A municipality in Colorado has made history with its stance on online casinos.
The Black Hawk City Council has emerged as the first municipality in America to join the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG). Black Hawk City has joined the association following a presentation by NAAiG Vice Chair Jason Gumer, who shared with the council a presentation detailing how iGaming hurts Colorado casinos. In addition to cannibalization concerns, he warned the council about the impact of online casinos on jobs and public health.
Black Hawk is one of Colorado’s three mountain towns for retail gambling along with Central City and Cripple Creek. The towns lead Colorado’s robust market of 35 retail facilities.
“If iGaming comes, you will not see another casino opened, brick and mortar, again,” Gumer told Black Hawk City Council members during his presentation last week. “You’re not going to see companies like Monarch [Monarch Casino], who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build new properties, to grow jobs. It’s going to stop.”
Study opposes online casinos in Colorado
The NAAiG provided the Black Hawk City Council with statistical data to make its case.
According to data provided by a study from The Innovation Group, Colorado is estimated to lose 2,050 jobs statewide from the potential legalization of iGaming. The study, commissioned by the NAAiG, projects a $129 million annual loss in labor income.
It also estimates a $520 million loss in economic output. The study also projects costs for gambling addiction, debt and related problems to reach approximately $830 million.
“There are only seven states in the United States that allow this [iGaming], but Europe has had it for a while,” continued Gumer. “We look at what’s happening in England, and they introduced [iGaming] as a savior for governments and for tax revenue but nothing’s been further from the truth.”
The NAAiG, established in late 2024, is composed of leadership from some of the largest land-based companies in gambling, including Churchill Downs and Red Rock Resorts.
