The term "self-exclusion" or "voluntary exclusion" usually refers to a policy enacted by some governments and/or individual casinos as a way of addressing the issue of problem gambling.
If their application is accepted, the person in question becomes legally banned from all participating casinos within the self-exclusion coverage area.
[9] Some experts maintain that casinos, in general, arrange for self-exclusion programs as a public relations measure without actually helping many of those with gambling problems.
A campaign of this type merely "deflects attention away from problematic products and industries," according to Natasha Dow Schull, a cultural anthropologist at New York University and author of the book Addiction by Design, who was interviewed for The Fifth Estate in Canada.
"Gambling addicts ... said that while on the ... self-exclusion list, they entered OLG properties on a regular basis" in spite of the facial recognition technology in place at the casinos, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
A CBC journalist who tested the system found that he was able to enter Ontario casinos and gamble on four distinct occasions, in spite of having been registered and photographed for the self-exclusion program.
"If you attempt to re-enter a gaming facility in Ontario, your image may be captured by cameras and you may be automatically detected by security.