Colorado moves toward online gambling ban

Plans by the Colorado state lottery to take ticket sales online could be stillborn following moves at the committee stage in the state legislature this week to curtail wagering on the Web.

Bill HB 1142 introduced in the state House of Assembly by House Minority Leader and Republican Party Representative Brian DelGrosso won preliminary approval Monday.

Commenting on the bill, Rep. Daniel Kagan said:

“We lay down in the (state) Constitution and the statutes where and what forms of gambling are allowed. What this bill does is it says that before we expand the areas and types of gambling that are allowed in Colorado, we must come and pass a bill to expand, in this case, lottery ticket sales to online. This prohibition is not a prohibition for all time.”

Criticising the bill, Denver Representative Dan Pabon said it is intended to protect private stores that sell tickets from losing business.

“This is, in a very simple way, a protectionist measure to simply stop the market force, stop technology from emerging and put this status quo in place,” Pabon said. “It is a step in the wrong direction because what are we going to do next when technology again sheds its opportunities upon a new industry?”

DelGrosso was unrepentant, saying that his bill will prevent underage gambling via the internet, and shield retail ticket sellers from losing business.

“The lottery is a state-run monopoly, so that is something that we have purview over and we can decide how it is implemented.”

The bill requires a final House vote, which could come as early as today (Wednesday), before it can head to the Senate for further debate.