Online Poker in Colorado - real money play is legal in 2023!

Can I play online poker in Colorado? The answer is yes!

Is it legal to play online poker in Colorado? The answer to this is also yes!

Colorado is one of the more liberal states in the United States, not measured by the way it votes in the presidential or state elections, but by acceptance of activities in the state’s borders. This liberalization has sadly not reached all the way down to regulated online poker in Colorado, so citizens of the state must look to other places if they want to play poker.

Luckily, a lot of offshore sites have decided to offer Colorado online poker games to those people, and the options are likely better than any regulated system could actually offer. Best of all, you can play legally without worrying about breaking any laws. The state's anti-gambling statutes are never enforced against online poker players, and the federal laws that could apply, like the UIGEA, punish only those running the games and accepting payments for gaming. They do not target individual players.

Below is a list of the great sites that players from Colorado can call home and an explanation of some of the major benefits they offer.

Colorado features plenty of destinations for live real money games, and this situation is mirrored online. These internet sites aren't regulated by the Colorado Division of Gaming, and so it's up to you to choose safe places to play.

We haven't left you to do all the work yourself though. After delving deeply into the offerings and reputability of the firms that provide online poker to Coloradoans, we've winnowed them down to those that are on the up and up. All of the companies that we recommend are upright, respectable, and committed to sending your legitimate winnings rapidly without giving you the run-around.

1

IGNITION

BONUS:

150% up to $1,500

★★★★★

4.5 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE WITH THE MOST TRAFFIC

NETWORK:

PAIWANGLUO

EXTRAS

CASINO

MORE INFO

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With higher traffic numbers than any other site available to Colorado's residents, Ignition Poker deserves your serious consideration as a potential poker home. Some of the most popular cash game formats available include NL Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, PLO, and PLO/8. Numerous multi-table tournaments, sit-and-gos, Jackpot SNGs, and fast-fold Zone Poker are also featured. Weekly tournaments run with prize pools of $150k+! All play at Ignition Poker is anonymous in an effort to encourage and protect recreational players.

The poker software at Ignition Poker is available in Mac and PC downloadable forms as well as a browser-based client that can be played on any modern tablet or mobile device. You can get a 100% up to $1,000 bonus for poker (150% up to $1,500 for Bitcoin deposits) at Ignition and another $1,000 for casino games.

VISIT IGNITION POKER NOW

2

SB POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $1,000

★★★★★

4.4 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR BAD BEAT JACKPOT

NETWORK:

CHICO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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Sportsbetting.ag is the third-largest room available to Americans with blinds offered up to $5/$10 in NL Hold'em cash games. PLO and PLO/8 are featured as well as 5 Card Omaha. SB Poker sports the largest Bad Beat Jackpot available to U.S. players and it has occasionally reached over $1 million! SNGs, MTTs, fast-fold Boost poker, and lottery-inspired Windfall poker are also available to play. Supersize your bankroll by taking advantage of frequent leaderboards for sit-n-gos and cash games.

You can access SB Poker on your Windows or Mac desktop after downloading the complete poker client. There is also an excellent mobile product available for iOS and Android users. You can get a bonus worth 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000 as well as other promotions available within the attached sportsbook and casino.

VISIT SB POKER NOW

3

BETONLINE

BONUS:

100% up to $1,000

★★★★★

4.4 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR MOBILE USERS

NETWORK:

CHICO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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BetOnline is a partner to SB Poker, with both sites operating on the Chico Poker Network. The poker room and games available will be shared across the two rooms. BOL also boasts an excellent mobile application that runs smoothly and consistently. Beyond playing poker, you can also access the casino and wager on sports from almost any device.

BOL offers a downloadable poker client for all PC and Mac devices in addition to its mobile products that are available for iOS and Android devices. You can receive a poker bonus equal to 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000.

