YOU-turn is an app designed to support people in the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission’s self-exclusion program by helping them stay out of casinos. The self-exclusion program is a voluntary program for gamblers actively trying to quit gambling. When a participant is in the program, they are not allowed to enter casinos in Ontario. The YouTurn app is meant to complement other elements of the Self-Exclusion program (e.g. suggested counseling, prize disentitlement) as well as any other therapy and support an individual may be seeking. The app aims to decrease the number of casino breaches amongst those in the program and improve audience perception of the self-exclusion program.

The Responsible Gambling Council, focused on problem gambling prevention and reduction of gambling harms, provides information and programs to safeguard against gambling. Their Self-Exclusion program allows Ontarians to voluntarily ban themselves from casinos. Participants are sometimes tempted to visit a casino and need support to refrain from gambling. They appreciate any additional tools to help them resist their urges. These urges last about 20 minute, but it only takes a single moment to give in. The team learned from focus groups that a participant’s own voice, or the voices of friends, family, and counsellors proved to be the most successful tool of resistance. Further research revealed that when individuals break their promise to themselves and visit a casino, they tend to do so at a venue they rarely visit and would drive a great distance to get there. Therefore, the organization needed to intervene while they were travelling with a voice of encouragement.

The agency created an app that asks users – with the help of a counselor – to record, or have their loved ones record, three thirty-second voice messages of encouragement. The app monitors the user’s proximity to gambling sites in Ontario. When it senses they’re near a casino, it sends messages of encouragement. If the first message doesn’t turn them around, the messages increase in seriousness and urgency. Ultimately, the app will alert their counselor or loved one to the situation. All gambling sites in Ontario and their entry points were mapped out, and the team then used the phone’s native GPS and accelerometer monitor to establish where the users are and built multiple geofences that encompass likely off-ramps and approach routes. Each geofenced area triggers the app to take action. Since it runs in the background of a user’s everyday phone functions, ideally YouTurn never needs to be awoken. To reach users in a natural way, a standard phone feature was hacked: the notification sound.

YouTurn is brought to an individual’s attention through direct support of treatment providers. This one-to-one access ensures that the tool is provided to those who need it most. In speaking to many individuals who have self-excluded, they are asking for more support and tools. Their response has been unanimous praise:

“It reminds me of my core values. Reminds me of the things that are important to me.”

“The things that I say to myself in my own words are the things that work best to keep me going. WhenI’m in those most positive moments ... hearing what I was saying then is what really kicks me back into place.”

“It’s great. A great idea.”

While currently available in Ontario only, YOU-turn is planned to roll out more widely over the coming months.