Colorado Legal Gambling

Casinos in Colorado are only legal if located in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek. The bet limit at all of these Colorado casinos is $100, where all games are permitted. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, craps and roulette. Colorado legalized casino in 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. The legal gambling age for DFS in Colorado is 21 years or older. DFS is fully regulated by the state of Colorado, meaning sites like DraftKings or FanDuel have to follow certain protocols. State lawmakers decided that people in Colorado need to be at least 21 years or older to play DFS contests. Farther south, Cripple Creek, another gold-mining-turned-gambling town, is tucked in the mountains an hour from Colorado Springs with 16 casinos. In 2009, the state’s casinos increased betting limits to $100, added new games and began operating 24 hours a day.

Sports Gambling is Legal in Colorado: Here is what you need to know.

The home of the Rocky Mountains may boast all kinds of outdoor activities, but online gambling in Colorado is also a welcome distraction for many. You get the convenience of betting at your fingertips without having to take a long road trip.

This page is dedicated to everything you need know about gambling online for real money in CO, and includes a list of the best Colorado online gambling sites.

Colorado and gambling have gone hand in hand ever since the 19^th century. Back then, it was the heyday for renowned card players like Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. These days, though, poker has evolved from saloons to Vegas-style casinos.

There are about 40 casinos in the state, all located in Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk. Residents and visitors can also play the lottery, and participate in pari-mutuel betting and daily fantasy sports. There are no shortage of options for real money gambling in Colorado.

In May of 2020, the first state-licensed sportsbooks, were unveiled in the Centennial State. But even with places to walk into to place a bet, and all the casino venues, online gambling in Colorado can be preferable.

We explain more later, but let’s start with details of the top online gambling sites for Colorado.

Ranking the best Colorado online gambling sites takes quite a bit of time and research. Fortunately, though, we’ve got an entire team of experts that’s knowledgeable and stays up to date on everything happening in the world of internet betting and gamling.

Unlike in-person casinos and other venues, real money online gambling sites for Colorado (and other players around the world) can come and go quickly. It could take a year to build a casino or a week to launch a website. So, it’s essential that we not only review each operation, but we revisit all of them frequently.

We have a comprehensive list of criteria that we use when we evaluate the service and reputation of a casino, sportsbook, or poker site, and we’ll get into more specifics in the next section. But it’s not a one-and-done process.

We continue to follow the news, watch for new site launches, and monitor legal online gambling in CO and beyond.

Rating Real Money Gambling Sites for CO

There are a few types of Colorado online gambling services.

Daily fantasy sports was approved in 2016, and the providers may be outside of the area, but the operations are regulated in-state. There are also sports betting sites and, as of 2020, some of them have in-state licensing.

Other real money gambling sites for Colorado players are based out of the area and don’t fall under the state’s jurisdiction. They can be casinos only, although some of them include sportsbooks and poker rooms as well. These are the websites that we primarily focus on, because they require a more stringent review process.

When we’re evaluating Colorado online gambling sites, in particular, we take extra steps to ensure that they go the extra mile, especially when it comes to payment options. It’s not enough to accept a credit card, as US players need additional selections.

Using something like Bitcoin is ideal for real money gambling online. Transfers are fast, free, and private. Other have options have their own benefits, too.

The money side of things is one of the most important when ranking online gambling sites for CO. But we also take a look at the entire operation from top to bottom. Our checklist starts with the homepage of the site and continues to customer service, bonuses, promotions, games, reputation, player feedback, and more.

Online gambling in Colorado is relatively new, although poker and other betting activities have been around for centuries in the Centennial State.

Getting to the point where there are now 40 casinos took some time. From 1948 to 1982, the only legal game in town was pari-mutuel betting. Even though things started to evolve in the 1980s, the change didn’t come very quickly.

The lottery was first on the list, and ticket sales started in 1983. From there, it was almost a decade before the next gambling expansion took place, but it was significant. In 1991, Colorado approved Vegas-style casino gambling in three locations. Unlike many states, it wasn’t all attributed to IGRA, and some of the venues are for-profit operations that are separate from the tribal casinos.