VISIT BETONLINE NOW

4

BOVADA

BONUS:

100% up to $500

★★★★★

4.2 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR BETTING ON SPORTS

NETWORK:

PAIWANGLUO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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Bovada offers the same plethora of poker games as Ignition because the sites are partners on the Pai Wang Luo poker network. The primary difference between the two is that Bovada offers a sportsbook, which is not available at Ignition. You can wager on every major sport including baseball, soccer, football, basketball, soccer, and more. Horse racing, eSports, politics, and all kinds of other notable events are also available to wager on at Bovada.

You can download the poker client at Bovada on any PC or Mac device. In addition, there's a browser-based client that's compatible with iOS, Android, and tablet devices. The poker welcome bonus is equal to 100% of your first deposit up to $500, and you can get extra bonus cash for casino gaming and sports betting.

VISIT BOVADA NOW

5

ACR POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $2,000

★★★★★

4.0 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE WITH FREE BANKROLL OFFER

NETWORK:

WINNING

FREE

$10

MORE INFO

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ACR Poker is the flagship site on the Winning Poker Network. ACR Poker is a great choice to play at if you enjoy massive tournaments because it hosts the largest weekly MTT available in Colorado: a $215 buy-in event featuring a guaranteed $250K prize pool. ACR also offers recurring tournament series, including VENOM events, which guarantee $5+ million in prize pools. If you are a newer player or wish to start small, ACR is one of the few online sites to still spread games with $0.01/$0.02 blinds! Popular offerings include SNGs, lottery-style Jackpots SNGs, fast-fold Blitz Poker, and standard ring games, such as NL Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, PLO, and PLO/8.

Windows and Mac users can play using the full downloadable poker client. Mobile players are able to play through any modern browser, but unfortunately, many game types aren't available to play on mobile. Take advantage of our exclusive ACR bonus code PRB10FREE to receive $10 for free, and then claim 100% of your first deposit up to $2,000.

VISIT ACR POKER NOW

6

COIN POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $700

★★★★★

3.9 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR CRYPTO GAMING

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

33% RAKEBACK

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Of the many crypto-focused poker sites available, CoinPoker is the largest and growing the fastest. All poker play is denominated in USDT (Tether), but you can also use several other coins for deposits and withdrawals, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The poker lineup here includes NL Hold'em, 5 Card Omaha, and PL Omaha. Recurring leaderboards run frequently to reward dedicated grinders.

CoinPoker offers poker software that is widely compatible with numerous operating systems including desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. CoinPoker boasts three excellent welcome deposit bonuses worth 100% of your deposit of up to $100, 100% of your deposit of up to $300, and another 100% of up to $700. You can also receive 33% rakeback if you hold a balance of the proprietary CHP cryptocurrency.

VISIT COIN POKER NOW

7

EVERYGAME

BONUS:

200% up to $1,000

★★★★★

3.9 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR RAKEBACK

NETWORK:

HORIZON

EXTRAS

CASINOS, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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Everygame, formerly known as Intertops, has been a trusted option in the gambling industry for nearly 30 years, offering multiple casinos, sports betting, and a poker room. Everygame Poker lacks the high-traffic numbers of some of its larger competitors, but there is still plenty of action for most low- to mid-stakes players. The true value in playing at Everygame is in the excellent promotional offers. 36% rakeback is standard and one of the highest such offers in the industry. Other promotional offerings include weekly rake races, frequent reload bonuses, overlay tournaments, and a VIP program.

Everygame Poker is available to play on Windows devices through the downloadable poker client. Users utilizing other hardware can access the Instant Play interface to play through virtually any device or browser. The poker welcome bonus is 200% up to $1,000 + 25 free casino spins, and extra bonus opportunities await you in the casinos and sportsbook.

VISIT EVERYGAME NOW

8

SWCPOKER

BONUS:

NONE

★★★★★

3.6 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE SITE FOR # OF POKER VARIANTS

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

FREEROLLS

MORE INFO

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SwCPoker operates its poker room exclusively utilizing Bitcoin. The gameplay available is quite varied with all of the standard poker formats, like NL Hold'em and PL Omaha, but also a number of rarer types of poker like HORSE, Razz, and Open Face Chinese. Micro-stakes tables up to about $0.10/$0.20 are not subjected to any rake, and numerous freerolls are offered to pad your bankroll.

