Minnesota resource guide

Minnesota Has No Statewide Self-Exclusion. Here's How to Block Gambling Anyway

By Chris Beerman, LICSW (MN), LCSW (IL), CADC — gambling and alcohol therapist. Reviewed October 2026.

If you've decided you need a wall between you and gambling, Minnesota makes the first step harder than it should be. There is no single list to sign. Minnesota has no statewide self-exclusion program. Each tribe runs its own for its own casinos, every app has its own, and pull-tabs, the gambling in bars across the state, have none at all.

So the wall gets built one piece at a time. This page lists every piece, in the order that blocks the most for the least effort, and says plainly where the gaps are. I checked each detail against published sources in October 2026, most of them the casinos' and regulators' own pages.

I'm a gambling therapist licensed in Minnesota and Illinois, and I see Minnesota clients by secure video. If you're in crisis, call or text 988. For free, confidential help at any hour, call 1-800-333-HOPE (1-800-333-4673) or text HOPE to 53342.

On this page: what Minnesota can and can't block · devices and money · casinos · racetracks and the Lottery · prediction markets · fantasy, sweepstakes and offshore sites · pull-tabs · across the border · for families · when blocking isn't holding · common questions · sources

What Minnesota can and can't block

Here's the whole picture as of October 2026. The rest of the page takes it row by row.

What you gamble onStatus in MinnesotaCan you exclude yourself?Where to start
Tribal casinosLegal; run by 11 tribal nationsUsually, tribe by tribe. Only one tribe publishes its full processStep 2
Card rooms and horse racing at Canterbury Park and Running AcesLegalCanterbury says it has a policy; Running Aces' page doesn't mention oneStep 3
Minnesota LotteryLegal; sold in storesNo program foundStep 3
Pull-tabs and electronic pull-tabs in barsLegal charitable gamblingNoThe gap
Prediction marketsA state ban has been on hold in federal court since July 27, 2026, for federally registered exchangesYes, in each appStep 4
Fantasy and pick'em appsOperating; not regulated by the stateYes, in each appStep 5
Sweepstakes casinosOperating; the attorney general calls them illegalUsually, site by siteStep 5
Offshore sportsbooks and casinosIllegal and unlicensedNoStep 1

No single step covers everything, so the order matters: start with the walls that block the most at once. And three rows have no exclusion you can sign up for. There, the wall is distance and friction you build yourself.

Diagram titled Build the wall in this order, with five steps for blocking gambling in Minnesota. One, devices: a blocker on every phone and laptop; Gamban is free for Minnesotans. Two, money: delete saved cards and block gambling merchants if your card can. Three, apps: self-exclude in every prediction-market, fantasy and sweepstakes app. Four, casinos: tribe by tribe, starting with the one you actually go to. Five, the bar: no program covers pull-tabs, so the wall is distance, cash limits and telling one person. The last wall is the one no program builds for you.

Step 1: Block your devices and your money

Start here, because it covers the most at once. Blocking software reaches the online gambling no program can: offshore sites, sweepstakes casinos, and prediction-market and fantasy sites in a browser.

  • Put a blocker on every device. The Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling gives Minnesota residents a free one-year Gamban subscription covering up to 15 devices in a household. You request it through MNAPG's resources page. BetBlocker is free. Install one on your phone, laptop and tablet, and on any work computer you've used to gamble.
  • Make it hard to undo. If the tool lets someone else hold the password or settings, let someone you trust hold them.
  • Take the money routes away. Delete saved cards from apps and browsers, unlink payment apps, and move savings somewhere that takes a day to reach. Ask your bank whether it can block gambling merchants on your card. A few cards can, including True Link and Revolut's U.S. card.
  • Turn off the prompts. Unsubscribe from casino and app marketing, and turn off notifications.

Software can't stop a drive to a casino or a pull-tab at the bar. That's what the next steps are for. If you need to stop today, the 24-hour betting shutdown plan walks through the first day, and gambling resources lists more blocking and money tools. If the money is already the emergency, start with recovering financially after gambling losses.

Step 2: Casinos, one tribe at a time

Minnesota's casinos belong to 11 sovereign tribal nations, and each runs its own responsible-gaming program. There's no shared list, so excluding yourself at one tribe's casinos doesn't carry over to another tribe's.

When I went through every tribe's published rules in October 2026, only the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe published a complete process. Most of the others confirm that a program exists without saying how it works, and three publish nothing at all. That doesn't mean you can't exclude yourself there. It means you'll have to ask, so it helps to know what to ask.

How to ask. Call or visit the casino's security office or guest services and say you want to voluntarily exclude yourself from gambling there. Then ask:

  • What lengths can I choose, and can it be ended early?
  • Does it bar me from entering, or only end my players-club privileges and mail? Some programs do only the second.
  • Does it cover all of this tribe's casinos?
  • What happens if I come back?
  • Can I have a copy of what I sign?

Start with the casino you actually go to, then the next closest. If you'd rather not walk onto a casino floor to do this, call first and ask whether you can enroll by mail or meet someone away from the floor.

