BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has asked state gambling regulators to bar casinos from placing liens on the homes of people with unpaid gambling debts.

The Boston Globe reports that Coakley in a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday wrote that “Protecting against predatory lending and overly aggressive debt collection in the gaming industry is critical, because the odds are stacked against the patron being able to earn back the value of the loan.”

Coakley cited an article in the Globe that detailed the practice by Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos of placing liens on homes of residents who owe the casinos money advanced for gambling. Both are seeking Massachusetts casino licenses.

Casino industry specialists called the practice unusual.

Both casino operators have defended the practice.


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