Gilpin County
Black Hawk
18
Active casinos
Largest of the three by GGR. Anchor properties include Monarch Casino Resort Spa, Ameristar, Bally’s, Saratoga, and the Lodge.
US Online Casino Laws
Online Casinos in Colorado
Are real-money online casinos legal in Colorado, and what can you actually play online or in person right now?
- Real-money online casinos
- Not legal, none licensed
- Online sports betting
- Legal since May 2020 under Proposition DD
- Online poker
- Not legal, no peer-to-peer statute
- State lottery / iLottery
- Retail and licensed couriers only, no direct state online sales
- Daily fantasy sports
- Legal under HB16-1404
- Sweepstakes / social casinos
- Available, no Colorado ban as of May 2026
- Commercial casinos
- 33 in Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek
- Tribal casinos
- 2 (Ute Mountain Casino, Sky Ute Casino Resort)
- Minimum gambling age
- 21 for casino and sports betting, 18 for lottery
- Key statute
- Colorado Limited Gaming Act, CRS Title 44 Article 30
- Regulator
- Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission, Division of Gaming
The Three-Town Geography
Three Mountain Towns, All Thirty-Three Casinos.
Every commercial casino in Colorado sits inside one of three former mining towns: Black Hawk and Central City in Gilpin County, Cripple Creek in Teller County. The Limited Gaming Act, written in 1991, still bars commercial gaming anywhere else in the state. That geography is why a sportsbook app you open in Denver has to be tethered to a property an hour up the canyon.
Teller County
Cripple Creek
11
Active casinos
Old Pikes Peak mining camp turned gaming district. Bronco Billy’s expanded into the Chamonix tower in December 2023.
Gilpin County
Central City
4
Active casinos
Smallest of the three. Sits two miles west of Black Hawk on the same canyon road. Reliance Star and the Famous Bonanza anchor the floor.
Bet caps through three statewide amendments
Effective
$5 max bet
Limited Gaming Act takes effect. Slots, blackjack, and poker only. Hours capped at 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Amendment 4 authorized it the prior November on a 57.3 to 42.7 vote.
Effective
$100 max bet
Amendment 50 raises the cap to $100, adds craps and roulette, and allows 24-hour operations. Local votes followed in all three towns the prior November.
Effective
No state cap
Amendment 77 hands the cap question to the three towns themselves on a 57.3 to 42.7 statewide vote. Black Hawk 2A passed 50 to 11, Central City 2B 219 to 78, Cripple Creek 2A 266 to 97. All three lifted the cap.
Regulatory Timeline
How It Happened
Proposition DD legalizes sports betting
Voters approve Proposition DD 50.7% to 49.3%, authorizing a 10% tax on sports betting proceeds with revenue dedicated to the Water Plan Implementation Cash Fund.
Mobile sports betting market launches
The Division of Gaming launches the regulated online sportsbook market with each licensed casino entitled to one online skin. The list later grows past 20 active apps including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM.
Amendment 77 removes the $100 bet cap
Statewide voters approve Amendment 77 by 57.31% to 42.69%, removing the constitutional limit on single bets and game types. Local councils in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek raise limits effective May 1, 2021.
Department of Revenue floats iGaming talks
DOR Executive Director Mark Ferrandino tells a National Conference of State Legislatures panel in Denver that conversations about legalizing online casino games have started. No bill follows in the 2024 or 2025 sessions.
Black Hawk joins anti-iGaming coalition
The Black Hawk City Council votes to become the first US municipality to join the National Association Against iGaming, a coalition organized by Monarch Casino and other land-based operators.
Where the Sports Tax Goes
$33 Million for Water, Out of $6.3 Billion in Bets.
Proposition DD wrote the destination right into the statute. After Division of Gaming admin costs, a 6 percent hold-harmless slice for the existing casino towns, and a small problem-gambling line, the rest of the 10 percent sports betting tax flows to the State Water Plan. Colorado is the only state in the country that has tied the bulk of its sports betting revenue to water conservation.
- FY 2024-25 handle
- $6.30BA 130 percent jump from the first full fiscal year of regulated mobile sports betting.
- FY 2024-25 tax collected
- $36.8MRecord annual total. 354 percent above FY 2020-21, the first full fiscal year on the books.
