Legal Betting Sites
- Legal Betting Sites In Illinois
- Legal Betting Sites On Sports
- Bovada Sportsbook
- Legal Betting Sites In New York
- Legal Betting Sites In Ny
Providing information about legal online gambling in the United States is exactly what this page is dedicated to. While the thriving gambling industry includes both brick-and-mortar and online gambling businesses, we focus on online gambling, which is by far the more popular of the two types. The state-by-state legality of online gambling is a contentious topic among legislators, but more states are adopting online gambling legislation every year.
Many people wonder Is Bovada legal in the US? Bovada is legal for all USA players, and it always has been since its creation. The reason why Bovada is legal to use as a gambling outlet in the United States is that Bovada is located offshore. Offshore sport betting sites do not have to follow any laws in the United States. Legal Status For Betting On Politics In America Many players just want a simple explanation as to whether or not it is legal to bet on politics in the United States. The short answer is yes, betting on political events online is legal in the US simply because there are no specific federal regulations that outlaw the act of offshore gambling. Many people wonder Is Bovada legal in the US? Bovada is legal for all USA players, and it always has been since its creation. The reason why Bovada is legal to use as a gambling outlet in the United States is that Bovada is located offshore. Offshore sport betting sites do not have to follow any laws in the United States. Here are the 3 Best Online Betting Sites / Sportsbooks Bovada. Bovada has changed the face of Sports betting online. They have a great sportsbook, racebook and one of the.
Even in states that don’t offer online gambling, residents can still gamble online using international gambling websites—that is, gambling websites that are based in other countries. Even for players for whom there are no state-licensed options available, international gambling websites are a safe and legal alternative. These international sites offer access to every imaginable form of gambling, including, but not limited to, poker, sports betting, blackjack, casino table games, slots, and bingo.
Current State Of Legal Online Gambling In The USA
Legal online gambling in the U.S. is still in its early formative stages. With the announcement in late 2019 that West Virginia would be legalizing full online casino gambling, it became just the fourth such state in the union. While popular attitudes toward gambling are becoming more positive, the United States still has a long way to go before online gambling is normalized and broadly accepted. While legislators bring methodical change to gambling laws, online gambling through international websites has evolved into a thriving business, with American consumers betting billions of dollars through online gambling sites every month.
Is Online Gambling Legal In The USA?
Yes, online gambling is legal in the U.S. While the majority of states are either lacking or completely devoid of state-regulated online gambling, internationally licensed gambling websites are legal for people across the country. Legal forms of online gambling include poker, blackjack, roulette, slots, daily fantasy, and sports betting, among many others. These websites are still regulated by international gambling agencies to ensure that they are fair to their players and that they meet both ethics and quality standards, but the only legal requirement for most U.S. players to register with an international gambling site is that they be at least 18 years old with valid ID.
Types Of Legal USA Online Gambling
Any form of gambling that is legal at a casino is also legal online, along with many others that aren’t available in casinos. Legal forms of online gambling range from different common variations of poker to live dealer baccarat to political election betting. Each of these subcategories of gambling supports its own thriving player community of players. It’s worth looking through the offerings of a handful of major international gambling websites to see what they games they offer, as it likely won’t take long to find something novel and interesting. Here are a few popular forms of online gambling. This is not a complete list:
- Poker
- Blackjack
- Sports Betting
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering
- Slots
- Bingo
- Keno
- Lottery games
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Squares Games
Legal Sports Betting
After the 2018 Supreme Court decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), it became legal for individual states to determine the legality of sports betting within their own borders. In that relatively short time frame, over 20 states have since passed bills legalizing sports betting, with Washington being the most recent. With every state setting its own laws, there is a lot of variability between each state in terms of offerings and availability.
For those who don’t want to spend hours reading through the dense text of each state’s sports betting bill, global online sportsbooks are a nice, simple alternative. Their regulations governing player eligibility are nice and streamlined. If you are 18 years old, you are eligible to create an account and wager on sporting events all over the world. When you go to withdraw your winnings, you will be asked to show proof of ID.
