Of all the pastimes in the United States, few come under as much scrutiny as gambling. Even when enjoyed responsibly, there is a huge stigma attached. Fortunately for those who are interested in picking up a gambling hobby, the scrutiny does not come from the law, despite whatever popular belief may say. This article will answer your questions about Colorado gambling laws and if it's legal to wager online in the Rocky Mountain State.

• Colorado Gambling Towns
• Legal Age By State
• Tennessee Legal Gambling Age
• Legal Ages In Us
• Legal Gambling Age In Colorado

Despite the commonly held belief throughout the United States that all forms of gambling is illegal, this does not actually prove to be the case. According to the federal laws that govern every US citizen, even though the facilitation of any unsanctioned gambling is a very serious crime, there are no laws against merely participating in gambling. The spirit and intent of gambling legislation is and always has been to break up organized crime and large, illicit gambling syndicates, not to punish otherwise honest citizens who merely wish to gamble.

The State of Colorado takes a lead from these Federal laws, and leaves mere gamblers for the most part well enough alone. Still, it’s always a good idea to enter any ambiguous situation as educated as possible. Well, that is exactly the purpose of ColoradoGamblingLaws.com which has been designed especially to guide residents not only through the rocky legal landscape in their home state, but to help point them towards safe, legal options to enjoy gambling.

Legality of Gambling in Colorado

Sports betting is only legal if you’re betting at a sportsbook licensed and authorized by the state of Colorado. Offshore sportsbooks are not legal in Colorado. If you want to bet in casinos in Colorado, or to make sports bets online you must be over the age of 21. What are the limits on how big bets can be? Some of you might ask what is the legal gambling age in Colorado? The legal age to start betting in Colorado is 21-years. The Lottery in Colorado is run by the state. It is allowed to sell lotto tickets and immediate games. As mentioned in the state law, lottery can run lotto drawing that has to do with Colorado. Players must be of 21 years of age to legally gamble in Colorado. Because of the gambling laws in place all over the country which prohibit gambling, Colorado residents have found just as much excitement in legal gamblingas what might be expected at land casinos.

Unlike federal law, Colorado gambling laws define and even criminalize the simple act of gambling. Chapter 18-10-102 section 2 of state legislation defines gambling as “risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance.” Unlike other some states, this definition applies a fairly effective blanket to all forms of gambling including sports betting, casino games, and since the legislation specifies that the result need be only partially determined by chance, poker as well. However, this crime is defined as merely a petty offense. In most cases, even if this act is enforced, it will only be a citation. In the most extreme case, this offense can result in six months in jail and a fine of $500.

The good news is that this law is not heavily enforced in Colorado. Checking the books, even in cases of large illegal gambling rings getting busted, gamblers are allowed to walk while only the facilitators are brought in on charges. In fact, at no point in the history of the state of Colorado has an otherwise honest resident been charged with the petty offense of gambling.

However, this does not mean that residents of the centennial state are completely in the clear when it comes to gambling laws. If a party is ever found guilty of “professional gambling,” they are not only assuring that they will receive a good bit of attention from law enforcement agencies all across the state, but they will face much more serious penalties for doing so.

In accordance with chapter 18-10-103 section two of state legislation, professional gambling is considered a class one misdemeanor on a guilty party’s first offense. This crime can already result in 6-18 months in jail along with a fine in the $500-$5000 range for the first offense. Any subsequent convictions of “professional gambling” will be prosecuted as a class 5 felony. In addition to being a permanent fixture on a criminal record, these felonies can result in 1-3 years in prison and a fine of $1000 to $10,000.

Difference Between Gambling & Professional Gambling

Fortunately for prospective gamblers in Colorado, there is actually a huge division between the acts of “gambling” and participating in “professional gambling.” Whereas gambling is the act of placing a bet or wager on an event or the outcome of a game of chance, the guilty party participating in professional gambling would be one taking that bet so that the gambler can play.

Were one to walk into an illicit casino and sit down for a game of roulette, they would need to give some money to the operator of the roulette wheel. In accordance with Colorado law, this wheel operator would be guilty of professional gambling, even if they were an employee for a larger syndicate.

In order to complete the act of professional gambling, there is one more stipulation: the offender must make a profit off the gambling event. This does not simply mean successfully betting or wagering on the event so that they come out ahead, but rather setting themselves up to profit from the event regardless of whether they wager anything or not. Popular means of doing this are by operating a sportsbook wherein the guilty party assumes responsibility for collecting from losing bets and paying out winners, usually taking a small cut from each bet, operating a poker game where admission is charged for the privilege to play, or operating any casino games as the “house” who, by definition, always has the best chance of winning.

As long as Colorado resident avoids facilitating any illicit gambling for profit in their home state and merely remains a participant, they will avoid that felony charge as well and any legal attention at all.

