Committee shrinks projected revenue loss for sports-betting changes; credit-card ban emphasized
April 21, 2026 | 2026 Legislature CO, Colorado
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The committee amended Senate Bill 131 to keep proposition bets while curbing some practices and banning credit-card use for online sports betting, changes sponsors said reduce the bill’s projected revenue impact.
Senator Ball, speaking for the sponsor, said the amendment L007 reduces an earlier projected state revenue decrease from about $2.4 million to $800,000 for the budget year 26–27. “This reduces that to 800,000, so it does not reduce the fiscal note to 0, but it does greatly reduce the fiscal impact to revenue of the bill,” Ball said.
Ball and other sponsors said the credit-card restriction would primarily affect wagers by people with gambling problems who rely on credit because they lack other funds; the fiscal analyst suggested the revenue impact tied to the credit-card ban amounted to a modest share of overall wagering. “We tax sports betting at a rate of 10%. So we're talking about a little less than $10,000,000 of sports betting from individuals with a gambling problem,” Ball said, characterizing the portion of wagers that drove the revenue estimate.
Committee members asked whether the amendment eliminated the fiscal note entirely (it did not) and clarified that the bill’s state expenditures tied to data collection remain. After adopting amendments and discussion, the committee passed SB131 4–3.
Sponsors said the amendment was friendly and intended to strike a balance between consumer-protection goals and the fiscal outlook.
Senator Ball, speaking for the sponsor, said the amendment L007 reduces an earlier projected state revenue decrease from about $2.4 million to $800,000 for the budget year 26–27. “This reduces that to 800,000, so it does not reduce the fiscal note to 0, but it does greatly reduce the fiscal impact to revenue of the bill,” Ball said.
Ball and other sponsors said the credit-card restriction would primarily affect wagers by people with gambling problems who rely on credit because they lack other funds; the fiscal analyst suggested the revenue impact tied to the credit-card ban amounted to a modest share of overall wagering. “We tax sports betting at a rate of 10%. So we're talking about a little less than $10,000,000 of sports betting from individuals with a gambling problem,” Ball said, characterizing the portion of wagers that drove the revenue estimate.
Committee members asked whether the amendment eliminated the fiscal note entirely (it did not) and clarified that the bill’s state expenditures tied to data collection remain. After adopting amendments and discussion, the committee passed SB131 4–3.
Sponsors said the amendment was friendly and intended to strike a balance between consumer-protection goals and the fiscal outlook.
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