Colorado Sports Betting Safeguards Take Effect: Credit Card Ban, Deposit Caps

Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 26-131 into law, a bipartisan measure that layers several new requirements onto Colorado's regulated sportsbooks. The law took effect on August 12, 2026.

Key provisions include:

• Credit card deposits are banned outright. Bettors will no longer be able to fund sportsbook accounts using a credit card.
• A cap of six deposits per 24-hour period. Colorado becomes the first state to impose a hard daily deposit-frequency limit on sports betting apps.
• No push notifications or texts soliciting bets or deposits. Operators and their marketing affiliates can no longer send alerts encouraging a bettor to wager or add funds.
• A ban on "bonus bet" and "no sweat" marketing language. The law specifically restricts enhanced-payout and bonus-style promotional terms in Colorado advertising and marketing materials.
• Under-21 targeting is prohibited for both operators and marketing affiliates, with a carve-out for public venues (such as stadiums) where attendees' ages can't reasonably be determined.

The Colorado Gaming Control Commission was granted enforcement authority, with fines of up to $25,000 per violation.

SB 26-131 cleared the Senate 20-15 on the final day of the 2026 legislative session after passing the House by a wide 50-13 margin.

An earlier version of the bill capped deposits at five per day and also included a ban on most proposition bets; the prop bet ban was ultimately stripped out before final passage, while the deposit cap was loosened slightly to six.

Bill co-sponsor Sen. Matt Ball framed the law as a direct response to the scale of the state's betting market, as Colorado’s handle exceeds more than $6 billion in annual wagers. He and fellow sponsors pointed to rising concern about targeted advertising and algorithm-driven marketing contributing to gambling-related harm.

Sportsbooks licensed in Colorado will need to:

• Disable credit card as a funding method
• Build deposit-frequency tracking to enforce the six-per-day cap
• Turn off push notifications and SMS marketing that solicits bets or deposits
• Audit and revise promotional copy to remove "bonus bet," "no sweat," and similar enhanced-payout language from Colorado-facing marketing
• Review affiliate marketing practices for under-21 targeting compliance

You can still use debit cards, bank transfers, and other existing methods to fund your sportsbook accounts; after Aug. 12, you will no longer be allowed to use credit cards.