Colorado Online Gambling Guide

Online sports betting and daily fantasy sports contests are both legal in Colorado.

In November of 2019, Colorado residents voted on Proposition DD , which narrowly passed with a 50.8% vote. Now, as of May 1st, 2020, Colorado residents and visitors can legally bet on sports online, or in person at several casino locations. 

As of right now, there are no licensed real money Colorado online casinos or poker sites. But Colorado residents are allowed to enjoy casino gambling on social casinos and poker sites that award real prizes based on a sweepstakes model. Or, players can play online casino games and poker at offshore gambling sites that accept Colorado players.

Best Real Money Colorado Gambling Sites & Mobile Apps

Below you’ll find our recommendations and reviews of sites/apps where you can legally and safely gamble in Colorado.

Colorado Online Sports Betting

As of May 2020, sports betting (in person and online/mobile) is now legal in Colorado.

Legal sports betting in Colorado is now available online and at local Colorado casinos. There is also pari-mutuel betting on horses (Arapahoe Park) and greyhound races (Post Time and Pueblo). Off-track simulcasts are permitted for all race types, while out-of-state simulcasts are allowed for horse races and special event greyhound races. Two local lawmakers – Rep. Cole Wist (R) and Rep. Alec Garnett (D) –  pushed for the legalization of traditional sports betting in 2019, which fortunately included online gambling.

If you want to engage in legal, sports-related internet betting in Colorado, check out our list of the best online sports betting sites and apps for Colorado residents.

Here’s a complete list of Colorado sportsbooks:

Sportsbook Website/App	Casino Partnership	Launch Date
DraftKings Sportsbook	Golden Gulch Casino & Golden Mardi Gras Casino	1st May 2020
FanDuel Sportsbook	Golden Gates Casino & Golden Mardi Gras Casino	1st May 2020
BetMGM	Midnight Rose Casino	1st May 2020
BetRivers	JP McGill’s Casino	1st May 2020
BetMonarch	Monarch Casino Resort & Spa	11th May 2020
FOX Bet	Isle Casino Hotel & Lady Luck Casino	19th May 2020
Sky Ute Sportsbook	Sky Ute Casino Resort	2nd June 2020
SBK by Smarkets	Bronco Billy’s Casino	4th June 2020
SportsBetting.com	Johnny Nolon’s Casino	Summer 2020
Barstool Bets	Ameristar Casino	Fall 2020
Bet365	Century Casinos	TBC
BetAmerica	Bronco Billy’s Casino	TBC
BetFred USA Sports	Saratoga Casino	TBC
Circa Sports	Century Casinos	TBC
ISI Race & Sports	Wildwood Casino	TBC
PointsBet	Double Eagle Casino	TBC
SuperBook	Lodge Casino	TBC
TheScore	Gilpin Casino	TBC
William Hill	Isle Casino Hotel & Lady Luck Casino	TBC
Wynn Sports	Bronco Billy’s Casino	TBC

Types of bets you can place include,

• Single-game bets
• Teasers
• Parlays
• Totals
• Moneylines
• In-game betting
• Prop bets

Colorado Daily Fantasy Sports

Colorado was the fifth state to regulate DFS contests. The relevant bill, HB 16-1404, was passed by the legislature on May 9, 2016, and signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper on June 10, 2016. The industry is overseen by the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ Division of Professions and Occupations, which is also responsible for setting licensing fees. These fees are unusually high at the moment, but small operators with fewer than 7,500 Colorado users are exempt from paying them.

The bill includes several consumer protections. Operator employees are banned from participating in any paid contests, operators are required to guarantee the safety of any data that could influence the outcome of a contest, and player funds must be segregated from operating funds. College sports contests are prohibited, and the minimum age for playing is 18. The most popular options for fantasy sports in Colorado are FanDuel, DraftKings, and Mile High Fantasy Sports.

Colorado Online Casinos

Even though there are no state-sanctioned online casinos in Colorado, several local venues operate their own social gaming sites or direct their customers to well-established play money casino platforms, such as the Double Down Casino or Play-4-Fun. These casino gambling sites offer the same types of games you’d find at other casinos including table games and online slots.

As mentioned, playing at offshore online casinos is illegal in Colorado and can carry serious legal consequences.