TribeCasinosWhat's published (October 2026)Where to start
Mille Lacs Band of OjibweGrand Casino Mille Lacs (Onamia); Grand Casino HinckleyA full process. One form covers both casinos. Enroll in person, or by mail with a notarized form and a recent photo. Minimum terms run from six months to lifetime, and the exclusion continues after that until the Band's regulator removes you.The exclusion form; Gaming Regulatory Authority, 320-532-8196
Leech Lake Band of OjibweCedar Lakes (Cass Lake); Northern Lights (Walker); White Oak (Deer River); Shingobee On The Bay (Walker)Tribal law says you enroll in person at the Leech Lake Gaming Regulatory Authority's offices. No terms are published.Ask any of the casinos for the regulator's office; 1-844-554-2646
White Earth NationShooting Star (Mahnomen); Shooting Star BagleyA casino brochure says guests can ask Security or Player Development for limits or a self-ban from the property.800-453-STAR (7827); ask for Security
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux CommunityMystic Lake; Little Six (Prior Lake)A self-exclusion policy covering casino privileges and marketing mail. No process published.800-262-7799
Prairie Island Indian CommunityTreasure Island (Welch)A "Self-Limit Access Program" that ends mailings and privileges such as the players club and check cashing. No entry ban or process published.Guest services at Treasure Island
Bois Forte Band of ChippewaFortune Bay (Tower)Says a self-exclusion policy exists. No details.800-992-7529
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior ChippewaBlack Bear (Carlton); Fond-du-Luth (Duluth)Tribal law provides for a voluntary exclusion list covering every facility. No process published.888-771-0777
Lower Sioux Indian CommunityJackpot Junction (Morton)MNAPG reports a self-exclusion program. Nothing on the casino's site.1-800-WIN-CASH
Red Lake NationSeven Clans: Red Lake, Thief River Falls, WarroadNothing published.Red Lake Gaming, 218-679-2666
Upper Sioux CommunityPrairie's Edge (Granite Falls)Nothing published.320-564-2121
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior ChippewaGrand Portage Lodge & CasinoNothing published.800-543-1384

The Mille Lacs rules show what a strong program looks like. Once you're enrolled, you can't gamble or join promotions, winnings are subject to forfeiture, and your players-club membership and the marketing end. After your minimum term, you have to petition the Band's regulator, which decides whether to lift it.

If the casino you go to publishes nothing, call anyway. Write down who you spoke to and what they agreed to.

Step 3: Racetracks and the Lottery

Canterbury Park in Shakopee and Running Aces in Columbus both run card rooms and horse racing. Canterbury's responsible-gaming page says it uses self-exclusion policies but doesn't explain them, and Running Aces' responsible-gaming page lists warning signs and the state helpline but says nothing about self-exclusion. There's no statewide self-exclusion list that covers either track, so ask each one's guest services or security, using the questions above.

If you bet on horses through an online wagering account, Minnesota's rules let you close it at any time. Close it rather than leaving it dormant.

The Minnesota Lottery is harder. I can find no self-exclusion program, and tickets are sold in stores. If scratch-offs or drawings are the problem, the wall is friction: stop carrying cash into the stores you buy from, change the routes that take you past them, delete the Lottery app, and tell one person what you're doing.

Step 4: Prediction markets

Minnesota made it a felony this year to run or advertise a prediction market. On July 27, 2026, a federal judge blocked the state from enforcing that law against federally registered exchanges such as Kalshi and Polymarket US while lawsuits by Kalshi, Polymarket and the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission go forward, which lets those platforms keep operating here. As of October 8, 2026, I can find no appeal or stay. The judge also cautioned that her final ruling could be much narrower, so this can change.

Don't wait for the courts to decide for you. If you use prediction markets to bet on games, exclude yourself in every one you've used. Each runs its own process, and some can't be shortened once you start. My guide to prediction-market self-exclusion covers Kalshi, Polymarket, Robinhood and the others step by step, and I update it every month.

One thing worth knowing if the ban does take effect later: a forced stop isn't the same as a decision to stop. When an app disappears overnight, it's common to go looking for the next one, and offshore sites are easy to find. That's when the blocking software from Step 1 matters most. If prediction markets are the main problem, here's how I treat prediction-market addiction.

Step 5: Fantasy apps, sweepstakes casinos and offshore sites

Fantasy and pick'em apps. DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog and others are available to Minnesota players, but the state doesn't regulate them, so there's no state list. Each app has self-exclusion in its responsible-gaming settings. Withdraw your balance first, then choose the longest period offered. On PrizePicks and Underdog, an exclusion can't be undone early.

Sweepstakes casinos. Minnesota's attorney general considers them illegal and told several to stop in late 2025, and a 2026 bill to ban them passed the Senate and died in the House. They're still operating. Many have a take-a-break or self-exclusion setting, but an exclusion may cover only that one site, so ask support to extend it to the company's other sites, and close accounts you no longer use. There's more in sweepstakes casino addiction.

Offshore sportsbooks and casinos. They're unlicensed, so there's no exclusion you can count on, and an offshore site closing your account guarantees nothing. The wall here is Step 1: blocking software on every device, and no card that can reach them.

