Colorado Gaming Tax Revenue and Distributions (19-17)

In 1990, Colorado voters passed a constitutional amendment allowing limited gaming only in the cities of Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek.  Limited gaming is defined as “the use of slot machines and the card games of blackjack and poker, each game having a maximum single bet of five dollars.”  Voters expanded the limits on gaming in 2008 through the passage of Amendment 50 to the Colorado Constitution, thereby allowing the games of roulette and craps, bets of up to $100, and extended casino hours of operation.  This issue brief looks at how casinos are taxed and how the tax revenue is distributed.