Casinos betting on Amendment 50

It would allow gambling towns to vote to up ante

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 9, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Colorado voters will be asked this fall whether they want to give mountain casino towns the leeway to raise gambling stakes to $100 a bet from the current $5 limit.

The proposal would allow Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City to hold their own elections on raising the maximum wager. Known as Amendment 50, the measure would also let local residents decide whether casinos can expand limited-stakes operations to 24 hours a day and add Las Vegas- style craps and roulette.

Casinos have already contributed more than $5 million to a campaign to persuade voters to back the measure, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state. Most of the money will go toward advertising.

The campaign, calling itself Coloradans for Community Colleges, has received $2 million alone from Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, a sprawling establishment whose parent company is based in Las Vegas.

If bet limits go up, much of the expected increase in gaming- tax revenues would go toward student financial aid programs and classroom instruction at Colorado's public community colleges, junior colleges and local district colleges.

But critics say casinos might have overplayed their hand with the scope of their proposal and argue it could open the door for others to push for further expansion of gaming in the state.

"They've gone for everything they've ever wanted all at once," said Jonathan Anderson, an attorney who worked on gaming issues as chief counsel to Gov. Bill Owens. "If this passes, I think we create an irresistible economic incentive for gaming corporations."

Anderson characterized the proposal as a 475 percent increase in bet limits and noted that gamblers can play several hands of cards at a time, which allows them to bet even more than $100 all at once.

Casinos have been experiencing a downturn this year, with several straight months of declining revenues blamed on a slow economy, high gas prices and a recently imposed smoking ban.

Proponents say that Colorado has the lowest bet limits in the country and contend the 17-year-old gaming law needs some updating.

"This fear there's going to be a huge expansion or explosion of gaming is really not justified," said Katy Atkinson, a political consultant who is serving as spokeswoman for the Amendment 50 campaign.

Atkinson said the state's three gaming towns won't necessarily vote for increasing limits all at once and could propose only some of the changes such as staying open later.

The Colorado secretary of state's office said the ballot initiative got an estimated 88,965 valid signatures based on a random sample of those delivered last month. To make the ballot, proponents must gather roughly 76,000 signatures.

Ballot measure

A proposed amendment on November's ballot would give Colorado's three casino towns the ability to ask local voters whether they support:

* Increasing individual bet limits to $100 from the current $5

* Extending casino hours in Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City to 24 hours a day

* Allowing gambling establishments to add craps and roulette games

• August 9, 2008

  2:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  athought writes:

  I am a gambler and I will be voting no on A-50. The casinos have not passed an audit so how can they stipulate how much money will really go into the state coffers. I would vote for an amendment raising limits and adding games for those casinos that pass state audits for three consecutive years. Let's put a carrot in front of these folks to keep them honest and in-line.

• August 9, 2008

  6 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GodzillaSr writes:

  who cares if the state gets theirs, they ain't worried if i ain't getting mine. raise it

• August 9, 2008

  11:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  smokefreegaming writes:

  Continuing violations of the state no-smoking law by various casinos is the number one reason not to vote for this amendment.
  Vote NO on amendment 50.

• August 11, 2008

  9:05 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  mpresto writes:

  Smokefreegaming has it right, but for the wrong reasons. Don't support amendment 50 because the casinos caved on the smoking ban and didn't even fight the nanny state power grab.

• August 14, 2008

  12:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  CincyLady writes:

  I'm all for this, and all I can say, it's about time. Funny thing though, the writer got it WRONG about playing being able to more then one hand ... at least when it comes to playing (legal) poker.

  This increase affects MORE then just casino table games, it actually will make live action poker cash games more fun and playable.

  This is because as it stands now, Poker in Colorado really does stand up to it's nickname ... Bingo or Lotto poker, and it really su*ks big time.

  I also hope this (if passed) will allow for the limits to be raised for tourney poker, which currently the max is $500 for tourneys.

  Raising the limits will also IMO, attract the tourist dollar as well, not to mention perhaps brining more of the name brand poker tours to Colorado (and their tourist dollars with them).

  Personally, I wish they'd get rid of the limits all together, as I'm an adult, and I don't need for the Govt to babysit my poketbook for me (they do that enough with the taxes I get charged on my earnings).

  I moved here from Ohio a few years ago, and I've been told that previous measures have not passed in the past. I hope that isn't the case this time, because at the very least, 17 years between increases is way to long at any level.

• September 2, 2008

  5:48 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  allforit writes:

  As an employee in the casinos in Colorado, I'm all for it !
  It's about time that Colorado might become a destination for the vast gambling community, especially poker, which has become the biggest sport in the country.
  I believe that people are sick of the gov. telling us what we can and cannot do with our money. They all ready take more than their share, so what I do with whats left should be up to me.
  And where are all of you do gooders who wanted the smoking ban -----------your not in the casinos.
  VOTE YES ON 50, ITS ABOUT TIME THAT COLORADO STEPPED UP AND KEPT UP WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

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