Deadbeat parents who hit it lucky gambling in Colorado have handed over more than $1 million in winnings to their kids, thanks to a 2-year-old state law that requires casinos to check whether big winners are behind in child-support payments.

The 2008 law requires casinos to check the child-support status of anyone who wins $1,200 or more. Racetracks must check on anyone who wins $600 or more. Those are the same amounts that trigger tax payments to the IRS.

If a casino finds a winner’s name on the state registry of parents who haven’t paid court-ordered child support, the prize money is diverted to the state. The gambler gets anything that is left over after the kids get what is owed them.

State officials couldn’t say exactly how many kids benefited from a parent’s gambling luck. Since the law took effect, 438 winning slot-pullers and pony players have had their payouts garnished for overdue child support, said Liz McDonough, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.

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A Palestinian man waits for an inflatable Santa Claus to blow up in front of his shop in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010. So far this year, 1.4 million tourists have visited the traditional birthplace of Jesus and 90,000 are expected during the Christmas season, a significant increase over last year, according to Israeli government figures. The numbers of visitors have been rising steadily in recent years. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tara Todras-Whitehill