Colorado Betting

Online sports betting is mature and regulated by the Limited Gaming Control Commission and the Division of Gaming; bettors must be 21+ and in-state. A June 2026 reform law (SB26-131) tightened responsible-gambling rules, capping deposits at six a gaming day, banning push-notification and text solicitations, and prohibiting credit-card deposits for sports bets. Online horse-race ADW is explicitly legal and state-licensed (18+). On prediction markets Colorado licenses only casino-tethered sports betting operators, and event contracts sit outside that licensing.

21+ and present in CO. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

Legal CO Betting Sites

Colorado regulates a wider range of online gambling activities than many people realize. Sports betting was authorized by voters in November 2019 as you may have heard, but that is not the only form of online gambling that is legal in Colorado.

Legal Forms of Online Betting in CO:

• Sports betting

• Daily fantasy sports

• Horse racing betting

• Games of skill

Colorado Online Sports Betting

Colorado legalized sports betting through a two-part process in 2019. First, the state legislature passed HB 1327 to authorize sports betting and establish some basic regulations. The governor signed the bill in May 2019.

Second, Colorado voters had to approve the bill via statewide referendum before it could become law. That happened in November 2019. The bill required a public referendum due to Colorado’s TABOR Amendment, which requires all legislation that includes a tax increase to be approved by the voters before it may take effect.

Even though the CO sports betting law does not increase existing taxes, it had to survive a statewide vote because it establishes a new tax on licensed Colorado betting operators. Despite the ballot question’s awkward phrasing, voters approved the bill to formally legalize in-person and mobile / online sports betting.

The first Colorado sportsbooks opened one year later, in May 2020. Colorado online sports betting sites and mobile apps licensed by the Limited Gaming Control Commission (LGCC) may offer wagers on professional and college sports, including major events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness, provided the bet appears in the Commission’s official catalog.

Colorado Sportsbook Reviews

The Colorado sports betting market is competitive thanks to favorable legislation with low taxes and plenty of openings for operators to set up shop.

• FanDuel Review

• DraftKings Review

• BetMGM Review

• BetRivers Review

• Caesars Review

How Sports Betting Works in Colorado

In-person and online sports betting is legal in Colorado, with online wagers placed by desktop or mobile.

Under state law, Colorado casinos hold a monopoly over sports betting. Each casino that acquires a sports wagering license may accept wagers in-person through a retail sportsbook and online through a single website and mobile app.

Casinos are also allowed to form partnerships with third-party providers such as FanDuel and DraftKings for assistance in running their Colorado betting apps and to capitalize on brand name recognition.

For example, PointsBet got an early start on CO sports betting by forming a partnership with Cripple Creek’s Double Eagle Hotel and Casino months before the referendum was even held. Under the terms of that deal, PointsBet was tasked with managing the casino’s retail and mobile sportsbook operations.

Double Eagle gained an experienced partner while PointsBet gained access to the CO market. Arrangements of that shape — a casino licence paired with an online operator's platform — are how most of the state's online sportsbooks came to market.

How Sports Betting in Colorado is Regulated

HB 1327 established some basic regulations governing sports betting in Colorado and tasked the Limited Gaming Control Commission with overseeing the industry. The Commission has since adopted detailed sports betting rules, and some of the basic requirements set forth by HB 1327 include:

• Sets a minimum age of 21 to bet on sports

• Sports betting operators taxed 10% on net proceeds

• Each Colorado casino may apply for a sports betting license, with annual operating fees set each year by the Limited Gaming Control Commission ($78,000 for internet sports betting and $11,700 for retail in FY2027)

• Each casino may offer in-person betting and a single online betting site / mobile app

• Each casino may contract with a third-party provider to manage its retail and online betting operations

• Casinos may offer wagers on professional, collegiate and Olympic sports events

• Wagers may only be accepted on events and bet types that appear in the Commission’s Official Catalog of Events and Wagers

• Esports betting is prohibited on events that are not sanctioned by a sports governing body

Retail Sportsbooks in Colorado

In addition to mobile sportsbooks, casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek that acquire sports betting licenses may also construct retail sportsbooks to accept wagers in person.

With reasonable licensing fees and a 10% tax rate, most casinos in Colorado have found it financially viable to launch retail sportsbooks. Sportsbooks that are fully approved were given the go-ahead to begin accepting wagers after May 1st, 2020 and numerous locations have opened since.

Colorado Daily Fantasy Sports

Colorado formally legalized and regulated daily fantasy sports with the passage of HB 1404 in 2016. The bill created the legal framework under which fantasy sites may operate, established a licensing process for operators and set the ground rules for the conduct of operators.

Under CO law, fantasy contest operators are registered and licensed by the Division of Gaming in the Department of Revenue. State law distinguishes between large operators and small operators for the purposes of registration and licensing.

