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Colorado Casino Hub Becomes First Town to Join Anti-iGaming Group

Black Hawk, Colo. hosts a growing brick-and-mortar casino market, and the town aims to protect that industry by not adopting iGaming. 

The Black Hawk City Council recently voted to join the National Association Against iGaming (NAAG) with virtually no opposition, making it the first casino town in the country to take this step. Jason Gumer, vice chair of NAAG and general counsel for Monarch Casino & Resort, delivered a presentation to the Black Hawk City Council, facilitating the town's entry into NAAG. He cautioned that iGaming poses a risk to the economic health of the municipality.

"If iGaming comes, you will not see another casino opened, brick and mortar, again,” said Gumer, according to The Mountain Ear. “You’re not going to see companies like Monarch, who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build new properties, to grow jobs. It’s going to stop.”

Monarch operates a casino hotel bearing its name in Black Hawk—a venue that ranks among the top earners of its type in that market. 

It’s understandable that Black Hawk would be against iGaming

It's not unexpected that Black Hawk would dislike iGaming. The casino market, which encompasses Central City, is among the nation's fastest-growing sectors and is nearing the top 10 for gross gaming revenue (GGR). 

In the past few years, Colorado has made moves to boost the attractiveness of its three casino markets by introducing table games and raising betting limits to lure more affluent gamblers while encouraging residents to stay in-state rather than traveling to Las Vegas. The growth in Black Hawk's GGR verifies that those efforts have yielded positive results. That positive progress could be reversed if Colorado adopts iGaming. 

While addressing the city council, Gumer referred to a NAAG-commissioned report by The Innovation Group which revealed that Colorado could forfeit over 2,000 jobs if online casinos are legalized. He mentioned that the state might suffer a loss of $129 million in labor income and face expenses reaching $830 million due to heightened gaming addiction, consumer debt, and associated problems. 

“iGaming doesn’t support jobs … iGaming takes the profits and sends it out of state,” the Monarch executive told the Black Hawk City Council.

iGaming Perspectives Might Offer Relief for Colorado 

Gumer did not bring up during the meeting the progressively bleak prospects for iGaming approvals in the upcoming years. Industry agreement suggests that from now until the conclusion of 2027, only Florida will be added to the list of seven states that presently allow internet casinos. 

Gumer remarked that leaders from certain casino operators in Colorado, who have iGaming interests in different states, are against introducing that type of betting in the Centennial State. 

He mentioned that the industry and towns like Black Hawk must remain alert since the state recently toyed with internet casino laws before NAAG stepped in to halt the bill's progress.