Fantasy Sports Operators Expand Unified Self-Exclusion Program to 15 States

Author: Mateusz Mazur

Date: 26.08.2025

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Responsible Gambling

The Coalition for Fantasy Sports (CFS) is expanding its unified self-exclusion program to a total of 15 states, a significant scale-up of a key responsible gaming initiative. The program, developed in partnership with the safer gaming firm idPair, allows users to simultaneously block themselves from multiple daily fantasy sports platforms with a single action.

Washington’s Lottery today announced that it has achieved the highest level of responsible gambling certification in the country. As acknowledged by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), Washington’s Lottery officially was certified for “Responsible Gambling Verification Best Practices at the Sustaining Level” in December 2024, the culmination of a process that began with certification at the Planning Level in 2019 and Implementation Level in 2021. Washington’s Lottery is only the third state lottery in addition to Virginia and Ohio to achieve this milestone. NCPG and NASPL also recognize nine other state lotteries that have achieved a similar certification through the World Lottery Association. “I can’t begin to express how proud I am of the work our team has done to achieve this important standard,” said Kristi Weeks, Director of Legal Services for Washington’s Lottery. “We have a unique obligation as a state agency that sells a gambling product and need to balance the goal of raising money for important state initiatives like education with the need to acknowledge and assist the small percentage of players who may experience gambling-related distress. We take that work very seriously and weave it into all aspects of our jobs.” To receive the Sustaining Level certification, Washington’s Lottery was evaluated by a team of four independent experts, who reviewed the lottery’s efforts in eight key categories related to responsible gambling: planning, employee training, retailer training, public education and awareness, product oversight, research, advertising, and resources. “The key to our success has been the integration of responsible gambling initiatives into each and every employee’s position rather than centralizing it into only one or a few positions,” added Weeks. In its evaluation report, one of the assessors noted that Washington’s Lottery “has done a great job weaving responsible gambling throughout the organization and normalizing it in day-to-day activities.” To maintain its Sustaining Level certification, Washington’s Lottery will need to re-apply and be re-evaluated every three years.

How the Unified System Works

The program provides a streamlined process for players seeking to take a break from fantasy sports. Individuals can self-exclude through the platform of any single participating operator, including PrizePicks, Underdog, Betr, Dabble, and Splash Sports. They are then given the option to extend that exclusion across all other member platforms.

This “one-click” approach is designed to create a more effective and user-friendly responsible gaming tool, removing the need for individuals to navigate the self-exclusion process on each site separately.

Strong Early Adoption Drives Expansion

The decision to expand was driven by strong early results from a pilot program launched in February in New Mexico and Nebraska. According to the CFS, more than 66 percent of individuals who used the self-exclusion tool chose to opt into the national system, a clear indicator of consumer demand for a unified solution.

“After we saw the success of the idPair program in Nebraska and New Mexico, we knew we wanted to expand in a big way,” said J.T. Foley, Executive Director of the Coalition for Fantasy Sports. “As we look to the start of the football season, we’re honored to be leading the charge on responsible gaming.”

The program’s reach now extends to Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia, in addition to the original two states.

A New Standard for Player Protection

The initiative represents a proactive effort by the fantasy sports industry to create a more robust responsible gaming framework. The technology provided by idPair is designed to ensure that players’ sensitive data remains secure and private during the self-exclusion process.

“Our technology ensures players’ sensitive data remains secure and private, giving them both peace of mind and a valuable guardrail to self-regulate their activities,” said Jonathan Aiwazian, CEO of idPair.

Industry experts see the program as a significant step forward for consumer protection in the fantasy sports space.

“By making self-exclusion simple and consistent across operators, the Coalition and idPair are setting a new standard for consumer protection in fantasy sports,” said Brianne Doura-Schawohl, an international responsible gaming consultant.

The CFS and idPair plan to continue adding more states to the program, with the shared goal of promoting a safer and more responsible gaming environment.

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