Efficacy of a Voluntary Self-exclusion Reinstatement Tutorial for Problem Gamblers

Voluntary self-exclusion programs allow gamblers to voluntarily be denied access to gambling venues for an agreed upon period. Many people who self-exclude decide to return to gambling venues after the exclusion period has ended, however people who reinstate may be at risk for the recurrence of gambling problems. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of a tutorial created with the intent of reducing the risk of harm to those who reinstate. People who wished to be reinstated were asked to complete a survey on gambling related issues and then watch the tutorial video. An online video-based tutorial designed to reduce gambling related harm and to provide information about treatment services was developed. The control group (N = 131) consisted of people who reinstated in the year prior to the implementation of the online tutorial. The experimental intervention group (N = 104) were those who reinstated after the implementation of the online tutorial. There was a significant decrease in gambling and problem gambling comparing pre-exclusion to during exclusion in both the experimental and control group. Furthermore, this drop in gambling problem was sustained for 6-months and 12-months after reinstatement. However, no main effect or interaction was found that supported the efficacy of the tutorial. Self-exclusion by itself was associated with a sustained reduction in problem gambling. There was no significant evidence that the educational tutorial had any additional impact on the reinstatement process.