New Law Puts Gambling Winnings Towards Unpaid Child Support

A new Colorado law has helped the state recover more than $600,000 in unpaid child support.

The law requires casinos to conduct a computer check if a person wins over $1,200.  If the computer database indicates that the person is delinquent in paying child support, the winnings are used to pay back the support he or she owes.

Although the $600,000 that has been recovered in casinos is a small amount compared to the other $320 million that was collected, it proves the law is working.

In Denver County, $64,381 was collected in 2008 and $83, 268 has been collected so far this year from gambling alone.  In addition, Jefferson County has collected nearly $34,000 from casino winnings this year.

While advocates praise the law as a viable way to get money from deadbeat parents, casino owners are not as enthused, saying the law is difficult to enforce and that patrons get angry when they find out their winnings are being taken by the state.

"Why single out the casino industry to be the state's bill collector?" said John Bohannon, general manager of the Isle Casino Hotel in Black Hawk.

Colorado is one of only a few states with a child support law like this, and was the first state in the country to pass such a law.

To learn more about this and other child support laws in your state, please click here to find a family law attorney near you.