How to get a gambling licence in Colorado: by tender

The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission, five members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate, makes the rules and decides licences. The Division of Gaming, part of the Department of Revenue, licenses, regulates and supervises sports betting. The Director of the Division also regulates fantasy contests.

• There is no separate advertising regulator. The Commission and the Division enforce the rules on false or misleading advertising and, since 12 August 2026, the statute's limits on advertising to under-21s.
• There is no separate state AML regulator for gambling. The Division checks AML controls through the licence, and federal law adds the Bank Secrecy Act.
• One internet operator licence covers all sports betting on the events and bets in the Official Sports Betting Catalog. There is no licence per product.
• As of 7 November 2026 the Division's list shows 13 online sports betting operators, each under a different casino master licence.
• Offering sports betting or limited gaming without a licence is unlawful, and professional gambling, which covers running an unlicensed sportsbook or casino, is a class 2 misdemeanor.

Laws that apply

• Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, title 44, article 30 (Limited Gaming Act of 1991), part 15 (Sports Betting, approved by the voters as Proposition DD on 5 November 2019), part 16 (Fantasy Contests Act) and part 17 (responsible gaming)
• 1 CCR 207-2, Sports Betting Regulations (Rules 1 to 10), in force as of 7 November 2026 as the emergency rule effective 27 August 2026
• 1 CCR 207-1 (Gaming Regulations, limited gaming), which apply to sports betting unless they conflict with 207-2, and 1 CCR 207-3 (fantasy contest operators)
• SB 26-131 (Session Laws 2026, ch. 262, approved 1 June 2026, effective 12 August 2026), SB 26-163 (ch. 218, effective 12 August 2026) and HB 25-1311 (Session Laws 2025, ch. 195)
• C.R.S. title 18, article 10 (gambling offences) and title 39, article 22 (income tax, including withholding on gambling winnings)

Colorado licenses sports betting in three statutory classes and adds supplier, key employee and support classes by rule. Every sports betting licence runs two years, and the model ties the number of online brands to the number of casino master licences.

• No fixed number of licences, but the model caps it: each master licensee may contract with one retail and one internet operator, so the number of online brands cannot exceed the number of master licences.
• One licence carries one brand. A second brand needs a second internet operator licence and a contract with another master licensee.
• Each licence is for two years and renews on an application the Commission approves. Renewals for master, operator, internet operator and vendor licences must reach the Division 120 days before expiry; key and support licences 30 days before.
• A key employee licence is held by the person responsible for the operation, and other employees may need support licences. The Director can issue key employee and support licences without the Commission.
• Wagers are allowed only on events and leagues in the Official Sports Betting Catalog. New events need Division approval first, and exchange wagering is offered only by an operator approved to conduct it.
• No high school events, no unsanctioned video games and no proposition bets on college events may be offered.

No Colorado entity, office or minimum share capital is required. What an internet operator must have is a contract with a casino master licensee, and what decides the application is the suitability of the applicant and the persons behind it.

• Licensees may be individuals, firms, associations or corporations, for profit or not. No rule sets a nationality or seat, and a company from outside the United States applies like any other.
• An applicant whose primary residence is outside the United States is spared the fingerprint check unless the Commission decides otherwise.
• No branch, subsidiary or minimum share capital rule applies. The financial safeguard is a reserve against the operation's outstanding sports betting liability (section 5).
• No office is required, but the primary server that accepts and stores wagers must be in Colorado, at a location the Director licenses and approves. A key employee must be on the premises whenever a retail sports betting operation is open.
• Corporate applicants disclose each officer and director, each holder of 10% or more of the voting or controlling interest for an operator licence (any percentage for a master licence), each holder of 25% or more of a passive interest, each holding, intermediary or subsidiary company and each lender.
• Ineligible are persons convicted of a gambling-related offence, professional gamblers, bookmakers, persons not of good character and reputation, and firms where such a person holds 10% or more. Deliberate misstatements in the application are grounds for refusal and may be a class 6 felony.
• A refusal can be challenged: a person aggrieved by an action taken without a hearing may petition the Commission within 30 days, and a final Commission action can be appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

The applicant files on the Division's forms, online, and the Commission decides at its monthly meeting. No rule fixes a decision period, and the Division publishes no processing estimate.

