ATLANTA — In the midst of March Madness heating up, so too are the sportsbooks across the nation. College basketball's grandest tournament is one of the most gambled-on sporting events year in and year out, according to
A lot of people are putting their money where their mouth is, as legalized sportsbooks across the United States see more than MONEY in bets placed on NCAA Tournament games each year on average, per That doesn't even include money that is not tracked via bets placed through illegal bookies.
On March 20, shortly after March Madness began, a viral post on social media claimed that a sports gambler was having his funds garnished by the Lousiana Department of Children and Family Services because he had failed to pay child support.
But can that really happen? Let's Verify.
THE QUESTION
Can your sports betting, gambling, or lottery wins be garnished for child support?
The post on X that got people talking about this possibility last week has been over 5 million times and has 26,000 likes, over 6,000 retweets and has received over 600 replies.
This man posted a screenshot showing an email from FanDuel, which said that his betting win of more than $1,500 is getting intercepted by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services to pay his "open child support debt."
A lot of people in the comments were asking if that was legal. So we found out.
SOURCES
- Georgia Code 19-6-15
- Georgia Department of Human Services
- Randy Kessler - Atlanta-based divorce lawyer with Kessler & Solomiany: Divorce & Family Law Attorneys
- The responsible player guidelines from online sports betting sites, including FanDuel and BetMGM
THE ANSWER
Yes, you can have your betting profits seized by authorities to pay child support. But the answer does need a little more explanation. The short answer is yes, but the long answer is it might be hard and it depends on the situation, according to attorney Randy Kessler.
WHAT WE FOUND
The long answer is that it depends on a couple of things. The big one is the time and effort that would go into the custodial parent seeking out your gambling win.
Kessler said you would need to be aware that the person owing child support has won money on a bet, know the company they placed the bet with, and then go to court over it.
"They could try to take it, but again, it's not automatic," Kessler said. "This is not something we just, you know, check a box on the internet, and they automatically grab your money. It's a process. It takes time. It's complicated."
The Georgia Code of Conduct and Department of Family and Child Services back that up. Code 19-6-15 lays out its definition of "gross income" it uses to determine the amount of child support owed. There are 23 different ways that money can be paid -- and it includes lottery winnings and prizes, which includes sports gambling profits.
The social media post in question brought up FanDuel's policies. 11Alive looked on its "Responsible Play" policy, where it lays out that a "FanDuel user is subject to a court order requiring him or her to pay unmet child support obligations."
11Alive also checked another popular sports betting site, BetMGM. It has a similar policy that it may report and withhold your winnings to comply with any applicable law and enforcing child support arrearages or outstanding debt.
"But if this sends a message out, don't gamble because you might end up having to pay child support," Kessler said. "Take that hundred dollars, and don't put it on the Falcons. Put it on child support."
Kessler explained that at the end of the day, you really shouldn't be gambling if you have to pay child support.
"But the bottom line is, if you win, good. Pay your child support right now. You're paying with somebody else's money. You're paying it with FanDuel money because you won. So you shouldn't be upset that somebody's taking what they're rightfully owed."
So we can Verify that, yes, your sports betting, gambling, or lottery wins can be garnished for child support.