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Pennsylvania: casinos and in-person sports betting

State regulator Run by Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

One Gaming Control Board list for the gaming floor at Pennsylvania casinos, including sports bets placed in person at a casino. Sports betting has no list of its own here: online betting sits on the separate iGaming list. This list does not cover online casino or betting apps, video gaming terminals at truck stops, fantasy contests or iLottery. Each of those is a separate enrollment on the same portal account.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 against official sources. Every fact below links to the page it came from. How we check facts.

What it blocks

Excludes the person from the gaming floor and from areas off the gaming floor where gaming activity is conducted, from all gaming related activities at a licensed facility, and from collecting winnings. Retail sports wagering rides on this list under 58 Pa. Code 1401a.5(d)(3). It does not cover interactive gaming, video gaming terminals, fantasy contests or iLottery.

Self-exclusion programs do not all block the same things. Here is what the official rules say about each one.

What Pennsylvania: casinos and in-person sports betting blocks
What it could stopAnswerWhat the source says
Entering the propertyConfirmedExcluded from the gaming floor and off-floor gaming areas; a person who enters is subject to removal and arrest for criminal trespass.
Betting and winningsConfirmedWagers are refused and gaming privileges denied; winnings may not be collected and are remitted to the Board.
Credit, check cashing and rewardsConfirmedGaming related activity includes applying for player club membership or credit, cashing checks and accepting complimentaries, all of which are denied.
Online playNot confirmedNot covered by this list, but a licensee may choose to cross-ban across its other properties and websites in Pennsylvania and other jurisdictions.
Marketing and mailingsConfirmedLicensees must ensure self-excluded persons do not receive junket solicitations, targeted mailings, telemarketing promotions or player club materials.

How to enroll, how long it lasts, and the sources

Terms you can choose

One year, five years or lifetime. Removal is NOT automatic: a casino self-exclusion does not expire, and the person remains listed indefinitely unless removal is actively requested at the end of the chosen period. A lifetime exclusion may only be petitioned after ten years with a certified provider assessment.

Sign up for the longest exclusion time you can. Future you will thank you.

When it ends

A fixed term continues until you request removal; a lifetime term continues until a removal is granted.

A fixed term. A casino self-exclusion does not expire. The person remains listed indefinitely unless removal is actively requested after the chosen period, and a lifetime exclusion may only be petitioned after ten years with a certified provider assessment.

A lifetime term. A lifetime exclusion may only be petitioned after ten years, with a certified provider assessment; a request alone does not end it.

How to enroll

Start the casino enrollment on the PGCB portal.

This opens the Board's self-exclusion portal. Creating an account and filling in the form is not enrollment. Your request is submitted only when the completion screen appears, and your name is active only after the Board verifies your information and adds it, within five business days.

  1. Create or sign in to your PGCB self-exclusion account and choose the casino list. Enrolling here leaves the iGaming, VGT and fantasy lists untouched. If you would rather do this in person, book an appointment at the Harrisburg office on 717-346-8300 or problemgambling@pa.gov. Mail is not accepted, and booking an appointment is not enrollment.
  2. Enter your name and any nicknames, date of birth, address, phone, email, the last four digits of your Social Security number and a physical description. Choose one year, five years or lifetime.
  3. Initial each acknowledgement and e-sign the release and the cross-ban acknowledgement (a casino company may also bar you from its other properties and websites). Then take the live selfie and photograph the front and back of your government ID. A third-party service checks your identity and may ask you knowledge-based questions.
  4. Wait for the completion screen and save the printed or emailed receipt. Nothing is submitted until that screen appears. If the selfie cannot be verified automatically, manual review adds three to five business days.
  5. This list does not expire. Choosing one year and waiting keeps you listed. At the end of your term you must actively request removal. A lifetime term can be petitioned only after ten years with a certified provider assessment.

