House bill targets gamblers who owe child support
Legislation focuses on individuals with casino winnings in excess of $1,200
House members wagered Tuesday legislation targeting gamblers striking it rich at the three state-owned casinos could contribute cash to cover delinquent child support payments or unpaid state tax obligations.
House Bill 2269 would expand the state’s debt payment program that withholds outstanding child support from lottery ticket winnings in excess of $600. The bill incorporates into the formula the casinos in Dodge City, Mulvane and Kansas City, Kan., while also excluding the tribal casinos operating in Kansas.
Under the measure, the Kansas Department of Administration would work with casino managers to monitor individuals’ gambling activities and attach earnings when an indebted person pulled down at least $1,200 from a slot machine or bingo, $1,500 from keno or $5,000 from a poker tournament.
Rep. Pete DeGraaf, R-Mulvane, told the House Children and Seniors committee the bill would help children from broken homes.
“We owe it to Kansas children to collect whatever we can before the winnings are lost in further attempts to win more or squandered somewhere else,” DeGraaf said. “This bill supports the principle of paying debts before gambling away the funds needed to pay for past responsibilities.”
Richard Klemp, who represents the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane and Boyd Gaming Corp., expressed mild support for the bill.
“We’re not necessarily doing a happy dance if it becomes law, but we’re already doing a number of procedures when a jackpot is hit,” Klemp said. "We do this in some other states, so this is not a brand new concept. In fact it’s pretty seamless."
The state Department of Administration maintains a list of people with debt to state agencies, municipalities and the federal treasury. Scratch ticket retailers can match players’ names against the list to determine whether debt exists.
Melissa Johnson, deputy director of Child Support Services for the state of Kansas, estimated families would receive an additional $157,000 annually in child support if the Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback made the proposal a law. That figure was based on a similar program in Colorado that brought in an average of $1,430 in 2009.
The House bill was written to exclude Native American tribal gaming facilities that operate under sovereign law.