Colorado Amendment F, Charitable Gaming Measure (2022)

Colorado Amendment F
Election date November 8, 2022
Topic Gambling
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Colorado Amendment F, the Charitable Gaming Measure, was on the ballot in Colorado as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 8, 2022. The measure was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported amending the constitution to do the following: repeal the ban on paying managers and operators of charitable gaming activities and limit compensation amounts to the applicable minimum wage until July 1, 2024; allow the legislature to determine in statute how long an organization must exist before obtaining a charitable gaming license after January 1, 2025; reduce from 5 years to 3 years the length of time an organization must exist before obtaining a charitable gaming license through January 1, 2025.

A "no" vote opposed this amendment, thereby leaving in place the existing ban on paying managers and operators and the existing requirement that organizations must exist for at least 5 years before obtaining a license.

Supermajority requirement: A 55 percent supermajority vote was required for the amendment to be approved.

Election results

Colorado Amendment F
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		930,370	40.64%
No		1,359,027	59.36%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What would Amendment F have changed?

See also: Text of measure

Going into the election, under the Colorado Constitution, a charitable organization needed to exist for five years before applying for a charitable gaming license, and managers or operators are prohibited from receiving payment for operating a charitable game.

The amendment would have lowered the number of years an organization must have existed before obtaining a charitable gaming license from five years to three years until January 1, 2025. After January 1, 2025, the amendment would have allowed the legislature to set in statute the length of time an organization must exist to obtain a charitable gaming license. Under the measure, managers and operators of gaming activities would have been limited to earning minimum wage until July 1, 2024, at which time the provision limiting the compensation of managers and operators to the applicable minimum wage was set to be automatically removed.

According to an analysis by the Legislative Council Staff, approval of the measure was expected to increase state revenue by $18,000 in FY 2022-23 and $22,200 in FY 2023-24 assuming an additional 188 and 222 licensees with the current $100 license fee. Approval of the measure was expected to increase state expenditures by $293,995 in FY 2022-23 and $420,109 in FY 2023-24 due to increased costs associated with implementing the new law.

What is charitable gaming?

See also: Charitable gaming in Colorado

Charitable gaming was legalized in Colorado through voter approval of a 1958 citizen initiative.

Charitable gaming is defined as bingo, pull-tab games, and raffles that are operated by charitable organizations. Charitable organization is defined as "any organization, not for pecuniary profit, that is operated for the relief of poverty, distress, or other condition of public concern" within Colorado. Qualified organizations that may conduct charitable gaming include chartered branches, lodges, or chapters of national or state organizations, and religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, voluntary firefighters', or veterans' organizations. Organizations must apply for and receive a license to conduct charitable gaming from the Colorado Secretary of State's office. All net proceeds of charitable gaming must be used exclusively for lawful purposes of the organizations conducting the games.

In 2021, there were 890 licensed charitable gaming organizations in Colorado. In 2021, $104.58 million was wagered on charitable games, and charitable organizations received $24.05 million in net profits.

What was Amendment C of 2020?

See also: Colorado Amendment C, Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment (2020)

Amendment C was on the 2020 ballot in Colorado. It would have required charitable organizations to have existed for three years before obtaining a charitable gaming license instead of the existing constitutional requirement of five years. The amendment would have allowed charitable organizations to hire managers and operators of gaming activities so long as they are not paid more than the minimum wage. As of 2020, the constitution required those who operated charitable gaming activities to be a member of the organization working as an unpaid volunteer. It was defeated by a vote of 52.35% in favor to 47.65% opposed. The amendment failed because a 55% supermajority vote is required for constitutional amendments in Colorado.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the conduct of charitable gaming activities, and, in connection therewith, allowing managers and operators to be paid and repealing the required period of a charitable organization's continuous existence before obtaining a charitable gaming license?

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article XVIII, Colorado Constitution

The measure would have amended Section 2 of Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added: Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Section 2. Lotteries prohibited - exceptions - repeal.

