Illinois may allow gamblers to ban themselves from all casinos

Tuesday, May 30, 2000 | 10:26 a.m.

"It just seems to me as a reasonable thing to do," board chairman Gregory C. Jones said. "It seemed a little harsh ... but people with this addiction have to have a deterrent factor."

Right now, addicted gamblers can have themselves banned from individual casinos, but Jones said he wants to get the more widespread program running this year.

"You're trying to scare away any (banned) gambler that goes to the boat," he said. "They could be arrested. And if they win a big jackpot, they could have it taken away."

Illinois, alone among Midwestern states, has no state-funded gambling treatment program. Although a proposed plan from Gov. George Ryan did not make it into the final state budget, the governor said earlier this month that the Illinois Department of Human Services would find $1 million in its budget to begin funding such programs this summer.

Missouri began its program three years ago after a gambler who had lost $80,000 asked state officials to find a way to keep him from the casinos, said Kevin Mullally, deputy director of the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Missouri has had 1,623 gamblers ban themselves. Last year, 72 of them were caught inside casinos and arrested on trespassing charges. Two of them were arrested three times each. Each time one of the troubled gamblers is arrested, the state urges them to get treatment, Mullally said.

The Illinois Casino Gaming Association, which operates a hot line for addicted gamblers, has no position on the proposal.

The casino ban is one of a series of steps being considered to combat compulsive gambling in Illinois, including a public awareness campaign and restricting access to cash aboard riverboat casinos.

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