SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING AND ENFORCING USER EXCLUSION CRITERIA ACROSS MULTIPLE WEBSITES

1 . A system for monitoring a user over at least two websites, the system comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor configured to:

(a) receive self-exclusion information from the user, the self-exclusion information indicating the user has excluded himself from engaging in one or more types of transaction activities;

(b) after receiving the self-exclusion information:

(1) associate a unique user identifier that identifies the user with the self-exclusion information; and

(2) store the unique user identifier and the self-exclusion information in the memory;

(c) receive a first request from a first website to validate whether the user can engage in one or more first types of transaction activities provided on the first website, the first request comprising information identifying the user;

(d) after receiving the first request:

(1) query the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises at least one of the first types of transaction activities, send the first website a first indication that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the first types of transaction activities on the first website;

(e) receive a second request from a second website to validate whether the user can engage in one or more second types of transaction activities provided on the second website, the second request comprising information identifying the user; and

(f) after receiving the second request:

(1) query the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises at least one of the second types of transaction activities, send the second website an indication that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the second types of transaction activities on the second website.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the self-exclusion information comprises a cool-off period indicating a period of time the user requests to be excluded from engaging in the types of transaction activities; and

the at least one processor is further configured to:

after receiving the first request from the first website:

(1) query the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the cool-off period still applies and the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises at least one of the first types of transaction activities, send the first website an indication that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the first types of transaction activities on the first website.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, after receiving the first request from the first website, (1) query the memory based on the unique user identifier; and (2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the cool-off period no longer applies, send the first website an indication that the user is not excluded from engaging in the one or more first types of transaction activities on the first website.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a flag requesting help for the user and an IP address of a computing device being used by the user; and

upon receiving the flag:

(1) obtain a location of the user based on the IP address;

(2) query a list of help centers to determine one or more help centers within a predefined distance to the location; and

(3) transmit information on the one or more help centers to the user.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to facilitate contact of the user by at least one of the one or more help centers.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to a plurality of websites to be recorded and used by the plurality of websites in order to exclude the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on the plurality of websites.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to provide the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to one or more databases in order to facilitate excluding the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on at least one of a state and a federal level.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to search one or more exclusion databases to determine whether any additional self-exclusion information exists for the user.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured, upon locating additional self-exclusion information for the user, to provide the additional and the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to a plurality of websites to be recorded and used by the plurality of websites in order to exclude the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on the plurality of websites.

10 . A method for monitoring a user over at least two websites, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving self-exclusion information from the user over a network, the self-exclusion information indicating the user has excluded himself from engaging in one or more types of transaction activities;

(b) after receiving the self-exclusion information:

(1) associating, by at least one computing device comprising at least one processor, a unique user identifier associated with the user with the self-exclusion information; and

(2) storing the unique user identifier and the self-exclusion information in a memory;

(c) receiving a request from a second website over the network to verify whether the user is able to engage in transaction activities on the second website, the request comprising information identifying the user;

(d) after receiving the request:

(1) querying, by the at least one processor, the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises at least one of the first types of transaction activities, sending the first website an indication that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the first types of transaction activities on the first website;

(e) receiving a second request from a second website over the network to validate whether the user can engage in one or more second types of transaction activities provided on the second website, the second request comprising information identifying the user; and

(f) after receiving the second request:

(1) querying, by the at least one processor, the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises at least one of the second types of transaction activities, sending the second website an indication that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the second types of transaction activities on the second website.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the self-exclusion information comprises a cool-off period indicating a period of time the user requests to be excluded from engaging in the types of transaction activities; and

the method further comprises the steps of:

after receiving the request from the first website over the network:

(1) querying, by the at least one processor, the memory based on the unique user identifier; and

(2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the cool-off period applies and the one or more excluded types of transaction activities comprises the at least one of the first types of transaction activities, sending the first website, by the at least one processor, an indication over the network that the user is excluded from engaging in the at least one of the first types of transaction activities on the second website.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of, after receiving the first request from the first website over the network, (1) querying, by the at least one processor, the memory based on the unique user identifier; and (2) in response to retrieving at least a portion of the self-exclusion information indicating the cool-off period no longer applies, sending the first website, by the at least one processor, an indication over the network that the user is not excluded from engaging in the one or more first types of transaction activities on the first website.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving a flag requesting help for the user and an IP address of a computing device being used by the user; and

upon receiving the flag:

(1) obtaining a location of the user based on the IP address;

(2) querying, by the at least one processor, a list of help centers to determine one or more help centers within a predefined distance to the location; and

(3) transmitting information on the one or more help centers over the network to be presented to the user.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of facilitating contact of the user by at least one of the one or more help centers.

15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of providing the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to a plurality of websites to be recorded and used by the plurality of websites in order to exclude the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on the plurality of websites.

16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of providing the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to one or more databases in order to facilitate excluding the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on at least one of a state and a federal level.

17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of searching one or more exclusion databases to determine whether any additional self-exclusion information exists for the user.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising the step of, upon locating additional self-exclusion information for the user, providing the additional and the received self-exclusion information with regard to the one or more types of transaction activities to a plurality of websites to be recorded and used by the plurality of websites in order to exclude the user from engaging in the one or more types of transaction activities on the plurality of websites.