Colorado voters appear to be opposed to legalized internet gambling, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the National Association Against iGaming.
The association, which represents casinos, including Monarch Casino in Black Hawk, conducted the poll after learning that gambling companies were interested in legalizing internet gambling — known as iGaming — in Colorado, a state in which online sports betting is popular.
While iGaming is legal in seven states, no bills are pending before the Colorado General Assembly that would legalize it.
Oliver Barie, the association’s government relations director, said Colorado registered the largest opposition for iGaming in any poll the group has conducted.
However, the pollsters said 23% of respondents were unfamiliar with the concept when first asked about their opinion. Another 58% were opposed when first asked about it. Once respondents received definitions and information about iGaming, the level of opposition rose to 78%, according to the poll’s results.
“Colorado is a poster child for opposition,” Barie said. “These voters get it. They understand it.”
Do you have a gambling problem?
The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado helps people who are addicted to gambling. Call 303-955-4682 or visit cogamblerhelp.org for help.
The Denver Post reports on the impacts of gambling in Colorado and wants to hear your stories about betting on sports. Please contact reporter Noelle Phillips at nphillips@denverpost.com if you are willing to talk about your experience.
The association’s poll was conducted by Co/efficient, a polling and analytics firm, and has a margin of error of 3.45%. The company polled 801 likely general election voters in January through text messages and live interviews. The polls sampled Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters as well as people from various age groups and educational backgrounds.
Internet gambling is legal in seven states — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Nevada. Voters in Maine approved iGaming for a tribal group, but it has not been implemented.
In iGaming, participants can bet money on slots, blackjack, baccarat and other games traditionally played in casinos, and they can charge those bets to credit cards.
Casinos oppose iGaming because it could potentially lure customers away from traditional casinos. Studies have shown that legalized iGaming causes brick-and-mortar casinos to lose about 16% of their revenue, Barie said. That, in turn, trickles into the local economy, which is often dependent on casino visitors.
“Often those casinos are the lifeblood of the community,” he said. “If the casino is not doing well in the town, the town is not going to do well either because they rely on those casinos.”
The town of Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek and Gilpin County are members of the association, according to its website.
Among Colorado voters who were opposed to iGaming, 50% said they were concerned about addiction, while another 43% said they were concerned about debt and financial issues. Another 30% expressed concerns about youth access to online gambling, according to the poll results.
The poll also asked voters whether they opposed a planned Colorado Lottery expansion that would allow anyone 18 or older to purchase lottery tickets online and charge those purchases to a credit card.
A majority — 70% — said they did not approve of 18-year-olds buying lottery tickets online, and 76% said credit card charges for online lottery tickets should be prohibited, according to the poll.
The Colorado Lottery is working on an expansion that would allow people to buy tickets online directly from the state lottery and purchase those tickets with credit cards, something that is currently prohibited in the state. People can already buy Colorado Lottery tickets online through third-party vendors.
Tom Seaver, the Colorado Lottery director, said the state is aiming to introduce its online product next year after watching rollouts in other states. The Lottery’s market research shows that 38% of 12,000 people it polled said they would like to buy tickets with their credit cards.
“Research and polls can be very conflicting,” Seaver said.
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