You'll find Colorado's top online sports betting platforms right here.
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Yes, online sports betting is legal in Colorado. Sports bettors will soon be able to choose from a variety of online betting sites to place wagers on their favorite teams and sporting events.
Gov. Jared Polis signed a proposal sent to him by state lawmakers for legal sports gambling in Colorado in May 2019. Voters approved the ballot measure, Proposition DD, in November 2019 less than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban and gave individual states the power to legalize sports gambling. As stipulated in the law, some of the tax revenue from sports betting will go to address the state’s water issues.
Colorado has since been busy working on rules and regulations for mobile sports betting. It takes a while to sort out all the terms and agree on a list of approved operators and licenses. Colorado is well on its way and hopes to offer operational sports betting sites by May 2020.
Sports betting is legal in Colorado as of May 1, 2020. The state already passed the legislation and approved its first round of legal sports betting licenses for several land-based casinos. These approved vendors are the first to offer legal retail and online sports gambling in Colorado.
The state will continue to add operators beyond May 1 and sportsbooks won’t open their doors all at once. But they are now free to do so once all the documentation and regulations are in order.
RELATED: Learn more about Colorado online casinos and gambling
The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission has already approved several retail and online sports betting operators. The list will surely grow in the future. But for now, well-known betting operators such as FanDuel Online Sportsbook, DraftKings Online Sportsbook, PointsBet Online Sportsbook, theScore and Penn Sports Interactive are among the first wave of approved online sportsbooks.
The above operators have all partnered with a land-based casino, or will announce a partnership shortly, and have been permitted to take legal sports bets in Colorado as of May 1.
Colorado sports betting will allow all the standard wagers you’d find at a sportsbook anywhere. Bets on local professional teams such as the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rockies and Colorado Avalanche should be popular for bettors across the state. You’ll also get to wager on college football and basketball, daily fantasy sports, professional soccer leagues (MLS, EPL and more), PGA golf, tennis, UFC, boxing and more.
Here some of the typical sports wagers that will be offered for Colorado sports betting.
Point spread: This is a bet on a team to cover the spread, whatever the number is. If the Broncos are 7.5-underdogs against the New England Patriots, Broncos bettors win as long as Denver doesn’t lose by eight or more points.
Moneyline: Moneyline bets are wagers on a team to win outright. There is no point spread, but the risk/reward odds vary based on the matchup. If you bet a -180 favorite, you would risk $180 to win $100. If you bet a +180 underdog, you would win $180 for every $100 wagered.
Total: This is a bet on the total amount of points scored in a game, regardless of which team wins. It could be 204.5 for a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers. You’re betting on whether or not the Nuggets and Lakers will combine to score more than 204 points.
Parlay: This is a series of wagers featuring longer odds and bigger payouts. Sports bettors can combine any number of point spread, total or moneyline bets and combine them into a parlay. The payouts get much bigger with each added game, but every bet has to hit or else the parlay is a loser.
Teaser: Like a parlay, but with modified point spreads. Bettors can improve the point spread in their favor, such as taking the Nuggets from an 8-point favorite to a 2-point favorite, and combine these bets into a teaser. But the payouts are far less than parlays due to the modified spread, usually around 1:1 for the entire teaser parlay.
Live betting: In-game betting is extremely popular and allows for multiple wagers throughout the game. Oddsmakers set multiple new betting lines while the game is being played and bettors can pounce on these spreads in real time to make a live bet.
Prop bets: These are bets on different aspects of games. Player props are popular and allow users to bet on individual player stats, such as Over/Under 275 passing yards for Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Futures: Futures bets are long-term wagers on how a specific team or player will do throughout the season. They include bets such as Over/Under 50 wins for the Nuggets that season or the Colorado Rockies to win the NL West at +450, meaning a $100 bet wins $450 if the Rockies win the division.
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There are nearly 40 commercial and tribal-based casinos in Colorado, all of which will be able to apply for an operator license for legal retail and online sports gambling. The majority have already done so in applying for a master license, which grants the casino the ability to offer legal sports betting both online and at the brick-and-mortar casino.
