Self-exclusion in Massachusetts

How to put yourself on Massachusetts's self-exclusion list, what it covers, and what it does not.

1 of 12 things on this page could not be confirmed from an official source. They are marked, and each one says who to ask. We would rather leave a gap than fill it with a guess.

Programme: Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Voluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE), run with GameSense. There are two regulations behind it and you choose which to join: 205 CMR 133.00 for casinos ('the commission shall establish a list of self-excluded persons from gaming establishments') and 205 CMR 233.00 for sports betting ('the Commission shall establish a list of self-excluded Persons from Sports Wagering'). The MGC puts the choice plainly: 'Individuals will have the option to self-exclude from casino gaming floors, retail and digital sportsbooks, or both forms of gambling.'massgaming.com, checked 3 October 2026
Covers online betting: Yes, through the sports wagering list, and it reaches the account itself rather than just the premises. Under 205 CMR 233.02(1) a listed individual 'shall be prohibited from entering a Sports Wagering Area or a Sports Wagering Facility, or holding a Sports Wagering Account, for the duration of the exclusion period and until the completion of the reinstatement session'. The ban can also follow you beyond the state: the application acknowledges the prohibitions 'may apply to all forms of gaming offered by any entities licensed by the Commission, as well as by any affiliates of such entities, whether within Massachusetts or another jurisdiction'.Read from an Internet Archive copy of the Commission's own published regulation (snapshot 1 September 2025); mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests. The document is 205 CMR 233.00, marked effective 16 November 2022.mass.gov (archived copy of 1 September 2025), checked 3 October 2026
Covers casinos and shops: Yes. Under 205 CMR 133.02(1) a listed individual 'shall be prohibited from entering the gaming area of a gaming establishment or any area in which pari-mutuel or simulcasting wagers are placed for the duration of the exclusion period, and shall not collect any winnings or recover any losses resulting from any gaming activity at a gaming establishment.' Note the limit: it is the gaming area and pari-mutuel or simulcasting areas, not the whole resort. Retail sportsbooks are covered by the sports wagering list, and the MGC confirmed that people already on the casino list 'will continue to be excluded from the casino floor including the soon-to-be-opened sportsbooks'.Read from an Internet Archive copy of the Commission's own published regulation (snapshot 10 May 2026); mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests. The document is 205 CMR 133.00, revision dated 22 July 2022.mass.gov (archived copy of 10 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
Covers the lottery: Not confirmed. Neither 205 CMR 133.00 nor 205 CMR 233.00 mentions the Massachusetts State Lottery, and the Commission's enrolment page addresses casinos only. The MGC does not regulate the Lottery, so this programme most likely does not reach it — but the sources do not say so, and we are not willing to turn silence into a 'no'. Ask the Massachusetts State Lottery directly. Check with Massachusetts Gaming Commission, with the programme delivered through GameSense; 24-hour GamLine 1-800-426-1234 (1.800.GAM.1234).mass.gov (archived copy of 10 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
How long you can choose: Four options, under 205 CMR 133.04(1): 'An individual may select any of the following time periods as a minimum length of exclusion: (a) One year; (b) Three years; (c) Five years; or (d) Lifetime.' Lifetime is gated: 'An individual may only select the lifetime duration if their name has previously appeared on the voluntary self-exclusion list for at least six months.' The same durations apply to the sports wagering list. Note the wording — these are a *minimum* length, not an end date.Read from an Internet Archive copy of 205 CMR 133.00 (snapshot 10 May 2026), because mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests.mass.gov (archived copy of 10 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
Can it be undone: No, not before the term ends: 'Any petition for removal received by the commission or a designated agent prior to the expiration of the duration of the selected exclusion period shall be denied.' You also cannot shorten it — 'An individual on the voluntary self-exclusion list may not apply to decrease the duration of exclusion' — though you may ask to extend it. A lifetime selection is final: an individual who has selected a lifetime duration 'may not submit a petition for removal of their name from the list.' After a fixed term you may petition, but only after completing a reinstatement session with a designated agent covering 'the risks and responsibilities of gambling, budget setting and a review of problem gambling resources'; the commission 'shall approve a completed petition for removal'.Read from an Internet Archive copy of 205 CMR 133.00 (snapshot 10 May 2026), because mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests.mass.gov (archived copy of 10 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
What happens when it ends: It does not end by itself — Massachusetts is the opposite of the automatic-lapse states. 'Individuals shall remain on the list after the expiration of the selected duration of exclusion until such time as they submit a petition for removal in accordance with 205 CMR 133.04(4) and it is approved by the commission or its designee.' At expiry you may either petition for removal or 'petition for exclusion for a new duration', and removal additionally requires completing a reinstatement session. A lifetime selection can never be petitioned off.Quoted from 205 CMR 133.04(3), read from an Internet Archive copy of the Commission's published regulation (snapshot 10 May 2026) because mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests. The same expiry mechanics apply to the sports wagering list, which adopts 205 CMR 133.04 by reference. Practical effect: if you do nothing when your one, three or five year term runs out, you stay excluded.mass.gov (archived copy of 10 May 2026), checked 3 October 2026
How you sign up: You must deal with a trained 'designated agent', and for casinos that has meant an appointment: 'To enroll, please contact a professional to set up an in-person appointment' at the GameSense Information Center at Plainridge Park Casino, at MGC Voluntary Self-Exclusion Information in Boston and Springfield, or at off-site locations 'Available under certain circumstances'. You will 'need to show your government-issued identification, one that includes your signature and a photograph', sign the Voluntary Self-Exclusion Agreement and have your photograph taken. For sports wagering the MGC added remote routes: individuals 'are able to enroll in VSE over the phone at 1.800.GAM.1234, online at gamesensema.com, or in-person at a GameSense Info Center'. Applications must also be reachable 'on a public web page directly accessible from a link prominently placed on a Sports Wagering Operator's mobile application or other digital platform'.Read from an Internet Archive copy of the Commonwealth's own enrolment page (snapshot 1 September 2025); mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated requests. The phone and online routes are quoted from the MGC's own announcement at massgaming.com.mass.gov (archived copy of 1 September 2025), checked 3 October 2026