The gap: pull-tabs at the bar

Pull-tabs are the one kind of gambling in Minnesota that no exclusion program reaches. Charities sell them in bars and restaurants across the state, and electronic pull-tabs are now the biggest part of it: 53% of charitable gambling's net receipts in fiscal 2025, with paper pull-tabs at 44%.

I can find no way to exclude yourself from them. There's no state program, and nothing I found in Minnesota's charitable gambling laws or rules gives a player a way to bar themselves. The rules do require that play be paid in cash rather than by credit or debit card, and that's one lever you control.

If pull-tabs are your problem, the wall is the one you build:

  • Name the places. Write down the bars where you play. Stop going to them, or go only with someone who knows.
  • Leave the cards at home. Carry only the cash you'd spend on the night. Without a debit card, the ATM by the door can't help you.
  • Change the routine around it. The after-work stop, the league night, the meat raffle: whatever puts you in that seat.
  • Tell one person. Secrecy is what keeps it going.

If electronic pull-tabs are what you can't stop, the setting is usually part of the pattern: the same stool, the drink, the tablet in your hand. That's something therapy can work on directly.

If you gamble across the border

Iowa does what Minnesota doesn't: one self-exclusion covers every casino, racetrack, sportsbook and fantasy operator the state licenses.

  • Where to enroll: at any licensed Iowa casino or racetrack, where staff check your ID and witness your signature; at the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's office in Des Moines; at an Iowa gambling treatment agency; or by mail with a notarized form, a recent photo and a copy of your ID.
  • How long: five years or lifetime. Both are final.
  • What it does: bars you from gaming areas, forfeits winnings, ends marketing, and closes player-club and online accounts. Operators can take up to two weeks to update their systems, and online operators may exclude you from their sites in other states too.

Nothing in the commission's rules or forms limits enrollment to Iowa residents (the forms ask for your state), but call to confirm before you make the trip. If you gamble in Wisconsin or the Dakotas, check that state's rules, and each tribe's, separately.

If someone you love is the one gambling

You can't sign someone else up. Self-exclusion has to come from the person who gambles. There's one exception worth knowing: the Mille Lacs Band's gaming law lets an immediate family member ask for a person to be added to its exclusion list. No form for that is published, so call the Band's Gaming Regulatory Authority at 320-532-8196.

What you can do is protect yourself and get support:

  • Protect your own money first. Know what's in your name, and keep your accounts separate from theirs.
  • Use Minnesota's family benefit. The state pays for up to 12 hours of help for a Minnesota family member or partner hurt by someone's gambling, even if the person gambling isn't in treatment. My Minnesota page explains how it works.
  • Call Gam-Anon Minnesota at 1-888-435-7166.
  • Plan the conversation. Start with the family conversation guide, the partner gambling test, and what partners can do next.

When blocking isn't holding

Blocks buy time. They don't change what gambling is doing for you, and they don't stop the urge. If you catch yourself hunting for the gap, a new app, a different casino, the bar down the road, that isn't proof nothing works. It's information about what treatment needs to address. (What to do after a relapse.)

In Minnesota there are two routes. The state pays for gambling treatment for residents who meet the clinical criteria and show financial need, through state-approved providers. Or you can see a private therapist, with no eligibility test and your choice of clinician. My page on gambling therapy in Minnesota lays out both, including when the state program is the better fit.

I see Minnesota clients by secure video. The first step is a free 15-minute consultation: email me to set one up, or text (708) 665-5271 with your first name.

Free help any time: 1-800-333-HOPE (1-800-333-4673), or text HOPE to 53342. In a crisis, call or text 988.

Common questions

Does Minnesota have a statewide self-exclusion program?

No. Each tribe runs its own program for its own casinos, and apps and websites each run their own. Neighboring Iowa has one program for everything it licenses; Minnesota has none.

Can I ban myself from every Minnesota casino at once?

No. You have to go tribe by tribe. One request may cover all of a tribe's casinos; the Mille Lacs Band's form, for example, covers both Grand Casinos.

Is Kalshi legal in Minnesota right now?

A 2026 law made running or advertising a prediction market a felony, but since July 27, 2026, a federal court has blocked the state from enforcing it against federally registered exchanges like Kalshi while the case continues, so those apps are still operating. That could change. If you want out, don't wait for the ruling: exclude yourself in the app.

Can I self-exclude from pull-tabs?

Not that I can find. No program covers charitable gambling, so the only walls are the ones you build: staying away from the bars, carrying no cards, and telling someone.

Can I ban my spouse from a casino?

Generally, no. The person gambling has to request it. The Mille Lacs Band's law does allow a family member's request, so call its Gaming Regulatory Authority. Either way, you can get help for yourself, and Minnesota pays for some of it.

Is Gamban free in Minnesota?

Yes. The Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling offers Minnesota residents a free one-year subscription that covers up to 15 devices in a household.

Sources and review

Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Program rules and court rulings change, so confirm with the casino or regulator before relying on any detail here. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and it doesn't create a therapist-client relationship.

Tribal programs

Racetracks, Lottery and charitable gambling

Prediction markets, sweepstakes and apps

Help, money tools and Iowa