Bill would ban ATMs in casinos

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000 | 3:51 a.m.

Kuipers, R-Holland, said the bill could help curb the problems that compulsive gambling can cause, including divorce, financial ruin and suicide.

"If there is a way to curtail the funds of those people who suffer from gambling addiction, that's what we want to do," he said.

Under current law, ATMs must be placed at least 50 feet away from any gambling areas.

Kuipers introduced the bill in the shadow of last week's suicide of a gambler at MotorCity Casino in Detroit.

Solomon Hassan Bell, a sergeant with the Oak Park police, shot himself in the head in the casino's high stakes gambling area after losing more than $10,000. Bell made two ATM withdrawals totaling about $7,000 prior to his suicide.

"We had been working on (the bill) prior to that, but his death emphasized a continuing problem that is going on in our state," Kuipers said.

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