(2) No game of chance pursuant to this subsection (2) and subsections (3) and (4) of this section shall be conducted by any person, firm, or organization, unless a license as provided for in this subsection (2) has been issued to the firm or organization conducting such games of chance. The secretary of state shall, upon application therefore for a license on such forms as shall be prescribed by the secretary of state and upon the payment of an annual fee as determined by the general assembly, issue a license for the conducting of such games of chance to any bona fide chartered branch or lodge or chapter of a national or state organization or to any bona fide religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, voluntary firemen's or veterans' organization which that operates without profit to its members and which that is registered with the Secretary of State and has been in existence continuously for a period of five three years immediately prior to the making of said its application for such the license or, on and after January 1, 2025, for such period as the General Assembly may establish under subsection (5) of this section, and has had during the entire five­ year period of its existence a dues ­paying membership engaged in carrying out the objects of said corporation or organization, such license to expire at the end of each calendar year in which it was issued.

(3) The license issued by the secretary of state shall authorize and permit the licensee to conduct games of chance, restricted to the selling of rights to participate and the awarding of prizes in the specific kind of game of chance commonly known as bingo or lotto, in which prizes are awarded on the basis of designated numbers or symbols on a card conforming to numbers or symbols selected at random and in the specific game of chance commonly known as raffles, conducted by the drawing of prizes or by the allotment of prizes by chance.

(4) Such games of chance shall be subject to the following restrictions:

(a) The entire net proceeds of any game shall be exclusively devoted to the lawful purposes of organizations permitted to conduct such games.

(b) No person except a bona fide member of any organization may participate in the management or operation of any such game.

(c)(I) No person may receive any remuneration or profit in excess of the applicable minimum wage for participating in the management or operation of any such game.

(II) This subsection (4)(c) is repealed, effective July 1, 2024.

(5) Subsections (2) to (4) of this section are self­-enacting, but laws may be enacted supplementary to and in pursuance of, but not contrary to, the provisions thereof.

(6)(a) The enforcement of this section shall be under such official or department of government of the state of Colorado as the general assembly shall provide.

(b) This section does not require or authorize the Secretary of State to receive or review claims concerning employee wages or compensation, including tax claims, or other associated labor, employment, or contractual matters.

(7) Any provision of this constitution to the contrary notwithstanding, the general assembly may establish a state­ supervised lottery. Unless otherwise provided by statute, all proceeds from the lottery, after deduction of prizes and expenses, shall be allocated to the conservation trust fund of the state for distribution to municipalities and counties for park, recreation, and open space purposes.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 28, and the FRE is -28. The word count for the ballot title is 44.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Robert Rodriguez (D)
• State Sen. Jim Smallwood (R)
• State Rep. David Ortiz (D)
• State Rep. Perry Will (R)

Organizations

• Colorado Charitable Bingo Association

Arguments

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Official arguments

The following is the argument in support of the measure found in the Colorado Blue Book:

Colorado Blue Book Official Arguments: 'Bingo-raffle gaming is an important tool that nonprofit organizations use to raise funds for their programs. Expanding licenses to nonprofit organizations that have been in existence for a fewer number of years provides more organizations with this fundraising opportunity. Also, Amendment F may allow nonprofit organizations to raise additional money by operating more games more often because payment of a wage will likely incentivize their members to work bingo-raffle games."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• Colorado Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

Arguments

• Colorado VFW: "If Amendment F is passed this will allow any fly-by-night operator to invade Colorado, operate, and then flee as fast as they came, as they depart Colorado with the profits. Thereby leaving the nonprofits of Colorado without one of their larger revenue streams."

Official arguments

The following is the argument in opposition to the measure found in the Colorado Blue Book:

Colorado Blue Book Official Arguments: "Allowing bingo-raffle workers to receive a wage to manage or operate bingo-raffle games potentially reduces the amount of money nonprofit organizations are able to dedicate to their core mission. In addition, permitting less-established nonprofit organizations to operate bingo-raffle games in Colorado will likely increase the number of organizations raising funds in this manner, further decreasing the total amount of funds available for each organization."

