Black Hawk, Colorado has recently become the first municipality to officially join the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG), marking a significant moment in the ongoing battle over online casino legalization. The historic mining town turned gambling destination has taken a firm stance against the expansion of internet-based casino gaming, citing concerns about economic impact and social costs. This move signals growing organized resistance to the online gambling industry at the local government level.
The Rise of Anti-iGaming Coalition in America’s Casino Communities
The National Association Against iGaming emerged as a formidable force in the online gambling debate when it was established in November 2024. By January 2025, the coalition had begun launching concerted efforts to counter legislative pushes for iGaming legalization across multiple states. The organization brings together diverse stakeholders including local businesses, gambling industry veterans, community advocates, and citizens concerned about the potential negative impacts of widespread online gambling availability.
By promoting responsible, community-focused gaming, we help create a stronger, more resilient future for all
Despite its name suggesting broad opposition to gaming, NAAiG maintains a nuanced position. The coalition explicitly supports regulated, in-person gaming establishments while specifically targeting online casino operations. Their official stance emphasizes that brick-and-mortar casinos provide substantial community benefits through employment, tourism, and local economic development—advantages they believe online platforms cannot match.
“By promoting responsible, community-focused gaming, we help create a stronger, more resilient future for all,” states the organization in its promotional materials. This careful positioning acknowledges the economic importance of gaming while drawing a sharp distinction between physical establishments and their digital counterparts.
Colorado’s Thriving Casino Economy at Stake
To understand Black Hawk’s decision, it’s essential to recognize Colorado’s substantial investment in traditional casino gaming. The state hosts 35 casino gaming locations that collectively support over 19,100 jobs for Colorado residents. The gaming industry generates an impressive $4.2 billion in annual economic impact and provides approximately $598 million in tax revenue and tribal revenue share payments to various levels of government.
Black Hawk itself represents one of Colorado’s three primary gaming destinations alongside Central City and Cripple Creek. These gaming tax revenues fund critical state programs including tourism development, public education initiatives, historic site preservation, water conservation projects, and various research programs. With so much economic activity tied to physical casinos, local officials express concern about anything that might disrupt this established ecosystem.
Black Hawk’s Swift Alignment with Anti-iGaming Movement
The Black Hawk City Council’s decision to join NAAiG followed a compelling presentation by Jason Gumer, who serves as both vice chair of the coalition and executive vice president and general counsel for Monarch Casino. According to local newspaper The Mountain Ear, council members required little convincing before agreeing to align with the organization. Despite Gumer’s self-proclaimed limitations as a public speaker, his presentation effectively conveyed what he described as serious threats to Colorado’s land-based gaming industry, employment figures, and public health outcomes. Drawing international comparisons, Gumer pointed to European experiences with online gambling.
“As of now, there are only seven states in the United States that allow this [iGaming], but Europe has had it for a while. We look at what’s happening in England, and they introduced [iGaming] as a savior for governments and for tax revenue… but nothing’s been further from the truth,” Gumer told the council.
His most dramatic assertion suggested that legalizing online casinos would effectively end physical casino development in Colorado permanently. “If iGaming comes to Colorado, the state will never see another brick-and-mortar casino opened ever again,” warned Gumer, implying that casino companies would cease future investments in the state.
Competing Economic Projections Fuel Debate
The NAAiG has backed its opposition with research commissioned from The Innovation Group. Their study paints a decidedly negative economic forecast, projecting significant losses should Colorado legalize online casinos. According to their analysis, the state could lose 2,050 jobs, including 1,200 direct positions in mountain towns where casinos currently operate.
The economic impact extends beyond employment, with projections suggesting $129 million in annual lost labor income and $520 million in reduced economic output. The study further estimates $830 million in increased social costs stemming from gambling addiction and related problems.
However, this grim outlook stands in stark contrast to findings from other research examining states that have already implemented iGaming. A comprehensive analysis conducted by the Sports Betting Alliance presents evidence that in six states with legalized online casino gaming, “total combined revenue from land-based casinos and iGaming has exceeded projected revenue in the most recent year of data from land-based casinos without iGaming by 75.1%”.
This contradictory data shows that across these six states, compound annual growth rates of total gaming revenues were on average 9.4 percentage points higher after implementing iGaming than before. Even more significantly, in four out of six states studied (New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), the introduction of online casinos was associated with relative increases in land-based casino revenues—directly challenging the cannibalization narrative presented by iGaming opponents.
Addiction Concerns Versus Market Reality
The National Association Against iGaming consistently emphasizes increased addiction risk as a primary argument against online casinos. According to research cited by NAAiG from the National Council on Problem Gambling, online gamblers are supposedly eight times more likely to develop gambling problems.
However, this claim appears exaggerated when compared with findings from the National Institutes of Health, which determined that online gamblers are between 1.5 to 3.2 times more likely to develop pathological gambling issues compared to those who only gamble at physical locations. While this still represents a significant increase in risk, the discrepancy between these figures highlights questions about whether opposition groups may be overstating potential harms.
Previous Legislative Battles Foreshadow Future Conflict
Earlier in 2025, gambling expansion opponents successfully united to defeat an iGaming legalization bill in Colorado. Despite this victory, Gumer expressed certainty that similar legislation would return in future sessions. During his presentation to Black Hawk officials, he specifically rejected one common pro-iGaming argument—that online gambling should be legalized simply because people already access it illegally.
“That line of thinking sounds crazy to me,” Gumer stated, dismissing the harm-reduction approach some advocates propose.
Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman aligned himself with Gumer’s perspective, expressing particular concern about workplace gambling. The mayor “shuddered to imagine people gambling at work if iGaming becomes legal”—a sentiment that resonated with council members and ultimately contributed to their unanimous decision to join the coalition.
Growing Municipal Opposition Movement
As the first municipality to formally join NAAiG, Black Hawk signals what could become a broader trend of local governments taking official positions on iGaming legislation. With Colorado’s gaming communities heavily dependent on casino tourism and employment, the stakes are particularly high for mountain towns like Black Hawk.
While the ultimate economic impact of online casino legalization remains contested, with studies presenting contradictory conclusions, the political landscape appears increasingly organized around this issue. The formation of formal opposition coalitions and their growing membership indicates that future legislative battles over iGaming will likely be more structured and intense than previous efforts.
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