Election results update

All 64 counties are officially reported, and sports betting in Colorado passed 50.48 percent (684,739) to 49.52 percent (671,598).

Election Night 2019 is a wrap, but a key question on sports betting remains too close to call the morning after. Colorado voters had a chance to weigh in on Proposition DD which would have provided for sports betting in the state, but as of this publish time, votes are still being tabulated in a close race. YES leads the voting 50.48 percent (684,739) to 49.52 percent (671,598) with 90 percent of counties reporting.

The vote lead has swung back and forth throughout the night, with the YES lead growing slightly this morning. If the margin ends at less than 0.5 percent, a recount would be required, per AP reporter Jim Clarke.

There has not been significant financial opposition to sports betting, according to Colorado Public Radio, but the language of the bill has created some confusion as to the implications. The language on the ballot was as follows:

Shall state taxes be increased by twenty-nine million dollars annually to fund state water projects and commitments and to pay for the regulation of sports betting through licensed casinos by authorizing a tax on sports betting of ten percent of net sports betting proceeds, and to impose the tax on persons licensed to conduct sports betting?

It speaks of raising state taxes, but those taxes would be imposed entirely on the licensed casinos. Sports bettors would obviously be contributing to that by betting at the casinos, but it is a tax on the casino, not a tax imposed on every citizen of Colorado. However, if you are not a fan of new taxes and you’re scrolling through your ballot and see “Shall state taxes be increased,” your first thought might be to vote no, rather than read the rest of the ballot language.

Counting will continue as we wait to see if Colorado becomes the 19th state (plus Washington, D.C.) to authorize sports betting.