Legal Online Casinos
There are four states that have legalized online casino gambling: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. West Virginia has not yet launched any in-state online casinos. Online casino gaming is legal in all states through regulated global online casinos like Ignition and Café Casino. Every game that you would expect to find in a normal retail casino is also available through these legal international online casinos, including roulette, craps, baccarat, poker, and slots.
Online casinos offer a number of advantages over their brick-and-mortar counterparts. They offer 24/7 gaming capability with full-time customer service staff available through multiple means of communication. Online casinos also offer unmatched convenience with the ability to play from anywhere using any wi-fi or data-connected device. With optimized mobile sites designed from the ground up for a touch screen, it’s easy to begin playing from literally anywhere. Finally, they offer huge deposit bonuses that can be worth upwards of $3,000.
Legal Online Poker Sites
Like broader online casinos, online poker is legal in a small handful of states, but for most Americans, international poker websites are the way to go. To play online poker, bettors will need to download a site’s custom-designed online poker software. Each site’s software will have its own selection of poker variants to choose from, with some offering the option to play both multi-player variants online against human opponents and single-player variants (like three-card stud) against a computer dealer. All the same benefits of online casinos are available to online poker players, including deposit bonuses, advanced infrastructure, and easy banking.
Legal Horse Betting Sites
Horse betting offers more options right now than traditional sports betting, and its is legal in nearly 30 different states. All states that have licensed horse racing tracks also offer online wagering which offer a great selection of betting options for local and regional races. Players can also wager on larger national and international horse races through global sportsbooks like Bovada. These larger sportsbooks offer a wider selection of prop bets, although they don’t have the same great selection of smaller races to choose from.
DFS Sites
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are legal in 43 out of 50 states, with all major DFS operators being available in 38 out of 50. DFS games are much like traditional fantasy sports, except that lineups reset after every game, which reduces the catastrophic effect that one injury or suspension can have on a fantasy player’s season. Most DFS sites also offer additional features to mitigate bad luck, like late lineup drops and a system of dropping the lowest scoring player from each DFS lineup. DFS games are available for every major professional sports league in the U.S.
Online Lottery Sites
The only states that offer legal online lottery sales are:
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Illinois
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania
While lottery ticket sales are often the single biggest producer of gambling revenue in a state, backlash from licensed lottery retailers like gas station owners, along with concerns about potentially enabling gambling addition in youths, have prevented most states from adopting online lottery ticket sales. For now, only six states have an online lottery (Minnesota was a seventh, but the state’s gas station owners successfully lobbied against it). There are no reputable licensed international online lotteries, so if you don’t live in one of these states, don’t try to buy lottery tickets online.
Legal Online Slots
Slot machines are one of the most popular and accessible ways to gamble. Everyone, from gamblers with decades of experience to Grandma Betty visiting a casino for the first time ever, can pick up slots immediately. Online slots offer the same simplicity and even more flexibility. Online slot machine design is the same as physical slot machine design, except online slots do not require bulky, expensive machines to run. As a result, slots websites can offer a wider selection of slots to larger groups of players. Each of these machines offers players the ability to set their own bet level too, which is great for ensuring that players never have to risk more than they are comfortable with.
Esports Betting Sites
Esports betting has surged in popularity over the last two years as an alternative (or an addition) to traditional sports betting. E-sports are similar in function and structure to traditional sports, except the “sport” being played is a video game. Despite being much maligned by popular media, esports athletes are still dedicated and hard-working practitioners of a difficult craft that put countless hours into what they do. They compete in intense matches that can be immensely fun to watch and bet on. The most popular e-sports betting sites are generally going to be the same international gambling sites that offer sports betting, with e-sports usually being lumped in as another category of sports betting.
Mobile Gambling In The USA
Mobile gambling is largely regulated under the purview of online gambling in the United States. A decent number of states offer mobile sports betting, but only three offer fully legal mobile gambling. In the states that license and regulate online and mobile gambling platforms, consumers can download dedicated mobile gambling apps. These apps are relatively barebones compared to a full casino experience, but they get the job done for players who heavily prioritize the ability to use a downloadable app.