- To CWCB for water projects
- $33.5MCertified by the Limited Gaming Control Commission in September 2025. Distribution to grants begins July 2026.
- To the Hold Harmless Fund
- $1.74MReimburses Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek and their counties for any drag from statewide sports betting on local casino revenue.
- FY 2025-26 forecast
- ~$39MIncludes the projected lift from HB25-1311, which phases out the free-bet deduction.
- HB25-1311 added revenue
- +$12.9MForecast lift to the water plan in FY 2026-27 once the free-bet deduction is fully eliminated.
| State | Destination |
|---|---|
| Colorado | State Water Plan via the Colorado Water Conservation Board |
| New York | Education aid and general fund |
| Pennsylvania | Property tax relief, general fund |
| Tennessee | Lottery for Education Account (80 percent) |
| Virginia | General fund |
| Ohio | Public and nonpublic K-12 education |
The water angle matters to the iGaming conversation because it gives a reform a built-in funding pitch. A state water plan with a $39 million pipeline this fiscal year and 440 funded projects across 57 of 64 counties already has its constituency. Any future online casino bill would either feed the same fund or have to justify competing for it.
Where to Play
Sweepstakes Casinos for Colorado
With no licensed online casinos here, sweepstakes sites are the legal way to play slots and table games. These are placeholders until our database is wired in.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
The Law
Why There Are No Online Casinos
Colorado's casino law lives in CRS Title 44 Article 30, the Colorado Limited Gaming Act, and it authorizes commercial gaming only inside the historic districts of Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission writes the rules and the Division of Gaming inside the Department of Revenue runs licensing and enforcement. Voters added sports betting in 2019 with Proposition DD, which passed by about 1.3 percentage points, and the mobile market launched on May 1, 2020 with each retail casino entitled to one online skin. Amendment 77 followed in November 2020, when 57% of voters removed the constitutional $100 bet cap and gave the three gaming towns power to set their own limits and game menus starting May 1, 2021. None of that touched online casino games.
Real-money online slots and table games remain outside the statute. Department of Revenue Executive Director Mark Ferrandino floated iGaming talks at a National Conference of State Legislatures panel in July 2023, but no legislator has introduced an online casino bill in the 2024, 2025, or 2026 sessions. The legislative focus this year has stayed on the existing sports betting market. Governor Polis signed HB25-1311 on May 15, 2025, phasing out the free-bet tax deduction by July 1, 2026, and SB26-163 folds racing oversight into the Limited Gaming Control Commission and adds sports betting to the state's self-exclusion program. Opposition has organized too. Black Hawk became the first US city to join the National Association Against iGaming in March 2025, and Central City followed shortly after.
The Opposition Coalition
Four NAAiG Members, All Within an Hour of Denver.
The National Association Against iGaming launched in November 2024. Within five months, every Colorado jurisdiction with a commercial casino had joined. No other state has anything close to that density of opposition built in at the local-government level. The Monarch Casino tie is the structural reason. Vice chairman Jason Gumer is Monarch's general counsel, and Monarch's flagship property sits in Black Hawk.
City
Mar 19, 2025
Black Hawk
First US municipality to join NAAiG. Vote followed a presentation by Monarch Casino general counsel and NAAiG vice chairman Jason Gumer.
County
Apr 8, 2025
Gilpin County
First US county to join. Contains both Black Hawk and Central City, so the gaming towns and their county all sit inside the coalition.
City
Apr 2025
Cripple Creek
Council ratified membership the month after Black Hawk. Teller County’s only gaming town joins on its own.
City
Mid 2025
Central City
The smallest of the three gaming towns rounds out the Colorado bloc inside NAAiG.
- Projected Colorado jobs lost
- 2,050Includes 1,200 direct positions in the three gaming towns.
- Annual labor income lost
- $129MWages and benefits the model removes from the mountain-town economy.
- Annual economic output lost
- $520MTotal output across direct, indirect, and induced spending.
- Problem-gambling cost
- $830MEstimated social cost from increased addiction, debt, and related harms.
The numbers come from an Innovation Group study commissioned by NAAiG. iGaming supporters argue the model overweights cannibalization and underweights new players who never travel to Black Hawk in the first place. Either way, the political fact is that Colorado has no MGM or Caesars holding a commercial license here, so the legalization side has no in-state operator with capital to spend on the other half of the argument.
