Casinos in Colorado
Colorado residents are free to play in a number of brick and mortar casinos, most of which are located in Cripple Creek in Teller County and Black Hawk in Gilpin County. The available games include poker, slot machines, and classic table games such as blackjack and online roulette. In addition, Colorado offers bingo, horse racing, and a state-operated lottery. However, the state doesn’t have a regulated online gambling industry, which means that all enthusiasts of online casinos in Colorado are pretty much forced to play on offshore casino sites.
Colorado Gambling Laws
Like many other states that already have a well-regulated, land-based casino industry, Colorado has some rather strict gambling laws that protect the interests of the local gambling operators. However, Colorado officials aren’t really interested in going after individual players, especially the ones playing over the internet on offshore gaming sites. It’s also worth pointing out that while the Colorado attorney general expressed an official opinion that gambling online at a casino is illegal within the borders of the state, there’s no law that pertains specifically to online casino games or mentions any specific penalties for offshore casino customers.
(3) “Gambling device” means any device, machine, paraphernalia, or equipment that is used or usable in the playing phases of any professional gambling activity, whether that activity consists of gambling between persons or gambling by a person involving the playing of a machine; except that the term does not include a crane game, as defined in section 12-47.1-103 (5.5), C.R.S.
Online Casinos
As briefly touched on above, Colorado residents don’t have any regulated, intrastate casino sites to play on, which means that all the new online casinos have moved to offshore casino sites, which don’t really fall under the local regulations. While the legality of playing on those sites can be disputed, no players have been prosecuted so far.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Colorado Players
Virtually every offshore casino site that accepts US players will accept new deposits from Colorado residents. Consequently, all Silver State-based gambling enthusiasts are free to access some of the biggest bonuses and jackpots available on the web these days while simultaneously enjoying the latest slots and table games from renowned software providers like Real Time Gaming or BetSoft. Please note that while Colorado residents won’t be able to access international casinos that are powered by companies like Microgaming or Playtech, there’s no denying the fact that RTG powers some of the hottest casinos in the entire industry.
Offshore casino players from Colorado won’t be able to make a deposit via an e-wallet service like Neteller or Skrill, which means that most people prefer to pay their bills using a credit card. However, the problem with Visa or MasterCard deposits is the fact that about 25% of all transactions are refused due to federal regulations, which prevent banks from processing any gambling-related money transfers. Obviously, you won’t lose any money or won’t be punished if your transaction gets blocked – but unfortunately, you won’t be able to join the action until you fund your account. Consequently, some players choose money order payments instead, but keep in mind that most casinos will require you to cover the Western Union/MoneyGram fees in such a case.
Developing Legal Scenarios
The Colorado Gaming Association started working on an online gambling bill back in 2012, which shouldn’t be all that surprising since the state’s gambling industry is interested in getting a slice of the online market instead of losing potential customers to offshore casino sites. Nevertheless, no official steps were taken so far, which means that Colorado-based online casino enthusiasts won’t be able to join the action on intrastate sites anytime soon.
