11 Va. Admin. Code § 5-80-120

Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 8, December 2, 2024

Section 11VAC5-80-120 - Protections for at-risk or problem bettors

A. In accordance with 11VAC5-60, sports bettors have the right to self-exclude from and to self-impose restrictions on their participation in sports betting in the Commonwealth. Sports bettors may self-exclude through the voluntary exclusion program as provided in § 58.1-4015.1 of the Code of Virginia or directly with a permit holder. In addition to participation in the voluntary exclusion program as provided in § 58.1-4015.1, a permit holder shall honor requests from a sports bettor to self-exclude from all sports betting activities for a period of at least 72 hours, to set deposit limits, to set limits on the sports bettor's total betting activity, or to limit participation to bets below an established limit.

B. A permit holder shall institute and prominently publish procedures for sports bettors to implement the restrictions provided in subsection A of this section. Such procedures shall include, at a minimum:

1. Opportunities to self-exclude from or to set self-imposed limits on each permit holder's sports betting platform used by that sports bettor to make deposits into a segregated account;

2. Options to set pop-up warnings concerning sports betting activity: and

3. Options to implement limits and timeouts (e.g. cooling off periods). Sports bettors shall have the option to adjust self-imposed limits to make the limits more restrictive as often as the sports bettors like but shall not have the option to make limits less restrictive until the prior restriction has expired.

C. A permit holder shall not directly market sports betting by mail, phone, email, or social media or by knowingly directing any form of individually targeted advertisement or marketing material to a prohibited individual as defined in 11VAC5-70-10.

D. A permit holder shall prominently publish a description of opportunities for at-risk or problem bettors to receive assistance or that direct sports bettors to a reputable source accessible in the Commonwealth of such information.

E. A permit holder shall train employees on at-risk or problem betting. Such training shall include training on policies and best practices for identifying and assisting sports bettors who may be at-risk or problem sports bettors.

F. A permit holder shall establish clear protocols for staff to respond appropriately to:

1. A player in crisis or distress;

2. A player who discloses that he may have a problem with gambling; and 3. Third-party concerns.

G. A permit holder shall develop and prominently publish procedures for considering requests made by third parties to exclude or set limits for sports bettors.

H. A permit holder's platform shall have systems in place to identify players who may be at risk of having or developing problem gambling to enable staff to respond appropriately.

I. A permit holder shall maintain a database of interactions regarding gambling problems with players and a clear protocol for documenting and using the data to assist players.

11 Va. Admin. Code § 5-80-120

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 04, eff. 10/12/2020; Errata, 39:26 VA.R. 2895 August 14, 2023.

Statutory Authority: §§ 58.1-4007, 58.1-4015.1, and 58.1-4030 through 58.1-4047 of the Code of Virginia.