The state of Illinois has a new tool for collecting delinquent child support. A new law requires casinos and racetracks to withhold the winnings of gamblers found to owe child support in the state of Illinois. The law is part of a growing trend across the country, with multiple states, including Indiana and Colorado, already having such laws in place. The legislature passed the law in the hopes that it would bring down the nearly $3 billion in unpaid child support that Illinois currently has on the books. Legislators expect the law to generate up to $1 million in its first year alone.

The law puts in place a system by which certain wins at the casino or racetrack can be analyzed for collection purposes. If a person wins more than $1200 dollars at a casino, or more than $600 on a two dollar bet at a racetrack, then the winnings become eligible for collection. The legislature chose these amounts as the baseline, as they also act as the threshold for declaring gambling winnings on a tax form in order to collect them. If the gambler’s winnings qualify, then the casino will enter the winner’s information into a computer system, which will check it against the state’s delinquent child support rolls. If the computer notifies the casino or racetrack that the winner owes back child support payments, then the law requires the casino to seize the winnings.

Casinos and racetracks may seize the winnings in any form, including chips, cash, and vouchers, and they will take as much as is needed to pay off the debt, up to the full amount of the winnings. The law also allows the casino to take a 5 percent administrative fee for their diligence, but the law caps that fee at $250. Once the casino collects the money, they turn it over to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which then distributes the money to the family whom the winner owes.

The law also places requirements on casinos and racetracks to provide notice to all gamblers about the possibility of the establishment seizing their winnings. The law requires the casino to post signs at each entrance or exit, as well as at any credit location in the establishment.

If you are currently involved in a child support or child custody dispute, contact a Naperville family law attorney today. Their knowledge and experience can ensure that your rights are adequately protected in court.

Today our society is more global than ever before. It is not uncommon for children to live in a different country than their parents due to a divorce or other circumstances. Earlier this month, the U.S. House passed legislation which would make it easier for state child support enforcement programs to collect payments from parents living outside of the country.

The measure given approval in the House is a move towards ratifying a 2007 international child support treaty. The purpose of the treaty is to facilitate cooperation and information sharing between countries for the purpose of securing financial support payments.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Rick Berg (R- ND) explained the goal of the legislation, "This bill is about empowering states, which operate the child support enforcement program, to do more to help families, and most importantly, children."

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Most new parents will tell you that raising a child is expensive, but rarely do you hear an actual dollar amount. The federal government, however, recently released its annual report laying out the specific costs of rearing a child.

The report is prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and used by states in calculating financial guidelines for child support and foster care. The report found that parents who welcomed a little bundle of joy into their families in 2011 can expect to spend almost $300,000 in the next 17 years.

Did you catch that the cost calculation stops after 17 years? That means the $300,000 doesn't even include the cost of college. That amount was also based on middle-income families earning $59,410-$102,870 before taxes. For higher earners the cost of a child was $490,830, and it was $212,370 for the lowest income households.

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Statistics from the Daily Herald show that the number of delinquent child support cases handled by the state, and also the amount of child support funds owed to parents are increasing in the Chicago suburbs. The increase is reflective of the challenges people are facing in the economic downtown, which has made it more difficult for parents to make and collect child support payments.

The Daily Herald reports that the number of Illinois child support cases tracked by the state for late payments has risen faster in the Chicagoland area than the rest of the state. In DuPage County, the number of cases in arrears rose 48 percent from 2008 to 2010, with 9,000 cases being tracked for delinquent child support. In the same time period, the total amount of back child support owed in DuPage County alone increased by 36 percent, to more than $110 million. McHenry County also saw a significant increase of 66 percent, while Kane County saw a 24 percent rise.

The increase in child support arrears is likely a direct result of the sluggish economy, as parents are struggling to make ends meet while looking for new jobs or working even harder to keep those they have. With less money and a steady stream of bills to pay, it has become easier for parents to fall behind on court-ordered child-support payments. This can result in children, and the parents caring for them, being without the financial support they rely on.

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