If Colorado ever decides to legalize online casinos, there would be an incredible amount of competition because of the large number of local casinos. The competition would be great for CO players because it would mean better casino bonuses and promotions.

All Colorado casinos are located in four areas, which have been turned into mini-Vegas Strips. Three of those areas – Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek – are former mining towns. The fourth and smallest cluster of Colorado casinos is located in Towaoc.

All casinos in Colorado offer Limited Gaming. This limits the maximum wager on all games to $100. It also limits the table games and machines casinos can offer to:

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Poker
• Roulette
• Slots
• Video Poker Machines

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Poker
• Roulette
• Slots
• Video poker machines

Black Hawk Casinos

Black Hawk, CO is located adjacent to Central City in Clear Creek Canyon, just west of Denver. Even though Black Hawk is less than two square miles it hosts the state’s largest number of commercial casinos (14). During its peak season, the small former mining town receives 20,000 visitors who come to enjoy the city’s culture and gaming entertainment.

• Ameristar Casino Resort & Spa
• Bull Durham Saloon & Casino
• Gilpin Casino
• Golden Gates Casino
• Golden Gulch Casino
• Golden Mardi Gras Casino
• Isle Casino Hotel
• Lady Luck Casino
• Lodge Casino
• Monarch Casino Resort & Spa
• Red Dolly Casino
• Saratoga Casino
• Sasquatch Casino
• Wild Card Saloon & Casino
• Z Casino

Central City Casinos

Right next to Black Hawk is Central City, which offers 6 casinos.

• Century Casino & Hotel Central City
• Dostal Alley Casino & Microbrewery
• Easy Street Casino
• Famous Bonanza Casino
• Grand Z Casino Hotel
• Johnny Z’s Casino

Native American Casinos

• Sky Ute Casino Resort
• Ute Mountain Casino Hotel

Cripple Creek Casinos

Located at the base of Pikes Peak, the historic mining town of Cripple Creek is home to the second-most casinos in Colorado. Over 100 years ago, Colorado’s Gold Rush put Cripple Creek on the map when thousands flocked to the area in hopes of striking it rich. Today, gamblers visit the town’s casinos and gaming halls with the same goal.

• Billy’s Casino
• Brass Ass Casino
• Bronco Billy’s Casino
• Century Casino & Hotel Cripple Creek
• Christmas Casino & Inn
• Colorado Grande Casino & Hotel
• Double Eagle Hotel & Casino
• Johnny Nolon’s Casino
• McGill’s Hotel & Casino
• Midnight Rose Hotel and Casino

Colorado Lotteries

Colorado also has a state lottery which is legal for anyone over the age of 18. It includes both state lotteries and multi-state draws that often pay out hundreds of millions of dollars. This includes draws such as the well-known Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky for Life. 

Colorado residents can also purchase scratch game tickets and participate in second-chance drawings, although unfortunately, none of these products are available online. The lottery website is for information purposes only – if you want to join the action, you’ll need to visit one of the licensed retailers.

The CO Lottery does have a website and free mobile app which allows you to:

• See the current jackpot prizes for each draw
• Scan your lottery tickets to check for winning numbers
• See the previous winning numbers
• Save your favorite numbers
• Enter bonus draws 
• Play free digital games

However, you cannot legally purchase tickets online. To purchase a ticket for the CO lotto, you must head to one of the state’s licensed retailers, which are also listed on the app. Although this is somewhat inconvenient for anyone in Colorado not near a licensed retailer, Colorado does offer Advance Play for all jackpot draws. This permits you to purchase lottery tickets up to 13 weeks in advance. 

Colorado Bingo

Bingo is a unique form of charitable gaming in that it falls under the Colorado Secretary of State’s jurisdiction. In practical terms, this means easier access – there are several popular bingo halls located in Denver alone. Unfortunately, local businesses aren’t allowed to operate online bingo sites, and playing on offshore platforms is classified as the same petty offense as engaging in more hardcore forms of internet gambling.

Colorado Gambling FAQ

What types of gambling are available in CO?

Colorado legalized land-based gambling in 1990. Although the history of gambling in The Centennial State is rather short, Colorado has plenty of tribal and commercial casinos and card rooms, which are mainly located in Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, and Central City. Other regulated forms of gambling include the Colorado state lottery and pari-mutuel horse racing. Home games are allowed as long as there is no rake, but the casinos have some rather annoying maximum betting limits. Colorado also has legal online sports betting, DFS, and horse racing.

