Colorado’s casino and slot machine laws are crazy, but not laughable for the hundreds taken to court.
Imagine you’re sitting in front of a slot machine, spinning the reels and having a good time. The person seated next to you gets up and leaves. You notice that they’ve left a few extra credits on the machine. Not much, maybe a dollar or two. So you slide over and play through them. You don’t win anything, but hey – why waste good credits?
- “Find a penny, pick it up” might be a familiar childhood rhyme, but in Colorado casinos, keeping found money in or from a casino is a violation of state gaming law. When Colorado voters legalized limited gaming in 1990, slot machines typically used coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. In many jurisdictions outside of Colorado, people would walk around casinos, glancing at empty slot machines, looking for any coins left behind.
- URGENT: The Division of Gaming Cripple Creek office will be closed from November 19, 2020 to November 27, 2020, reopening for appointments only on December 1, 2020. All persons with appointments scheduled during the closure period will be notified, and their appointments will be rescheduled. NEW: The Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform is currently.
Three-reel classic slots will often have a single win line across the middle, but some now also offer three and even five win lines. Three line machines will pay out on the three horizontal lines, while five-line machines add the two diagonals. Playing more than one coin brings additional win lines into play.
Seems innocent enough, right? Not in the US state of Colorado! The casinos here are incredibly stingy. There’s a law on the books that states anything of cash value that’s left behind by a player is now the property of the casino. And even if it’s just a few cents or dollars, they will fight for it.
That’s exactly what happened to one Colorado man named Dan. His full name is not being released, but he is making sure everyone knows about the incredulous law that is costing him hundreds of dollars in fines, plus a criminal record, and a one year ban from any casino in the state.
Dan isn’t alone, either. According to public records, 930 casino customers at Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek casinos have either been cited or jailed for misdemeanor casino fraud in the last five years. Not all were as innocent as Dan. Some of them were genuine cheats and thieves. But apparently the law is the law around these parts.
Crazy Casino and Slot Machine Laws of Colorado
Each of the 930 customers mentioned above were prosecuted under Colorado Statute 12-47.1-823(1)(c), Fraudulent Acts, which states:
| (1) It is unlawful for a person: (c) To claim, collect, or take, or attempt to claim, collect, or take, money or anything of value in or from a limited gaming activity with intent to defraud and without having made a wager contingent thereon, or to claim, collect, or take an amount greater than the amount won; |
This law can apply to a lot of things. Cheating or stealing chips from the casino or another player is certainly reprehensible. But something as inculpable as spinning the reels for a few cents worth of leftover credits, or picking up a lost dollar bill or voucher from the casino floor, can land you in court; possibly even in jail.
But by this law, the casino owns anything that is lost, forgotten or abandoned.
Dan’s Bout With Crazy Casino Laws
In Dan’s case, he played $2 worth of leftover credits in an abandoned slot machine, right next to the one he was playing on his own dime. He won nothing from it. But the next time he visited the same Blackhawk Casino and inserted his player card, he was immediately approached by security.
Dan says he was taken to a “dirty little room” on the third floor and told that he’d stolen $2 from the casino. He told them he had no idea that what he’d done was illegal, and gladly offered to pay back the $2. The casino wasn’t willing to budge, and instead handed him a citation.
Several months later, he was given a criminal record by Gilpin County prosecutors. He was told that his crime was on camera. He felt forced to plead guilty to misdemeanor fraud. His fine totaled over $250, plus 24 hours community service and a one year ban from all casinos. He also had to pay for his own fingerprinting and FBI background check.
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- Horseracing (1950), Lottery (1982), Casinos (1991)
- $232 million
- $1.1 billion
- 18 for lottery and bingo, 21 for casinos and racing
- The Colorado bans indoor smoking. Reservations casinos are the only exclusion related to gaming.
- Horseracing is the only form of legal online gambling
There is a liberal stance when it comes to Colorado gambling. Its horse racing industry dates back to the 1950’s. Colorado also had greyhound racing but it was outlawed when the last surviving track folded last decade.
The state created a lottery in 1982, selling its first ticket the following year. Colorado saw former mining cities on the brink of becoming ghost towns. Voters approved Colorado casinos located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek in order to save those twons. This also permitted the Utes to operate Colorado casinos on tribal land.
Paying Gambling Taxes in Colorado
Do you have to pay taxes on your gambling winnings? OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos has gathered everything you need to know about paying taxes on your gambling winnings straight from a Certified Public Accountant. For more information please visit our exclusive Gambling Taxes article.
