Just the FAQs: Online Gambling in Colorado
CO Online Gambling Q&A: You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.
In more than 25 years, the colloquial information highway that is the internet has never proffered any genuinely legal form of gambling to Coloradans until just a few short months ago. Many citizens of the Centennial State have questions about things like how it works, whether it’s safe, and where they can place their bets, among other things.
This page aims to answer these common questions, and a lot more. We’ll discuss everything from the legalities of CO online betting, to the payment methods these websites offer.
Colorado Online Gambling FAQ |
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Before you continue, please understand that we answer every question to the best of our knowledge, and free of bias. Our team has been researching Colorado online gambling laws far longer than the market has actually been active, and we strive to ensure the information is accurate and up to date at time of writing. Is online gambling really legal in Colorado?Yes. The Colorado General Assembly passed legislation permitting the legalization of limited online gaming in May of 2019. That November, the people of Colorado voted in favor of legalization, thereby imprinting the legislation into the law books. iGaming officially became legal, and available, on May 1, 2020. What is Online Gaming?In layman’s terms, online gaming is gambling over the internet. By the state’s legal definition, it is the act of placing any lawful wager over the internet, using a computer or mobile device, at any CO licensed online sportsbooks and racebooks. What forms of online betting are legal in CO?Lawmakers chose to legalize just two forms of online gambling; sports betting and horse race betting. All other forms (casino games, poker, etc.) remain illegal. Who Can Participate in CO iGaming?Anyone of legal age (21+) that is physically located in the state of Colorado, and who’s name does not appear on any voluntary or involuntary exclusion lists, is eligible to gamble at CO online betting sites. What if I’m excluded from Gambling? How do I know?There are only two ways for your name to appear on Colorado’s excluded gamblers list. Involuntary exclusion occurs by court order. An individual convicted of a gambling-related crime, for example, might be added to this list. If that’s the case, you will be notified by the court. The other is voluntary self-exclusion, which – as the name implies – can only be done voluntarily, by the person who wishes to be excluded. Hence, if you’re name is on this list, it’s because you took steps to put it there, generally due to self-awareness of a gambling problem.
How Much Can I Bet?State law limits wagering to a maximum of $100 per bet. What if I don’t understand “moneyline” odds?Lines, or Moneylines, are the way US sportsbooks display their odds on each event you can wager on. Moneylines are depicted as positive and negative integers, as opposed to EU decimal odds and UK fractional odds. If you’re familiar with UK or EU odds, you’ll be glad to know that most CO online sportsbooks let you choose which format you’d like to view the odds in. Alternatively, you can learn to read moneyline odds, or how to convert EU and UK odds to US odds. The link below explains everything. Who regulates online gambling gambling in CO?There are two government bodies in charge of Colorado’s nascent iGaming market. The first is the CO Limited Gaming Control Commission. This 5-agent body is in charge of promulgating all the rules and regulations for legal gaming actives in the state. Second is the CO Division of Gaming (CDoG), which is responsible for carrying out those rules and regulations, investigating license applications, and overseeing of operations of approves license holders. Who can apply for an iGaming license in CO?Only terrestrial gaming operators that with a current license to facilitate in-person gaming (i.e. casinos) are able to apply for a license. Vendors, such as software suppliers and iGaming operators, can partner with existing license-holders to host internet sports betting services in the state. For example, Rush Street Interactive partnered with J.P. McGill’s Hotel & Casino to operate CO BetRivers Sports. IGT partnered with Century Casino Cripple Creek to operate Circa Sports. In essence, every online operator must piggy-back off the foundational license of a land-based operator. Which online sportsbooks does the CDoG license?The CO Division of Gaming currently licenses 15 online sports betting operations. See the link below for a complete list: Are all sports betting websites the same?No. Each operator presents its own selection of bets, on its own range of sporting events. Some have racebooks attached. Some offer additional betting on things like eSports, virtual sports, politics, current affairs, etc. What some sites will have in common are the odds on their wagers. If two or more bookmakers are powered by the same back-end software system, or if the different software companies use the same oddsmakers to set their lines, it is more likely their odds will mirror one another. How does CO use tax revenue from iGaming?Both retail and online sports betting were provisions of Colorado’s Proposition DD, which not only legalizes those activities, but determines the distribution of revenue . Under the provisions of that plan, the state taxes 10% of all GGR from sports betting. Of that 10%… – In its inaugural year, the first $1,739,015 will reimburse the General Fund for start-up and initial operating costs. – Second in the inaugural year, (and first in every year thereafter), $130,000 will fund problem gambling services in the state. – From the remainder, 6% (up to $1.7 million) is put aside to compensate any gaming operator that can prove suffering of losses due to competition in the sports betting market. – The remainder will fund implementation of the water plan. How secure are Colorado’s iGaming websites?Colorado’s authorized gambling websites utilize the same state-of-the-art security protocols and encryption technologies as government banks. So, if you don’t trust internet security enough to conduct any form of online banking or other reputable eCommerce (i.e. Amazon, eBay, etc.), than you’ll want to avoid online betting, as well. Otherwise, Colorado’s iGaming portals really are as safe as technologically possible. How do iGaming sites know if I’m “physically” in Colorado?The CDoG’s licensed operations utilize sophisticated geolocation systems that combine GPS technology and IP tracking to determine the location of each user when they log in. If the software determines you are not in Colorado, you will still be able to log in, but you will not be able to place any wagers. |
About the Author
Adalene Lucas: is our jack of all trades here at DBC. She is a skilled coder, gambler, writer and webmaster. She lives in Manitoba where she enjoys the lush landscapes and camping near Tulabi Falls. Nature gives her inspiration to write. When she's not immersed in nature, her favorite words are "game theory". She lives with her husband and their two Labradors, Kophy and Whisper.
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