COLUMBUS – Ohio authorities say they have seized $2 million in unpaid child support from jackpot winners at the state’s casinos and racinos in the past 11 months.
Since last September, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has been working with the casinos and racinos to check jackpot winners against a database of parents who owe child support. If a winner owes, then all or part of the jackpot is withheld.
“These winnings are a small part of the nearly $2 billion in child support payments made each year in Ohio, but it is important that we deliver this money to the children who deserve it,” said ODJFS director Cynthia Dungey.
Questions about child support orders? Check your case information online.
The agency says Ohio’s county child support enforcement offices collect 69 percent of all child support owed, better than the national average of 64 percent.
Ohio consistently ranks in the top five of all states for collections on current support due, and exceeds the national average for establishing paternity.