The SwCPoker software runs on any modern desktop, tablet, or mobile device. Although SwC doesn't offer a first deposit bonus, it does enable users to get up to 50% rakeback through its robust rewards program.

VISIT SWCPOKER

9

NITROBETTING

BONUS:

100% up to 25 mBTC

★★★★★

3.3 / 5

BEST CO ONLINE POKER SITE FOR BITCOINERS

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

READ REVIEW

Unlike many cryptocurrency-centered poker sites, Nitrobetting only uses Bitcoin for its gameplay and cashier. There are no alternative coins in use here, creating a simple and solid user experience. Poker formats on offer include NL Hold'em, Six Plus Hold'em, and PL Omaha. Regularly scheduled freerolls can benefit newer players by providing an opportunity to win without buying in.

Nitrobetting operates in any modern web browser and is compatible with nearly any computing device. You'll get a poker bonus worth 100% of your first deposit up to 25mBTC. Visit the attached sportsbook and casino to receive additional promotions.

VISIT NITROBETTING NOW

How to Choose the Best Colorado Poker Site For Your Style of Play

We can't offer a blanket assessment of any one of these upstanding poker rooms over another. The right place for you to play cards online will depend upon your own personal predilections and preferences. What may be a stellar experience for you might leave another player twiddling his or her thumbs. While we can't make the ultimate decision on your behalf, we can give you some food for thought as you attempt to select the site that looks best to you.

How Do I Receive Withdrawals and Payouts in Colorado?

Securing payouts from all the sites described above is a simple process. All of them are willing to send you a check for the sum you intend to cash out, and some of them support other payment methods too, like money transfers and debit cards. One minor issue you might have is that withdrawals can incur hefty fees and involve multi-week waiting times.

You can eliminate these hassles by transacting only in Bitcoin. The rooms on our list of Colorado online poker sites all allow you to fund your account and request payouts via this cryptocurrency. If this sounds good to you, but you haven't ever used BTC before, then don't worry. We've written up a set of comprehensive instructions on how to get started with Bitcoin digital currency.

Alternatives to Registering Your Account in the State of Colorado

Players who may be fortunate enough to have another address in a nearby state, be it a business address, summer vacation home, second apartment, family estate, etc, may have other online poker options available to explore. Here is a list of the states that border Colorado and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. If none of these few states are relevant to you, then you may wish to instead look over our page describing the internet poker landscape for the United States as a whole.

Many people who live in Colorado are ignorant about the options available for playing within the state. You can help redress this problem by sharing this page with those among your family and friends whom you think would be well served by it.

Facts About Colorado Online Poker Industry

This section aims to provide factual information detailing the laws and legality of online poker and gambling within the state of Colorado, live gambling locations and information, current and future state regulations, and the history of poker and gambling across the state.

The Legality of Playing Poker Online in Colorado

The legal rules pertaining to gambling in Colorado don't really consider online gaming separately from offline wagering. Thus, we'll have to examine the traditional gambling laws and attempt to work out how they might apply to playing cards online.

The part of the Colorado Revised Statutes that deals with this topic is contained in Title 18, Criminal Code, Article 10, Gambling. In the first section of this article, 18-10-101, we find out what the purpose of these laws is:

(1) It is declared to be the policy of the general assembly, recognizing the close relationship between professional gambling and other organized crime, to restrain all persons from seeking profit from gambling activities in this state; to restrain all persons from patronizing such activities when conducted for the profit of any person; to safeguard the public against the evils induced by common gamblers and common gambling houses; and at the same time to preserve the freedom of the press and to avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.