Media editorials

See also: 2022 ballot measure media endorsements

Ballotpedia lists the positions of media editorial boards that support or oppose ballot measures. This does not include opinion pieces from individuals or groups that do not represent the official position of a newspaper or media outlet. Ballotpedia includes editorials from newspapers and outlets based on circulation and readership, political coverage within a state, and length of publication. You can share media editorial board endorsements with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Support

• Denver Post Editorial Board: "We like that Amendment F still requires that nonprofits exist for at least three years before they can engage in gambling fundraisers, and we appreciate the difficulty of running a large bingo or raffle does require a paid staff member. We urge nonprofits to police their own and report any sham 501(c)3 groups (or any other of the myriad federal tax-exempt designations) that pop up trying to profit off an operation that this state has clearly said can only be run for the benefit of charity, especially after the limits on employee salaries is lifted in 2024. But in general, we support loosening regulations around these charitable games."

Opposition

• Durango Herald Editorial Board: "Permitting less-established nonprofits to run bingo-raffle games doesn’t seem a worthy reason to amend the Constitution."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Colorado ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through December 8, 2022.

The Charitable Gaming Issue Committee registered as a small-scale issue committee to support the measure. Registering as a small-scale issue means the committee plans to raise or spend no more than $5,000. Committees of this type do not need to file regular disclosure reports until exceeding the $5,000 threshold.

Path 2 Zero registered to support Propositions 121, 124, 125, 126, and Amendment E; and registered to oppose Propositions 123, GG, FF, and Amendment F. It is impossible to distinguish between funds spent on each individual measure. The committee reported $10,430.70 in in-kind contributions from Independence Institute.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$10,430.70	$10,430.70	$0.00	$10,430.70
Total	$0.00	$10,430.70	$10,430.70	$0.00	$10,430.70

Support

The Charitable Gaming Issue Committee did not report campaign finance information because it did not exceed the $5,000 threshold.

Committees in support of Amendment F
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
The Charitable Gaming Issue Committee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to Amendment F.

Committees in opposition to Amendment F
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Path 2 Zero	$0.00	$10,430.70	$10,430.70	$0.00	$10,430.70
Total	$0.00	$10,430.70	$10,430.70	$0.00	$10,430.70

Donors

Independence Institute provided all of the funds to Path 2 Zero.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Independence Institute	$0.00	$8,923.96	$8,923.96

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

Charitable gaming in Colorado

Colorado Measure 4 of 1958, a citizen initiative, amended the constitution to allow charitable gaming (lotto, bingo, and raffles) under certain conditions by certain organizations that operate without profit and that have a dues-paying membership. The measure was approved in a vote of 51% in favor to 49% against.

Charitable gaming is defined as bingo, pull-tab games, and raffles that are operated by charitable organizations. Charitable organization is defined as "any organization, not for pecuniary profit, that is operated for the relief of poverty, distress, or other condition of public concern" within Colorado. Other qualified organizations that may conduct charitable gaming include chartered branches, lodges, or chapters of national or state organizations, and religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, voluntary firefighters', or veterans' organizations. All net proceeds of charitable gaming must be used exclusively for lawful purposes of the organizations conducting the games.

The following table shows the number of licensed organizations, amounts wagered, and net profits from operating charitable gaming in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Year	Total licences	Total amount wagered on charitable games	Net profit
2019	1081	$129,983,028.00	$29,896,096.44
2020	962	$80,805,483.00	$18,585,261.09
2021	890	$104,582,333.00	$24,053,936.59

Colorado Charitable Bingo Association and 2022 charitable gaming legislation

During the 2022 legislative session, the Colorado State Legislature passed and Governor Jared Polis (D) signed House Bill 1093, which increased the maximum number of electronic bingo cards a player can play from 54 to 100. It also added a new game to be allowed for charitable gaming, bingo strip card games, a type of bingo played with five connected paper bingo cards. HB 1093 and the constitutional amendment were supported in the state legislature by the Colorado Charitable Bingo Association, which supports legislation to "[assure] that non-profit gaming grows and meets the ever changing needs of non-profits conducting bingo games to fund their programs and activities."