Legal Alternatives
What You Can Play in Colorado
The legal gambling options available to Colorado residents right now.
Limited Gaming in Three Mountain Towns
Thirty-three commercial casinos run under the Limited Gaming Act inside the historic districts of Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. Voters approved gambling in these towns in 1991 to revive the old mining economy, and Amendment 77 lifted the $100 wager cap in 2021. Slots, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, baccarat, pai gow, and keno are all approved at the city level.
Tribal Casinos
Two Class III tribal casinos operate in the far southwest under tribal-state compacts. Ute Mountain Casino Hotel near Towaoc, run by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, opened in September 1992 as the state's first Indian gaming facility. Sky Ute Casino Resort near Ignacio, run by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, followed in September 1993. Both offer slots, table games, and live keno.
Online Sports Betting
Mobile sportsbooks have been legal since May 1, 2020 under Proposition DD. More than 20 licensed apps operate statewide including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and Hard Rock Bet, each tied to a Black Hawk, Central City, or Cripple Creek casino license. Operators pay a 10% tax on net proceeds, with the free-bet deduction phasing out by July 1, 2026 under HB25-1311.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Colorado legalized paid-entry daily fantasy contests in 2016 with HB16-1404. DraftKings, FanDuel, and PrizePicks all operate here under Division of Gaming oversight, and there is no separate state license fee for small contests.
Lottery and Courier Sales
The Colorado Lottery sells Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto+, Cash 5, and Scratch tickets through 3,000-plus retailers. Licensed couriers like Jackpocket and Lotto.com accept online orders for in-state players, totaling $38 million in fiscal 2025. The lottery itself does not sell tickets directly online yet, and SB26-117 banned credit-card payment for lottery products in April 2026.
Sweepstakes and Social Casinos
Colorado has no statute banning sweepstakes casinos. Sites that award redeemable prizes through dual-currency promotions remain accessible to residents as of May 2026, unlike California, New York, New Jersey, Montana, and Connecticut, which have all passed bans. Some operators self-restrict, so check each site's state list before signing up.
Tax Rate Context
New York Charges 51 Percent. Colorado Charges Ten.
Proposition DD set the Colorado sports betting tax at 10 percent of net proceeds in 2019. TABOR keeps it there. The voter-approved rate cannot move higher without a new statewide ballot question, which is why the legislature has had to chase revenue through the free-bet deduction instead of the headline number. The rest of the country runs in a much wider band.
| State | Rate | Basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 51% | GGR, mobile | Highest in the US. Locked at 51 percent across all nine mobile operators. |
| Pennsylvania | 36% | GGR, online and retail | Plus 2 percent local share assessment. |
| Illinois | 20-40% | GGR, graduated | Per-wager flat fee on top, added in the FY 2026 budget. |
| Ohio | 20% | GGR, mobile and retail | Doubled from 10 percent in the FY 2024-25 budget. Held at 20 through mid-2027. |
| Massachusetts | 20% | GGR, mobile | Retail is 15 percent. Mobile launched March 2023. |
| New Jersey | 19.75% | GGR, mobile and retail | Raised from 13 percent for sports and 15 percent for iCasino in the FY 2026 budget. |
| Virginia | 15% | GGR, mobile | Statutory rate since the 2020 launch. |
| Colorado | 10% | Net proceeds, mobile and retail | TABOR locks it to the 2019 voter approval. Free-bet deduction phases out fully in July 2026. |
| Indiana | 9.5% | GGR, mobile and retail | Effective since launch in September 2019. |
| Michigan | 8.4% | Adjusted gross sports betting receipts | Plus 1.25 percent city tax in Detroit. |
| Iowa | 6.75% | Net receipts | Lowest GGR-based rate in the country. |
| Tennessee | 1.85% | On handle, not revenue | Only state taxing the wager itself rather than operator profit. Different denominator, different math. |
The low rate is the reason Colorado attracted twenty-plus sportsbooks under its one-skin-per-casino structure, and the reason operators fought the HB25-1311 deduction phase-out so hard. The deduction was the only lever that could pull the effective rate below 10 percent. Without it, the headline rate and the effective rate finally match the voter-approved figure starting July 2026.
