To self-exclude from online gambling in Michigan, you submit an application to the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) asking to be placed in the Responsible Gaming Database (RGD). Once your name is in the database, every licensed internet casino and sportsbook operating in the state is required to block you from opening an account or placing a wager for the length of the exclusion period you choose.
How to Submit Your Application
The MGCB accepts RGD applications three ways.1State of Michigan. The Responsible Gaming Database
- In person at an MGCB office during business hours, where you complete the application on-site.
- By email to MGCB-RGD@Michigan.gov after printing the application from the MGCB website, filling it out, and having it notarized.
- By mail to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, Attention: Responsible Gaming Section, 3062 W. Grand Blvd., Suite L-700, Detroit, MI 48202, again with notarization.
Applying in person is the only path that doesn’t require a notary. If you mail or email the form, it must be notarized to be accepted.2State of Michigan. Frequently Asked Questions
What the Form Asks For
The RGD application collects your full name and any aliases, home address, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, email address, and driver’s license or state ID number. You also have to acknowledge that you understand the terms of being placed on the list.1State of Michigan. The Responsible Gaming Database
The Liability Release You’re Signing
Enrollment includes a release. You agree that the state, the MGCB, its employees, the gaming operators, and their staff are not liable for any monetary or other harm that may follow from your placement on the list.3Cornell Law School. Michigan Admin Code R 432.674 – Self-Exclusion List Practically, that means if an operator’s screening fails and you place a bet while excluded, you have no legal claim against the operator or the state for allowing it. The program is designed to make gambling harder, not impossible.
Choosing One Year or Five
The RGD offers two exclusion terms: one year or five years. There is no lifetime option for the online program, and the term you choose is binding for its full length. You cannot request early removal once you’re on the list.2State of Michigan. Frequently Asked Questions
When your term ends, the MGCB removes your name automatically. No paperwork, no phone call. If you want the exclusion to continue past the expiration date, you have to submit a fresh application.2State of Michigan. Frequently Asked Questions
What Operators Must Do Once You’re Listed
Under the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, licensed internet gaming operators are prohibited from knowingly allowing anyone whose name appears in the RGD to gamble on their platforms.4Michigan Legislature. Lawful Internet Gaming Act – Act 152 of 2019 They check new registrations and ongoing activity against MGCB data and block matches.
Operators are also required to make responsible-gambling controls available to every player, including deposit limits, wagering limits, loss limits, and maximum playing-time restrictions you can set on your own account.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code MCL 432.312 – Lawful Internet Gaming Act Those tools are worth knowing about while you decide whether to enroll, or if you’re waiting for a term to end.
If You Gamble While Excluded
Michigan’s Gaming Control and Revenue Act makes any money, equipment, or proceeds obtained through gambling that violates the act subject to seizure and forfeiture.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code MCL 432.219 – Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act Combined with the liability release, that means winnings placed while you’re on the list can be taken, and you have no legal path to recover losses. Personal responsibility for staying away from the platforms sits with you; the state and the operators are providing screening, not a guarantee.
What This Exclusion Does Not Cover
The RGD is the online program. The three Detroit commercial casinos — MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Greektown Casino — are covered by a separate program called the Disassociated Persons List (DPL), which has a five-year minimum and its own removal application.2State of Michigan. Frequently Asked Questions Signing up for the RGD does not put you on the DPL. If you want both online and in-person gambling blocked, you enroll in each program separately.
A related wrinkle: some operators that run both online platforms and physical casinos may voluntarily extend your RGD exclusion to their brick-and-mortar properties, even outside Michigan. That’s the operator’s choice, not an MGCB requirement.2State of Michigan. Frequently Asked Questions
Your Michigan exclusion also does not travel across state lines automatically. There is no national self-exclusion registry, and while Michigan participates in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, that agreement doesn’t require states to share or honor each other’s exclusion lists. If you gamble on platforms licensed in other states, you’d need to enroll in each state’s program on its own.
Confidentiality
The RGD and the self-exclusion list are both exempt from disclosure under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act, and the MGCB is required to maintain them confidentially.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code MCL 432.312 – Lawful Internet Gaming Act Operators and third parties who receive exclusion data are prohibited from distributing it to the public or anyone else, and violating that rule can bring disciplinary action or a civil fine.3Cornell Law School. Michigan Admin Code R 432.674 – Self-Exclusion List Your name, Social Security number, and address stay between you, the MGCB, and the operators that need them to enforce the block.
Where to Get Help Alongside Self-Exclusion
Self-exclusion works best paired with support. Michigan funds treatment, counseling, prevention, and education for problem gambling through the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code MCL 432.253 – Compulsive Gaming Prevention Act The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services runs the Gambling Treatment Program, which refers callers to trained providers for assessment and counseling.8State of Michigan. Get Help for Problem Gambling
The statewide problem gambling helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER, which replaced the older 1-800-270-7117 number, though the old number still works. Calls from Michigan are routed to MDHHS, staffed around the clock every day of the year. You can also text 800GAM or chat online at 1800gamblerchat.org. The help is free and confidential.9Michigan Gaming Control Board. Michigan Gaming Control Board Adopts 1-800-GAMBLER as Statewide Problem Gambling Helpline