Colorado Casinos Map & Guide
- Black Hawk
- Central City
- Cripple Creek
- Ute Mountain
- Sky Ute
- 43
- 9
- 2
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Types of Colorado Online Gambling Allowed
The only form of online gambling specifically legal in Colorado is off-track betting. These types of wagers may be made on greyhound and horse races.
Online poker, casino games, and sports betting are not legal in Colorado. In 2013, Attorney General John Suthers opined that it would take a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.
Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel operate in Colorado. The companies assert that the niche qualifies as a skill game under Colorado law. No opponents have emerged in the state over this opinion.
Types of Colorado Live Gambling
- Slots: Yes
- Blackjack: Yes
- Poker: Yes
- Craps/Roulette: Yes
- Horses: Yes
- Lottery: Yes
There are four types of legal Colorado gambling. Live horse racing is permitted. These facilities may also offer off-track betting. There is a state lottery that sells tickets for instant games and lottos. These include interstate drawings. The Colorado casinos are permitted in three cities; Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act extends this to tribal land in Colorado. There are two casinos on reservations that operate under the same rules as commercial ones.
Charitable gambling is also legal in Colorado. Bingo and raffles are among the permitted games of chance available to nonprofits to raise money. All Colorado casinos can offer players the best games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, and slot games. These casino games are also permitted on Native American land.
Colorado Gambling Laws
Colorado gambling laws cover almost all forms of wagering. Live horse racing is permitted when funds are placed into a pari-mutuel pool. Off-track betting is allowed at racing sites and taverns. Greyhound racing was outlawed in 2014 after the last dog track folded in Colorado. Off-track betting is still permitted on greyhounds. Players that want to bet on the races must have the minimum Colorado gambling age of 21 years.
The Colorado Lottery is operated by the state. It is permitted to sell instant games and lotto tickets. State law permits the lottery to operate lotto drawings specific to Colorado and join massive interstate jackpots. Lottery players must be 18 years old.
Charities may also operate games of chance. The charities must be registered and all proceeds must go to these organizations. They may not be operated in a commercial manner. Like lotteries, charity players must be at least 18 years of age.
Colorado casinos were legalized in an attempt to revive the ailing economies in three mountain towns. Casinos in Colorado are only legal if located in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek. The bet limit at all of these Colorado casinos is $100, where all games are permitted. This includes slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, craps and roulette. Casino players must meet the minimum gambling age of 21 years. Casinos are now permitted to operate 24 hours a day in Colorado. Colorado casinos pay 20% of the gaming revenue to the state in the form of taxes.
List of Colorado Casinos
As mentioned before, there are only three cities where Colorado casinos can legally operate. You will be able to find casinos in Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk. Other than these locations, American Indian tribes can also run their own casinos, as long as they operate from within the reservation lands. Below you can find a detailed guide to the casinos in Colorado. For more accurate directions you can check out the Colorado casinos map for their locations.
Cripple Creek Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass Ass Casino | 403 Slot Machines | 264 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Bronco Billy’s Casino | 600 Slot Machines | 233 East Bennett Avenue | www.broncobillyscasino.com |
| Century Casino | 975 Slot Machines | 200-220 East Bennett Avenue | www.cripple-creek.cnty.com |
| Colorado Grande Casino | 195 Slot Machines | 300 Bennett Drive | www.coloradogrande.com |
| Double Eagle Casino | 544 Slot Machines | 442 East Bennett Avenue | www.decasino.com |
| Johnny Nolan’s Saloon | 250 Slot Machines | 301 East Bennett Avenue | www.johnnynolons.com |
| McGill’s Casino | 360 Slot Machines | 232 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Midnight Rose Casino | 403 Slot Machines | 256 East Bennett Avenue | www.triplecrowncasinos.com |
| Wildwood Casino | 625 Slot Machines | 119 Carbonate Street | www.playwildwood.com |
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Casino | 500 Slot Machines | 102 Main Street | www.central-city.cnty.com |
| Dostal Alley Casino | 60 Slot Machines | 1 Dostal Alley | www.dostalalley.net |
| Easy Street Casino | 200 Slot Machines | 120 Main Street | www.easystreetcentralcity.com |
| Famous Bonanza Casino | 225 Slot Machines | 107 Main Street | www.famousbonanza.com |
| Johnny Z’s Casino | 200 Slot Machines | 132 Lawrence St. | www.johnnyzscasino.com |
| The Reserve Casino | 900 Slot Machines | 321 Gregory Street | www.reservecasinohotel.com |
| Z Casino | 350 Slot Machines | 101 Gregory Street | www.zcasinobh.com |
Black Hawk Casinos
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ameristar Casino | 1,638 Slot Machines | 111 Richman Street | www.ameristar.com |
| Black Hawk Station | 126 Slot Machines | 141 Gregory Street | www.blackhawkcolorado.com |
| Bull Durham Casino | 188 Slot Machines | 110 Main Street | www.bulldurhamcasino.com |
| Canyon Casino | 420 Slot Machines | 131 Main Street | www.canyoncasino.com |
| Gilpin Casino | 400 Slot Machines | 111 Main Street | www.thegilpincasino.com |
| Golden Gates Casino | 270 Slot Machines | 261 Main Street | www.thegoldengatescasino.com |
| Golden Gulch Casino | 130 Slot Machines | 321 Main Street | www.blackhawkcolorado.com |
| Isle of Capri | 1,100 Slot Machines | 401 Main Street | www.isleofcapricasinos.com |
| Lady Luck Casino | 450 Slot Machines | 340 Main Street | www.isleofcapricasinos.com |
| Lodge Casino | 921 Slot Machines | 240 Main Street | www.thelodgecasino.com |
| Mardi Gras Casino | 720 Slot Machines | 300 Main Street | www.thegoldengatescasino.com |
| Red Dolly Casino | 149 Slot Machines | 530 Gregory Street | www.reddollycasino.net |
| Saratoga Casino | 500 Slot Machines | 101 Main Street | www.saratogacasinobh.com |
| Sasquatch Casino | 145 Slot Machines | 125 Gregory Street | www.sasquatchcasino.com |
| Wild Card Saloon | 216 Slot Machines | 120 Main Street | www.wildcardcasino.net |
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Ute Casino | 700 Slot Machines | 14324 US Hwy 172 North | www.skyutecasino.com |
| Ute Mountain Casino | 750 Slot Machines | 3 Weeminuche Drive | www.utemountaincasino.com |
The only live racetrack in Colorado is Arapahoe Park. It holds live horse races and off-track betting or horses and greyhounds.
Colorado Gambling History
Colorado gambling dates back to the early mining days. Early prospectors passed the time playing poker and other games in Wild West saloons. The first casino in the U.S. is purported to have been in Colorado near the Utah and Wyoming state lines. It was called Brown’s Saloon and opened in 1822.
A puritan movement put an end to this type of unregulated gambling throughout the West. It moved underground, as opposed to operating in the open in taverns throughout communities in the Rockies as it did before.
The first step back towards legalized gambling was the creation of racing commission in 1950. This launched legalized racing in Colorado. Horses and greyhounds were once permitted. The Interstate Kennel Club failed in 2009. It was the last greyhound track in Colorado. The state banned live greyhound racing in 2014.
Off-track betting was later added to the available offerings at racetracks in the late 1970’s. Taverns were permitted to offer simulcast wagering to help subsidize the horsemen.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create casinos in Colorado in 1990. The casinos may only be located in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. This also extended legalized gambling to the Utes’ reservations. The goal was to revive busted mining towns.
Colorado casinos opened with limited gaming in 1991. The maximum bet was $5. Only poker, slot machines, video poker and table games that used cards were permitted. Casinos were only permitted to be open 18 hours a day. The standard hours were 9 am to 3 am.
Voters approved a massive expansion of gambling that launched on July 1, 2009. This permitted 24-hour casino operations. It also raised the bet limit from $5 to $100. Craps and roulette were also added as allowable games, deviating from the longstanding policy of only permitting table games that required skill.
Amendment 68 sought the approval of voters to add slots and video poker at racetracks in Pueblo and Mesa Counties in 2014. Voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure in a statewide constitutional referendum.
Colorado Casinos & Gambling FAQ
What is the Colorado bet limit in casinos?
What games are allowed in Colorado casinos?
Slots, video poker, live poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and any table game that uses cards.
Simulcast pari-mutuel betting on horse and dog races is the only form of legal online gambling in Colorado.
No. It would likely require a constitutional amendment to legalize online poker in Colorado.
Yes. It includes scratch-off tickets and lotto drawings.
The minimum Colorado gambling age is 18 years for lottery and bingo. Horse racing and Colorado casinos require players to be at least 21 years old.
Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek have casinos. The two Ute Reservations also have casinos.
Black Hawk is the closest to Denver. Central City is its sister city.
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