Major international online casinos present an interesting alternative to these state-run apps: a fully optimized mobile site. While these websites can’t offer downloadable apps to American consumers in a traditional app store, they have all focused much of their research and development time on optimizing their websites to function properly with a mobile device, including a specialized touch screen interface and access to their entire range of features from any such device.
Live Dealer Gambling Sites
Live dealer gambling is a recent innovation in the world of gambling. Essentially, live dealer gambling acts as a hybrid between traditional casino gaming and online casino gaming. Live dealer games connect players through a live audiovisual feed to actual dealers—experienced casino industry professionals. These dealers deal cards to players as if they were in the room and react and respond to comments. Live dealer gambling is a great way to combine the convenience of online gambling with the sense of connection and tangibility offered by a live dealer working with physical gaming equipment.
Legal Gambling With Bitcoin
Every major international online gambling site uses a form of cryptocurrency, with Bitcoin being by far the most popular. While the term ‘cryptocurrency’ has become a scary buzzword in American media, reality is much more mundane. Bitcoin is a secure, untraceable currency that can be processed instantly. For international online gambling sites, Bitcoin is the easiest and fastest way to both deposit and withdraw money. While some websites charge fees for transactions made using certain payment methods, Bitcoin transactions are almost universally free. To incentivize players who might be hesitant about it to use Bitcoin, online gambling sites often offer extra deposit bonuses for Bitcoin deposits. They do this because Bitcoin transactions are less logistically challenging for both them and for their players.
Online Gambling Laws In The USA
Individual states are free to set their own laws regarding the legality of online gambling. Most states had pre-existing anti-gambling laws on the books when online gambling first emerged in the 1990s, and rather than spend time updating existing laws, most states simply elected to interpret their existing laws as applying to online gambling as well. Unfortunately, online gambling was a drastic change to the fundamental structure of gambling, and probably warranted some legislative adjustments. A few states have directly addressed the issue of online gambling in their code of laws, but most have defaulted to existing laws.
There are no all-or-nothing provision for the legalization of online gambling, so many states choose to legalize just one or two types while the rest remain illegal. For instance, the majority of states allow daily fantasy sports (DFS), but only four have legalized full online casino gambling. West Virginia became the most recent state to adopt full online casino gaming, but for most states, sports betting has become the hot button issue. Thankfully, gamblers in all states can legally play with global online casinos like Bovada and Ignition. By virtue of operating from other countries, these online casinos are not subject to the same state and federal laws as casinos based in the United States.
States With Legal Online Gambling
Legal online gambling options are available in all states, but only four states offer fully legal state-licensed online casino gambling. These states are:
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Many other states offer online gambling in a limited capacity. Most offer licensed daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests, for example. Others offer online sports betting or online lottery ticket sales, but not casino gaming. While it is worth reading about your individual state’s online gambling laws, it is simpler to just play with an international regulated gambling website. Rules for using these websites are much less complicated and draconian than state gambling laws, so they present a more hassle-free way to play. With few exceptions, international gambling sites accept players from all 50 states.
Legal Online Gambling Age In The USA
One of the consequences of allowing each state to set their own gambling laws is that there is no standardized legal age for gambling with a state-licensed operator. Every state has its own laws regarding the legal age to participate in various forms of gambling. Some states use a universal age of 18 years old, while others use separate age requirements for different types of gambling. Once again, online gambling sites based in other countries offer a simpler set of rules: if you are 18 years old and have a valid, government-issued ID, you can participate in all forms of online gambling offered by these sites.
Future Of Online Gambling In The USA
While online gambling laws in the U.S. are a difficult-to-resolve mess, the future of the online gambling experience looks bright. Online gambling grows in worldwide popularity every year, and the investment in improving gambling technology and infrastructure has been staggering. Recent advancements like live, in-play betting and live dealer casino games are just the tip of the iceberg. With technology advancing at an exponential rate, there is no telling what future evolutions of online gambling might look like.
