Missouri Player Cards Needed to Enter Casino, State Law Says

It's one thing to prove you are of age and legally able to gamble; it's quite another to have to fill out personal information to be kept on file.

An uproar is developing in Missouri, and gamblers' rights to privacy are at the heart of it. Casinos in the state offer player's cards, much like most casinos worldwide; but Missouri law requires the ownership of such a card to be admitted or allowed to play at the state's casinos.

To ensure enforcement of the state's loss limits provisions, which forbid the purchasing of more than $500 in chips in any two-hour period, Missouri tracks the identification and spending patterns of players based on the use of the card. Cards are also not issued to anyone signed up on the state's Voluntary Exclusion Program.

Some question whether the state has the right to know who is gambling and how much they are spending. Furthermore, casino authorities point out the cards are designed mainly as promotional devices, used to generate direct mailing lists and reward frquent patrons, not as official forms of identification. The cards are given out to applicants with a government id, but do not have photos on them.

The dispute has led to an embarrassing situation for state Senator Jeff Smith, who was caught using a colleague's card this summer. Smith was using Represenative Joe Aull's player card while playing poker July 31st, ostensibly because he did not have his driver's license ans was urged by a casino lobbyist to use Aull's card.

Security approached Smith about using his Blackberry  while playing Hold'em, and in the fracas that ensued when he refused to put down the phone, it came to casino executives' attention that Smith was using a card not his.

This has led to both Smith and Aull being charged with a misdemeanor, presenting false identification at a gaming facility.

Missourians protest that it's one thing to prove you are of age and legally able to gamble; it's quite another to have to fill out personal information to be kept on file. Many natives of Missouri currently cross into Illinois to avoid the aggravation and long lines caused by the card checks; in the meantime, if you gamble in the state, be prepared to have Big Brother watching.