What Is the Legal Gambling Age in Colorado
Colorado Casinos
Colorado Casinos & Gambling
- Horseracing (1950), Lottery (1982), Casinos (1991)
- $232 million
- $1.1 billion
- 18 for lottery and bingo, 21 for casinos and racing
- The Colorado bans indoor smoking. Reservations casinos are the only exclusion related to gaming.
- Horseracing is the only form of legal online gambling
There is a liberal stance when it comes to Colorado gambling. Its horse racing industry dates back to the 1950's. Colorado also had greyhound racing but it was outlawed when the last surviving track folded last decade.
The state created a lottery in 1982, selling its first ticket the following year. Colorado saw former mining cities on the brink of becoming ghost towns. Voters approved Colorado casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek in order to save those twons. This also permitted the Utes to operate Colorado casinos on tribal land.
Paying Gambling Taxes in Colorado
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Colorado Casinos Map & Guide
Top Colorado Casinos
- Black Hawk
- Central City
- Cripple Creek
- Ute Mountain
- Sky Ute
- 43
- 9
- 2
Types of Colorado Online Gambling Allowed
The only form of online gambling specifically legal in Colorado is off-track betting. These types of wagers may be made on greyhound and horse races.
Online poker, casino games, and sports betting are not legal in Colorado. In 2013, Attorney General John Suthers opined that it would take a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.
Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel operate in Colorado. The companies assert that the niche qualifies as a skill game under Colorado law. No opponents have emerged in the state over this opinion.
Types of Colorado Live Gambling
Popular Games
- Slots: Yes
- Blackjack: Yes
- Poker: Yes
- Craps/Roulette: Yes
- Horses: Yes
- Lottery: Yes
There are four types of legal Colorado gambling. Live horse racing is permitted. These facilities may also offer off-track betting. There is a state lottery that sells tickets for instant games and lottos. These include interstate drawings. The Colorado casinos are permitted in three cities; Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act extends this to tribal land in Colorado. There are two casinos on reservations that operate under the same rules as commercial ones.
Charitable gambling is also legal in Colorado. Bingo and raffles are among the permitted games of chance available to nonprofits to raise money. All Colorado casinos can offer players the best games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, and slot games. These casino games are also permitted on Native American land.
Colorado Gambling Laws
Colorado gambling laws cover almost all forms of wagering. Live horse racing is permitted when funds are placed into a pari-mutuel pool. Off-track betting is allowed at racing sites and taverns. Greyhound racing was outlawed in 2014 after the last dog track folded in Colorado. Off-track betting is still permitted on greyhounds. Players that want to bet on the races must have the minimum Colorado gambling age of 21 years.
The Colorado Lottery is operated by the state. It is permitted to sell instant games and lotto tickets. State law permits the lottery to operate lotto drawings specific to Colorado and join massive interstate jackpots. Lottery players must be 18 years old.
Charities may also operate games of chance. The charities must be registered and all proceeds must go to these organizations. They may not be operated in a commercial manner. Like lotteries, charity players must be at least 18 years of age.
Colorado casinos were legalized in an attempt to revive the ailing economies in three mountain towns. Casinos in Colorado are only legal if located in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek. The bet limit at all of these Colorado casinos is $100, where all games are permitted. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, craps and roulette. Casino players must meet the minimum gambling age of 21 years. Casinos are now permitted to operate 24 hours a day in Colorado. Colorado casinos pay 20% of the gaming revenue to the state in the form of taxes.
List of Colorado Casinos
As mentioned before, there are only three cities where Colorado casinos can legally operate. You will be able to find casinos in Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk. Other than these locations, American Indian tribes can also run their own casinos, as long as they operate from within the reservation lands. Below you can find a detailed guide to the casinos in Colorado. For more accurate directions you can check out the Colorado casinos map for their locations.
