Colorado Online Sports Betting

Colorado was the first US state in the post-PASPA era to legalize sports betting via referendum, and the first betting apps just went live on May 1, 2020.

Voters approved Proposition DD by the narrowest of margins in November 2019, making their Centennial State the 19th with legalized betting. The new CO sports betting law contains full provisions for both retail and online wagering in the state.

Colorado sports betting apps

The first legal sports betting apps are live for bettors in Colorado:

• BetMGM
• BetMonarch
• BetRivers
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Fox Bet

Map: Colorado sportsbooks

• Green: Retail & online
• Yellow: Retail only
• Blue: Online only
• Red: No sports betting

Colorado sports betting partnerships

Each of the 30+ Colorado casinos is eligible to apply for a master license and align itself with up to two partners — one for online and one for retail.

The vast majority of them are commercial properties located in one of three gambling towns: Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. The other two are tribal casinos located in the southwest corner of the state known as the Four Corners region.

Casino	Location	Partner(s)	Retail opening	Online launch
Ameristar Casino	Black Hawk	Barstool Bets
Brass Ass Casino	Cripple Creek
Bronco Billy's Casino	Cripple Creek	BetAmerica/Wynn Sports
Bull Durham Saloon & Casino	Black Hawk
Century Casino Central City	Central City	Bet365
Century Casino Cripple Creek	Cripple Creek	Circa Sports
Christmas Casino	Cripple Creek	Smarkets
Colorado Grande Hotel & Casino	Cripple Creek
Dostal Alley	Central City
Double Eagle Hotel & Casino	Cripple Creek	PointsBet
Easy Street Casino	Central City
Famous Bonanza	Central City
Gilpin Hotel & Casino	Black Hawk
Golden Gates	Black Hawk	FanDuel		May 1, 2020
Golden Gulch	Black Hawk
Golden Mardi Gras Casino	Black Hawk	DraftKings		May 1, 2020
Grand Z Casino	Central City
Isle Casino Hotel	Black Hawk	William Hill
Johnny Nolon's Casino	Cripple Creek	Carousel Group
Johnny Z Casino	Central City
JP McGill's Hotel & Casino	Cripple Creek	BetRivers		May 1, 2020
Lady Luck Casino	Black Hawk	Fox Bet		May 19, 2020
Lodge Casino	Black Hawk	SuperBook
Midnight Rose Hotel & Casino	Cripple Creek	BetMGM		May 1, 2020
Monarch Casino	Black Hawk	Stadium Tech		May 8, 2020
Red Dolly Casino	Black Hawk
Saratoga Casino	Black Hawk	Betfred
Sasquatch Casino	Black Hawk
Sky Ute Casino	Ignacio
Ute Mountain Casino	Towaoc
Wild Card Saloon	Black Hawk
Wildwood Casino	Cripple Creek	ISI Race & Sports
Z Casino	Black Hawk

Colorado sports betting licenses

Like many states, Colorado’s sports betting framework is built around its land-based casinos. There are three main types of license:

• Master license
• Operator license
• Internet operator license

Only licensed Colorado casinos can apply for master sports betting licenses, which are required to offer any form of sports betting in the state.

If a master licensee wishes to allow an outside company to operate a sportsbook on its behalf, the latter requires the appropriate type of operator license. There can only be one of each type of operator license per master license. A casino can, however, choose one partner for its retail sportsbook and another for online.

Additional vendor licenses are required in cases where the primary licensee needs to subcontract part(s) of their operation to yet another company.

Sports available for betting in Colorado

Colorado sportsbooks can offer lines on a number of sports and contests. That includes college athletics, although these will be limited in terms of types of bets available. Betting on sports where the participants are minors is disallowed, as it is in other states, and high school sports are expressly forbidden.

Some of the most popular sports leagues for US bettors include:

• NFL football
• NBA basketball
• NHL hockey
• MLB baseball
• MLS soccer
• NCAA college sports
• UFC/MMA combat sports

More obscure options depend on the operator, but you’ll likely find some foreign sports alongside less popular games like darts and table tennis.

Colorado lawmakers decided upfront to rule out esports betting, something that other state regulators are considering and in some cases have allowed.

Types of legal sports betting in Colorado

For the most part, Colorado sportsbooks offer the same options as those in other states with legal sports betting. These include:

• Moneylines
• Spreads
• Totals (over/under)
• Futures
• Proposition bets (props)

Operators provide all of the typical options for combining straight bets, such as parlays and round-robins. A full menu of in-play betting options should additionally be available from most operators.

