fantasy contest rules will proceed through the JCAR public rulemaking process, giving interested parties an opportunity to submit comments.
In other action Friday, the IGB renewed the casino owner’s license for HC Joliet LLC, which operates Hollywood Casino Joliet, for four years through 2030. The casino moved from its longtime location along the Des Plaines River to a new land-based facility near the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange, which opened in August 2025.
The board also approved numerous casino, video gaming and sports wagering licenses and renewals. Those actions included six casino supplier license renewals, hundreds of Level 2 occupational licenses, a terminal operator license, 29 video gaming establishment licenses and 250 Level 2 sports wagering occupational licenses.
The IGB’s next scheduled meeting is Oct. 22, 2026.
The agency encouraged people experiencing gambling-related problems to contact the Illinois Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER or by texting ILGAMB to 833234. Resources also are available through the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.
Illinois Gaming Board Moves to Expand Self-Exclusion Protections