Three Bills in Twelve Months
The Consumer Protection Lab Other States Are Watching.
While the iGaming conversation stays parked, Colorado has spent the last twelve months passing the most aggressive consumer protection package any sports betting state has tried. Each bill sets a national first. If Governor Polis signs SB26-131, Colorado becomes the first state to cap daily deposits, ban operator push notifications, and bar sportsbooks from cutting off winning bettors absent documented misconduct.
HB25-1311
Free-bet deduction phase-out
Phases the sports betting free-bet tax deduction from 2.25 percent of net proceeds down to 1 percent on January 1, 2026, then to zero by July 1, 2026. Pushes the effective tax rate back toward the voter-approved 10 percent.
SB26-131
Six-deposit cap, no credit cards, no push notifications
Caps sports betting deposits at six per day per account. Bans credit card funding outright. Bans operator push notifications and text messages that encourage bets or deposits. Bars sportsbooks from restricting winning bettors absent documented misconduct.
SB26-163
Self-exclusion in statute, racing folded in
Codifies the Division of Gaming self-exclusion program for sports betting into state law. Repeals the Colorado Racing Commission and folds racing oversight into the Limited Gaming Control Commission. Adds two seats to the commission.
- States that cap daily sports betting deposits
- 1
- States that ban credit card deposits for sports betting
- 3
- States that ban operator push notifications encouraging bets
- 0
- States that bar limiting winning bettors absent documented misconduct
- 0
Colorado, once SB26-131 takes effect.
Massachusetts, Iowa, Tennessee partial. Colorado would be the fourth and the first to add the deposit-count cap.
Colorado would be the first.
Colorado would be the first.
Two things are true at the same time in Denver. The legislature will not move on iGaming. The legislature will move aggressively on how the existing sports betting market treats its customers. The industry that lobbied hard against HB25-1311 and SB26-131 is the same industry that would lobby for an iGaming bill. That dynamic is part of why no bill has been introduced.
FAQ
Colorado Gambling FAQ
Are online casinos legal in Colorado?
No. Colorado has not legalized real-money online slots or table games, and no operator is licensed by the Limited Gaming Control Commission to offer them. Any site advertising a Colorado online casino with real money is offshore and unregulated.
Can I legally bet on sports online in Colorado?
Yes. Online sports betting has been legal since May 1, 2020, when the market launched under Proposition DD. More than 20 mobile sportsbooks operate here, each tied to a casino license in Black Hawk, Central City, or Cripple Creek. The minimum age is 21.
Where are Colorado's commercial casinos?
All 33 commercial casinos sit inside the historic districts of three mountain towns: 18 in Black Hawk, 11 in Cripple Creek, and 4 in Central City. Voters legalized gambling in these towns in 1991, and Amendment 77 removed the $100 single-bet cap effective May 2021.
Are tribal casinos open in Colorado?
Yes. Ute Mountain Casino Hotel near Towaoc opened in September 1992, and Sky Ute Casino Resort near Ignacio opened in September 1993. Both are Class III operations under tribal-state compacts and offer slots, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, and live keno.
Are sweepstakes casinos allowed in Colorado?
Colorado has no statute banning sweepstakes or social casinos, so sites with dual-currency prize redemption are generally accessible to residents. They are not licensed casino gambling, and prize rules depend on the operator. No Colorado ban has been introduced through May 2026.
Can I buy lottery tickets online in Colorado?
Not directly from the Colorado Lottery. Licensed couriers like Jackpocket and Lotto.com take online orders for players physically in Colorado and deliver scanned tickets, with $38 million in courier sales in fiscal 2025. SB26-117, signed in 2026, bans credit-card payment for lottery products but kept courier sales legal.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Colorado?
Twenty-one for casino games and sports betting, online or in person. Eighteen for the state lottery, charitable bingo, and parimutuel betting. Tribal casinos enforce the 21-and-up rule under their compacts.
Will Colorado legalize online casinos?
There is no iGaming bill in front of the legislature as of May 2026. The Department of Revenue floated talks in 2023, but no bill followed, and Black Hawk and Central City have publicly joined a national coalition opposing online casino expansion. We update this page when the legal status changes.