This implies that the policy of the state is to restrict gambling in order to combat organized crime and to protect the well-being of citizens without unduly affecting normal social activities that countless people enjoy. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Colorado treats individual players pretty leniently while reserving the most onerous punishments for those who actually organize and run illicit gambling games.

Let's look now at how the state defines gambling, which can be found in the definitions section of Article 10, 18-10-102:

(2) “Gambling” means risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control, but does not include:

There then follow a few examples of things that are not viewed as gambling, including insurance and future contracts, crane game operations, social gaming, and “bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries.” The wording about being “contingent in whole or in part upon lot” tends to make us think that poker is included as gambling, but on the other hand, it's certainly a contest of skill, at least over the long term, which would qualify it for an exemption from the gambling law. In 2012, Federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein put forward his opinion that poker was a game in which skill predominates in the DiCristina case, but Colorado's judiciary is under no legal obligation to follow his lead.

In 2009, the authorities charged Kevin Raley with gambling for organizing Texas Hold'em tournaments in Greeley, but the judge declared that poker was a game of skill and thus not gambling. Unfortunately, this decision was reversed by a higher court. Raley appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court, but that body declined to hear the case.

On to the actual law defining the penalties for gambling (18-10-103):

Gambling - professional gambling - offenses
(1) A person who engages in gambling commits a class 1 petty offense.
(2) A person who engages in professional gambling commits a class 1 misdemeanor. If he is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 5 felony.

Anyone who commits gambling is guilty of a class 1 petty offense, punishable by up to 10 days in jail and a fine as high as $300. However, nobody has ever had to answer charges in Colorado for playing online poker on his or her computer. Even Kevin Raley, whose case we've just briefly discussed, was arrested because he was managing live poker tourneys, not merely participating in them.

Part (2) of 18-10-103 might give some of our readers a sinking feeling because it elevates the seriousness of the crime if one is engaged in professional gambling. While this sounds like it might include people who earn their incomes from internet poker, this is actually not true. We must refer back to the definitions contained in 18-10-102 where we see the following:

(8) “Professional gambling” means:
(a) Aiding or inducing another to engage in gambling, with the intent to derive a profit therefrom; or
(b) Participating in gambling and having, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser chance of losing or a greater chance of winning than one or more of the other participants.

Unless you're cheating or profiting by getting others to play, this professional gambling stuff doesn't apply to you at all.

There's one other clause that some feel could create headaches for partisans of poker online. It is 18-10-106, which deals with the transmission of gambling information:

(1) Whoever knowingly transmits or receives gambling information by telephone, telegraph, radio, semaphore, or other means or knowingly installs or maintains equipment for the transmission or receipt of gambling information commits a class 3 misdemeanor. If the offender is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 6 felony.

This broadly worded passage almost certainly includes the internet under “other means,” and so some worry that placing their poker bets, calls, and raises on their computers via the internet makes them susceptible to the enforcement of this law. The error in this reasoning is that wagering in poker games isn't “gambling information” according to the legislators. The definition of “gambling information” is:

(4) “Gambling information” means a communication with respect to any wager made in the course of, and any information intended to be used for, professional gambling. In the application of this definition the following shall be presumed to be intended for use in professional gambling: Information as to wagers, betting odds, or changes in betting odds. Legitimate news reporting of an event for public dissemination is not gambling information within the meaning of this article.

Only communications that involve professional gambling are violations of this law. As a regular player, this statute isn't relevant to you.

The Colorado Department of Revenue hosts a FAQ regarding gambling on its website. This document states that “Internet gambling is illegal under state and federal laws.” It references the state law against transmitting or receiving gambling information, which, as we've seen, only comes into play when discussing professional gambling. It also mentions the UIGEA and Wire Act as prohibiting online betting at the federal level.

