There’s a new option available in the Iowa Lottery’s voluntary self-exclusion program for those seeking help with problem gambling. As of Saturday (July 1), players can now sign up for either a five-year self-exclusion or a lifetime, irrevocable exclusion.
The lottery has offered a self-exclusion program since 2005 as an additional tool for those trying to make positive changes after their lives have been impacted by problem gambling. The lottery’s self-exclusion agreement bans those who sign it from the lottery's five regional offices and allows the lottery to deny prize payments at a lottery office to those players. That prevents the person involved from receiving any lottery prize more than $600, as those must be claimed directly from the lottery. The agreement also prevents the person from receiving any lottery promotional materials. The program is designed to act as a deterrent by taking away the incentive to play lottery games for those who have issues with compulsive behavior.
Anyone who wants to enter into a voluntary self-exclusion with the lottery signs a contract we provide and has it notarized, then turns it in at a lottery office. (We have notaries in our offices who can assist with that step in the process.)
Anyone signing a voluntary self-exclusion also will be given information about the help available through the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program and 1-800-BETSOFF, that program’s 24-hour hotline.
The lottery maintains a computer database with the names and Social Security numbers of those who have signed its self-exclusion contract. The lottery checks information against the database when someone tries to claim a prize at an Iowa Lottery office. Those players on the list are denied prize payment. The lottery also removes from its mailing or promotional lists the names of those who enter into self-ban contracts.
With the changes to the program that took effect Saturday, some people also now have the option of requesting that their names be removed from the lottery’s existing self-exclusion list. To be eligible to request removal from the list, you must have entered into a self-exclusion agreement prior to Saturday and been on the lottery’s self-exclusion list for at least five years. You then can request that the lottery remove your name from the list. Once the lottery confirms that you have been on the list for at least five years, your name would be removed and you would receive notification of that from the lottery. You then could again visit lottery offices and claim prizes there.
Click here to download the form to request removal from the list. When the form is completed, return it to any Iowa Lottery regional office. Removal from the lottery’s list is not effective until the form has been processed and the person making the request receives confirmation from the lottery.
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