Colorado voters will decide a constitutional amendment on Nov. 8 that would lift some restrictions on charitable gaming activity.
If approved by 55% of voters, the amendment would:
- repeal the existing ban on paying managers and operators of charitable gaming activities and limit compensation to the applicable minimum wage until July 1, 2024;
- reduce from 5 years to 3 years the length of time an organization must exist before obtaining a charitable gaming license through Jan. 1, 2025; and
- after Jan. 1, 2025, allow the legislature to determine in statute how long an organization must exist before obtaining a charitable gaming license.
Currently, the state constitution bans any payment of the managers and operators of charitable gaming activities and requires that an organization must exist continuously for five years before obtaining a charitable gaming license.
The House approved the amendment by a vote of 57-8 on May 2, and the Senate approved it by a vote of 33-1 on May 10. Legislatively referred constitutional amendments in Colorado require a two-thirds vote in each chamber of the legislature.
A similar measure, Amendment C, was on the ballot in 2020. Amendment C was approved by 52.35% of voters. It did not meet the 55% majority threshold required to pass.
This amendment was the fourth statewide measure to be certified for the Nov. 8 ballot in Colorado. The legislature has referred two other constitutional amendments:
- an amendment to provide for designating judges to the newly created 23rd judicial district and
- an amendment that would extend an existing homestead tax exemption for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans to the surviving spouses of military personnel and certain veterans.
One citizen-initiated measure has also qualified for the Nov. 8 ballot so far. It would decrease the state income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40%.
A total of 105 measures appeared on the statewide ballot in Colorado during even-numbered election years from 2000 through 2020. Of the 105 measures, 48 were approved (45.71%) and 57 were defeated (54.29%). The even-year total ranged from three to 14.Additional reading:
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