Restricting access: self-exclusion as a gambling harm minimisation measure in Great Britain

The purpose of this review was to examine the academic literature regarding self-exclusion as a form of harm minimisation in gambling and consider views from gambling operators and treatment providers. The extant literature was limited in that most studies were completed more than five ago; related specifically to a particular product or jurisdiction; relied on weak research designs and drew from self-selected samples. There were however some consistent findings indicating that in order to improve effectiveness, self-exclusion protocols should be: actively yet strategically promoted; quick and simple to implement; administered by attentive, well-trained staff; attracting sufficient investment in resources and technology to improve enforcement; and comprehensive rather than isolated in coverage (where feasible). Programmes should also be subject to robust evaluation and regulatory expectations should be detailed and specific rather than open to interpretation and general. Further scoping of the feasibility of multi-operator self-exclusion schemes (MOSES) was identified as a priority for future work.