Is sports betting legal in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado has allowed sports betting at casinos and online statewide since 1 May 2020, for adults 21 and over, after voters approved Proposition DD in November 2019. The Colorado Division of Gaming regulates it.
How it became legal
Colorado needed two votes to get there. The legislature passed House Bill 19-1327, signed on 29 May 2019, which legalized sports betting and set a 10 percent tax on the books' net proceeds. Because Colorado's constitution makes new taxes go to the voters, the bill was referred to the November 2019 ballot as Proposition DD. It passed narrowly: the Secretary of State's election results show 800,745 votes for and 756,712 against. The bill set the start at 1 May 2020.
The Department of Revenue's Division of Gaming, under the Limited Gaming Control Commission, licenses and regulates it.
How the books are set up
Only the casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek can hold a master license, and each one can contract with an online operator. That's why every app in Colorado is tied to a casino in one of those three towns. Under the Commission's sports betting rules (1 CCR 207-2), you can bet in person at a casino's sportsbook or online from anywhere in Colorado, unless the state has marked an area off limits.
The online books have to run a geofence that checks where you are when you bet, and the rules say every wager has to be made within the state. Being a Colorado resident is not enough: if you're over the line in Kansas, the bet won't go in.
Rules worth knowing
The age is 21. The rules say no bet may be taken from anyone younger, and only patrons 21 and over can deposit or play online.
College games are allowed, but prop bets on college games are not, and high school sports are off the board entirely. I think that's the right line. A college prop puts the price on a single young player, and that's the bet most open to tampering.
The Division's online list of licensed operators wouldn't load for me when I checked, so I'd look it up on the Division of Gaming site before you deposit anywhere.
Winnings are fully taxable and go on your federal return.
Where the offshore books fit
Offshore books still take players in Colorado. They have no Colorado license, so the Division can't make them pay you or rule on a dispute. A state-licensed book answers to the regulator. Our offshore sportsbooks section explains how those books work, and the VPN question explains why I'd never try to fool a geofence.
The rules make every licensed book carry the message "Gambling problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER," and our responsible gambling page has the rest.
*Checked against the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission's sports betting rules and HB 19-1327 on 28 October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*
Related questions
Where is sports betting legal?
Of the 38 states we have checked, 31 allow legal sports betting in some form and 7 do not, as of 28 October 2026. The form varies a lot: some states let you bet on your phone anywhere inside their borders, others only at a casino counter, a tribal casino or through one state-run book.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports?
21 in most states that allow sports betting, and 18 in a few, New Hampshire and Rhode Island among them. The age that counts is the one set by the state you are in when you place the bet, so check that state's regulator.
Is sports betting legal in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming has allowed online sports betting statewide under a law signed on 5 April 2021, for bettors 18 and over who are physically in the state, with each book permitted by the Wyoming Gaming Commission.