Colorado Ballot 2019: Should Sports Betting Be Legalized?
Sports betting is currently illegal in Colorado, but that could change following the upcoming election.
Last year, a Supreme Court ruling allowed individual states to legalize sports betting. The Colorado legislature promptly referred Proposition DD to voters who will determine whether sports betting will be coming to the state.
If Proposition DD passes, sports betting will be allowed on professional, collegiate, international, and Olympic sporting events as well as sanctioned motorsport events. The measure probits betting on individual performance statistics in collegiate sports and events during games. Sports betting would not be allowed on high school sporting events.
Tax revenue generated from sports betting would be used to fund water projects and water-regulated obligations, as well as pay for the regulation of sports betting.
The arguments for Proposition DD are the fact that water is a scarce resource in Colorado, and the economy will suffer if Colorado can't meet its water demands. The measure provides much-needed financial support for the state's water concerns. Another argument in favor of DD is the fact that many Colorado residents bet on sports events now, but have to use black market bookies and websites which are not regulated, resulting in possible fraud or abuse.
The arguments against Proposition DD are the fact that it puts no limits on the amount of money a person can bet on sports, which makes it extremely easy to lose a lot of money with the touch of a button on a smartphone. It could also be argued that Proposition DD is too vague, trying to address Colorado's water needs without providing enough detail or money, and would pay for only a portion of the Colorado Water Plan.
Ballots are being mailed to all registered voters the week of October 14 and polling centers will be open November 5 from 7am to 7pm.