Colorado State Betting laws

US federal law heavily governs sports betting. While it’s not illegal to merely bet on sports, its facilitation is highly illegal and states do not have the right to sanction it unless they have been grandfathered an exception to federal policy. Unfortunately, Colorado is not one of those states. As a result, land based sports betting in Colorado is a risky proposition which will force residents to associate with a criminal element.

Luckily for those who wish to bet on sports, there are many online sportsbooks open to Colorado residents. Thousands of people in Colorado manage to place a bet on the Broncos or the Avalanche every day through the use of these legal sports betting sites, and since policy regarding the act of gambling is so lax, they are able to do so with no fear of legal prosecution for violating Colorado gambling laws.

Although back in the 1800’s when Colorado first wrote their laws all gambling was strictly prohibited, the state has seen how much profit can be brought in for their state through sanctioned casinos. As a result, the state of Colorado has approved the construction of several casinos throughout their state. As long as these facilities remain properly and currently licensed by the state, no restrictions to gambling apply in these brick and mortar buildings. This means that players may enjoy slot machines and table games at any of these facilities.

One of the most popular means of gambling in the country is via poker games. Because of the high profit margins that stand alone poker rooms often bring in for states, many legislations often allow exceptions for poker in their definition of gambling. While this is not the case in Colorado, due to the quantity of sanctioned casinos in the state, it should not provide a very tough obstacle for residents who are avid poker players. All the Colorado casinos offer several poker tables and tournaments for guaranteed money.

Home Games: In addition to the options available at sanctioned casinos for playing poker, Colorado also recognizes the sanctity of the home game. Friday night beers and cards will not be broken up by and law enforcement agencies. In addition, many Colorado residents play online poker via legal online poker rooms from their homes every day of the week with no interference from the law.

What Is The Legal Gambling Age In Colorado?

It’s true that if a resident of Colorado truly wants to gamble legally, there are many venues for doing so where the law will not interfere. However, just as with all good rules, there is one crucial exception to this one. Colorado residents should not, under any circumstances, gamble underage.

The legal gambling age in Colorado is 21, and even though three years may as well be an eternity for an 18 year old, we strongly advise waiting. Underage gamblers will not only be banned from whichever premises they are gambling on and forced to surrender all their funds to the casino, be it land based or online, but they will certainly face penalties from the state as well. These would include steep fines, court ordered community service, or even jail time. The best advice for prospective underage gamblers: just hang in there and wait!

Where To Gamble in Colorado

On-Land: Despite defining and technically criminalizing gambling in their state constitution, Colorado is one of the friendliest states towards the hobby you could want to live in. Aside from the fact that there have been exactly NO arrests for merely gambling within the last 50 years in the state, there are plenty of sanctioned casinos throughout the state to help an itchy player wet their beak.

For those who prefer to do their gambling in person, any of the sanctioned Colorado casinos centered around big cities like Denver and Boulder offer all varieties of popular casino games as well as hundreds of slot machines with stakes ranging from $.01 all the way up to $500 a spin.

Poker fans can easily get their fix as well, considering each casino should offer poker tables ranging well into the triple digits, meaning that Colorado residents can throw as much money down on the cards as they please whether they want to participate in a live action tournament or just sit in for a couple hands.

Online/Web-Based: Despite the large number of land based options out there as far as gambling in Colorado, for some residents who wish to gamble regularly for smaller intervals of time, long trips out to a casino are simply not feasible, no matter how much fun they may offer for a weekend. This is why many legal gambling sites, especially the ones shown on this website, are open to Colorado residents, and that they manage to recruit so many residents from up in the Rockies.

It has already been well established that no resident has to worry about being prosecuted in Colorado for the mere act of gambling. Still, if the goal is to gamble with as few criminal elements as possible, how can Colorado residents feel good about trusting their money to a website that must operate illegally in order to stay afloat? Therein lies the rub. While we certainly cannot account for every online gambling network, all the websites indexed on this page are located overseas, which means they may legally operate in other countries far away from not only Colorado state but federal legislation.

Aside from the peace of mind of gambling with a legal enterprise within the confines of Colorado gambling laws, these legal gambling networks can offer Colorado players a lot. First and most importantly, by removing the criminal element from online gambling, players may rest at ease that no government entity can seize their funds. Secondly, since in order to maintain legal operation these networks must maintain licenses from reputable international gaming commissions, fair play as well as efficient and speedy payouts are guaranteed. These are two comforts illicit gambling operations simply cannot offer, and unlike the legal land based casinos in Colorado, these websites can bring all the excitement of poker, casino games, or even sports betting right into your living room or mobile device.