The Colorado law does have one unique restriction, however — a prohibition against prop bets on college sports.

Colorado sports betting taxes and fees

Sports betting in Colorado is taxed at the same rate regardless of whether it is conducted online or at a land-based casino. In both cases, the tax rate is 10% of gross winnings.

License fees are fairly trivial — just $2,000 for master licenses and $1,250 for operator or major vendor licenses. Elsewhere, up-front fees can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

Unlike other states, tax rates for Colorado sports betting are locked in. The state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) means that any attempt by legislators to change them would require another public referendum.

Colorado sports betting revenue

Colorado legislators say they expect sports betting to generate $29 million in annual tax revenue, which implies $290 million in gross revenue. It may take a while to get there, however. Revenue for the first year or two of operation will more likely be in the $100 million-$200 million range.

Colorado sports betting FAQ

Below are some common questions and answers related to online sports betting in Colorado.

Is sports betting legal in Colorado?

Yes! Colorado voters legalized sports betting in 2019, and the first apps launched in May 2020.

Can I bet on sports online in Colorado?

Yes! The CO sports betting law contains full provisions for online wagering.

Are there retail sportsbooks in Colorado?

Approval for sports betting in Colorado includes both retail and online operations. The timing of a retail rollout is less clear at the moment, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced all of the state’s casinos to temporarily close their doors.

Who can offer sports betting in Colorado?

All sports betting in Colorado, both retail and online, must be carried out in partnership with one of its land-based casinos.

Each casino can apply for a master license to offer sports betting, either on their own or in partnership with other third-party suppliers. Licensees can use one partner for retail sports betting and another for online sports betting for a maximum of two.

How many sports betting apps will there be in Colorado?

Colorado’s brick-and-mortar casinos act as the primary licensees for sports betting, both retail and online. Each can deploy a single online platform, either by itself or in partnership with a third-party supplier. That means Colorado bettors could eventually have access to more than 30 online sportsbooks.

With a middling population of around 5.6 million residents, however, it’s not yet clear if the market can support that many options.

Who can bet on sports in Colorado?

Broadly speaking, anyone at least 21 years old who is physically present in the state can bet legally. Residency is not a requirement, but location is.

Standard wagering prohibitions also apply, such as for key employees of the casinos or sportsbook providers, those with affiliations to the sports being wagered on, and those who have self-excluded or been barred from entry into the state’s land-based casinos.

What is the tax rate for Colorado sports betting?

The state of Colorado taxes sports betting revenue at a rate of 10%.

Who regulates sports betting in Colorado?

The Colorado Limited Gambling Control Commission (CLGCC) regulates online sports betting in the state.

17301 W. Colfax Ave.
Suite 135
Golden, CO 80401

Phone: (303) 205-1300
Email: [email protected]

Colorado sports betting history

The first forms of legal gambling in Colorado were pari-mutuel wagering on races and charitable bingo, both dating back to 1950. 

The state lottery was established in 1982 and was initially limited to scratch tickets. Land-based casino gambling then came to the state in 1991.

Things took a turn in the opposite direction in 2005, when the state explicitly outlawed online casinos. Around the same time, the tribal casinos agreed not to offer any forms of gambling not available at the commercial casinos, receiving a tax break in return.

The following year, the federal government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and began its years-long crackdown on illegal online gambling.

DFS and sports betting arrive in Colorado

In 2016, Colorado became the fifth state to legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports. It was, perhaps, a sign of changing attitudes towards online gambling among the state’s legislators. Then, in 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), and the possibility of sports betting was suddenly on the table.

House Bill 1327, legalizing sports betting, passed the state’s legislature in April 2019. It couldn’t become law immediately, however.

Colorado’s Tax-Payer Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires that any law implementing a new tax get direct voter approval by way of a referendum before it can become law. That included H 1327, due to its 10% tax on operators’ gross revenues.

That November, Colorado voters went to the polls to cast their ballots on Proposition DD. Over 1.5 million people voted in the referendum. In the end, the Proposition passed by a margin of less than 3% — with 800,745 in favor and 756,712 opposed.

The first CO sports betting apps rolled out on May 1, 2020, while casinos were closed down due to the coronavirus outbreak.