For the first time since it was implemented in 1996, gamblers in Missouri now have a way to remove themselves from the state's voluntary casino exclusion list.

The Missouri Gaming Commission today made forms available to start the removal from the "disassociated persons" list. Any gambler who's been on the list for five years is eligible.

"We’re asking that you fill out a one-page petition and send it to us in Jefferson City," said LeAnn McCarthy, the spokeswoman for the Missouri Gaming Commission, which oversees the DAP. "We’ll process these forms and send back written confirmation that your name has been removed from the list. And people will want to wait for the written confirmations before they go back to the state’s riverboat gaming casinos."

McCarthy says the Commission fielded a number of calls from people looking to get off the DAP.  And she says a few callers wanted information about putting themselves on the list.

"Missouri was one of only three states with the only option for exclusion being a lifetime ban," McCarthy said. "And we heard from a lot of people that a shorter option may be more inviting because lifetime is an intimidating amount of time."

The DAP is separate from the so-called "black list" of people who are banned from casinos for engaging in criminal activity related to gambling. They cannot be removed from that list.