Self-exclusion in Maine
How to put yourself on Maine'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
- Maine Gambling Control Board 'universal self-exclusion list', governed by Chapter 13 (Exclusion) of the Gambling Control Board rules. One rule covers every licensed category, but you choose which categories to be excluded from — see covers_online and notes.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- Covers online betting
- Yes, if you select it. The form must offer 'The ability to choose whether exclusion is sought from casinos, slot machine facilities, advanced deposit wagering, fantasy contests, and/or sports wagering', and the rule defines 'Internet Wagering' as 'the process of placing wagers through internet wagering platforms or applications operated by Fantasy Contests and Sports Wagering licensees... and by Advance Deposit Wagering licensees.' You can even start the process inside the app: one of the three permitted routes is a 'Request through an internet wagering operator's platform or application.'maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- Covers casinos and shops
- Yes. The official programme description is that 'Self-exclusion is action that a person can take to ban themselves from entering all casinos in Maine for a specific period of time. It also ends any privileges they have with the casinos such as check-cashing services.' The rule has the Board notify 'each casino, slot facility, advance deposit wagering, fantasy contests, or sports wagering operator' of additions and deletions, and send the entire list monthly.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- Covers the lottery
- Not confirmed. Neither Chapter 13 nor the Board's Self-Exclusion Program and Instructions mentions the Maine State Lottery. The categories the rule lists are casinos, slot machine facilities, advance deposit wagering, fantasy contests and sports wagering. That is silence rather than a 'no' — ask the Maine State Lottery whether it operates any exclusion of its own. Check with Maine Gambling Control Board / Gambling Control Unit, Department of Public Safety, 45 Commerce Drive, Suite 5, 87 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333, 207-626-3900, Gambling.Control@maine.gov.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- How long you can choose
- 'The length of a self-exclusion period must be for one of the following designated timeframes: one year, three years, five years, or lifetime.' The request form (MGCB-2100) carries exactly those four boxes at item 14. On the sports wagering form (MGCU-8500) the lifetime box reads 'Lifetime after completing one of the terms above'.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- Can it be undone
- No for fixed terms: 'Once a time frame is selected, the person requesting exclusion will serve the entire duration of the exclusion period except, in the case of lifetime exclusion, the person may petition the Board for removal from the self-exclusion list after five years.' A lifetime petition must include 'A detailed explanation for the request', a 'History of any violations of exclusion prior to the request', and 'Verification that the requester received a reinstatement session with a problem gambling services agency approved by the Board.'maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- What happens when it ends
- It ends by itself for every term except lifetime: 'Except for those persons choosing a lifetime self-exclusion, self-exclusion will automatically terminate upon expiration of the period of self-exclusion... The expiration will occur on the last day of the month of the original self-exclusion.' A lifetime exclusion does not expire, though you may petition for removal after five years.Quoted from Chapter 13, section 8. Nobody asks you whether you want to continue — the ban simply terminates, and the Board deletes your name and notifies every operator. If you want it to hold past the term, choose lifetime or diarise the end of that month and re-file.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
- How you sign up
- Three routes, and one of them does not require you to travel. You may appear in person 'at an office of the State of Maine Gambling Control Board, a licensed casino or slot facility, in person facility or an affiliate office of the Problem Gambling Services Provider of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention'; or request 'a virtual, online self-exclusion meeting with the Problem Gambling Services Provider'; or request it 'through an internet wagering operator's platform or application'. You must present or upload government-issued ID with your signature and a photograph or physical description, be photographed, and submit the completed form. In-person locations given in the programme instructions are the Gambling Control Unit at 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta (207-626-3900), Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino in Oxford.maine.gov, checked 3 October 2026
Worth knowing before you start
The thing most likely to catch someone out in Maine is that exclusion is per-activity, not blanket. The form gives you the choice of casinos, slot machine facilities, advance deposit wagering, fantasy contests and/or sports wagering, so ticking 'casinos' alone leaves the sportsbook apps fully open. If you want everything shut, tick every category. The second trap is timing: a one, three or five year ban ends on its own, and the rule puts the end at 'the last day of the month of the original self-exclusion', so the ban can lapse slightly later than the anniversary you have in mind. Confidentiality is strong — 'No one except the Gambling Control Board may release the names of anyone on the self-exclusion list.' Enforcement is real: 'If a person on the list enters a casino they may be arrested for trespassing and any winnings they may have earned are turned over to the state.' On tribal gaming: Chapter 13's list is built around state-licensed casinos, slot facilities, advance deposit wagering, fantasy contests and sports wagering operators, and the rules we read do not address tribal high-stakes beano or bingo, so do not assume those venues are covered.
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.