In time, most states will likely move to fully legalize online gambling. The overwhelming popularity of sports betting has proven that there is a definitive financial incentive to expanding gambling options in the United States, and states that don’t offer online gambling will soon find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. The increasing ubiquity of sports betting is also doing wonders for national attitudes toward gambling. In essence, what was once a taboo hobby has now become mainstream, and the next generation of lawmakers will likely look on gambling much more favorably than the current one.
Welcome to ColoradoBetting.com, your source for legal Colorado sports betting and gambling information. We aim to provide a concise and straightforward roadmap to all things gambling in Colorado. This includes news and reviews, industry updates and recommendations of CO betting sites that are licensed and legal.
Our primary focus here is on sports betting, both online and in-person, but we are committed to covering major developments and providing information to all forms of gambling. Whether it’s the latest sports betting bonuses or big news out of Black Hawk, we cover it all to some extent.
Legal CO Betting Sites
Colorado regulates a wider range of online gambling activities than many people realize. Sports betting was authorized by voters in November 2019 as you may have heard, but that is not the only form of online gambling that is legal in Colorado.
Legal Forms of Online Betting in CO:
- Sports betting
- Daily fantasy sports
- Horse racing betting
- Games of skill
Mobile Sports Betting in Colorado
Colorado legalized sports betting through a two-part process in 2019. First, the state legislature passed HB 1327 to authorize sports betting and establish some basic regulations. The governor signed the bill in May 2019.
Second, Colorado voters had to approve the bill via statewide referendum before it could become law. That happened in November 2019. The bill required a public referendum due to Colorado’s TABOR Amendment, which requires all legislation that includes a tax increase to be approved by the voters before it may take effect.
Even though the CO sports betting law does not increase existing taxes, it had to survive a statewide vote because it establishes a new tax on licensed sports betting operators. Despite the ballot question’s awkward phrasing, voters approved the bill to formally legalize in-person and mobile / online sports betting.
The first Colorado sportsbooks opened one year later, in May 2020. Colorado betting sites and mobile apps licensed by the Limited Gaming Control Commission (LGCC) may offers wagers on professional and college sports, including major events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness.
Colorado Sportsbook Reviews
The Colorado sports betting market is competitive thanks to favorable legislation with low taxes and plenty of openings for operators to set up shop.
ColoradoBetting.com is in the process of reviewing all legal sportsbooks in Colorado based on a variety of factors, check out our featured sportsbooks below:
- DraftKings
- BetRivers
- BetMGM
Additional Reviews
How Sports Betting Works in Colorado
In-person and online sports betting is legal in Colorado for customers who are 21 or older and physically present within state lines when placing wagers via desktop computer or mobile device.
Under state law, Colorado casinos hold a monopoly over sports betting. Each casino that acquires a sports wagering license may accept wagers in-person through a retail sportsbook and online through a single website and mobile app.
Legal Betting Sites In Illinois
Casinos are also allowed to form partnerships with third-party providers such as FanDuel and DraftKings for assistance in running their sportsbooks and to capitalize on brand name recognition.
For example, PointsBet got an early start on CO sports betting by forming a partnership with Cripple Creek’s Double Eagle Hotel and Casino months before the referendum was even held. Under the terms of that deal, PointsBet is tasked with managing the casino’s retail and mobile sportsbook operations.
Double Eagle gains an experienced partner while PointsBet gains access to the CO market. This is emblematic of the win-win relationships local casinos and online betting companies are reaching across the country.
BetAmerica has a similar deal in place with Bronco Billy’s Hotel and Casino for a retail sportsbook and online betting.
