Gambling Self-Exclusion in California

How does California's self-exclusion program work?

Self-Exclusion Program is run by California Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control (with the California Gambling Control Commission). You enroll once and every operator it covers must refuse you for the term you chose.

Run by

California Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control (with the California Gambling Control Commission)

What it covers

Bans you from all licensed gambling establishments (cardrooms) in California; it does not cover tribal casinos, the state lottery, or horse racing.

Durations

1 year · lifetime

Help line

1-800-GAMBLER

How do I sign up for self-exclusion in California?

California's self-exclusion form is on the official California Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control (with the California Gambling Control Commission) page linked below — there is no fee and no third party needs to be involved.

1. 1 Get form CGCC-CH7-05, Self-Exclusion Request, from the California Gambling Control Commission. There is no online enrollment - the form is the only route.
2. 2 Complete it typed or printed legibly in blue or black ink. Any corrections have to be initialed and dated by you, or the form is returned.
3. 3 Affix a recent passport-quality photograph showing your head and shoulders, and fill in your driver's license or ID number, physical description, and the make, model and plate of the vehicle you normally drive. The exclusion is enforced by staff recognising you, which is why it asks for all of it.
4. 4 Choose your term in Section 2: one year or lifetime. There is nothing in between.
5. 5 Mail the completed form to the Bureau of Gambling Control, P.O. Box 168024, Sacramento, CA 95816-8024. Questions: (916) 830-1700.

Official page: oag.ca.gov/gambling/exclusion_self — enroll there directly, never through a third-party site.

How do I get off the California self-exclusion list?

California is one of the few states that will consider letting you off a lifetime ban, and one of the few where nothing lifts on its own. The Bureau: removal from a lifetime term "will require that the Self-Excluded person has currently been on the Self-Exclusion term for a minimum of 1 year prior to requesting removal."

Can it be ended early?

Yes — see the steps below.

At the end of the term

Depends on the term. A lifetime exclusion runs until you file the removal form - the Bureau will not lift it for you. A one-year term is irrevocable while it runs, and the Bureau notifies you before the expiration date.

1. 1 Serve at least one year. Below that there is nothing to ask for - "all Self-Exclusion terms are irrevocable for the duration of their minimum term."
2. 2 Complete Self-Exclusion Removal Request form CGCC-CH7-06 (Rev. 05/20).
3. 3 Submit it with an original signature, by mail. A scan or a photograph is not an original signature.

Coming off the state list does not clear the tribal casinos, which are outside the program entirely and each run their own exclusion you would have to leave separately. Excluded patrons also forfeit unredeemed jackpots or prizes for the whole term.

Worth saying plainly: wanting off the list is not the same as being ready to gamble again, and the urge to check usually arrives long before the term does. What actually happens when people come off a self-exclusion list goes through that in full.

Can I use NVSEP in California?

Partly. NVSEP — the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program — is a free service that fills in and files state self-exclusion forms for you, and it does file in California. What it reaches here is card rooms . What NVSEP covers, state by state has the full roster.

What should I watch out for with California self-exclusion?

Tribal casinos are NOT covered - each tribe runs its own self-exclusion program, so you must enroll separately at tribal casinos you visit. Terms are irrevocable for their duration, and excluded patrons forfeit unredeemed jackpots or prizes. Cardrooms also offer a separate operator-level Self-Restriction Program. Bureau contact: (916) 830-1700.

Is self-exclusion enough on its own in California?

California's program only binds operators licensed in the state — offshore sites and crypto casinos ignore it. The setup that holds is layered: self-exclusion, plus a ban inside each betting app you hold, plus a gambling blocker on your devices plus a gambling block on your bank card. For the full walkthrough, start with our self-exclusion guide or the complete guide to quitting gambling.

Gambling across the California line?

A state program only binds operators licensed in that state. If you drive to a casino or bet on an app registered next door, you need that state's ban too.

• How to self-exclude in Arizona
• What works instead in Nevada
• Oregon: enrollment options and alternatives

Or compare every US state's program side by side.

Frequently asked questions