Wow, Colorado became Las Vegas quick. I can’t watch a sporting event on television without being inundated with sports betting commercials. The University of Colorado just inked a deal with a sports betting company where CU will get $30 for every gambler they recruit. Even universities are getting into the gambling business!

Also read: POINT | Am. 77 offers local control over gambling

We almost avoided this vice entirely. Online sports betting passed in Colorado in 2019 by 2.8% of the vote.

Now the casinos are at it again — to expand gambling with Amendment 77.

Colorado has historically limited gambling. In 1990, Colorado voters allowed gambling in just a few cities, Cripple Creek, Central City and Black Hawk. Back then, single bets could not exceed $5. In 2008, voters approved an increase to $100 for single bets. A Denver newspaper lamented this change: “We endorsed the gambling experiment in those three towns 18 years ago, and have since seen the character of the once-charming towns destroyed.” Amendment 77 will take Colorado further down the Las Vegas rabbit hole.

Amendment 77 should be an easy “no” for Colorado voters. It will allow the three cities listed above to remove betting limits if they choose. Should a Coloradan be able to lose his house on a single bet? I don’t think so.

Coloradans have successfully stood up against the effort to expand our limited gambling. In 2014, an effort to open casinos into Aurora failed by a margin of 3-1. It was the eighth such failed effort to expand gambling in the Centennial State.

While Colorado has embraced its wild-west, libertarian attitude, it has always balanced this with the need to protect and promote healthy families. The question we should be asking ourselves about Amendment 77 is, “does this help Colorado families?” The answer is clearly no. Raising the betting limits in casinos helps two groups only: casino operators and politicians.

Casinos are not in the charity business. In the memorable words of Robert De Niro’s character in the movie “Casino,” “The cardinal rule is to keep them (gamblers) playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose, and in the end, we get it all. Back home, they would have put me in jail for what I’m doing. Here, they’re giving me awards.”

Government leaders won’t mind the tax revenue coming from higher betting limits, either. There is never enough money for politicians. Since money doesn’t grow on trees, politicians are always looking for another scheme to get your hard-earned money.

But who pays for the social problems attributed to gambling? When someone ends up homeless, on welfare, or requiring any other government services due to lost money to gambling, who pays for this? You and I, the taxpayers. According to the Nebraska Family Alliance, “For every $1 of gambling revenue, the state must spend $3 on increased social services.”

Even if you don’t gamble, you’re going to have to pay for the consequences of Amendment 77.

Vote “no” on Amendment 77. Keep your money in your pocket and out of the hands of casino operators and politicians. Let’s preserve Colorado as an excellent state for families and not allow junior to lose his college savings in a single bet.

Jeff Hunt is the director of the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University.