Copyright Westword
It doesn’t take a genius to know that Coloradans, like the rest of the United States, love football. And as one of the first states to adopt legal sports betting — back in 2020 — we really, really, like betting on football, too. According to data from the state Department of Revenue, people using Colorado sports betting apps and sports books wagered almost $610 million in September, which is about 46 percent higher than in August. The key difference between August and September? Football is back, Jack. College or professional, football reigns supreme among American sports. From TV games that dominate the ratings to the cultural zeitgeist every time a Super Bowl halftime performer is announced, we eat that shit up…as Draft Kings and Fan Duel (and all their annoying celebrity endorsers) eat up our bank accounts. Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, even our beautiful boy Jon Hamm — they’re all happy to drink from the fountain of our awful parlays and 10 p.m. chasers on the University of Hawaii. The $600-plus million Colorado gamblers bet in September represented an 8 percent increase from September of last year, while DOR numbers show that the state is on pace to collect a 10 percent bump in sports betting tax revenue this fiscal year — so maybe all that shitty marketing is working. Or maybe we’re just a bunch of ducks with tubes in our mouths as we listen to podcasts, watch TV and consume other forms of sports media. According to a study from the University of Bristol, viewers of the NHL Stanley Cup in June were force-fed an average of 3.5 marketing messages from sports gambling sites every minute. And (no offense, stick and puck fans), but that’s just hockey. As with the lottery, state officials look at the rosy side of sports betting, pointing to the tax revenue that helps benefit water initiatives across Colorado. And there are some resources for help, quiet and oft-ignored as they are. “Colorado’s gaming industry continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and growth, as reflected in these September figures,” Division of Gaming head Christopher Schroder says in a statement about September’s big gambling jump. “The increases in table AGP and fiscal year-to-date taxes underscore the continued strength of gaming in Colorado. We remain committed to promoting responsible gaming and encourage anyone who may be struggling to utilize the resources available at BetSmart.Colorado.gov or by calling/texting 1-800-GAMBLER.” So far this fiscal year, almost $9.7 million in sports gambling tax revenue has been collected, with the majority of it going to water projects like wildfire prevention and community access, according to the DOR. That’s good, because it looks like more and more Coloradans will need to hydrate themselves as they sweat over another first-half bet on the Broncos. Not like I have any personal experience, or anything…
