Gambling is legal in Colorado, but only in the specific forms the state has authorized: casino gaming in three mountain towns, the state lottery, sports betting through licensed apps and casinos, pari-mutuel horse racing, private social games, and bingo and raffles run by licensed nonprofits. Anything outside those categories is a crime, and online casino games like virtual slots and digital poker rooms are not on the approved list.
The Legal Forms at a Glance
- Casino games (slots, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette) in licensed establishments in designated towns
- The Colorado Lottery, including scratch-offs and draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions
- Sports betting through licensed mobile apps and in person at casinos
- Pari-mutuel wagering on horse races at licensed tracks and simulcast facilities
- Social gambling: private games where no one is running the game for profit
- Charitable bingo and raffles run by licensed nonprofits
If a form of gambling isn’t on that list, it isn’t legal in Colorado. That includes online casino play through offshore or out-of-state sites, even when the site itself operates legally somewhere else.
Where You Can Gamble at a Casino
Commercial casino gaming is restricted to the historic commercial districts of three small cities: Central City and Black Hawk in Gilpin County, and Cripple Creek in Teller County.1Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. Playing in a Casino – Gaming That geographic limit has been in place since voters approved limited gaming in 1990 through a constitutional amendment, now codified in Article XVIII, Section 9 of the Colorado Constitution and implemented through the Limited Gaming Act in C.R.S. Title 44, Article 30.
Bet Limits
Colorado used to cap single bets at $100. Amendment 77, approved in 2020, let voters in each of the three gaming towns set their own limits. All three subsequently voted to eliminate the cap, so there is no longer a limit on how much you can wager on a single bet at a commercial Colorado casino.
Tribal Casinos
Two tribal nations in southwest Colorado also operate casinos: the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. These facilities run under federal law and state-tribal compacts rather than the Limited Gaming Act. The compacts originally mirrored the $100 bet limit of commercial casinos but include provisions allowing the tribes to negotiate higher stakes. Tribal casinos may also offer live keno alongside the standard lineup of slots, poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette.2Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. Tribal Casinos in Colorado
Sports Betting
Sports betting became legal after voters approved Proposition DD in November 2019. You can place bets through licensed mobile sportsbook apps from anywhere inside the state (operators use geofencing to confirm you’re physically in Colorado) or in person at a casino. Permitted markets include professional sports, college athletics, and motor sports, with single-game bets, parlays, in-game wagers, and over-under lines all on the table. Proposition bets on individual college sporting events are not allowed.3Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. Sports Betting
The Colorado Division of Gaming and the Limited Gaming Control Commission oversee all sports betting operations.3Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. Sports Betting
Lottery, Horse Racing, Home Poker, and Charitable Games
The Colorado Lottery sells scratch-off tickets and draw-game entries at authorized retailers throughout the state. Pari-mutuel wagering on horse races is legal at licensed tracks and simulcast facilities, where all bets of a given type pool together and payouts come out of that pool.
Home poker and other private games are legal under a narrow carve-out. C.R.S. 18-10-102(2)(d) excludes a game or wager from the definition of “gambling” when it’s incidental to a bona fide social relationship, involves only individual people (not businesses), and no one is engaged in professional gambling.4Justia. Colorado Code 18-10-102 – Definitions Your Thursday-night game is fine as long as the host isn’t taking a rake or otherwise profiting from running it. The moment someone profits from organizing rather than playing, the exception disappears.
Nonprofits can run bingo and raffles only after obtaining a license from the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. The license costs $100,5Colorado Secretary of State. Bingo and Raffles Fee Schedule and the organization must have been operating continuously in Colorado for at least five years before applying. It also must be a bona fide religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, volunteer firefighter, or veterans’ organization operating without profit to its members. Running any raffle in Colorado without a license is illegal, no matter how small the prizes.6Colorado Secretary of State. Bingo and Raffles FAQs
Age Requirements
The minimum age depends on the activity.
- 18 and older: lottery tickets, bingo and raffles, and pari-mutuel horse racing wagers.7Colorado Lottery. Colorado Lottery
- 21 and older: casino gambling, entering the gaming floor, and sports betting in any form.1Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. Playing in a Casino – Gaming
The casino age rule reaches further than just placing bets. Anyone under 21 cannot watch others gamble, place wagers through someone else, or collect winnings at a casino.8Department of Revenue – Specialized Business Group. It’s Not Worth the Gamble Minors can pass through a gaming area to reach a restaurant or arcade but cannot linger on the floor.
What’s Illegal and What It Costs
Gambling outside the authorized channels is a crime, and the penalty depends on your role.
- Casual gambling outside legal channels is a petty offense with no jail time.
- Professional gambling is a class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to 120 days in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.9Justia. Colorado Code 18-10-103 – Gambling
Running an unlicensed internet gambling operation or transmitting gambling information electronically also falls under the class 2 misdemeanor category. That applies even if you’re placing bets through a site based somewhere gambling is legal; what matters is that you’re doing it from Colorado without authorization.
The stakes escalate if the operation is large enough to trigger federal law. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1955, running an illegal gambling business that involves five or more people, violates state law, and operates for more than 30 consecutive days (or grosses over $2,000 in a single day) is a federal crime carrying up to five years in prison. Property and money used in the operation are subject to federal seizure.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1955 – Prohibition of Illegal Gambling Businesses
Taxes on Gambling Winnings
Winnings create a tax bill at both the federal and state level. Operators must issue you an IRS Form W-2G when your winnings cross certain thresholds. For 2026, the reporting threshold for bingo, keno, and slot machine winnings is $2,000.11Internal Revenue Service. Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-19 If your winnings from sports bets, lotteries, or wagering pools exceed $5,000 after subtracting the wager, the payer must withhold 24 percent for federal income tax.12Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 Even if your winnings fall below those thresholds, you’re still legally required to report all gambling income on your tax return.13Internal Revenue Service. Gambling Income and Losses
Colorado requires an additional 4 percent withholding on any gambling winnings subject to federal W-2G reporting.14Colorado Department of Revenue. Withholding Tax Topics: Gambling Winnings You can deduct gambling losses against winnings on your federal return, but only up to the amount of winnings you reported, and only if you itemize.
Self-Exclusion if You Need to Stop
Colorado runs a voluntary self-exclusion program for anyone who wants to be banned from regulated gambling in the state. Once enrolled, you cannot gamble at casinos, place sports bets in person, or use online sportsbook apps.15Bet Smart Colorado. Self-Exclusion
You choose an exclusion period of one, three, or five years, and apply online or by submitting a form to the Division of Gaming. One detail catches people out: you are not automatically removed from the list when your period ends. You must actively request removal, and the Division of Gaming Director has to approve it.15Bet Smart Colorado. Self-Exclusion While on the list, you also forfeit any accumulated points, bonuses, comps, or free play at casinos and sportsbooks.