Others have written to the Missouri Gaming Commission to say the change would lead problem gamblers back to temptation.

WSJ: States Rethink Gambling Limits

Under the code, "problem gamblers" would be able to apply for voluntary orders banning them from bookmakers in the area.

BBC: Betting machine

Panorama spoke to several problem gamblers, addicted to everything from scratch cards to online slot machines, and high stakes gaming terminals.

BBC: Gambling addict tells of fight to save family life

The report suggests raising the legal age for any kind of wagering to 21 and taxing gambling revenues to pay for programmes to treat problem gamblers.

ECONOMIST: Gambling on the future

According to the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, most problem gamblers are men, but a growing number of women are also gambling more than they can afford.

BBC: Gambling addict tells of fight to save family life

Although restrictions have been easing for years, the proportion of problem gamblers in Britain has barely changed since 1999, the survey holds, and, at about 0.6% of adults, it is lower than in more puritanical America.

ECONOMIST: Gambling addicts

Authorities have repeatedly tightened the city-state's tight casino-control laws, already among the strictest in the world, to restrict some locals from patronizing gaming floors and to punish casinos if they fail to keep problem gamblers away.

WSJ: Wealth Over the Edge | WSJ.Money Spring 2013

Among the 5% of all gamblers who develop a problem, it takes those who bet on horses 20 years to "hit bottom, " as Gamblers Anonymous puts it.

CNN: They Call It Video Crack