Self-exclusion in Louisiana

How to put yourself on Louisiana's self-exclusion list, what it covers, and what it does not.

Programme: Louisiana Gaming Control Board self-exclusion list, established under the uniform compulsive and problem gambling programme in La. R.S. 27:27.1. Enrolment is handled by the Louisiana State Police, Gaming Enforcement Division rather than by the Board itself.lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov, checked 3 October 2026
Covers online betting: Yes for sports wagering. The statute repeatedly pairs physical venues with the online product: licensees must 'prevent employees from willfully permitting a person identified on a self-exclusion list from engaging in gaming activities at the licensed establishment or facility or electronically on a sports wagering platform', must post problem gambling information 'on the sports wagering platform, including all gaming websites and mobile applications', and the Board may sanction a licensee that 'willfully fails to exclude a person placed on the self-exclusion list from the licensed gaming establishment or facility or sports wagering platform'.legis.la.gov, checked 3 October 2026
Covers casinos and shops: Yes for casinos. The programme is for 'an individual wishing to be excluded from casino gaming activities at all casino gaming establishments regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board'. Your photograph and identifying information are then circulated to the casino operator, the casino manager and every casino gaming licensee - see the note.The distribution wording is in the State Police instructions sheet for the form rather than on the Board's enrolment page cited here: it says your photograph and identifying information 'will be distributed to appropriate personnel of the Casino Operator, Casino Manager, and all casino gaming licensees', at https://lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov/media/ygqkkvtj/instructions.pdf?d=84882 .lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov, checked 3 October 2026
Covers the lottery: No. The Louisiana Lottery's own Play Responsibly page offers a helpline, responsible-play guidance and treatment referrals but no self-exclusion programme of any kind, so there is nothing to join on the lottery side and the Gaming Control Board list does not reach lottery play.louisianalottery.com, checked 3 October 2026
How long you can choose: There is no menu of lengths to choose from. Enrolment runs for a minimum of five years and continues indefinitely until you successfully apply to come off: 'Your name cannot be removed from the list until five (5) years have elapsed from the date of the exclusion.'lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov, checked 3 October 2026
Can it be undone: No, not for five years, and not easily afterwards. After five years you may 'submit a written request' for removal, but the statute requires a hearing first: 'prior to the removal from such list, the board or a hearing officer shall conduct a hearing not open to the general public at which it shall be established by the person seeking removal that there is no longer a basis to be maintained on the self-exclusion list.' The Board's FAQ adds a practical requirement about a mental health professional's letter - see the note.The Board's FAQ, not the statute cited here, says the removal request 'should include a written recommendation from a qualified mental health professional'. That is at https://lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov/frequently-asked-questions/ .legis.la.gov, checked 3 October 2026
What happens when it ends: It does not end by itself. The Board is explicit: 'Removal is not automatic. Any self-excluded person may, upon the expiration of five (5) years from the date of exclusion, submit a written request.' You stay excluded until you apply and a hearing officer agrees to remove you.Quoted from the Board's FAQ. This is the strong version of expiry: five years is the earliest you may ask, not the date the ban lifts, and doing nothing keeps you excluded indefinitely.lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov, checked 3 October 2026
How you sign up: In person only, in front of a State Police agent. The State Police instructions require the Request for Self-Exclusion from Casino Gaming Form to be submitted in person, by the person requesting self-exclusion, at one of five Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division field offices: Baton Rouge (7919 Independence Blvd, Box A3), Breaux Bridge (437 West Mills Ave), Lake Charles (One Lakeshore Dr, Ste 970), New Orleans (1450 Poydras Street, Suite 1300) and Bossier City (4183 Viking Drive). 'You must present valid identification such as a driver's license, passport, or military identification card' and 'Louisiana State Police personnel will take your photograph.' Giving your Social Security number is voluntary and 'Failure to provide your SSN is not grounds for denial of your request for self-exclusion.'The requirement to submit the form in person is on page 1 of the instructions sheet cited here, under Instructions for Self-Exclusion. We have stated it as prose rather than quoted it because automated text extraction of that PDF inserts an Adobe UCS font artefact in the middle of the sentence, between 'by the' and 'person requesting self-exclusion', so no continuous quotation of the whole sentence can be matched against the file even though the sentence reads normally in the document itself.lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Worth knowing before you start

Louisiana is among the hardest of these ten states to get out of, which is the point for many people: a five-year floor, then a non-public hearing where you have to prove there is no longer a basis for keeping you on the list, usually with a mental health professional's letter. One caveat on scope. The Board's enrolment page describes exclusion from casino gaming activities at all casino gaming establishments, and the statute names casinos and sports wagering platforms — neither mentions Louisiana's video poker machines in truck stops, bars and restaurants, which are licensed separately. Do not assume the casino list keeps you out of video poker venues; ask the Board before relying on it. Two more practical points: the list is confidential and 'shall not be open to public inspection', and an individual operator may run its own stricter policy on top of the state rules, so an operator-level closure is still worth doing. Mississippi can share its self-exclusion list with Louisiana by agreement, so a Mississippi exclusion may follow you here.

Done? The rest of the hour: blockers, a bank block, closing the accounts, telling one person.

Every fact on this page was read from an official source and dated. The oldest of them was checked on 3 October 2026. Tell us if something here is wrong.