This isn't really true though as a 2011 Department of Justice memorandum explained that the Wire Act, and by extension the UIGEA, does not prohibit any other form of wagering besides sports betting. Perhaps the motive for supplying such bad – or at least incomplete – information lies in the name of the organization providing it: the Colorado Department of REVENUE. Clearly, the state doesn't derive any revenue from internet-based gaming, and this might be one explanation as to why the webpage takes such an unjustifiably harsh stance against it.

In addition to gambling, professional gambling, and communicating gambling information, other charges that relate to real money gaming are possession of a gambling device or record and keeping gambling premises. Most of these infractions are misdemeanors, but they can rise to felonies for repeat offenders. These provisions of the law are intended to bust up illicit gambling rings rather than prosecute regular players. They can involve penalties of up to three years in prison and/or fines as high as $100,000.

The final segment of the Colorado laws pertaining to gambling in Article 10 exclude certain activities from falling under the terms of the article. These are the types of gaming that are allowed and overseen by the state: charitable bingo and raffles, racing, and casinos.

Land Based Gambling

Colorado has around 40 gaming casinos, which by law must be located in either Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, or Central City. Tribal casinos are an exception to this rule, and the Ute Mountain Casino near Towaoc and the Sky Ute Casino near Ignacio are the two tribal gambling centers to have appeared.

Cardrooms in the state were initially hampered by a restriction that limited the size of bets to a maximum of $5, but this amount was raised to $100 in 2009 before being waived altogether in 2021. Perhaps this rule decreased the appeal of poker tables for gaming operators, and it may be a reason why there are only a handful of live poker rooms to choose from notwithstanding the high number of casinos present.

Bally's (formerly the Golden Gates Casino) in Black Hawk may be the best place to play because it has NLHE and PLO cash games and is also one of the few Colorado cardrooms that offers tournaments. There's a regular daily schedule of low-buyin tourneys as well as occasional special events, like the Colorado Poker Championship and the Mid-States Poker Tour.

Other wagering options in The Centennial State include the lottery, charitable gaming, and pari-mutuel wagering on races. Arapaho Park in Aurora is the site of horse races, and there used to be greyhound racing too, but this form of competition was banned within the state in 2014. Off-track betting is available at licensed locations.

State Regulation

Colorado appears to be poised to become the home of a licensed online poker market, if not in the immediate future then probably within a decade. There's already a large brick-and-mortar casino economy, and the liberal values held dear by Coloradans seem to make it a given that there aren't many moral objections to setting up a state-regulated environment for internet gambling.

The Colorado Gaming Association is reported to have drafted a bill in 2012 to create a fully legal framework for online poker in the state, but this legislation wasn't introduced in the legislature or revealed to the public. Still, this development indicates that there's strong support for virtual real money gaming in Colorado.

The passage of HB 16-1404 in 2016 to regulate daily fantasy sports together with the legalization of traditional and online sports betting via ballot measure in 2019 show that lawmakers are open to the idea of online gambling.

History of Poker in Colorado

Unlike the more densely settled eastern portions of the North American continent, Colorado didn't really have much population until the middle of the 19th century. Still, gambling occurred among those who did live there. The native Ute people gambled on the stick game, also called the hand game, and it was at Brown's Hole on what is now the border between Colorado and Utah that the first Western-style saloon reportedly opened up in 1822 to serve fur traders in the area.

Leadville, Colorado, 1880

The discovery of gold touched off the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It's estimated that around 100,000 souls sought their fortunes in gold mining, some of them veterans of the California Gold Rush, which was largely played out by this time. As one might expect, the mining camps weren't exactly bastions of law and order, and a wide array of real money gaming was available.

Unlike similar gold strikes elsewhere, this one proved to have lasting potential, and other areas of the state had valuable mineral deposits too.

Leadville became a major producer of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper. By the 1870s, it had become notorious for its wide-open gambling scene. At one point, there were more than 100 venues for faro, poker, and other games. These facilities were frequented by famous gunslingers and gamblers, including Luke Short, Bat Masterson, and John Henry “Doc” Holliday.

There were some who felt that it was better to be the owner of such gambling halls and thus make a steady profit rather than being subjected to the whims of the deal. Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith was one such individual.

