US (Missouri) - Gambling Bans On The Rise In Missouri
07:50 AM, December 29th 2006, by News Staff UPI
For the first time in several years, the Missouri Gaming Commission has begun expanding its list of people banned from area casinos.
While the commission’s “exclusion list” was once oriented toward cheaters and organized crime members, it will now include criminals such as two men recently convicted of felony theft, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The two carpet installers gambled away money they had received as payment for services they never performed. The commission voted last month to ban them.
“If a judge puts somebody on probation and there is some link to gambling, then we will look at that and consider putting them on the exclusion list,” said Gene McNary, executive director of the state group.
If those on the list are found on the premises of any Missouri casinos, they can immediately be charged with trespassing, a Class B misdemeanor.
The commission is also looking into strengthening the penalty attached to violations, the newspaper said.
© 2006 UPI
