DENVER — The Colorado Lottery Commission recently approved new rule changes allowing direct-to-consumer lottery sales online and credit card payments for ticket purchases during a public hearing.
“More and more consumers are not carrying cash, don't go into convenience stores very often, and would prefer to do most of their shopping on their phone or online. And it's our responsibility to make the lottery fit the needs of our players,” Colorado Lottery Director Tom Seaver said.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from Colorado state legislators.
“We are in an affordability crisis here in the state. The last thing we should be doing as a government is making it easier for people to lose money gambling,” Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-District 26, said.
Bridges is one of 25 state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that penned a letter to the commission voicing their concerns.
They argue it's such a major change, it should require legislative review — maybe even a statewide vote.
“You know, I think that they don't have the ability to do this. I think our letter made it really clear, even if they do, we don't think they should,” Bridges said.
The changes are also raising red flags among addiction specialists.
“If I have a gambling addiction, [and] I have easy access to money — it's going to make me much more likely to gamble,” Director of AdventHealth’s Behavior Health Service Line Brad Sjostrom said.
Denver7 took those concerns to Seaver, who said the lottery commission spent months researching and consulting with experts before making the changes.
He doubled down on the recent rulemaking decision.
“We are very, very confident, and you know, endorsed by the Attorney General, that we followed the appropriate steps, and the Commission had the right to make the rule changes that they did,” Seaver said.
The Lottery Commission has 'the authority to promulgate rules and amend existing rules related to the sale of Lottery products and the operation of the Lottery pursuant to C.R.S. 44-40-109,' according to the Colorado Lottery website.
Colorado joins 26 other states that allow the use of a credit card for lottery purchases.
Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservation Trust Fund, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife receive the majority of Colorado Lottery revenue funds.
Since Great Outdoors Colorado has a cap, any overflow funds go to the Building Excellent Schools Today and the Outdoor Equity grant program.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis said:
“The Governor is supportive of increasing consumer convenience, and the proposed rule change will modernize Colorado’s lottery system and ensure customers don’t need to fumble through several cards to buy what they want or have to pay for some things with a credit card and some with cash.”
The governor's office said the Colorado Lottery will implement responsible gambling tools to protect players, including player-set limits on time and money spent, cool-off options, and player behavior data for self-monitoring.
The Colorado Lottery also plans to integrate financial literacy tools and is consulting with national experts to ensure best practices focusing on player health and harm minimization.
"That'd be great if a conversation around gambling and its hazards comes about. Will it happen? Time will tell," Sjostrom said.