After spending some time as an itinerant con man, Smith set up his headquarters in Denver in 1879. There he perfected the scam that lent him the nickname by which he's known to history. Displaying bars of soap on a table at busy street corners, he would make a big show of unwrapping them, placing bank notes of up to $100 around some of them, and then rewrapping the product. He would sell the soap to eager onlookers who were hoping to score a big prize.

Whenever one of the crowd chanced upon a lucky bar, the rest of the audience would excitedly clamor to be the next buyer. He maintained a steady patter and put on a show to get his customers into an excited state. Of course, the fortunate “winners” were mostly Soapy's confederates, and he had removed almost all of the money from the merchandise through sleight of hand before any outsiders had the opportunity to purchase it.

Joseph Randolph "Soapy" Smith
Colorado Con Man, 1898

Using these ill-gotten proceeds, Smith bought off politicians, hired muscle, and established himself as the king of the Denver underworld. He opened the Tivoli Club in 1888 with drinking on the first floor and gambling on the second. He allegedly placed a sign at the bottom of the staircase reading “Caveat Emptor” – Latin for “Let the Buyer Beware.”

Given his past activities, it's unlikely that the games at the Tivoli were run honestly. Soapy Smith actually claimed to be a reformer because those who participated in fairly run gambling pastimes lost their money slowly and might become habitual gamers whereas those who were cheated out of a lot of money at one time may decide to swear off gambling altogether.

By the late 1890s, a changing local political climate and charges for attempted murder caused Soapy to flee Colorado and set up shop in Skagway, Alaska, which was a base of operations for Klondike gold prospectors. However, his reputation preceded him, and he found that his endeavors were checked by organized groups set up to thwart his criminal enterprises. He died in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf on July 8, 1898.

The Colorado Constitution of 1876, implemented at the time of statehood and still in force at present, contains a ban on all gambling although it was amended later on to permit certain forms of gaming. While this proscription was initially widely ignored, by the end of the 1800s, the Progressive movement had achieved considerable success in closing down gambling saloons. In fact, Colorado as a whole banned alcohol in 1916, several years before the rest of the country, and some municipalities passed “dry” ordinances even earlier than this.

The Smaldone brothers, Clyde and Checkers, became bootleggers in Denver during their teenage years, swiping illicit booze that had been left unattended and selling it to speakeasies. Later on, they started making their own alcoholic beverages and then began to purchase liquor supplied by Al Capone.

After a while, the Smaldones became the leaders of the Denver mob. They were serving sentences in Leavenworth Prison at the time that Prohibition was repealed, and so upon their release, their old occupation was no longer available. The brothers turned to gambling instead.

One of their side projects was a casino in Central City named the Monte Carlo, which opened for business in 1947. The highlights were craps, roulette, and slots.

The city leaders, struggling for funds in the former gold boomtown, were only too happy to look the other way as long as the Smaldones contributed to the local community, which they did by funding public improvements and feeding hungry kids. As Clyde Smaldone explained, “If you know how to talk to people, you can make money anywhere, and you don't have to say, 'It's a bribe,' to a governor or to an attorney.” The brothers started getting heat from state authorities, and so they shut down the operation in 1949.

1949 may have been a sad year for the Smaldones, but it was good for gamblers across Colorado as pari-mutuel racetrack betting was allowed for the first time. Next, bingo and raffles for nonprofit groups arrived in 1958.

There was a lull in gambling legislation until 1983 when the Colorado Lottery was established. In 1991, a casino bill passed the General Assembly, allowing casinos to open up in three historic cities: Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. In 1992, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe opened the first tribal casino according to the terms of a compact with the state.

The commercial casino industry was initially hampered by a rule that no single bet could exceed $5. This made all poker practically impossible apart from low-stakes limit games. However, this limit was raised in 2009 to $100, which made spread-limit games more appealing. In 2021, the $100 restriction was lifted, and maximum bet sizes were left up to the discretion of the casinos themselves. This made true No Limit poker possible.