• The Division offers all licensing services online and asks applicants to apply and renew online by licence type. The forms are completed under penalty of perjury, and applications go to the Division, which investigates.
• There is no application window. Information the Division requests must be supplied within five days, or consideration of the application may be delayed.
• The forms ask for personal and licensing background, organisation, finances, criminal records and all pecuniary and equity interests. Master, operator, internet operator and vendor major applicants also file their contracts with other licensees.
• Every applicant gives fingerprints, checked against state and national records at the applicant's cost, except an applicant whose primary residence is outside the United States.
• Before taking bets an operation must have approved internal controls, house rules, a change control document and a responsible gaming strategy, and a laboratory-certified system.
• No business plan or financial projection is required by name. The forms cover financial and organisational information.
• There is no pre-approval or opinion procedure. The Commission may issue a temporary licence, but since 1 October 2023 the Division no longer considers temporary licences for internet operator, sports operator or vendor major applicants unless there are special circumstances and the Director approves.
• The Commission meets monthly; its next meeting is on 19 November 2026.

The licence fee is $1,200 for an internet operator, paid with the application for a two-year licence and non-refundable. The annual charge is a separate operations fee of $78,000 for fiscal year 2027. The Division publishes the fee schedule.

• Each original applicant for an operator, internet operator or vendor major licence pays a $10,000 deposit before the investigation, which is billed at cost. Any unused part is returned within 90 days of the end of the investigation.
• The licence fee, investigation and background check together may not exceed $125,000.
• There is no annual licence fee as such. The Sports Betting Operations Fee is set by the Commission before 1 June each fiscal year, is not a tax, and is payable before 31 July 2026 for fiscal year 2027. An operation that starts later pays before it begins, possibly prorated, and the fee is not refunded if it stops.
• The estimated first-year regulatory cost for an internet operator is from $89,200: the $1,200 licence fee, the $10,000 deposit and the $78,000 operations fee. Laboratory certification, the annual security assessment and the contract with a master licensee are on top.
• No bank guarantee or bond is set. Each licensee must hold reserves covering player balances, bets on events not yet decided and winnings owed but unpaid, as segregated cash, an irrevocable letter of credit, payment processor reserves and receivables, or a combination approved by the Director. No fixed amount is set.
• No fee is set per brand or domain, because a licence carries one brand. The Division may require an audit of the books by an auditor the Director selects, and the licensee may be required to pay for it.
• No operator levy is earmarked for responsible gambling, and no charitable contribution is imposed.

Colorado taxes net sports betting proceeds at 10%, for online and retail betting alike. Free bets can no longer be deducted since 1 July 2026. The return and payment are due monthly, and winnings are taxed as income.

• Net sports betting proceeds are the total of all bets placed less all payments to players, less permitted free bets and less federal excise taxes paid. It is a gross gaming revenue base, not turnover.
• The deduction for free bets was phased down from 2023 and ended on 1 July 2026 under HB 25-1311. An operator may no longer deduct free bets or carry forward unused credits. Payments to players remain deductible.
• The tax is worked out day by day. Each gaming day's proceeds less any carried-over loss is the taxable amount, and a negative result counts as zero with the loss carried to the next day.
• The return and payment for each calendar month are due by the 15th of the next month, and a payment is timely if it settles by the 16th. Returns are filed electronically and payment is by ACH debit.
• There is no minimum tax, and no advertising or sponsorship tax. The voters approved Proposition JJ on 5 November 2024, which lets the State keep tax collected above $29 million a year for the water plan implementation cash fund.
• Corporate income tax is 4.40% of Colorado net income, subject to temporary rate reductions, and the federal rate is 21%. The United States has no value added tax.
• Players: gambling winnings are taxable income. A payer must withhold Colorado tax at 4% on winnings subject to federal withholding, and the Form W-2G reporting threshold for payments made in 2026 is $2,000.

Colorado licenses no online casino games, so a supplier is licensed by what it does for a sports betting licensee. A supplier that controls wagers or runs the system holds a vendor major licence, and any other supplier involved in the operation holds a vendor minor licence.

