The Open Forum Allowing sports betting for such a small return is a mistake

The arguments I am reading in favor of Proposition DD are the ultimate example of the tail wagging the dog. Voters should vote for DD if they think Coloradans should be able to gamble on sports on their phones. The Post’s editorial board says we should vote for it because a paltry $16 million of the proceeds will fund some of the $3 billion needed to pay for water projects. Online sports betting platforms will rake in money, as will the casinos. But Proposition DD is most definitely not a solution to our unmet water needs.

We’ve seen this movie before. In 2008, casinos asked voters to increase the $5 bet limits and allow them to operate 24 hours a day. It was sold as a painless way to fund our community colleges. The Bluebook forecast 63 million new dollars for higher education in year five. In 2018, community colleges received $13 million from the casino revenue in total. Casinos were thrilled. Meanwhile, community colleges still go begging.

Colorado has a statewide water plan with no funds to implement it. Regardless of whether the water plan is worthy of funding, taxing 10% of net proceeds of sports betting with a cap of $29 million, regardless of how lucrative the business is in the future, isn’t the way to fund that plan. for various projects. It is not a specific tax for a specific project. We don’t know if it will be used for the construction of a dam or the restoration of a polluted section of a river.

Anytime there is a project involving water in Colorado, there is the potential — and most likely the reality — of litigation. Any project involving diverting, damming or channeling river water always involves water attorneys. Legal fees alone are a major cost adding to the overall expense on water projects.

There are more important statewide needs for our tax resources than this unspecific fund.