Before you count on it. Whether you can enroll from outside Pennsylvania is not verified. Ask the Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling on 717-346-8300 if you are unsure. Regional office addresses, walk-in casino locations and any fee are not published. Opening the portal, creating an account or reaching the selfie step does not confirm enrollment. The completion screen confirms submission; your name is active only once the Board adds it. We don't submit anything for you.

Every route we checked

Routes that enroll you

  • Online — https://pgcb.pa.gov/SelfExclusion
    One portal account enrolls in any PGCB list, but each list is a separate enrollment. The request is not submitted until the completion screen appears.
  • In person — PGCB main office, 303 Walnut Street, Commonwealth Tower, 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101
    By appointment, booked on 717-346-8300 or problemgambling@pa.gov. The regulation establishes an appointment route at the Harrisburg office; the street address itself comes from the Board's official contact page and the self-exclusion portal footer, both re-verified 2026-09-17. Confirm the location when booking.
  • In person Not verified — a PGCB regional office or a PGCB office inside a licensed facility
    The regulation authorizes these locations but the official contact page publishes only telephone and fax numbers, no street addresses, and no source lists which casinos host a Board office. Addresses circulating elsewhere are unverified.
  • By mail Source says this does not apply — not accepted
    Explicitly ruled out. Every PGCB self-exclusion brochure asks 'May I mail the self-exclusion request to the PGCB offices?' and answers 'No.' The casino brochure adds that the applicant 'must apply in person to the PGCB office or other approved locations to be photographed'. The regulation independently lists only two methods, neither of them mail. Checked again on 2026-09-17. The regulation's own street-address occurrence is for the Change of Information form, not for enrollment; the Harrisburg office address is evidenced separately by the Board's contact page.

Routes that get you a form or an answer, not an exclusion

  • By phone — 717-346-8300
    Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling. Books appointments and assists with submission; booking is not enrollment.
  • By email — problemgambling@pa.gov
    Published for appointment scheduling and assistance. No source offers it as a submission route.

Requirements and sources

Sources read 2026-09-17. These are the program's requirements, not a record of anyone's enrollment.

Terms available
One year, five years or lifetime. Removal is NOT automatic: a casino self-exclusion does not expire, and the person remains listed indefinitely unless removal is actively requested at the end of the chosen period. A lifetime exclusion may only be petitioned after ten years with a certified provider assessment.
Can a resident enroll
Not verified: No reviewed source addresses residency. The online registration form accepts any US state, Canadian province or other country, which is form design rather than a statement of acceptance. No reviewed source addresses residency eligibility.
Can a visitor enroll
Not verified: No reviewed source addresses residency. The online registration form accepts any US state, Canadian province or other country, which is form design rather than a statement of acceptance. No reviewed source addresses residency eligibility.
Identification
Government-issued identification containing signature and photograph must be presented or submitted electronically; in-person applicants are photographed by the Board and online applicants supply a live selfie plus front and back of identification. Identity is checked against a third-party verification service, which may pose knowledge-based questions.
Notarization
Not verified: No reviewed source mentions notarization for any PGCB list.
Witnesses
Not verified: No witness requirement is stated.
Notarizing online
Not verified: Notarization is not part of the process, so remote online notarization does not arise.
How long processing takes
The Board adds the name within five business days of verifying the information. Requests still under review are not active. If the live capture cannot be authenticated automatically, manual review takes a further three to five business days.
How you are told it took effect
A completion screen offers a printed or emailed receipt, and the enrollment is not considered submitted until that screen appears.

The form asks for: name including aliases or nicknames, date of birth, address of current residence, telephone number, last four digits of Social Security number, physical description including height, gender, hair color and eye color, email address, selected period of self-exclusion, cross-ban acknowledgement, acknowledgement initialled item by item, release, live selfie and identification capture.

State pages that list this program

Every step you take makes a difference

Even one phone call or form helps when an urge hits. When you are ready for the rest, our free plan walks you through the other steps for your state, plus blockers on your devices, calls to your bank, and a credit freeze. Everything stays in your browser, with no account.

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