Amendment C of 2020

See also: Colorado Amendment C, Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment (2020)

Amendment C was on the 2020 ballot in Colorado. It was defeated by a vote of 52.35% in favor to 47.65% opposed. The amendment failed because a 55% supermajority vote is required for constitutional amendments in Colorado.

The amendment would have required charitable organizations to have existed for three years before obtaining a charitable gaming license instead of the existing constitutional requirement of five years. The amendment would have allowed charitable organizations to hire managers and operators of gaming activities so long as they are not paid more than the minimum wage. As of 2020, the constitution required those who operated charitable gaming activities to be a member of the organization working as an unpaid volunteer.

Charitable gaming in the U.S.

According to Lets Gamble USA, every state allows charitable gaming except Hawaii and Utah. According to the National Association of Fundraising Ticket Manufacturers' 2019 annual report, the top ten states with the highest net proceeds from charitable gaming were as follows:

• Minnesota ($314.89 million);
• Texas ($74.08 million);
• Kentucky ($61.37 million);
• Indiana ($47.39 million);
• Alaska ($39.71 million);
• Nebraska ($36.62 million);
• Michigan ($33.91 million);
• Virginia ($30.46 million);
• Colorado ($29.89 million); and
• New York ($28.41 million).

The 2019 annual report may be found here.

Referred amendments on the ballot, 2000-2020

A total of 31 legislatively referred constitutional amendments appeared on the statewide ballot in Colorado from 2000 to 2020. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot during even-numbered election years. Of the 31 amendments, 17 (54.84%) were approved and 14 (45.16%) were defeated. From 2000 through 2020, the number of referred amendments on the ballot ranged from zero to six.

Colorado legislatively referred constitutional amendments, 2000-2020
Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Annual average	Annual median	Annual minimum	Annual maximum
31	17	54.84%	14	45.16%	2	2	0	6

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Colorado Constitution

To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in both the Colorado State Senate and the Colorado House of Representatives.

The amendment was introduced as House Concurrent Resolution 22-1006. It was approved in the House on May 2, 2022, by a vote of 57-8. On May 10, 2022, the Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 33-1.

Vote in the Colorado House of Representatives May 2, 2022
Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 44  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	57	8	0
Total percent	87.69%	12.31%	0.00%
Democrat	40	1	2
Republican	17	7	0

Vote in the Colorado State Senate May 10, 2022
Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 24  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	33	1	1
Total percent	94.29%	2.86%	2.86%
Democrat	18	1	1
Republican	15	0	0

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Colorado

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Colorado.

How to vote in Colorado

Poll times

In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

In Colorado, an individual can pre-register to vote if they are at least 15 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old to vote in any election. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have established residence in Colorado to vote.

Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter must register online, through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or driver's license examination facility at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter that registers through a voter registration drive must submit their application no later than 22 days before the election to automatically receive an absentee/mail-in ballot. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and certain other state agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.

Residency requirements

Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with their mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.

The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of October 2025. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.

“

The following documents are acceptable forms of identification: A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.) A valid U.S. passport. A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado. A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S. A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector. A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector. A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood. A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector. Certified documentation of naturalization. A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S.. A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. department of veterans affairs veterans health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector. A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership. Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting: Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S. Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S. Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility.

”

• Note: SB 1, signed into law on May 12, 2025, specified that tribal IDs issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, or another federal agency were also valid identification.

See also

2022 measures

• 2022 ballot measures
• Gambling on the ballot
• 2022 petition deadlines

Colorado

• Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Colorado House Concurrent Resolution 22-1006
• full text