As we mentioned, there are currently about 40 casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. While it’s been business as usual for a few decades, things are starting to change once more. Some of the venues are adding sportsbooks beginning in 2020.

Both daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting were approved and in 2016 and 2019, respectively. Sportsbooks will be licensed and regulated in the state of Colorado for both in-person and online business.

Even though there are some in-state regulated online sportsbooks, most of the online gambling in Colorado is provided by operators out of state.

The gaming control’s position is that most online gambling services are prohibited from anyone licensed in the Colorado casino industry. But now, with DFS and sports betting regulated, Colorado gambling laws are starting to evolve slowly.

You’re not currently able to play slots or table games at Colorado online gambling sites that are regulated in-state, but that may change in due course. And you have access to those games, anyway, at the real money gambling sites that we recommend.

• Casino Gambling: legal
• Poker: legal (in casinos)
• Sports Betting: legal in-person and online
• Online Daily Fantasy Sports: legal
• Lottery: legal
• Horse and Dog Racing Betting: legal
• Other Online Gambling: not licensed and regulated in-state

With the lottery and all of the casinos, why would you want to use a Colorado online gambling site?

The answer would be the same if you replaced “gambling” with “shopping.” People like the convenience of having everything at their fingertips.

We’ve all grown accustomed to instant gratification. We buy things when we have the impulse whether we’re out in a store or not. When we want to watch a movie, we can stream one instead of always going out to a theater.

Online gambling in Colorado or anywhere else in the world can be a hobby for many people. It’s a way to pass the time, and it’s entertaining. If you’re a sports fan, you can catch a game. Of course, having a bet in place makes it even more exciting to watch. Slots, table games, and video poker can be fun pursuits as well.

In addition to being able to gamble any time and anywhere, it may be the only game in town for some players. If you enjoy real money gambling in Colorado and you don’t live near one of the three casino hotbeds, then gambling online is a great alternative.

The top CO gambling sites have come a long way since the earlier days. You know, way back when, in the late 90s and early 21st century!

Today’s online casinos and sportsbooks are filled with all kinds of options. You can even sit down at a virtual live dealer table and watch as a living and breathing human being deals out the cards. Or, if privacy is your thing, you don’t have to go anywhere near a live casino. You can stick to playing against the computer.

You can bet on pretty much any sport you want to, with all kinds of different wagers available.

You’ll find more ways to move money in and out of online accounts, as well as new types of bonuses and promotions.

There’s better customer service, too. Not too long ago, it was challenging to find a phone number for some online gambling websites. Nowadays most of them have live chat.

More Top Gambling Sites for Colorado

While we’ve got a list of the top recommendations for the all-around best Colorado online gambling sites, you may be looking for something more specific.

Not all gambling websites extend their services to include all of casino, sports betting, and poker. Some don’t have live dealer tables, while others are all-inclusive.

So, we’ve taken our ratings and ranking system to another level by taking the best Colorado gambling sites and breaking them down into categories. That way, you can pull up what you’re most interested in without having to go one by one through each site to see if it carries your favorites.

Coloradans who enjoy real money gambling have quite a few options in their home state. They don’t need to travel to Las Vegas to do some casino gaming, as everything is available within state lines. Gambling expanded in 2020 as well with the approval of regulated in-state sports betting.

In addition to the brick and mortar options, Colorado online gambling is alive and well with new state-regulated daily fantasy sports and sports betting. Then there are the top Colorado gambling sites that we recommend, which not only allow for betting on sports but also offer casino and poker games.

Check them out and see for yourself why we recommend them!

