In 1990 Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing limited gambling in three mountain communities. This ballot issue would allow the communities to raise the maximum single bet from $5 to $100 and allow expanded hours and gaming options. The expected tax revenue increase would go toward community colleges (78%) and the affected towns and counties (22%).
Required CONSTITUTIONAL change -- CHANGES Section 9 of Article XVIII
Recommendation: lean no
I find it ridiculous that we have gaming limits spelled out in our state constitution. I’d vote in a minute to have the entire gaming portion of the constitution changed to statute. Meanwhile, community colleges in Colorado are underfunded, but, aside from the constitutional vs statutory question, I don’t like the proposed solution for the following reasons. During your education and especially if you study probability, you learn that gambling is a losing proposition. What kind of signal are we sending students by using gambling taxes to fund education? In addition, as long as bet limits are $5, one could argue that money spent in the gaming towns is more a form of entertainment than serious gambling. Some say that we should let grownups decide for themselves if they want to gamble (and they certainly can gamble any time on the stock market), but this proposal wouldn’t affect just individuals. It would affect whole communities. At least this proposal would allow the residents of the affected communities to determine their own fate.
Website for Yes side (Coloradans for Community Colleges)
http://sayyeson50.com/
Website for No side
http://keepvegasout.com/
Amendment 50 (Approved ballot title below)
Limited Gaming in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek
SHALL THERE BE AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION CONCERNING VOTER-APPROVED REVISIONS TO LIMITED GAMING, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, ALLOWING THE LOCAL VOTERS IN CENTRAL CITY, BLACK HAWK, AND CRIPPLE CREEK TO EXTEND CASINO HOURS OF OPERATION, APPROVED GAMES TO INCLUDE ROULETTE AND CRAPS OR BOTH, AND MAXIMUM SINGLE BETS UP TO $100; ADJUSTING DISTRIBUTIONS TO CURRENT GAMING FUND RECIPIENTS FOR GROWTH IN GAMING TAX REVENUE DUE TO VOTER-APPROVED REVISIONS IN GAMING; DISTRIBUTING 78% OF THE REMAINING GAMING TAX REVENUE FROM THIS AMENDMENT FOR STUDENT FINANCIAL AID AND CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACCORDING TO THE PROPORTION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE STUDENT ENROLLMENTS, AND 22% FOR LOCAL GAMING IMPACTS IN GILPIN AND TELLER COUNTIES AND THE CITIES OF CENTRAL CITY, BLACK HAWK, AND CRIPPLE CREEK ACCORDING TO THE PROPORTION OF INCREASED TAX REVENUE FROM VOTER-APPROVED REVISIONS IN EACH CITY OR COUNTY; AND REQUIRING ANY INCREASE IN GAMING TAXES FROM THE LEVELS IMPOSED AS OF JULY 1, 2008 TO BE APPROVED AT A STATEWIDE ELECTION, IF LOCAL VOTERS IN ONE OR MORE CITIES HAVE APPROVED ANY REVISION TO LIMITED GAMING?
Yes ________________ No ________________
To see the full text of the proposed measure, click here, then click on “2008 State Ballot Information Booklet” at the top of the page.
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Funding education with gambling is just a smokescreen. California's lottery marketed itself during the approval stage by wrapping itself in education. The final result? For every dollar of lottery funds the schools received, a dollar was taken away from the state's general fund. Lottery money accounts for only 2% of the school budget in CA, yet most residents think the schools are rich with lottery funds.
ReplyDeleteWe are near the bottom nationally in school funding, yet our teachers need to live in one of the highest cost areas of the country.
Great analysis both in the post and in that first comment.
ReplyDeleteAmendment 50 in Colorado is created by and for the big casinos. If the casinos actually cared about community colleges, they could have proposed increasing the tax rate on the millions they are making now.
They don't care at all about education, they care about making more money. The education thing is a PR stunt, and they are spending $6.6 million (so far) to try to jam this down the throats of Colorado voters.
Luckily people like you who actually take the time to read the text figure out that it's complete crap. Even though we in the the opposition have only a blog, we are going to beat back this thing because it's just too much of a naked money grab by the casinos.
Thanks very much for shedding light on this!
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