By Phil West @ the Commercial Appeal

Compulsive gambling will not become grounds for divorce in Mississippi, House members decided Thursday.

The legislation’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Duvall, D-Mantachie, cited the case of a couple in his district where the husband had gambled away much of their joint retirement funds, but the wife had no other grounds for divorce.

“Had that been a grounds for divorce, she could have gone and hopefully gotten that money back as a condition of divorce,” Duvall said.