• Year Colorado Regulated Gambling: Horseracing (1950), Lottery (1982), Casinos (1991)
• Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling: $232 million
• Estimated Gambling Revenue (from casinos): $1.1 billion
• Colorado Gambling Age: 18 for lottery and bingo, 21 for casinos and racing
• Smoking ban: The Colorado bans indoor smoking. Reservations casinos are the only exclusion related to gaming.
• Colorado Online gambling: Horseracing is the only form of legal online gambling

Colorado Online Gambling Laws

There is a liberal stance when it comes to Colorado gambling. Its horse racing industry dates back to the 1950’s. Colorado also had greyhound racing but it was outlawed when the last surviving track folded last decade.

The state created a lottery in 1982, selling its first ticket the following year. Colorado saw former mining cities on the brink of becoming ghost towns. Voters approved Colorado casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek in order to save those twons. This also permitted the Utes to operate Colorado casinos on tribal land.

Paying Gambling Taxes in Colorado

Do you have to pay taxes on your gambling winnings? OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos has gathered everything you need to know about paying taxes on your gambling winnings straight from a Certified Public Accountant. For more information please visit our exclusive Gambling Taxes article.

Colorado Casinos Map & Guide

• Black Hawk
• Central City
• Cripple Creek
• Ute Mountain
• Sky Ute

• Number of B&M Casinos: 43
• Number of Poker Rooms: 9
• Number of Indian Casinos: 2

• • Huge Welcome Bonus Package
  • Visa and MasterCard Payment Options Available for US Players
  • Over 150 Real Money Online Slot Games

  Compatible with:

  • windows
  • apple
  • android
  • mobile
• • Safe and Reputable Casino, Mobile Friendly
  • Easy Credit Card Deposits for US Players
  • Impressive Welcome Bonuses up to 260% match

  Compatible with:

  • windows
  • apple
  • android
  • mobile
• • Quick USA Payouts, Credit Cards Accepted
  • Great Selection of Slots & Table Games
  • Legit & Reputable Mobile Friendly Casino

  Compatible with:

  • windows
  • apple
  • android
  • mobile
• • Uses the Microgaming Software
  • Fast Cashouts in Just 1-7 Days
  • Online, Mobile, Instant & Live Play

  Deposit Options include:

  • visa
  • mastercard
  • paypal
  • neteller

  100% up to €1,000
• • Big Jackpots and Massive Deposit Bonuses
  • Over 400 Online Casino Games
  • Play Live Dealer Games

  Deposit Options include:

  • visa
  • mastercard
  • paypal
  • bitcoin

  100% up to €1,600
• • Large Australian Bitcoin-Friendly Casino
  • Mobile, Flash, and Download Play Options
  • Fastest Payouts

  Deposit Options include:

  • visa
  • mastercard
  • paypal
  • neteller
• • Safe and Trustworthy Australian Casino
  • Multiple Daily Deposit Deals
  • 100s of Pokies, Slots, and Table Games

  Compatible with:

  • windows
  • apple
  • android
  • mobile

Legalized Gambling Colorado

Types of Colorado Online Gambling Allowed

The only form of online gambling specifically legal in Colorado is off-track betting. These types of wagers may be made on greyhound and horse races.

Online poker, casino games, and sports betting are not legal in Colorado. In 2013, Attorney General John Suthers opined that it would take a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.

Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel operate in Colorado. The companies assert that the niche qualifies as a skill game under Colorado law. No opponents have emerged in the state over this opinion.

Types of Colorado Live Gambling

• Slots: Yes
• Blackjack: Yes
• Poker: Yes
• Craps/Roulette: Yes
• Horses: Yes
• Lottery: Yes

There are four types of legal Colorado gambling. Live horse racing is permitted. These facilities may also offer off-track betting. There is a state lottery that sells tickets for instant games and lottos. These include interstate drawings. The Colorado casinos are permitted in three cities; Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act extends this to tribal land in Colorado. There are two casinos on reservations that operate under the same rules as commercial ones.

Charitable gambling is also legal in Colorado. Bingo and raffles are among the permitted games of chance available to nonprofits to raise money. All Colorado casinos can offer players the best games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, and slot games. These casino games are also permitted on Native American land.

