Yes, there are Bingo regulations in the Colorado Constitution, so we have to run a Constitutional amendment to attempt doing what’s in Amendment F!
Amendment F, in brief, would allow nonprofit organizations that have operated in Colorado for three years to apply for a bingo-raffle license, when today they must have operated in Colorado for five years. It also allows, but does not require, members of the nonprofit organization working on the bingo-raffle events to receive compensation. This is a Constitutional amendment, so it will require 55% of voters for passage.
The Colorado Constitution currently allows nonprofit organizations that have operated in Colorado for five or more years to apply for a bingo-raffle license, and prohibits them from paying bingo-raffle workers. The amendment changes this requirement from five years to three years. On or after Jan. 1, 2025, Amendment F allows the state legislature to change the time-period requirement.
If Amendment F passes, wages for workers in bingo-raffle operations would be capped at the State of Colorado minimum wage through June 30, 2024. In 2022 the Colorado minimum wage is $12.56 per hour, and it’s adjusted yearly for inflation. After June 30, 2024, if Amendment F passes, bingo-raffle workers may be paid any amount agreed upon by the workers and nonprofit organization.
Amendment F language is very similar to what voters saw in 2020 as Amendment C, except that Amendment C would have allowed nonprofits to use personnel from outside the nonprofit organization to conduct gaming, while Amendment F would not allow the use of personnel from outside the nonprofit. Amendment C would have needed 55% to pass, but it failed as a Constitutional amendment in 2020 because final results were 52.35% – 47.65%.
The Colorado General Assembly put Amendment F on the 2022 ballot as a referred measure by passing House Concurrent Resolution 22-1006, with only nine “no” votes out of the 100 legislators.
Pro:
- Allowing bingo-raffle workers to be paid would allow workers to earn some money and spend it on bills or elsewhere in the local economy.
- Reducing the time limitation for a nonprofit to exist before running bingo-raffles would allow more nonprofits to run games and earn some revenue.
Con:
- Paying workers could increase operating expenses for nonprofits, possibly forcing them to increase prices for patrons.
- Having more nonprofits authorized to conduct bingo-raffle games could reduce the amount of revenue available to existing operations.
Richard’s Take
Vote “yes.” I supported Amendment C in 2020 and feel this year’s measure might even be slightly better, because it would not allow personnel from outside of a nonprofit to work on the games. I don’t see a major reason to make nonprofits stay in operation for five years continuously before applying for a bingo/raffle license, and in my opinion three years should be plenty for a nonprofit to demonstrate they can be trusted with low-stakes gaming. This is not about turning local Bingo night into Monte Carlo!
Passing Amendment F could indeed bring some levels of increased financial involvement into relevant nonprofits, but I don’t believe Coloradans across the state should be concerned. Amendment F would not require nonprofits to hire paid workers, offer other types of compensation, or hire from outside the organization, so nonprofits could still keep this aspect of their operation relatively low-budget – or even all-volunteer if they prefer. Finally, I do believe people who are doing work should be able to seek compensation if they want, while they also should have the right to volunteer if they want. Amendment F could allow these workers to make a little money for their time, which might help them pay a bill or spend a little with other local businesses.
