Detroit Sees Rise in Self Exclusions, Arrests of Unauthorized Casino Patrons
According to figures released by the Michigan Gaming Board and the Michigan attorney general, the number of Detroit-area residents on the state’s voluntary self-exclusion list has more than tripled since 2002. As of December 2002, only 271 people were on the list; through September 2004, the list had grown to include 821 disassociated persons.
The same reports indicate that the number of trespass arrests resulting from unauthorized casino visits by self-excluded persons has similarly increased. In 2004, police arrested 43 people for these violations, compared to 45 during the preceding three years.
By placing themselves on the self-exclusion list, Michigan patrons accept responsibility for avoiding casinos and sign a waiver limiting their right to sue the state or the casinos. Casinos, however, are required to make efforts to stop people on the list from accessing their premises and notifying police when they spot self-excluded individuals.
Gaming opponents and compulsive gambling advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the results, which they contend indicate a statewide compulsive gambling problem that needs to be addressed. Further, they claim gaming operators have not done enough to stop self-excluded patrons from gambling at their casinos. Some list members, such as Norma Astourian, already have filed lawsuits against the gaming board as well as local casinos for failing to recognize and stop them from gambling. (Note: Astourian’s class-action lawsuit is discussed in the September 2004 edition of this newsletter.)
Conversely, the gaming board cited the increased arrest figures as evidence that casinos are making substantial progress in catching self-excluded individuals who access their facilities. Casinos have stressed the difficulty of identifying those on the self-exclusion list from among the 15,000 patrons that come through their doors each day. Despite the obstacles, they have successfully caught problem gamblers using everything from video surveillance to check-cashing procedures.
