Mississippi lawmakers have advanced bills that would allow the state to intercept casino and sports-betting winnings from parents delinquent on child support, potentially recovering about $1.7 billion owed to 153,964 children, Sen. David Blount said. Blount, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee, said he obtained the figures from the Mississippi Department of Human Services through Jan. 31.
Federal data show Mississippi had the worst child support collection rate in the nation and one of the highest rates of child poverty. The state collected 53% of the support payments judges ordered in 2024, compared with 65% nationally, the federal data show.
House Bill 520, authored by Rep. Jay McKnight, a Republican from Diamondhead, would target cash gambling winnings and slot machine annuities and require casinos to deduct owed child support from a person’s winnings. Senate Bill 2369, authored by Rep. Walter Michael, a Republican from Ridgeland, contains many of the same provisions. Both bills would require the state Gaming Commission to work with the Mississippi Department of Human Services to maintain a database of individuals with outstanding child support.
Blount said the only difference between the House and Senate versions is how people can challenge a withholding. “I prefer the Senate bill, I hope they pass the Senate bill, but we want to get this done for the more than $1.5 billion of child support that is owed to the children of the state of Mississippi,” he said. Under the House proposal, people could challenge the withholding in court; the Senate bill would allow challenges to a person’s status on the MDHS database.
Blount said the measures would mostly affect slot machine winnings over $2,000 because gaming licensees must report those payouts to the Internal Revenue Service. Similar laws exist in other states, including Louisiana, where the National Child Support Engagement Association said the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services intercepted an average of nearly $1 million a year from casinos in the first nine years of its program.
