Colorado sports bettors’ favorite wager remains in play after a proposed prohibition on proposition bets was stripped from a legislative bill aimed at curbing gambling addiction.
The bipartisan bill — — was introduced earlier this year with the intention of slowing gambling habits after a group of politicians heard warnings about increasing gambling addiction since Colorado legalized online sports betting in May 2020.
But mounting pressure from the gambling industry and a state budget crunch led the bill’s sponsors to remove the section that would have banned bets on individual athletes’ performances, which are the most popular wagers for gamblers because they come with higher payouts and are a big moneymaker for the sportsbooks because they come with higher odds.
Sen. Matt Ball, a Denver Democrat and one of the bill’s sponsors, said prop bets and the ability to bet on every pitch in a baseball game or every pass in a football game are like having “slot machines in your pocket.”
“That perpetual availability is something that is very addictive,” he said.
Ball agreed the bill had a better chance of passing this session if the prop bet prohibition was removed, but he vowed to revive the legislative debate again. He wants to have a more holistic conversation about prop bets and parlays, and how they trigger compulsive gambling habits.
In prop bets, a gambler could bet on how many points Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray might score in a game or how many touchdown passes Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix might throw. Gamblers can place these bets before a game starts, and they can bet mid-game on things such as whether a Major League Baseball pitcher will throw a ball or a strike.
Sports-betting apps also allow gamblers to combine multiple prop bets to form parlays, which further increase odds in favor of the sportsbooks, but are wildly popular with gamblers.
Colorado already bans prop bets on college athletes’ performances.
Public health advocates believe prop bets lead to more addictive behavior, especially since gamblers can place the bets mid-game. Ball also worried that prop bets could impact the integrity of games because the high stakes put pressure on athletes and lead to harassment from gamblers when they fail.
The prop bet prohibition was removed, in part, because of the fiscal impact, Ball said. Tax revenue from sports gambling pays for water projects across the state.
The elimination of prop bets would decrease revenue by more than $2 million per year, according to the produced by the Legislative Council Staff. With the prop bet prohibition removed, the predicted revenue loss from the bill is an estimated $800,000.
Ball and public health advocates believe the bill still can help curb addiction.
The bill would also attempt to slow gambling habits by eliminating credit card usage on sports-betting apps, limiting the number of deposits a person can make into an account, curtailing television commercials and banning push notifications to cellphones from betting companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
It would also require sportsbooks to provide data to the state in an attempt to determine certain metrics, such as gambler demographics.
Joshua Ewing, executive director of , an advocacy group that pushes for better health policies in the state, said the remaining sections of the bill still could have an impact on gambling addiction.
“Those are all really important pieces that get at those problem gaming aspects,” Ewing said. “We wanted to be as strong as possible, but we still think the bill would be one of the strongest in the nation.”
The bill is expected to be debated on the Senate floor on Monday.
Two other bills addressing gambling are pending before the legislature.
would have barred the from developing an internet lottery scratch-off game, but that provision was removed. Now the bill only prohibits lottery players from buying tickets with credit cards. Critics, including Colorado’s casino operators, say the Lottery’s online scratch-off games will become online casinos rather than traditional lottery games.
would restructure the bodies that regulate gambling in Colorado. It would repeal the , which regulates horse racing, and put its duties under the supervision of the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission, which oversees casinos and sportsbooks.
The gaming control commission’s size would be expanded under the bill.
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.