How Sports Betting is Regulated
HB 1327 established some basic regulations governing sports betting in Colorado and tasked the Limited Gaming Control Commission with overseeing the industry. The Commission is now in the process of drawing up more detailed regulations, but some of the basic requirements set forth by HB 1327 include:
- Sets a minimum age of 21 to bet on sports
- Sports betting operators taxed 10% on net proceeds
- Each Colorado casino may apply for a sports betting license for a fee not to exceed $125,000
- Each casino may offer in-person betting and a single online betting site / mobile app
- Each casino may contract with a third-party provider to manage its retail and online betting operations
- Casinos may offer wagers on professional, collegiate and Olympic sports events
- Esports betting is prohibited on events that are not sanctioned by a sports governing body
Retail Sportsbooks in Colorado
In addition to mobile sportsbooks, casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek that acquire sports betting licenses may also construct retail sportsbooks to accept wagers in person.
With reasonable licensing fees and a 10% tax rate, most casinos in Colorado have found it financially viable to launch retail sportsbooks. Sportsbooks that are fully approved were given the go-ahead to begin accepting wagers after May 1st, 2020 and numerous locations have opened since.
Read more: Colorado Sportsbooks
Daily Fantasy Sports
Colorado formally legalized and regulated daily fantasy sports with the passage of HB 1404 in 2016. The bill created the legal framework under which fantasy sites may operate, established a licensing process for operators and set the ground rules for the conduct of operators.
Under CO law, fantasy contest operators are registered and licensed by the Office of Fantasy Contest Operator Registration and Licensure under the Division of Professions and Occupations. State law distinguishes between large operators and small operators for the purposes of registration and licensing.
Large fantasy operators are defined as those with more than 7,500 active players and must be licensed in Colorado. Small fantasy operators are defined as those with 7,500 or fewer active players and only need to be registered.
Currently, just two daily fantasy providers are licensed in Colorado as large operators:
- FanDuel.com
- DraftKings.com
A larger number of fantasy providers are registered as small operators. Some of the more well-known small operators registered in Colorado include:
- Yahoo Daily Fantasy
- Boom Fantasy
- SidePrize (now PrizePicks)
Under Colorado law, fantasy contest operators must:
- Ensure all customers are at least 18 years of age
- Prevent employees and family members who live in the same household from participating in fantasy contests
- Prevent the sharing of confidential information that could be used by third parties to gain an advantage in fantasy contests
- Prevent athletes and officials who participate in or officiate sports events that are the subject of fantasy contests from participating in those contests
- Provide a means by which customers may self-exclude from participating in fantasy contests
- Segregate customer funds from operational funds
- Distinguish highly experienced players and beginners and ensure highly experienced players are identified as such to all players
- Disclose the number of lineups customers are allowed to enter into each contest
- Prohibit the use of third-party scripts that can be used to gain an advantage over other players
- Clearly disclose all rules that govern its fantasy contests
- Take reasonable steps to limit each customer to a single account
- Contract with a third party to perform an annual audit to ensure compliance with CO fantasy sports law
Colorado Racing Betting
Horse racing betting is legal in Colorado at racetracks, off-track betting facilities (OTBs) and licensed betting sites / mobile apps for customers 18 and older.
Horse racing and parimutuel wagering are regulated by the Racing Division under the Colorado Department of Revenue. The Racing Division is also responsible for issuing licenses to advance deposit wagering providers (ADWs), which is just a fancy term for racing betting sites.
The three most popular racing betting sites that are licensed in CO are:
- TVG
- TwinSpires
- WatchandWager
Wagers can also be placed in-person at the state’s last remaining racetrack, Arapahoe Park. Arapahoe Park hosts live racing from May through August each year in addition to simulcast wagering on races held around the country during the live racing season.
Eleven other off-track betting facilities in Colorado also offer year-round simulcasting and wagering. The full list of other OTBs includes:
Greyhound racing fell out of favor in Colorado over the early and mid 2000s until the last remaining greyhound track closed in 2008. Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill to formally outlaw greyhound racing in 2014 to permanently end the sport in Colorado.
Licensed OTBs and betting sites may still accept wagers on greyhound races found elsewhere, but live racing is nowhere to be found in Colorado.