In 2016, a regime for daily fantasy sports legalization and regulation was crafted and passed into law. Then in 2019, voters approved of sports betting through a ballot proposition, and sportsbooks opened up both at physical locations and online in 2020.

In summation of the historical events surrounding gambling and poker, we have created a timeline covering every major gambling-related historical event to occur within the state of Colorado. The timeline can be found below.

Famous Poker Players From Colorado

Colorado is a relatively small state, and it isn't really known as a center for poker in the United States especially since cardrooms in the state were until recently restricted to games with maximum bets of just $5. Nevertheless, it has produced quite a crop of skilled poker players. Perhaps the most noteworthy of them is Steve O'Dwyer who was born in Colorado Springs although he now resides in Ireland.

Steve O'Dwyer

O'Dwyer was born in 1982 and didn't really get involved in poker until after witnessing Chris Moneymaker's epic WSOP win in 2003. Shortly thereafter, he stumbled upon a campus game while attending East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Steve was hooked and began playing online in 2004.

Steve O'Dwyer's first major foray into the live tournament world came in 2007 where he cashed in four WSOP tournaments. Since then, his tourney results have only become even more impressive.

Steve's highest cash win came in the 2015 $100,000-buyin PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Super High Roller event, which he won for $1,872,580. However, O'Dwyer is by no means a one-trick pony; he has five other million-dollar wins to his credit.

In all, Steve O'Dwyer has accumulated more than $35.6 million in live tournament earnings. We can add to this his $7.2+ million in online MTT winnings playing as “Mr. Tim Caum” on PokerStars, “eet_smakelijk” on partypoker, and “MrTimCaum” on Full Tilt. This brings his total to more than $42.8 million: a truly enviable sum.

Other Types of Online Gambling in Colorado

Although our main focus here at ProfessionalRakeback is poker, there are many other types of gambling available online like slots, video poker, table games, and sports betting. There are numerous online casinos and sportsbooks to choose from, so it can be difficult to know who you can trust. We have meticulously researched this topic by playing with our own money. Below, we will provide a list of the most trustworthy online casinos and sportsbooks that you can enjoy from the state of Colorado.

Online Casinos

Colorado has dozens of terrestrial casinos, but they are concentrated in just three cities. If you live in another part of the state, or if you simply enjoy playing from the comfort of your home, then an online casino might be more convenient for you.

Fortunately, we have found three upstanding casino providers that welcome Coloradans through their virtual doors.

1. Cafe Casino - Exclusive BTC Bonus of 350% up to $5,000

2. Wild Casino - $9,000 in Bonuses With BTC ($5,000 non-BTC)

3. Ignition Casino - 150% up to $1,500 Bonus on 1st BTC Deposit

If you would like to peruse a more extensive list of honest internet casinos, then head over to a page describing trusted USA online casinos.

Online Sportsbooks

Colorado has an extensive ecosystem of licensed sportsbooks, both live and online, but it can't hurt to explore your other options. Offshore sportsbooks may provide better odds and promotions than what you could find in the regulated CO sportsbook economy.

We've looked at the major international bookmakers and have identified the three best ones, which are listed below.

1. Bovada Sports - Bonus of 75% up to $750 When You Use Bitcoin

2. Sportsbetting.ag - 100% up to $1,000 BTC Welcome Bonus (50% up to $1,000 non-BTC)

3. Everygame Sports - Get a $250 Bonus on Your First Three Deposits

You can learn more about dependable internet sportsbooks with this page devoted to the best offshore sportsbooks for Americans.

BACK TO TOP

We strive to maintain this information and update it frequently with our research. However, we are not immune to making mistakes or omitting information that you, dear reader, may find of use. If you have any further questions not addressed in this guide or have noted any discrepancies or inaccuracies we urge you to contact us with your questions and concerns so that we may swiftly address them!