Surely it is so. The problem is with gambler and if he has some problems - he must make decision himself. Or, if he can`t - his friends and family can help him, may be doctor. We don`t close distilleries because someone has problems with alcohol. The casino just an instrument and only the gambler decides how to use it.
What a nice analogy. Of course, distilleries can't be closed for drinking issues, even as drinking has its benefits too, and just like the head can't be cut simply because of a headache, it is the solution that should be found for the person having issues in both cases. The context has been the issue of the gamblers in gambling and not gambling itself because no one forces anyone to gamble. If at all people gamble, no one forces them to continue to gamble and not know their limits and the time to stop. So we should blame it on ourselves and not casinos. I have heard many people talking about the ill side of gambling and how the government are turning a deaf ear to the negative effects. I wonder what they want the government to do in adult-related decisions. The government had done its part to ensure that the citizens/residents must be at least 18/21 years of age to gamble believing they would have been mature enough to make good decisions in this regard.
Even the most addicted to gambling I know are far older people than that age limit, which makes it even worse and shameful for them and not the government or the casinos. As an adult, I believe we should be smarter and wiser in decision-making and in handling situations and ourselves, but unfortunately, many are just living their lives like teenagers or even lower age. I don't know how the blame should ever be on the casinos that are neutral and not forcing anyone to play. It is simply our choice, and if we contract issues of emotion/addiction and the waste of money, it is we who should find a lasting solution to it. I, therefore, advise every gambler facing one challenge or another that it is a psychological thing, and when they notice it, they should try to fight it by themselves, but if their self-power fails, they should call for help ASAP.
I think that all the government can do is the same with the other accepted addictions - smoking, alcohol. They can just limit or reject all types of promoting and, probably, increase taxes for casino. I don`t sure about taxes - with the smoking the smoker feel it instantly - the price of cigarettes grow up. But in the gambling the casino mostly decrease RTP. The gambler don`t increase the bet, he only lose more often.
When i stopped smoking i just stopped buy cigarettes but i didn`t ask seller not to sell it to me. May be self exclusion can help someone to stop gambling, but i`m sure that he begin to play when it restriction would end. The gambler must decide himself, that he has to stop.
That's the most important thing and the most crucial one but most addicted gamblers will find it hard to start stopping from themselves.
Self-exclusion system in casino may help but if there is no will from ourselves then it will be useless because we may start moving to other casinos.
If the main question is to do self exclude from fully anonymous casinos, there is no other effective ways except the first point (our own will).
He will gamble in the other casinos and return after self-exclusion will ends. It isn`t decision, the gambler must fix his thoughts firstly.