Competing casino interests in Colorado are making the battle over Amendment 68 one of the most expensive contests this election season, not only in Colorado but the entire United States. The measure would allow gaming at three Colorado racetracks, including Arapahoe Park Racetrack in Aurora near Denver, Southern Colorado Gaming and Event Center in Pueblo County and a future racetrack. Both opponents and supporters, who fall along regional and corporate lines more than partisan political ones, are spending millions to defeat or pass the measure.
Currently gambling only is allowed at existing casinos in Cripple Creek, Black Hawk, and Central City. Owners of those casinos, Nevada-based Ameristar Casinos and Golden Gaming and St. Louis-based Isle of Capri Casinos, have raised $16 million to defeat Amendment 68.
The pro-amendment group Coloradans for Better Schools has raised more than $12 million, funded almost entirely by Mile High USA, the Rhode Island-based owners of the Arapahoe Park Racetrack.
Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace said passing the amendment would mean the creation of hundreds of jobs in a county where the unemployment rate is nearly 2 points higher than the state average. “It’d be a game-changer for our community. Pueblo County needs as much economic stimulus as we can get,” Pace said.
This year, voters in seven states will decide whether they want expanded gambling.
