The state of Colorado has a distinct gaming culture. You will find about 40 casinos in total, the majority of which are concentrated in three small alpine settlements. There are, additionally, two tribal casinos in the state’s southern section.
January 1983 saw the opening of the Colorado Lottery, which operates through retail stores. Currently, these are the only places to play, but a mobile app is available for checking tickets and other information.
Throughout the state, Coloradans can participate in a variety of charitable gaming activities, including bingo. Continue reading to learn more about gambling in Colorado.
Is gambling legal in Colorado?
Although gambling is permitted, residents of Colorado can only gamble at licensed land-based casinos, play the state lottery, bet on horses and get involved in online sports betting. They can also participate in raffles for charitable causes, and play social betting games like poker with their friends.
The gaming rules in this state are relatively lenient, but online gambling – apart from sports betting – is prohibited.
Gambling in Colorado compared to other states
Many states have taken steps to modernize their gaming regulations in recent years. Colorado has made many reforms, but how do its laws compare to those in other states?
Most states appear to take a polarized approach to gambling. Many have established liberal legislation that effectively allows all types of betting, while others have stayed steadfast in their opposition to it. However, Colorado only allows gambling at land-based venues.
Most types of gambling are legal in physical venues, and as of 2019, many forms of internet sports gambling have also been made legal.
Popular gambling in Colorado
Because gambling in the state is carefully controlled, each game has its own legal definition. The law only allows for five types of gambling games:
Slot machines
Players insert a coin and pull the handle to activate a set of spinning symbols on wheels. The final alignment of the symbols decides the reward that you will receive.
Blackjack
Also known as 21, blackjack is a very popular casino game. Here, players do not compete against each other but against the dealer. They need a total card value as close to 21 as possible. However, if they exceed it, they lose.
Poker
The most common poker variant is Texas Hold ’em poker. Two hole cards and five community cards are handed out to each player. All the players can see the Community cards, whereas the Hole cards can only be seen by the person they belong to. The strongest 5-hand card wins the game.
Craps
One or more players compete against a casino using two dice, betting on certain combinations of numbers indicated by the dice on each throw.
Roulette
A ball spins on a rotating wheel and falls into one of the wheel’s numbered slots. Players place bets on which slot the ball will fall into.
Sports betting in Colorado
As of May 1, 2020, online sports betting is legal in Colorado, as long as you place legal bets with a licensed sports betting operator within the state’s borders. Overseas sportsbooks are illegal. In addition, you must be over the age of 21 to gamble at Colorado casinos or place sports bets online.
Not only does the state have a large number of sportsbooks, it also has local brands that are more market-specific. Colorado’s sports betting laws allow more than 30 casinos to offer digital betting through licensed sportsbooks inside the state’s borders. Most of them have already taken advantage of the opportunity.
The sheer number of options, bonuses, and promotions available to Colorado sports bettors may be confusing. Continue reading for an in-depth look at sportsbook applications and Colorado’s legal sports betting.
Like many other states, most of the sporting action takes place in the state’s largest city. All of the major sports teams in the Centennial State are in and around Denver, and they are very popular with bettors. These include:
- The Colorado Rapids, a Major League Soccer team
- The Denver Broncos, in the National Football League
- The Colorado Rockies, a Major League Baseball team
- the Denver Nuggets, in the National Basketball Association
- The Colorado Avalanche, in the National Hockey League
In addition to these main clubs, there are some major college teams in Colorado. The NCAA Colorado Buffaloes football team, as well as the NCAA Colorado State Rams football squads, are both highly popular. Other sports, including motorsports, martial arts, and rugby, are also available for betting. During the peak of the epidemic in 2020, table tennis became an important sport to gamble on, and it has remained a staple of Colorado sportsbooks ever since.
Summary
Citizens in this state have it relatively easy when it comes to gambling legislation when compared to residents in other states. Internet gambling is still illegal, but now that online sports betting is legal, online poker and casinos are likely to follow suit in the near future.
To say the least, the Colorado betting market is competitive, with a variety of exciting gambling options.