Colorado governor vetoes bill allowing casinos to loan money to gamblers

Wednesday, May 24, 2023 9:13 PM
  • Andrew Kenney, Colorado Public Radio

Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday evening vetoed a proposal that was intended to support Colorado’s gambling industry. The bill would have allowed casinos to loan money to customers, offering lines of credit of $1,000 or more.

The governor shot the measure down, saying that it would have allowed casinos to take advantage of people with gambling addictions — giving them more and more money as they racked up greater losses.

“The key element I take issue with here is whether persons with a gambling disorder can meaningfully consent to a transaction,” Polis wrote in a veto letter…

The bill’s bipartisan sponsors had framed the idea of casino loans as a convenience.