Many casinos will also partner with gaming operators, and Colorado bettors will be able to register directly from the sports betting apps. That’s great news for Coloradans, because some states with legal sports gambling require bettors to physically sign up at an actual casino. In Colorado, you can register online and start betting with your favorite sports betting sites from the convenience of your home or on your mobile device. But you’ll also be able to make in-person Colorado sports bets at most of the following land-based casinos.
Casino | City |
---|---|
Ameristar Casino | Black Hawk |
Black Diamond Casino | Cripple Creek |
Brass Ass Casino | Cripple Creek |
Bronco Billy’s Casino | Cripple Creek |
Bull Durham Saloon and Casino | Black Hawk |
Bullpen Casino | Black Hawk |
Bullwhacker’s Black Hawk Canyon and Grand Plateau Casino | Black Hawk |
Century Casino | Central City |
Colorado Central Station Casino | Central City |
Colorado Grande Casino | Cripple Creek |
Creeker’s Gaming Hall | Cripple Creek |
Dan Cooper’s Eureka! Casino | Black Hawk |
Doc Holliday Casino | Central City |
Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino | Central City |
Double Eagle Hotel & Casino | Cripple Creek |
Easy Street Casino | Central City |
Famous Bonanza | Central City |
The Gilpin Casino | Black Hawk |
Gold Rush Hotel & Casino | Cripple Creek |
Golden Gates Casino | Black Hawk |
Golden Gulch Casino | Black Hawk |
Golden Mardi Gras Casino | Black Hawk |
Imperial Casino | Cripple Creek |
Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel | Black Hawk |
J.P. McGills Hotel & Casino | Cripple Creek |
Johnny Nolon’s Casino | Cripple Creek |
The Lodge Casino | Black Hawk |
Midnight Rose Hotel & Casino | Cripple Creek |
Red Dolly Casino | Black Hawk |
Reserve Casino Hotel | Central City |
The Richman Casino Wild Card Saloon & Casino | Black Hawk |
Riviera Black Hawk Casino | Black Hawk |
Saratoga Casino | Black Hawk |
Scarlet’s Casino | Central City |
Silver Hawk Saloon & Casino | Black Hawk |
Sky Ute Lodge & Casino | Ignacio |
Teller House | Central City |
Uncle Sam’s Casino | Cripple Creek |
Ute Mountain Casino Hotel & Resort | Towaoc |
Wild Horse Casino | Cripple Creek |
Womacks Casino & Hotel | Cripple Creek |
With Colorado online sports gambling up and running, mobile apps will be one of the most popular ways to wager. All the top online sportsbooks will soon offer easy-to-use sports betting apps so that bettors can get action on their favorite teams from their cell phone.
It’s a very simple process to get started. The state Gaming Commission decided that Colorado sports betting won’t require in-person registration, so bettors just need to download it from their iOS or Android phone like they would any other app.
Coloradans should have some personal information ready in order to register with apps like FanDuel and DraftKings. Mobile sports betting signups usually ask for name, date of birth, Social Security number and proof of residence. This is standard throughout the industry and it’s one of the reasons why we only recommend legal, licensed online betting apps. That way you know your personal information is safe.
Bettors then need to make a deposit using any number of methods. Most mobile sports betting apps accept Play+, PayPal, credit/debit card and bank transfer. Just choose whichever one works best for you, make a deposit and start shopping lines on teams and games to begin placing sports wagers.
Total Handle | Mobile Handle | Revenue (GGR) | |
---|---|---|---|
August | $290.108M | $287.792M | $25.859M |
July | $258.415M | $256.451M | $20.803M |
Change | Up 12.3% | Up 12.2% | Up 24.3% |
Updated October 18
While Colorado sports betting has only been legal a short time, the state has been expanding its gambling legislation from lottery to daily fantasy sports for nearly three decades. Colorado first jumped into the space by offering scratch-off lottery tickets in 1983.
Coloradans didn’t have access to casino games until 1991, when the state constitution was amended to allow gambling in three historic gold-mining towns – Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. That’s how it remains today, with all of the state’s nearly-40 casinos located in those three towns.
In 2005 the state outlawed real-money online casino games before the federal government stepped in with sweeping measures. A 2014 proposal to allow casino games at horse racing tracks failed, in line with the state’s relatively conservative views on gambling at the time.