Colorado Casinos
Colorado legalized casino in gambling in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek with the passage of the Limited Gaming Act in 1991 following a statewide referendum approved by voters the previous year. The first casinos were up and running by the end of 1991.
Under the law at the time, casinos could only offer accept maximum wagers of $5 on slots, blackjack and poker games. Casinos were also required by close by 2 AM.
Those rules were relaxed in 2008 when voters approved Initiative 50 during the November election. The passage of Initiative 50 increased the maximum wager at Colorado casinos to $100, authorized craps, authorized roulette and allowed casinos to remain open 24 hours a day.
Poker in Colorado
Online poker is illegal across the board in Colorado, but in-person poker games are permitted at casinos and in other locations if certain conditions are met.
Online Poker
State law strictly prohibits online gambling in all its forms, including online poker. Despite what you may read online elsewhere, there are no legal Colorado poker sites operating anywhere in the state.
Certain offshore websites do offer online poker games to CO residents, but those games operate contrary to multiple state and federal laws. These games are unregulated, unlicensed and cannot guarantee the safety of your funds or fairness of the games. We recommend staying far away from such sites.
Poker at Casinos
Licensed casinos in Colorado may host real money cash games and tournaments. Cash poker games in Colorado are subject to the same $100 maximum wager that is applied to all forms of gambling at casinos.
As a result, true no limit cash games do not exist in Colorado. Instead, spread limit games such as $1/$2 and $2/$5 allow players to wager anywhere between $1 and $100 no matter how much is in the pot at any given time.
A number of Colorado poker rooms have closed over the years, leaving four active poker rooms today:
Black Hawk
- Ameristar Poker Room: 22 tables, $1/$3 spread Holdem, $2/$5 spread Holdem, $30/$60 limit Holdem, $50/$100 limit Holdem, $2/$5 spread Big-O and additional game types/limits available on request – most popular poker room in Colorado
- Isle Casino Poker Room: 10 tables, free drinks and table side service, $60 tournaments on Friday sand Saturdays
- Golden Gates Poker Room: 17 tables + a five-table overflow room for tournaments and home of the Colorado Poker Championship
Cripple Creek
- Midnight Rose Poker Room: 8 tables, $1/$2 spread Holdem, $1/$2-$20 spread Holdem, $5/$10 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, $5/$10 Omaha Hi-Lo, open Tuesday through Sunday
Social Poker Games
Social poker games are permitted in Colorado as long as the players have a “bona fide social relationship” outside of gambling.
Home poker games also cannot be run for a profit, either directly or indirectly. This means the host of a poker game cannot charge a rake, entry fee, sell drinks or come up with other creative ways to profit off the game.
Legal Betting Sites On Sports
Games of Skill
Games of skill played for money are legal in Colorado. CO Rev Statutes § 18-10-102 defines gambling as follows (emphasis ours):
(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:
(a) Bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries;
(b) Bona fide business transactions which are valid under the law of contracts;
(c) Other acts or transactions now or hereafter expressly authorized by law;
(d) Any game, wager, or transaction which is incidental to a bona fide social relationship, is participated in by natural persons only, and in which no person is participating, directly or indirectly, in professional gambling; or
Bovada Sportsbook
(e) Repealed.
Legal Betting Sites In New York
(f) Any use of or transaction involving a crane game, as defined in section 12-47.1-103 (5.5), C.R.S.
In other words, state laws on gambling do not apply to real money skill games in Colorado.
Legal Betting Sites In Ny
A handful of online skill gaming sites headquartered in the United States offer games of skill to CO residents:
- WorldWinner.com: Offers simple games of skill such as Solitaire, Bejeweled, Angry Birds and Scrabble among others. Players compete either heads-up or in tournament fashion for real money payouts.
- GamerSaloon.com: Compete in esports matches or tournaments for real money. GamerSaloon supports all the latest competitive console games.
- PlayersLounge.co: Similar idea to GamerSaloon – compete on your PC or console for real money across a wide range of popular games.