Colorado Senators have approved a ban on credit card payments for lottery products, but opted to drop the flagship aim of rolling back iLottery in the state.
Late last week, state senators approved Senate Bill 117, a piece of legislation first proposed to the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly back in February.
Senators’ main ambition was to reverse a Colorado Lottery Commission (CLC) plan to launch online lottery ticket sales and credit card payments by 2027.
SB-117 was approved by 22 votes in favour with 13 against on Thursday 23 April, but it carried some significant amendments from the initial version proposed by Jeff Bridges, Judy Amabile, Javier Mabrey and Matt Soper earlier this spring.
Colorado iLottery in the clear
The final version of SB-117 approved by Colorado Senators is a much watered down version from the original.
Firstly, the flagship measure of banning online purchases of lottery ticket or scratch tickets, effectively banning iLottery in the state, was removed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Committee’s amendment transformed a ban on all online lotteries to a simple ban on products that ‘resemble casino gaming’, essentially preventing the Colorado Lottery from offering online slot-style instant win games.
For the authors of the bill, the amendment effectively watered it down to the point that the only change it will bring is in a ban on lottery gaming on credit cards. The Colorado Lottery is still free to press ahead with its digital ambitions.
As Senator Bridges put it in on the house floor last week: “This amendment takes this bill back from banning all online lottery sales. The bill as it stands right now just says no lottery gambling on credit cards. That’s all the bill says right now.”
Governor v Senators on Colorado Lottery’s future
There seems to be somewhat of a political divide in Colorado between the legislative and executive branches of government, regarding the future of the state lottery.
Governor Jared Polis is apparently in favour of allowing the lottery to accept credit card payments. According to local state media, Polis’ administration sees expansion of the lottery as a good way to generate revenue for various state government initiatives.
State Senators are not entirely on board, however. During last week’s sessions, the bill’s authors, and others, explained that their concerns are that a combination of ‘slot games in your pocket’ and credit card payments could be a nightmare for Coloradans.
Senator Amabile, a SB-117 co-author, said: “I’m terrified that if everybody gets a slot machine on their phone, and they have their credit card on there, they’ll just be able to destroy their lives by gambling.
“You only lose over the long haul. Maybe one guy wins but everybody else loses, for the most part. So, to expand the number of Colorado citizens who are losers in this game seems like a really, really big mistake, and it will have costs to the state that are over and above the revenue that we bring in.”
The Senators may have got their full wish, a total ban on online lottery in Colorado, but their successful push to prevent the lottery from operating slot-style games and from accepting credit card bets may prevent the social responsibility nightmare they’re concerned about.
It’s not got the full green light yet though. The amended version of SB-117 will now head to the House of Representatives, where it could be amended further, and Governor Polis’ signature will be required on the final iteration of the bill for it to become law.