It’s commonly accepted that iGaming – with its capability for high-speed play and 24/7 accessibility – can pose higher risk of problem gambling than traditional walk-in visits to casinos.

But some Pennsylvania gamblers trying to minimize such risks are learning it’s hard to exclude themselves from online play without also giving up the visits to brick-and-mortar casinos that they might feel able to handle safely.

At the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s monthly meeting on Aug. 17, two different individuals requested removal from the state’s voluntary iGaming self-exclusion list for which they’d signed up. The reason for the requests: Both men found that land-based casinos they had enjoyed in the past were denying them access because their names showed up on the list of people who considered themselves at potential harm if allowed to gamble online.