More Mo. Casinos Disciplined For Underage Patrons

CHRIS BLANK

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — More Missouri casinos have been fined and workers disciplined for underage gambling since voters eliminated ID cards that tracked how much money people were betting.

Since November 2008, regulators have levied five fines against casinos in cases involving underage patrons and disciplined 56 casino employees. From 2006 until November 2008, the Missouri Gaming Commission fined just one casino and disciplined 30 workers.

Regulators say there is a link between the increase in penalties and the elimination of player cards. The casino industry disputes that and is studying better ways to keep underage people out of Missouri's 12 operating casinos.

A 2008 ballot measure overwhelmingly approved by voters removed Missouri's unique loss limits, which kept gamblers from buying more than $500 in chips in a two-hour span. The ballot measure also got rid of identification cards that gamblers needed to enter a casino and which were used to enforce the loss limits.

Gaming Commission Executive Director Gene McNary said the elimination of the ID cards contributed to an apparent increase in underage gamblers. He also said many of the recent violations involved "plain negligence."