In the early 1990s, The Centennial State recognized the negative impact that diminished mining was having on certain cities. Voters, therefore, made the bold move to legalize casinos and all land-based gambling activities in three cities.
The decision has enabled huge revitalization of the Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek areas, which now have thriving casino cultures. Over thirty casinos are available to visitors of these towns, along with a further handful of the tribal casino on Indian lands.
Legal commercial casinos are strictly regulated in Colorado. Restrictions limit maximum bets to $100. Maybe something with online gambling in Colorado will change in 2020?
Sports betting has come along way in a short time in Colorado. The state Senate was able to pass a bill in early 2019 just two weeks after it was introduced. In order to full the law to be enacted, it will face voters’ approval in their next election in late 2019. The sports betting bill is a popular one and, it is important to note, even includes online sports betting statewide. 2020 should be the definitive year for online sports betting in Colorado.
There are over 40 casinos open for business in Colorado. These casinos are operated by Native American tribes or privately owned and are located throughout the state. All forms of casino gambling are allowed in Colorado such as blackjack, roulette, slots, and craps. Some casinos also operate their own poker rooms.
There are poker rooms available in Colorado and, in recent years, their numbers have actually been down. For this reason, legal online poker may be a long time coming to the state. There has been legislation to legalize poker online but it has never moved very far forward in the statehouse. Players in Colorado are relegated to off-shore sites and will have to remain there for the foreseeable future.
The lottery in Colorado has been around for a few decades now and has been quite popular the entire time. Every brand-name lottery game is available in the state whether it is a scratch-off or a drawing. You must be over the age of 18 and tickets are only available from licensed retailers or through their website.
In 2016, Colorado and Governor John Hickenlooper made fantasy sports betting completely legal in the state. Since then, sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings have been allowed to operate in Colorado with no fear of legal repercussions. While this remains a tricky issue in other states, Colorado was smart enough to legalize DFS and move on.
Horse racing betting has always been popular in Colorado and that continues to this day. Arapahoe Park is the state’s major track with a full schedule of thoroughbreds and quarter horses all season long. The park also acts as an OTB which offers simulcasting from other tracks all around the world. Online horse race betting is also legal in Colorado and players can use sites such as TVG and BetAmerica to lay any wager they like statewide.
10 Biggest cities in Colorado for online gambling: