Casinos in Colorado

The Best Casinos in Colorado

The Biggest Casinos in Colorado

Are There Indian Casinos in Colorado?

The two tribal casinos are located in southern Colorado, owned and operated by the Ute Mountain Tribe near Cortez, and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe near Durango. Both venues are situated in beautiful surroundings, featuring hotel accommodation and restaurants, within their expansive entertainment facilities.

Racinos

Racinos are casinos with tracks for horse or dog racing. Simply put, they are an amalgamation of track and casino where you can bet for money or prize. Most racinos are limited to slots but some of them have started offering roulette, blackjack and other gambling games. Currently, there are no racinos in Colorado after dog racing was banned in 2008. Arapahoe was the only remaining Pari-Mutuel but unfortunately, didn’t generate that much interest.

Are There Cruise Ship or Riverboat Casinos in Colorado?

Cruise ship Casinos or Riverboat casinos are generally considered floating casinos. Most times, these cruise ships casinos are docked in the water but sometimes, they are also taken out to the seas for the sole purpose of gambling. While there are none in Colorado, the closest riverboat casino is a few states over in Nevada.

Full Colorado Casino List

Here’s our comprehensive list of all the casinos in Colorado by city. Make sure you visit more than one, as they all have a unique, thrilling, diverse and interesting gambling atmosphere, with all the different types of games you are longing for.

Expected New Casinos

Chamonix Casino Hotel is Colorado’s newest casino hotspot, which officially opened its doors in November 2024, located in Cripple Creek and packed with amenities. Various corporations and companies have expressed an interest in opening further casinos, although they are no further along than planning and feasibility stages at present.

Gambling in Colorado

Colorado is packed with 35 thrilling casinos having loads of different game options, great dining, fantastic culture, and jaw-dropping sights. The Old-West gold rush State’s gambling experience is diverse and lively. Your appetite for more chills & thrills are sure to not get over soon!

Casino Games in Colorado

The state joined a few others in legalizing sports betting recently, adding to the existing list of casino games available for CO gamblers. In 1991, when gambling was first legalized, options were limited with only slots, poker, blackjack, hide-it-three, and others. However, legislation passed on 2009 added craps, roulette, and simulcasting to the list making it all the way more interesting.

Gambling Legal Situation in Colorado

Taxation of Winnings

Colorado’s taxation of winnings are pretty simple and straightforward. A flat federal tax rate of 4.63% is cut off from your winnings. The simplest way to see it is as follows.

Colorado Gambling Laws

State laws for gaming are quite straightforward in Colorado, and while they are comprehensive, they’re also easier to understand compared to those of many other states. Since the 2009 gambling laws amendment, bet value was increased to $100 with craps and roulette added to the list of legalized games.

The payback percentages of the casinos gaming machines are also released to the public as per the laws. Horse racing, full-fledged casinos, social gaming, charitable gaming are allowed under the law provisions, but certain types of gambling remain illegal under state guidelines.

History

Gambling in Colorado dates back almost 100 years and has an interesting history. The state has a unique stance toward gambling and more comprehensive gambling, compared to other locations. Here are some important highlights of the gambling history timeline in Colorado.

• 1822: Gambling and Colorado connects to the early part of mining days when prospectors or businessmen passed their time playing Poker games in the Saloons of the Wild West. Brown’s Saloon is supposedly the first casino in the state at the intersection of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.
• 1950: The first stance towards legalizing gambling happened in the year 1950 with the inauguration of the racing commission. This stance legalized gambling in Colorado and horses along with greyhounds were permitted as a form of gambling.
• 1970’s: In 1970 off-track betting was introduced and allowed with the other offerings of the racing tracks. Taverns were allowed to place simulcasts wagers as a form of subsidizing the horsemen.
• 1991: Colorado state casinos opened legalized gambling in 1991 with limited numbers of gaming options. The maximum bet was confined to $5. Poker, slot, video poker and table games that involved cards were the only games to be allowed. All casinos were to operate for 18 hours a day with the standard timing of 9 Am to 3 AM.
• 2014: In 2014, Amendment 68 tried to pursue the voters for approval of adding slots and video poker to the racetracks of Pueblo and Mesa Counties but this was defeated massively by the voters in a statewide referendum.

Upcoming Changes in the Gambling Regulation

Real-money online casinos and poker remain illegal in Colorado. While online sports betting, lottery ticket sales, and daily fantasy sports are legal, there have been no legislative moves to legalize online casino gaming or poker. Players can participate in social or sweepstakes-based gaming platforms, but real-money online gambling is restricted to licensed sports betting operators.

At brick-and-mortar casinos throughout the state, the Colorado Division of Gaming has proposed modifications to Section 6 of the Internal Control Minimum Procedures (ICMP), which pertains to gaming systems. The purpose of these changes is to improve the overall integrity and security of casino operations.