Voters: Amendment 68 advertisements are confusing
Voters will make a decision on Amendment 68 in a little over one month, but some say advertisements on the issue have left them confused.
Opponents and proponents of Amendment 68 have been battling it on TVs across Colorado to win over voters.
Opponents of Amendment 68 said in a commercial there are too many loopholes to guarantee money generated from the ballot measure will go to education. It also said the amendment is written by a Rhode Island casino enabling it to pocket the benefits.
Proponents of Amendment 68 said in a commercial the money will go to education. It said there will not be tax increases for voters and it will only impact people who gamble.
“When I first started seeing it on TV I said, ‘well what the heck? What is the truth,” said voter Bob Perez.
“I have seen the ads and they are kind of confusing,” said Greg Bell.
UCCS political science professor Josh Dunn said there are truths in both advertisements.
The measure would provide additional funding for education. It would be funded by tax money generated by expanded gambling at horse track races in three counties –Arapahoe, Mesa and Pueblo.
However, only one horse track would be qualified to open immediately. The horse track is in Arapahoe County and is owned by Twin Rivers Holding Company from Rhode Island.
“Critics say really this is is an effort of one company to try to get a foothold in Colorado for large scale casino gambling, a company out of Rhode Island, the Twin River Holding company, which is the parent company that owns the race track in Arapahoe county,” said Dunn.
Critics say there are too many loopholes to guarantee the money will be used for education, but Dunn doesn’t believe that is true.
“It really comes at no cost to the Colorado tax payer. It’s only the people that go and gamble at this race track that are going to be footing the bill for it,” said Dunn.
Dunn said opponents of this amendment are casino owners in mountain towns like Black Hawk and Cripple Creek who see this as a threat to their revenue.
He said proponents have already been able to get educators to sign on and support the amendment.
