The next time you head to the Treasure Cove Casino in Prince George, presenting your ID will be mandatory prior to entering.
Starting on Monday (June 26th), casinos across BC are rolling out enhanced identification measures to support people in the Game Break self-exclusion program.
The IDs will be scanned and checked against a database of people restricted from entering a gambling facility in the province.
Chief Compliance Officer, Marie-Noëlle Savoie told Vista Radio there are certain risks some players fail to grasp when they start gambling.
“When some players start playing, they don’t necessarily understand the odds for example, and if you play, it’s not because you play more that you are going to win – so that kind of information is part of that course (Game Break).”
Savoie admits previous measures were working before, but they wanted to add an extra layer of protection.
“We just want to bring that up and make sure everybody that is trying to enter a casino should be there so we wanted to give additional help for the ones that are self-excluded.”
Other measures taken by casino staff to identify self-excluded or banned players include a visual license plate inspection along with the use of surveillance cameras.
Self-exclusion bans can last anywhere from six months to three years and Savoie explained the process for those looking to get back into the game.
“And at the end of that period, what will happen is that with our new Game Break program you will now have to do an online course to get back to gambling. We’ve recognized a lot of people who do put themselves on a break can come back and play in a healthy way.”
The new measures were first announced last month.
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