Large fantasy operators are defined as those with more than 7,500 active players and must be licensed in Colorado. Small fantasy operators are defined as those with 7,500 or fewer active players and only need to be registered.

Daily fantasy providers licensed in Colorado as large operators — those serving more than 7,500 customers — include:

• FanDuel.com

• DraftKings.com

A larger number of fantasy providers are registered as small operators. Some of the more well-known small operators registered in Colorado include:

• Yahoo Daily Fantasy

• Boom Fantasy

• SidePrize (now PrizePicks)

Under Colorado law, daily fantasy sports contest operators must:

• Ensure all customers are at least 18 years of age

• Prevent employees and family members who live in the same household from participating in fantasy contests

• Prevent the sharing of confidential information that could be used by third parties to gain an advantage in fantasy contests

• Prevent athletes and officials who participate in or officiate sports events that are the subject of fantasy contests from participating in those contests

• Provide a means by which customers may self-exclude from participating in fantasy contests

• Segregate customer funds from operational funds

• Distinguish highly experienced players and beginners and ensure highly experienced players are identified as such to all players

• Disclose the number of lineups customers are allowed to enter into each contest

• Prohibit the use of third-party scripts that can be used to gain an advantage over other players

• Clearly disclose all rules that govern its fantasy contests

• Take reasonable steps to limit each customer to a single account

• Contract with a third party to perform an annual audit to ensure compliance with CO fantasy sports law

Colorado Horse Racing Betting

Horse racing betting is legal in Colorado at racetracks, off-track betting facilities (OTBs), and licensed betting sites / mobile apps for customers 18 and older.

Horse racing and parimutuel wagering are regulated by the Division of Racing Events under the Colorado Department of Revenue. The Division is also responsible for issuing licenses to advance deposit wagering providers (ADWs), which is just a fancy term for online horse racing betting.

Wagers can also be placed in person at the state’s only live horse racetrack, Bally’s Arapahoe Park in Aurora. It runs a live meet each year during the summer season and offers simulcast wagering during the live racing season.

Several off-track betting facilities statewide offer wagering on simulcast horse and greyhound racing year-round. The Division of Racing Events' current list of off-track betting locations is:

Greyhound racing fell out of favor in Colorado over the early and mid 2000s until the last remaining greyhound track closed in 2008. Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill to formally outlaw greyhound racing in 2014 to permanently end the sport in Colorado.

Licensed OTBs and betting sites may still accept wagers on greyhound races found elsewhere, but live racing is nowhere to be found in Colorado.

Colorado Casinos

Colorado legalized casino gambling in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek with the passage of the Limited Gaming Act in 1991 following a statewide referendum approved by voters the previous year. The first casinos were up and running by the end of 1991.

Under the law at the time, casinos could only accept maximum wagers of $5 on slots, blackjack and poker games. Casinos were also required to close by 2 AM.

Those rules were relaxed in 2008 when voters approved Initiative 50 during the November election. The passage of Initiative 50 increased the maximum wager at Colorado casinos to $100, authorized craps, authorized roulette and allowed casinos to remain open 24 hours a day.

Poker in Colorado

Online poker is illegal across the board in Colorado, but in-person poker games are permitted at casinos and in other locations if certain conditions are met.

Online Poker

State law strictly prohibits online gambling in all its forms, including online poker. Despite what you may read online elsewhere, there are no legal Colorado poker sites operating anywhere in the state.

Certain offshore websites do offer online poker games to CO residents, but those games operate contrary to multiple state and federal laws. These games are unregulated, unlicensed and cannot guarantee the safety of your funds or fairness of the games. We recommend staying far away from such sites.

Licensed casinos in Colorado may host real money cash games and tournaments. Cash poker games in Colorado are subject to the same $100 maximum wager that is applied to all forms of gambling at casinos.

As a result, true no limit cash games do not exist in Colorado. Instead, spread limit games such as $1/$2 and $2/$5 allow players to wager anywhere between $1 and $100 no matter how much is in the pot at any given time.

Social Poker Games

Social poker games are permitted in Colorado as long as the players have a “bona fide social relationship” outside of gambling.

Games of Skill

Games of skill played for money are legal in Colorado. CO Rev Statutes § 18-10-102 defines gambling as follows (emphasis added):

(2) "Gambling" means risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control, but does not include:

(a) Bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries;

(b) Bona fide business transactions which are valid under the law of contracts;

(c) Other acts or transactions now or hereafter expressly authorized by law;

(d) Any game, wager, or transaction which is incidental to a bona fide social relationship, is participated in by natural persons only, and in which no person is participating, directly or indirectly, in professional gambling; or

(e) Repealed.

(f) Any use of or transaction involving a crane game, as defined in section 12-47.1-103 (5.5), C.R.S.

In other words, state laws on gambling do not apply to real money skill games in Colorado.