[Louis Cypher]

The State Journal-Register
Tuesday, April 22, 2003

By MARY MASSINGALE
STATE CAPITOL BUREAU


Scott D. didn't realize he was a compulsive gambler until he tried to drive his car off a bridge on Interstate 44 in Missouri.

He had fled Illinois after losing his house, his business and his wife to the consuming need to bet at the horse tracks and the riverboat casinos and on practically every sporting event.

"It was just me and my conscience in the car," he said.

Stopping at the guardrail because "God put his foot on the brake," the Downers Grove man turned around and drove back to Illinois, reuniting with his wife. He hasn't gambled since Feb. 12, 1994, and is one of the first people to sign up for the Illinois Gaming Board's self-exclusion program for problem gamblers.

"We never realize that we can't win enough," said Scott D., 62.

(Scott D. is a member of Gamblers Anonymous and, as is true in such programs, as in Alcoholics Anonymous, cannot divulge his identity.)

Launched July 1, the voluntary self-exclusion program allows people to have themselves banned from the state's nine riverboat casinos, with 555 people signing up as of mid-April. Sign-up must occur in person at one of 20 sites throughout the state, including the riverboats.

"You want to make sure the person knows what he is doing," said Gene O'Shea, who serves as executive director of the program and spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Board. "A lot of people decide on the spot. They realize when they put that last token in, 'I've got a problem.' "

Sign-ups at riverboats account for most of the participants, with the East St. Louis Casino Queen signing up 109; the Elgin Grand Victoria, 62; the Alton Belle, 44; Joliet Harrah's, 42; Joliet Empress, 33; Aurora Hollywood, 12; East Peoria Par-A-Dice, 25; Metropolis Harrah's, eight; and Casino Rock Island, two.

The Illinois program is modeled after one in Missouri, O'Shea said; New Jersey and Michigan also have self-exclusion programs.

Although participants are banned for life, they may petition for removal from the list after five years if they have a signed affidavit from a licensed mental health professional attesting they can gamble responsibly. As part of the program, they must agree to get help for their addiction.

A participant's name and other personal information, as well as a photograph, is kept on file with the Gaming Board in a secure database. But because boarding passes are not required on Illinois riverboats, the onus of the self-exclusion program rests with the gambler.

"These people are making a choice," O'Shea said.

However, any gamblers who win $1,200 or more must fill out a federal tax form at the riverboat, and their names are checked against the banned-gambler database. Any winnings are confiscated and donated to one of three statewide gambling addiction outreach programs.

But if program participants are recognized, regardless of their winnings or losses, they're escorted off the riverboat. So far, nearly $10,120 in pre-tax winnings have been confiscated, and two people have been charged with trespassing by the riverboats, O’Shea said. A spokesman for the Illinois Casino Gaming Association said riverboat employees are required to report recognized, self-excluded gamblers to security officers or risk losing their jobs.

“We do not want compulsive gamblers at the casinos,” said Tom Swoik. “If someone goes to the boat and loses their paycheck, that makes us look bad.”

However, gambling critics say those are empty words. They say the program is useless because the responsibility to stay off the boat and away from temptation rests solely with the gambler.

“You can’t self-exclude people if you can’t ID them,” said Anita Bedell of the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.

But Scott D. said the 12-step program in Gamblers Anonymous taught him the power of choice. “People can make a choice if they want to gamble or not,” he said. “It’s no different than an alcoholic and a liquor store.”

For more information on the self-exclusion program, call (877) YOU-QUIT or (877) 968-7848.