Colorado became the fifth state to regulate legalized daily fantasy sports when then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill in 2016.
Coloradans made their voices heard in 2019 after Gov. Jared Polis signed a proposal that would allow legal retail and online sports gambling. Listed as Proposition DD on the November 2019 ballot, voters approved the measure. Sports gambling became officially legal in Colorado on May 1, 2020.
1983: Colorado introduces a state-run lottery for the first time.
1991: Casino games are first allowed in three Colorado mining towns – Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
1999: The state regulates charitable raffles and bingo games .
2005: Real-money casino games are banned by the state before the federal government begins sweeping shutdowns.
2008: Voters agree to raise the casino game limits to $100 bets and allow casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek to remain open 24 hours .
2016: Then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signs a daily fantasy sports bill as Colorado becomes the fifth state to regulate DFS gaming.
2018: The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, giving individual states the right to legalize sports gambling.
2019: Gov. Jared Polis signs a proposal that would legalize retail and online sports betting in Colorado. Voters pass Proposal DD in November 2019.
2020: Legalized sports gambling in Colorado officially goes into effect May 1.
The minimum age for sports gambling in Colorado is 21, though those 18-and-up can play lottery and bingo.
Tourists and visitors can bet on sports in Colorado, but only when they’re within state lines.
Coloradans will soon have access to multiple retail sportsbooks and popular sports betting apps like DraftKings and FanDuel, which will be accessible from anywhere.
You will be able to bet on all the local professional and college sports teams. Sportsbooks will offer point spreads and much more on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, college basketball, UFC, PGA Tour, pro tennis, Premier League soccer and more.
Colorado will not restrict betting on its pro teams or colleges like Colorado University and Colorado State.
Any of the nearly-40 land-based casinos in Colorado were allowed to apply for a legal sports betting license and pursue an operating partner.
The Colorado Division of Gaming and Colorado Limited Gaming Control commission regulates sports betting in the state.
In-game and live betting are available with all the top mobile sports apps in Colorado. This is quickly becoming one of the most popular wager types for sports bettors.
Most top sports betting sites will offer sign-up bonuses such as matched deposits, free bets or refer-a-friend bonuses. Shop around various sports betting apps to find the best bonus for you.
Coloradans need to choose a retail or online sportsbook. Then they can register with personal information such as name, address and Social Security number. They may be asked to provide a driver’s license. Then they can make a deposit with PayPal, Play+, debit/credit card, bank transfer or any available option that works for them. Then they’re ready to gamble on their favorite sporting.
Yes, Colorado bettors can sign up with as many mobile sports betting sites as they want. That’s why it’s important to shop around and find a few that work best for you personally.
Most top sports betting apps offer deposit methods like Play+, PayPal, debit/credit card or bank transfer. Play+ is essentially a prepaid card that the bettor loads with their credit card or bank account and transfers to the casino. Those with PayPal accounts should be able to deposit directly from the site. Some banks still decline credit/debit card deposits even though legal, so check with your bank if you run into any issues.
Offshore sites are unregulated and risky. Without strict oversight there can be issues withdrawing winnings in a timely fashion or finding an actual employee in the event of a disputed result. And you probably won’t feel safe providing all that personal info to an unregulated website. Stick with our list of legal, regulated sports betting sites for the best online experience.
Colorado sports betting laws allow for retail and online sports betting, with no physical in-person sign-up required.
Analysts believe legal sports betting in Colorado could annually generate billions in wagers, with millions in tax revenue for the state.
Colorado will institute a 10% tax on operators for their sports gambling profits, which will help fund water management throughout the state. Individuals will face a 4.63% state tax plus will owe the IRS a varying amount, depending on their tax bracket.
Online sports betting is currently legal or will be soon in Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Nevada, Iowa, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Oregon, Michigan, New Hampshire, Illinois and Tennessee.
Yes, Proposition DD made retail and online gambling in Colorado fully legal beginning May 1 2020.
Bettors should seek help if they believe they have a problem, or if they’re gambling more than they can afford to lose. If you believe you have a sports betting addiction, visit the Colorado.gov problem gambling website.
"Two decades covering sports and the evolution of online betting. My experience as a handicapper uniquely qualifies me to evaluate which operator is best."
Reviewer since August 2019