What laws cover online gambling in Colorado?

Colorado gambling laws are covered by Section 18 of the Colorado Code, although there is no mention of online casino games and poker in Colorado statutes, which means that there’s nothing to stop players from gambling on US-facing offshore gambling sites.

Can I gamble online in Colorado?

Yes, Colorado residents and anyone else physically located in the state can access licensed online sportsbooks and DFS sites. There are no state-licensed online casinos or online poker rooms. And although you’re unlikely to get punished for playing online poker or casino games at offshore gambling sites, you need to understand the risks of gambling at offshore sites. Also, keep in mind that the authorities are very serious about punishing illegal gambling operators, both online and offline.

Is online poker legal in Colorado?

No, online poker is not legal in Colorado. As with online casinos, the state law prohibits CO residents from playing at real money online poker rooms and there are no regulated or legal sites in the state. 

Which offshore gambling sites accept CO residents?

Colorado law is considered to be reasonably lax when it comes to online gambling, which means that all the offshore sites are going to accept Colorado-based customers.

What are the most popular banking options supported by Colorado-facing sites?

Credit and debit card payments are very popular among offshore site players, as they’re relatively cheap and quite reliable as long as you stick to Visa and MasterCard. Cashing out is almost always handled via a wire transfer or a check by courier.

Is it likely for CO to regulate other types of online gambling like online casino games and poker?

Right now there is no legislation or a plan to legalize online casinos in Colorado. However, with the successful launch of legal sports betting, lawmakers could consider the additional tax revenue and expedite a new law that would regulate online casinos and poker sites, especially with local casinos struggling due to the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic.

Can I buy/own slot machines in Colorado?

Yes, in Colorado you can legally purchase a slot machine manufactured before 1984. Colorado law restricts sales to vintage slot machines with mechanical reels.

Colorado Gambling History & Resources

Colorado is a gambling-friendly state with a well-functioning casino industry. When the federal government passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, the state of Colorado entered into compacts with both of the local Ute tribes.

The first tribal casino opened in September 1992 near Towaoc, followed by a similar venue in 1993. Also, the 1992 constitutional amendment allowed for the construction of 38 non-tribal gambling venues. Other than that, Colorado runs a lottery and three pari-mutuel facilities that offer betting on horse and dog races.

The Colorado Limited Gaming Initiative, also known as Initiative 4, was on the November 6 1990 ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment, where it was approved. The measure allowed limited gaming in the cities of Black Hawk, Central, and Cripple Creek.

Previously, Section 18 of the Colorado Code made it illegal to engage in online gambling unless it was a social game or the bets were placed at a licensed venue. The penalty was a low fine. The state also has a law against professional gambling, but contrary to popular belief, it applies exclusively to illegal gambling operators and doesn’t concern individual players.

Nevertheless, Colorado doesn’t have any regulations that prohibit placing bets online, which means that determining the legality of popular internet gambling activities gets somewhat tricky. In our opinion, the answer lies in the fact that the state simply doesn’t go after individual players and is concerned predominantly with busting the people who run illegal land-based games.

Finally, local lawmakers seem interested in introducing state-sanctioned online gambling to the Centennial State. Before online sports betting was legalized, the last push happened in 2013 and amounted to an internet poker bill being drafted behind the scenes. The proposed legislation didn’t even make it to the House floor, and no further attempts have been made since then.  DFS contests were legalized in 2016. However, DFS operators are not much of a threat to the local casinos, which generate well over $200 million in revenue every month and pay a gaming tax to the state.

Colorado Gaming Agencies

Colorado Department of State (Bingo Raffles)
Phone: 303.894.2200
Fax: 303.869.4871
email: sos.licensing@sos.state.co.us

Colorado Division of Gaming
1881 Pierce St., Suite 112
Lakewood, CO 80214-1496
(303) 205-1355
(303) 205-1342 (fax)

Colorado Division of Racing Events
1881 Pierce St., Suite 112
Lakewood, CO 80214-1496
Phone: (303) 205-2990
Fax: (303) 205-2950

Colorado Lottery
Wells Fargo Building
201 W. 8th St., Suite 600
Pueblo, CO 81003
Phone: (719) 546-2400
Fax: (719) 546-5208