• A supplier must be licensed before it works for a sports betting licensee. Contracts between licensees need the Division's approval in advance, and vendor major applicants file their contracts with the application.
• Revenue-share contracts are allowed but licensed and approved: a supplier paid a percentage of gaming revenue needs a vendor major licence.
• No rule recognises another jurisdiction's supplier licence or certification. The system must be certified to Colorado's standards by a Colorado-approved independent testing laboratory before any bet, and the Division's pages publish no list of approved laboratories.
• No individual game is approved. The system is certified and each event and bet type is approved before it is offered. A substantial change to a core function needs notification and the Division's approval.
• Geolocation is required. A geofence must detect the player's location when accessing the system and placing a wager, and monitor it throughout the session.
• The primary server that accepts and stores wagers must be in Colorado. Cloud storage is allowed only for duplicate or non-transactional data, with the Director's approval of a written request.
• Operations report betting information through the Division's approved data gateway. Real-time reporting is not required in terms.
• An independent system integrity and security assessment is due within 90 days of starting and every year after. No ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification is required by name.
• No state maximum stake or winning applies, and no jackpot cap applies to sports betting. Wagering records are kept at least three years after the event.

The minimum age is 21. Identity is verified before the first wager, credit cards have been banned since 12 August 2026, and one Division list of self-excluded people binds every operator.

• The patron file holds the legal name, date of birth, Social Security number or its last four digits, residential address (no post office box), email address and telephone number, with the verification method and date.
• A full identity check must be completed before a patron may place a wager. Reliable personal identification named in the operator's internal controls, or an approved remote multi-source authentication method, is accepted, and no single national e-ID is prescribed.
• An account may be funded by debit card, cash or vouchers at an approved location, a verified reloadable prepaid card, ACH transfer, wire transfer or other means the Commission approves. Credit cards are barred, directly or indirectly, since 12 August 2026, with a maximum penalty of $25,000, and cryptocurrency is not a listed method.
• An internet operator may accept no more than six separate deposits from one individual in a gaming day.
• A withdrawal request must be honoured within five business days, unless the operator believes in good faith that the patron engaged in fraud. Winners must be paid within 24 hours of a bona fide demand.
• Player funds are protected by the reserve rather than a required segregated account.
• The Division runs one Exclusion List for all Colorado gaming and sports betting, and since 12 August 2026 the statute expressly lets individuals exclude themselves from sports betting. A patron chooses one, three or five years, and removal at the end needs a request.
• Operators load new names within three business days, check the list before opening an account and take no wagers from a listed patron.
• Operators must give patrons an easy way to set deposit, wager and time limits, offered at registration and first deposit. These tools must be offered and are not mandatory for the player. No reality check is required.
• Every website, app and kiosk must show a responsible gaming logo leading to a responsible gaming page with the message 'Gambling problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER'. The licence number and a Division seal are not required on the website or in advertising.
• A valid written wager settlement dispute is answered in writing within 10 business days. If the operator declines to pay a dispute of at least $1,250, the patron may send it to the Division, and the Director decides whether the wager is paid.

Licensed operators may advertise under the Commission's rules and, since 12 August 2026, the statute. No advertisement needs approval in advance, and no rule bans advertising during live sports events.

• Advertising must not be false or misleading. An operation and its marketing affiliates must not target people under 21, create content clearly meant for them, or advertise on media whose audience is reasonably expected to be mostly under 21.
• Television, radio, outdoor, online and social media advertising are all allowed on those terms. Public venues where the demographics of attendees cannot be determined are exempt from the audience rule. There is no watershed.
• Every advertisement to Colorado consumers carries 'Gambling problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER', written legibly and spoken audibly. Only the Director may approve dropping the words 'or text'.
• Welcome offers and free bets may be advertised if the terms are full, accurate, clear and transparent, with the material terms close to the headline claim. An offer may not be called free unless it absolutely is, nor risk free if the customer must risk their own money.
• An offer may not stop a customer withdrawing their own funds or the winnings from bets placed with them. No cap on wagering requirements is set.
• Since 12 August 2026 an internet operator may not send push notifications, including text messages shown on a mobile device, soliciting bets or deposits.
• Direct marketing must keep people on the Exclusion List out of every list, and excluded patrons may be contacted only to send the IRS Form W-2G.
• Influencers who promote for a commission or fee are marketing affiliates, bound by the same rules, and the operation answers for its affiliates' compliance. No affiliate licence class exists.
• Sports sponsorship is not restricted, and no rule addresses logos on uniforms or in stadiums.

Operators file tax monthly, commission an annual security assessment and send betting data through the Division's gateway. Violations and incidents are reported as the rules set, and ownership changes need approval first.

