The Missouri Lottery agency will now allow problem gamblers to put themselves on a lifetime-ban list. The ban deals with collecting winnings, not buying lottery tickets.
Missouri’s Lottery Executive Director said there are too many sale outlets to keep anyone from buying tickets once they’re on the ban list.
Instead, money winners on the list won’t be able to claim prizes of $600 or more. A database will be checked when someone goes to one of 4 regional offices to claim the larger prizes.
Casino gambling bans are another matter. For years, the Missouri Gaming Commission has allowed people to ban themselves from casinos.
This month's announcement from the Missouri Lottery program comes shortly after a survey by a Kansas City firm revealed as many as 9 percent of Kansans could develop a problem with gambling.
The survey of 16,000 adults was commissioned to aid spending of $400,000 allotted by Kansas to fight gambling addiction.
The largest problem areas in the state appear to be in south central and the southwest.
The Topeka Capital-Journal says surveyors found greater need for education about gambling perils and treatment.