Start Massachusetts's form

Worth knowing before you start

Massachusetts is the clearest example in this batch of a state where the term you pick is a floor rather than a finish line, and that is a good thing if stopping is the aim: nothing lapses on its own, so forgetting about it keeps you excluded. The two traps are different. First, the casino list and the sports wagering list are separate choices, so excluding yourself from the gaming floor leaves the betting apps open unless you say 'both'. Second, the casino ban covers the gaming area and pari-mutuel or simulcasting areas rather than the entire property. Two details worth knowing before you go in: a designated agent may refuse to sign your application if 'they are of the belief that the applicant is not capable of understanding the responsibilities and consequences of being placed on the self-exclusion list', so go sober and unhurried; and employees who are themselves on the list may still be on a gaming floor solely to do their jobs. If you breach, winnings are forfeited — an associated wagering instrument 'shall be paid to the commission for deposit into the Gaming Revenue Fund within 45 days' — and you must notify the Commission of your own violation within 24 hours. On reinstatement, you are deemed removed immediately on completing the reinstatement session and may be asked to present the receipt while gambling for seven days afterwards. Note that most Massachusetts material was read from Internet Archive copies of the Commonwealth's own pages because mass.gov blocks automated requests; the regulation texts are 205 CMR 133.00 (revised 22 July 2022) and 205 CMR 233.00 (effective 16 November 2022).

Done? The rest of the hour: blockers, a bank block, closing the accounts, telling one person.

Every fact on this page was read from an official source and dated. The oldest of them was checked on 3 October 2026. Tell us if something here is wrong.