Best Legal Gambling Sites For Colorado Residents

Trusted For All Types Of Real Money Wagering

Colorado Gambling Towns

For Colorado residents who demand security, legality and discretion from their gambling network, why not go with the website that has been serving thousands of Colorado residents for over 20 years? Bovada is this website. Through years of exceptional service, their name has practically become synonymous with online gambling in the United States, and why wouldn’t it? Aside from providing gamblers with all the security that gambling with a legal online entity provides, Bovada offers the best products in the business. Whether you want a complete and creative sportsbook, high functioning poker tables and casino games or hundreds of slots to choose from, Bovada should make for a fantastic destination.

But what does Bovada offer that land based casinos can’t? Aside from the obvious advantage of delivering high quality gambling venues right into your home, the answer is simple. Top notch customer service. When you gamble with Bovada, the goal is not to get you to drop as much money at one time as humanly possible, the goal is to keep you around and happy for a long time. They do this by offering a personal touch few websites even approach. You will never be more than a phone call away from a skilled and friendly technician, and you will never be pressured into wagering more money than you are comfortable with. Bovada takes the concept of “happy betting” incredibly seriously.

Other Recommended Colorado Betting Sites

More About Using ColoradoGamblingLaws.com

We here at ColoradoGamblingLaws.com are not lawyers, merely gambling enthusiasts with an interest in the law. Therefore, nothing written here should be taken as an official legal consultation. While we are confident that all the information presented on this site for Colorado gambling laws is accurate, any further questions should be directed at a lawyer or directly towards Colorado legislation found at www.leg.state.co.us to read the exact language of each bill referenced within our content as well as anything you need further clarification.

What the legal gambling age is depends on the state in which you live. Based on the powers of the states, each state's rights, and the lawmakers utilizing these rights, these ages can vary. the variance comes into play with different forms of gambling, different states, and, in the case of online gambling, the age requirement offered by a gambling site. While this may seem complicated with so much information to keep track of, this is not exactly the case - age requirements in gambling are very easy to comprehend, provided you know where to look.

Unfortunately, not every single state has actually listed the age requirement for gambling in their code of laws. It is further complicated by the fact that some states allow smaller jurisdictions, such as counties and cities, to establish their own legal ages. For the most part, we are only going to worry about each state's individual rules, as well as the rules of the different gambling sites in question. We have looked into this issue on a state by state basis, and we are going to tell you flat out that the age restriction for legal online gambling in the USA is fixed at two numbers - 18 and 21.

CHECK HERE FOR A LIST OF GAMBLING SITES THAT ACCEPT USA PLAYERS

USA Sportsbooks - USA Casinos - USA Poker Sites

Do Gambling Ages Differ Between Sites And States?

Barring a few exceptions, you will have to be 21 in order to legally gamble. This is the case in nearly every single state. Some states allow 18 year olds to gamble. Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming all have gambling ages of 18.

Every other state in the Union has fixed their gambling age at 21, and you cannot get around this in any way. If you attempt to do so you are aiming at serious trouble, including fines, having your money confiscated, and possibly arrest, though the latter is not likely.

There is one point of confusion that is universal in online gambling. This lies between the age required by your gambling site and the gambling age required by your state. In some cases, one will allow gamblers to begin at a younger age than the other. In the event that these ages differ from one another, you have to go with the gambling age that is higher.

For instance - your casino allows 18 year olds, but your state requires you to be 21. That means you cannot join unless you are 21, as per your state's regulations. On the other hand, if your state will allow 18 year olds but that particular gambling site requires you to be 21, you will have to be 21 - regardless of your state's requirements. This is the only real point of confusion, and it can be easily bypassed.

Age Requirement For Online Gambling Sites

As you will come to find, there are gambling age restrictions at the gambling sites you visit. These gambling ages requirements will be stipulated in the terms and condtions section of the site, or some variation of the rules of the site. These requirements are very important, and strictly enforced by the sites themselves.

Legal Age By State

One thing we can tell you not to do is attempt to gamble underage - be it online or in a brick and mortar venue. Even if you can enter the website or join up with pme, you will ultimately be going down a path you cannot finish walking. If you join a gambling site that you are not old enough to play with, be aware that they are fully entitled to confiscate your money.

No one likes losing, and losing without even having a chance to win is never fun. We have compiled the legal gambling ages in every state, so we recommend you take a look at these before you start to gamble.

It's best consult your local laws to find out the gambling age after you have checked with, and at least are old enough to gamble at the online casino or sportsbook you have chosen. If you meet the online gambling site but not the state, you are still not 'legally' allowed to wager regardless of where it operates. Getting caught illegally gambling online is not something that you want to have happen, as you will be stripped of accounts, money, and perhaps more.

Tennessee Legal Gambling Age

Legal Ages In Us

We do not condone underage gambling and encourage all players to get informed. The age of gambling legally online is still a debated issue, with many states in the U.S. requiring bettors to be at least 21 years old. We do not foresee that changing in the near future though, if at all.

Legal Gambling Age In Colorado

Find the legal gambling age for every state here.