1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support and expand House Bill 26-1012 to address excessive pricing faced by “captive consumers” at publicly funded Colorado sporting venues. Colorado taxpayers have invested heavily in our major stadiums. Facilities such as Empower Field at Mile High and Coors Field were built with substantial public funding and justified as long-term public goods. Yet many Colorado families increasingly find that attending a game has become financially out of reach due to excessive ticket fees and concession prices set by exclusive, single-provider vendors. Inside these venues, fans are a captive audience with no meaningful market choice. Food and beverages routinely cost multiples of comparable prices outside the stadium gates—not because of quality or competition, but because monopoly conditions allow it. This undermines the spirit of public investment and places a disproportionate burden on working- and middle-class Coloradans. Other cities have demonstrated that fair pricing is possible. For example, professional teams such as the Atlanta Falcons have successfully implemented “street pricing” models that align concession prices with local market rates while maintaining profitability and fan satisfaction. While recent legislation such as HB24-1378 improved ticket price transparency, transparency alone does not reduce costs. Meaningful consumer protection requires enforceable limits on excessive resale margins and concession pricing in publicly funded venues. If taxpayers help build these facilities, they should be able to afford to enjoy them. I respectfully urge you to support HB26-1012 and strengthen it to include clear, enforceable pricing protections that put Colorado families ahead of monopoly profits.