The state of Colorado once had ways that would set itself apart from the United States. However, the craze of legalized gambling has caused this alternative-thinking area to alter its way of thought.
“Black Hawk still had dirt roads. There was no parking, and there was a creek that ran alongside the road,” said Judy Laratta, an operator from a Central City casino. “It’s a booming place now. It’s like a little Las Vegas.”
Amendment 4 was sold to residents of Colorado as a way to save three gold-rush communities from the brink of extinction while holding on to its historic appeal. That initial law thrust 25 percent of the taxes collected from historic preservation and restoration projects. However, Central City, Cripple Creek, and Black Hawk were all able to keep their communities intact.
In November, the ballot for putting sports betting on the docket will get a bit more interesting. The initial thought had 25 percent of the taxes coming back to the state, with most of those funds going to historic preservation and restoration projects. It’ll be interesting to see how these smaller communities try and keep each other afloat.
“I think maybe a lot of people feel that gaming goes along with smoking and drinking. It’s an adult thing,” Laratta said. “The concentration of it in the old mining towns is a good place to keep it.”
Keeping It In Check
In the meantime, voters fought off requests to have gambling spread across the state.
“Once we passed gaming, what is very clear is the voters of Colorado do not want to expand it,” said Colorado pollster Floyd Ciruli. “It is where it is, and we don’t want to see it anyplace else.”
Proposition DD was hoping to let Colorado casinos accept bets on baseball and football games and hopefully others starting in early 2020. It would also legalize online gambling through mobile sports betting apps which bettors would be able to download to their cellphones.
The state of New Jersey has been incredibly profitable in this venture, with over 80 percent of money wagered coming from online bets. With Colorado sitting four-to-eight times as large as The Garden State, you have to wonder how much the state expects to draw within its first month of legalized activity.
“The city was on such a decline before gaming came in. It was pretty close to a ghost town,” Laratta said. “I think it brought a lot more people up. Now, with all the hotels and everything that are coming into the area, it’s really becoming a destination.”
Well, if that’s not a cause for optimism, we’re not sure what is.
“For the people who were fearful of the negative impacts of sports gambling and for folks who were concerned this was going to spread to every corner of the state, we decided to keep the brick-and-mortar businesses in the gaming communities,” said House Majority Leader Alec Garnett.
