With the first Massachusetts casino scheduled to open next week industry regulators have authorized a program to help problem gamblers help themselves.
A voluntary self-exclusion program allows people to ban themselves from Massachusetts casinos. The bans can range from six months to life. Names and photographs of people who sign up for the program will be sent to security at the casinos.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is also piloting a first-in-the-nation program that allows gamblers to set voluntary limits on how much they wager.
Keith Whyte, Executive Director, National Council on Problem Gambling, said opportunities for people to gamble are growing faster than the availability of prevention and treatment programs.
" We know that when you expand gambling you increase the number of people with gambling problems, at least temporarily," he said.
Plainridge Park Casino, a slot parlor, is scheduled to open in Plainville on June 24
