Is Online Gambling Legal in Colorado? 2026

Is gambling legal in Colorado?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. You have been able to legally play casino games in the Colorado mountain towns of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City since 1991. However, there is no provision for online casino gaming in Colorado at the moment.

The good news is that sports betting in Colorado is perfectly legal as long as you do it from one of the permitted locations. This basically means that you have to bet online from a fully licensed digital sportsbook, or you will have to visit one of the handful of permitted casinos that lets you bet on sport.

It’s worth noting that these legal sports betting changes only came through in 2020 and it’s widely expected that this could be just the start of further deregulation in the Centennial state. So just as you’ll get different answers according to when you ask the question ‘Is gambling legal in Michigan?’, The same is definitely true of Colorado.

Is 0nline gambling legal in Colorado?

It’s fair to say that gambling laws have taken some time to catch up to online technologies. But the US is in the midst of widespread deregulation that gives each individual state the power to set its own gambling laws which take account of internet betting.

Recently we have seen the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission making big moves to facilitate online betting within the state. This can be seen in the fact that the authority has already granted several licenses to online betting operators.

As a result, we have seen some big name digital sportsbooks teaming up with licensed Colorado casinos to allow people to enjoy online betting through the mobile or web-based apps.

Unfortunately, online casino gaming is still not permitted in Colorado. While you can play online casino games simply for fun; all forms of real money online casino gaming are still not legal. So if you were asking ‘Is online gambling legal in Colorado?’, You can see that it depends what you’re betting on.

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What is the legal Colorado gambling age?

So, how old do you have to be to gamble in Colorado? There’s currently a fair amount of confusion about the Colorado gambling age, but in terms of the online sports gambling age Colorado residents will need to be at least 21 years old. This Colorado gambling age also applies to how old you have to be to enter any of the state’s casinos.So even if they wanted to get in any of the current Colorado casinos, 18-year olds will be barred from entering for now. Simply put, the current Colorado gambling age is 21 and you’ll have to be at least this age to bet either online or offline.

The current Colorado gambling laws for sports betting

Sports betting in Colorado became fully legal in May 2020. This meant that Colorado sports fans could join in the online sports betting revolution that was sweeping the nation, whilst people in other states were still asking questions like ‘ Is online gambling legal in Tennessee ?’ 

As it stands there’s been a decent number of retail and online sportsbooks who have leaped up to cater to this sudden demand for sports betting. In terms of physical sports betting outlets, you’ll find that seven casinos in the three mountain towns of Cripple Creek, Black Hawk and Central City are fully licensed operators. However, it’s widely expected that more legal sports betting outlets will be authorized by the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission soon.

Obviously you don’t have to visit the actual casinos to bet on sports. This is because these casinos have formed partnerships with online sportsbooks to give people in Colorado a legal and safe way to bet on the go. As a result, you can simply download a sportsbook app and enjoy digital sports betting anywhere in Colorado. Just remember that these sports betting platforms will probably have some kind of geofencing software in place to make sure that you are actually based in the state.

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What can I bet on in Colorado?

The good news is that you can use a Colorado sportsbook to legally bet on all major and minor sports. Obviously these cover big domestic sports like football, hockey, basketball and baseball, and you’ll also legally be able to bet on anything from soccer and tennis to esports, motor racing and MMA fighting.

We should note the fact that you can also bet on college-level sport in Colorado. However, you should know you might not be able to put down player props bets on college sport in the state. Plus it is illegal to bet on high school sports in Colorado.

Our guide to the current Colorado casino laws

While sports betting in Colorado has been given the legal go-ahead, it’s a different picture when it comes to online casino gaming in the state. In fact, if you were asking ‘Is gambling legal in West Virginia ?’ you’d recognize plenty of similarities with what’s going on in Colorado.

This basically means that you cannot play online casino games for real money in Colorado. The only way that you can legally play is to visit one of over 30 land-based casinos in Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, Central City or the two tribal-operated casinos.

The same also applies for playing the lottery. While there is a Colorado lottery, online lottery sales in the state are still illegal. All of which means that gamers in the state will probably be fairly frustrated with the lack of change in Colorado casino laws. But it’s important to remember that things do sometimes change, so be sure to keep asking ‘Is online gambling legal in Colorado?’ as legal gambling in state permitted casinos could expand in the future.

How to bet in Colorado

The good news is that it’s now legal, safe and easy to bet online in Colorado. Here are a few pointers for what you need to do.

• Sign up to a licensed Colorado sportsbook: There are plenty of excellent online sportsbooks currently operating in Colorado. Be sure to pick one of our approved sportsbooks and create an account. You’ll have to provide the betting site with some personal information, but you should have the account set up in a matter of minutes.

• Make a real money deposit: You should be able to make a deposit with a variety of payment options. These could include the likes of credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, ewallets or PayNearMe.

• Put your bets down : Now the fun bit where you bet on your favorite sport. While Colorado casinos have individual bet limits of $ 100, no such limits apply at digital sportsbooks. So be sure to gamble responsibly for the best way to enjoy legal sports betting in Colorado.

Conclusion – is gambling legal in Colorado? Our definitive answer

By now, we should have answered most of your questions about gambling in Colorado. You won’t have to answer the question of ‘Is gambling legal in Colorado?’ anymore, as we’ve shown you that is perfectly legal to bet on sport in the state. However, you’ll know that online casino gaming is still off bounds for now.

We’ve hopefully cleared up any questions about the Colorado gambling age too. This means knowing that the legal gambling age in Colorado is 21 years. All of which means that you shouldn’t have to worry about things like how old to gamble in Colorado. Just sign up to one of our recommended sportsbooks and enjoy betting on your favorite sport!

Is online gambling legal in Colorado? FAQ