Colorado Gambling Laws

Colorado gambling laws cover almost all forms of wagering. Live horse racing is permitted when funds are placed into a pari-mutuel pool. Off-track betting is allowed at racing sites and taverns. Greyhound racing was outlawed in 2014 after the last dog track folded in Colorado. Off-track betting is still permitted on greyhounds. Players that want to bet on the races must have the minimum Colorado gambling age of 21 years.

The Colorado Lottery is operated by the state. It is permitted to sell instant games and lotto tickets. State law permits the lottery to operate lotto drawings specific to Colorado and join massive interstate jackpots. Lottery players must be 18 years old.

Charities may also operate games of chance. The charities must be registered and all proceeds must go to these organizations. They may not be operated in a commercial manner. Like lotteries, charity players must be at least 18 years of age.

Colorado casinos were legalized in an attempt to revive the ailing economies in three mountain towns. Casinos in Colorado are only legal if located in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek. The bet limit at all of these Colorado casinos is $100, where all games are permitted. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, craps and roulette. Casino players must meet the minimum gambling age of 21 years. Casinos are now permitted to operate 24 hours a day in Colorado. Colorado casinos pay 20% of the gaming revenue to the state in the form of taxes.

List of Colorado Casinos

As mentioned before, there are only three cities where Colorado casinos can legally operate. You will be able to find casinos in Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk. Other than these locations, American Indian tribes can also run their own casinos, as long as they operate from within the reservation lands. Below you can find a detailed guide to the casinos in Colorado. For more accurate directions you can check out the Colorado casinos map for their locations.

The only live racetrack in Colorado is Arapahoe Park. It holds live horse races and off-track betting or horses and greyhounds.

Colorado Gambling History

Colorado gambling dates back to the early mining days. Early prospectors passed the time playing poker and other games in Wild West saloons. The first casino in the U.S. is purported to have been in Colorado near the Utah and Wyoming state lines. It was called Brown’s Saloon and opened in 1822.

A puritan movement put an end to this type of unregulated gambling throughout the West. It moved underground, as opposed to operating in the open in taverns throughout communities in the Rockies as it did before.

The first step back towards legalized gambling was the creation of racing commission in 1950. This launched legalized racing in Colorado. Horses and greyhounds were once permitted. The Interstate Kennel Club failed in 2009. It was the last greyhound track in Colorado. The state banned live greyhound racing in 2014.

Off-track betting was later added to the available offerings at racetracks in the late 1970’s. Taverns were permitted to offer simulcast wagering to help subsidize the horsemen.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create casinos in Colorado in 1990. The casinos may only be located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. This also extended legalized gambling to the Utes’ reservations. The goal was to revive busted mining towns.

Colorado casinos opened with limited gaming in 1991. The maximum bet was $5. Only poker, slot machines, video poker and table games that used cards were permitted. Casinos were only permitted to be open 18 hours a day. The standard hours were 9 am to 3 am.

Voters approved a massive expansion of gambling that launched on July 1, 2009. This permitted 24-hour casino operations. It also raised the bet limit from $5 to $100. Craps and roulette were also added as allowable games, deviating from the longstanding policy of only permitting table games that required skill.

Amendment 68 sought the approval of voters to add slots and video poker at racetracks in Pueblo and Mesa Counties in 2014. Voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure in a statewide constitutional referendum.

Colorado Gambling Laws

Colorado Casinos & Gambling FAQ

Slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and any table game that uses cards.

Colorado Legal Online Gambling

Simulcast pari-mutuel betting on horse and dog races is the only form of legal online gambling in Colorado.

No. It would likely require a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.

Yes. It includes scratch-off tickets and lotto drawings.

The minimum Colorado gambling age is 18 years for lottery and bingo. Horse racing and Colorado casinos require players to be at least 21 years old.

Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek have casinos. The two Ute Reservations also have casinos.

Black Hawk is the closest to Denver. Central City is its sister city.

Arkansas Legal Gambling Age

20 percent