Editorials: Vote yes on Amendment C and yes on Amendment 77

Amendment 77 is a simple change to help three of Colorado’s tourist towns recover from the pandemic’s economic fallout.

Under Colorado’s Constitution, only three cities ( other than tribal casinos) are permitted to have gambling: Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. Bet limits were set very low initially and games were limited to slot machines blackjack and poker. In 2008, bet limits were increased to $ 100 and roulette and craps were added. In the 2019 election, casino and online sports betting was approved.

Today, voters are being asked to amend the Constitution to allow the residents of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek to have the final say over the bet limits and addition of new games. This sounds reasonable to us. All three of these communities today rely heavily on gambling tourism not only to fill their local businesses but to fill their city and county coffers.

Former Cripple Creek Mayor Bruce Brown said that his community — located in Teller County where the unemployment rate was 14.8% in April — has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

He said that the city has had to cancel spending on next summer’s events like the legendary Donkey Derby Days because the lifeblood of the community — gaming and tourism had dried up. While the city is looking for alternative funding sources, he said there is concern that something must be done.

Brown is backing Amendment 77, along with Colorado’s casino industry, with the hope that if local voters increase gaming limits it’ll make the city more competitive with Las Vegas for gamblers looking for high- stakes games. Gilpin County, where Black Hawk is located, has been one of the hardest- hit communities in terms of the pandemic’s economic decline. The Post reported that in April unemployment was 22.5%.

Residents in these communities are probably contemplating how long they can wait for jobs to return. We hope that if Amendment 77 passes local voters will have control over a potential tool to make these communities more attractive to tourists.

Members of The Denver Post’s editorial board are Megan Schrader, editor of the editorial pages; Lee Ann Colacioppo, editor; Justin Mock, CFO; Bill Reynolds, general manager/ senior vp circulation and production; Bob Kinney, vice president of information technology; and TJ Hutchinson, systems editor.