Cripple Creek Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Ass Casino | 403 Slot Machines | 264 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Bronco Billy's Casino | 600 Slot Machines | 233 East Bennett Avenue | www.broncobillyscasino.com |
| Century Casino | 975 Slot Machines | 200-220 East Bennett Avenue | www.cripple-creek.cnty.com |
| Colorado Grande Casino | 195 Slot Machines | 300 Bennett Drive | www.coloradogrande.com |
| Double Eagle Casino | 544 Slot Machines | 442 East Bennett Avenue | www.decasino.com |
| Johnny Nolan's Saloon | 250 Slot Machines | 301 East Bennett Avenue | www.johnnynolons.com |
| McGill's Casino | 360 Slot Machines | 232 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Midnight Rose Casino | 403 Slot Machines | 256 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Wildwood Casino | 625 Slot Machines | 119 Carbonate Street | www.playwildwood.com |
Central City Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Casino | 500 Slot Machines | 102 Main Street | www.central-city.cnty.com |
| Dostal Alley Casino | 60 Slot Machines | 1 Dostal Alley | www.dostalalley.net |
| Easy Street Casino | 200 Slot Machines | 120 Main Street | www.easystreetcentralcity.com |
| Famous Bonanza Casino | 225 Slot Machines | 107 Main Street | www.famousbonanza.com |
| Johnny Z's Casino | 200 Slot Machines | 132 Lawrence St. | www.johnnyzscasino.com |
| The Reserve Casino | 900 Slot Machines | 321 Gregory Street | www.reservecasinohotel.com |
| Z Casino | 350 Slot Machines | 101 Gregory Street | www.zcasinobh.com |
Black Hawk Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ameristar Casino | 1,638 Slot Machines | 111 Richman Street | www.ameristar.com |
| Black Hawk Station | 126 Slot Machines | 141 Gregory Street | www.blackhawkcolorado.com |
| Bull Durham Casino | 188 Slot Machines | 110 Main Street | www.bulldurhamcasino.com |
| Canyon Casino | 420 Slot Machines | 131 Main Street | www.canyoncasino.com |
| Gilpin Casino | 400 Slot Machines | 111 Main Street | www.thegilpincasino.com |
| Golden Gates Casino | 270 Slot Machines | 261 Main Street | www.thegoldengatescasino.com |
| Golden Gulch Casino | 130 Slot Machines | 321 Main Street | www.blackhawkcolorado.com |
| Isle of Capri | 1,100 Slot Machines | 401 Main Street | www.isleofcapricasinos.com |
| Lady Luck Casino | 450 Slot Machines | 340 Main Street | www.isleofcapricasinos.com |
| Lodge Casino | 921 Slot Machines | 240 Main Street | www.thelodgecasino.com |
| Mardi Gras Casino | 720 Slot Machines | 300 Main Street | www.thegoldengatescasino.com |
| Red Dolly Casino | 149 Slot Machines | 530 Gregory Street | www.reddollycasino.net |
| Saratoga Casino | 500 Slot Machines | 101 Main Street | www.saratogacasinobh.com |
| Sasquatch Casino | 145 Slot Machines | 125 Gregory Street | www.sasquatchcasino.com |
| Wild Card Saloon | 216 Slot Machines | 120 Main Street | www.wildcardcasino.net |
Tribal Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Ute Casino | 700 Slot Machines | 14324 US Hwy 172 North | www.skyutecasino.com |
| Ute Mountain Casino | 750 Slot Machines | 3 Weeminuche Drive | www.utemountaincasino.com |
The only live racetrack in Colorado is Arapahoe Park. It holds live horse races and off-track betting or horses and greyhounds.
Colorado Gambling History
Colorado gambling dates back to the early mining days. Early prospectors passed the time playing poker and other games in Wild West saloons. The first casino in the U.S. is purported to have been in Colorado near the Utah and Wyoming state lines. It was called Brown's Saloon and opened in 1822.
A puritan movement put an end to this type of unregulated gambling throughout the West. It moved underground, as opposed to operating in the open in taverns throughout communities in the Rockies as it did before.
The first step back towards legalized gambling was the creation of racing commission in 1950. This launched legalized racing in Colorado. Horses and greyhounds were once permitted. The Interstate Kennel Club failed in 2009. It was the last greyhound track in Colorado. The state banned live greyhound racing in 2014.
Off-track betting was later added to the available offerings at racetracks in the late 1970's. Taverns were permitted to offer simulcast wagering to help subsidize the horsemen.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create casinos in Colorado in 1990. The casinos may only be located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. This also extended legalized gambling to the Utes' reservations. The goal was to revive busted mining towns.
Colorado casinos opened with limited gaming in 1991. The maximum bet was $5. Only poker, slot machines, video poker and table games that used cards were permitted. Casinos were only permitted to be open 18 hours a day. The standard hours were 9 am to 3 am.
Voters approved a massive expansion of gambling that launched on July 1, 2009. This permitted 24-hour casino operations. It also raised the bet limit from $5 to $100. Craps and roulette were also added as allowable games, deviating from the longstanding policy of only permitting table games that required skill.
Amendment 68 sought the approval of voters to add slots and video poker at racetracks in Pueblo and Mesa Counties in 2014. Voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure in a statewide constitutional referendum.
Colorado Casinos & Gambling FAQ
What is the Colorado bet limit in casinos?
$100
What games are allowed in Colorado casinos?
Slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and any table game that uses cards.
Is online gambling legal in Colorado?
Simulcast pari-mutuel betting on horse and dog races is the only form of legal online gambling in Colorado.
Is online poker legal in Colorado?
No. It would likely require a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.
Does Colorado have a state lottery?
Yes. It includes scratch-off tickets and lotto drawings.
What is the minimum gambling age in Colorado?
The minimum Colorado gambling age is 18 years for lottery and bingo. Horse racing and Colorado casinos require players to be at least 21 years old.
What Colorado cities have casinos?
Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek have casinos. The two Ute Reservations also have casinos.
Which casino city is closest to Denver?
Black Hawk is the closest to Denver. Central City is its sister city.
What is the Colorado tax rate on casinos?
20 percent
What Is the Legal Gambling Age in Colorado
Source: https://www.onlineunitedstatescasinos.com/states/colorado-gambling/