Over $120K in gambling winnings seized from deadbeat parents

State authorities have collected more than $120,000 in gambling winnings from “delinquent” parents who owe child support under a new program that debuted in the fall.

The Child Support Intercept program, a joint effort between the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Illinois Gaming Board, allows authorities to collect winnings at all 10 state casinos if the winner is overdue on child support, according to a statement from HFS.

If a delinquent parent wins a jackpot large enough to require the winner to fill out a W2G tax form, a “specified maximum” is withheld after taxes and a casino service charge, according to HFS. The intercepted winnings are then sent to HFS, which sends them to the family.

“Gaming winnings are windfalls, and if the person winning that game owes child support, that windfall should go to support his or her child,” HFS Director Julie Hamos said in the statement.