• AML: internal controls must describe the operation's AML standards, extra controls on wagers and payouts above $10,000 and a process to detect structuring of multiple wagers in 24 hours. Suspicious or illegal wagering, including laundering, is reported to the Division as soon as practicable.
• Federal law adds the Bank Secrecy Act for a state-licensed casino with gross annual gaming revenue over $1 million. No state MLRO is required, only a key employee responsible for the operation.
• No one may acquire an interest in a master, operator, internet operator or vendor major licensee without the Commission's prior approval, and anyone who gains 10% or more must be reported immediately.
• Changes to the platform go through the change control process approved before launch. A new brand needs a new licence.
• Records of every bet are kept at least three years after the event, and a log of wager disputes at least 12 months. The Division must publish its first report on the transactional data by 1 January 2029.
• The register is the Division's public spreadsheet of operators currently operating, with a License Lookup. It prints the brand and the casino master licence only, with no licence numbers, dates or domains, and no list of suspended or revoked licences is published.
• The Commission may fine an operator up to $25,000, a slot machine manufacturer or distributor up to $100,000, a key employee up to $5,000 and a support licensee up to $2,500, and may suspend or revoke a licence.

The route most online entrants take: an internet sports betting operator licence, applied for with a master licensee as your partner, with the supplier route below.

1. 01

   Choose your route

   C.R.S. 44-30-1505 · 1 CCR 207-2 Rule 3.1

   Decide whether you will hold an internet operator licence yourself or serve operators as a vendor. Online casino and poker have no licence.

2. 02

   Secure a casino partner

   C.R.S. 44-30-1505(2)

   Contract with a casino that holds a master licence in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek. Each master licensee may contract with only one internet operator at a time.

3. 03

   Prepare the disclosures and the controls

   C.R.S. 44-30-1504 · Rules 3.3 · 7.5 · 9.6

   List every officer, director, 10% voting holder, 25% passive holder and lender, and prepare internal controls, house rules, a change control document and a responsible gaming strategy.

4. 04

   Apply online and fund the investigation

   Rules 3.3 · 3.4 · 3.5

   File the application and your contracts on the Division's forms, pay the $1,200 licence fee and the $10,000 investigation deposit, and give fingerprints unless your primary residence is outside the United States.

5. 05

   Receive the decision and hold the reserve

   Rule 3.14 · Rule 6.9

   The Commission approves an application that meets every requirement; no decision period is set. Hold a reserve covering player balances, open bets and winnings owed.

6. 06

   Certify the platform and prepare to go live

   Rules 7.6 · 7.10 · 7.2

   Have a Colorado-approved laboratory certify the system, set up geolocation and a primary server in Colorado, and complete the security assessment within 90 days of starting.

7. 07

   Go live and keep filing

   Rule 4.1 · Rule 7.1

   Pay the 10% tax by the 15th of each month, pay the operations fee, send the annual reports, and renew at least 120 days before the two-year term ends.

For businesses that control wagers, run the system's software or hardware, or are paid a percentage of revenue (vendor major), and for other suppliers involved in the operation, such as data storage and integrity monitoring (vendor minor). The Commission issues the licence after a background investigation.

1. 01

   Confirm the class

   Rule 3.1 · Bulletin 15

   A supplier that controls wagers, runs the system or is paid a percentage of revenue needs a vendor major licence. Other involvement in the operation, including access to personal data, wagering systems or financial transactions, needs a vendor minor licence.

2. 02

   Apply online

   Rule 3.3 · Rule 3.6

   Apply on the Division's forms, online. A vendor major applicant files its contracts with all other sports betting licensees and applicants at the time of application.

3. 03

   Fund the investigation

   Rule 3.5

   Pay $1,200 for a vendor major licence or $350 for a vendor minor licence, and for an original vendor major applicant a $10,000 deposit before the investigation, which is billed at cost.

4. 04

   Meet the technical duties

   Rule 7.6 · Rule 7.2

   A data storage provider needs a vendor minor licence, and the primary server must be in Colorado. A platform supplier supports certification by a Colorado-approved laboratory and the annual security assessment.

5. 05

   Hold the licence and renew

   Rule 3.1 · Rule 3.3

   The licence runs two years and a renewal application must reach the Division 120 days before expiry. No operations fee falls on suppliers.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 7 Nov 2026.