Poker In Colorado
Denver Press Club 11 Social Clubs. 1330 Glenarm Pl. “ is where the poker. Colorado Poker Laws & Statutes To begin with, we might note that Colorado is, indeed, a gambler-friendly state. The state of Colorado has a booming casino business, including both some larger casinos as. Online poker in Colorado is one of the reasons that The Centennial State is the birthplace to some of the best competitive poker players in the world and multiple WSOP main event winners. Playing Live Poker in Colorado There are more than five poker rooms and casinos in Colorado that spread live poker cash games and tournaments. The following is an overview of where the casinos are located.
Online poker is not legal in Colorado, yet.
Voters did pass Proposition DD on Nov. 5, 2019, essentially legalizing retail and online sports betting in Colorado. However, online poker and casino games were not attached.
The last legislative effort to bring legal online poker sites to Colorado was in 2013, and it didn’t even get to a vote. That said, the hope is that legal online sports betting can pave the way for other forms of online gambling, including online poker in Colorado.
Fortunately, poker fans can legally enjoy cash games and tournaments online via Global Poker. This room uses a sweepstakes gambling model — and operates legally around the country.
The successful launch of an online sports betting market in Colorado might change the opinion of lawmakers in the state and restart the conversation about online casinos and online poker.
Play real online poker in Colorado at Global Poker
Legal online poker options in CO
Fortunately, there is one legal online poker option in Colorado. You can legally enjoy cash games and tournaments online via Global Poker.
That’s because it uses a legal sweepstakes gambling model to operate legally all across the US.
On the surface, Global Poker looks like any other online poker site. There is a full range of cash games, tournaments, and sit and go’s with players from around the country competing.
The key difference is Global Poker’s sweepstakes model. Global Poker operates under laws designed for sweepstakes contests. Although you can win real money and withdraw it from Global Poker, you can’t use real money on the site. Instead, there is a dual currency system keeping the games legal.
Instead of making a traditional deposit, you buy “gold coins,” which you can use for “fun” play only. These gold coins have no monetary value, but when you purchase them, you are given “sweeps coins” for free. Sweeps coins have a cash value you can play with or withdraw from the site.
To stay legal, sweepstakes gambling sites need to give you a chance to enter for free. Global Poker will give you a small amount of sweeps coins if you write a letter to its registered address with your account information.
Which online poker sites will potentially launch in Colorado?
The Stars Group, a global leader in online gaming and the company behind the world’s largest poker site, PokerStars, has launched online poker operations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The company has also announced its intention to enter Michigan’s online poker market when it launches after signing a deal to operate online gambling verticals for a federally recognized Native tribe in that state.
The Stars Group’s aggressive approach to expansion into states with legalized online poker suggests if Colorado approves the launch of online poker, PokerStars will be headed here.
The same should hold true for Caesars Entertainment’s WSOP.com, which appears to have interests in any and all states approving the launch of online poker as well.
Like Caesars, MGM is a US casino giant without a property in Colorado. However, it does have online gaming agreements in place with GVC Holdings, partypoker’s parent company, which suggests the partypoker and BetMGM brands are interested in expanding everywhere it can in the US, including Colorado.
Colorado isn’t a state dominated by larger US casino corporations, therefore the market is wide open. Should lawmakers ultimately get behind the idea of legal online poker there’s really no telling which existing online poker operators, large and small, will partner with Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk casinos to launch inside the state.
Will Colorado join the MSIGA?
The Multi-State Internet Gaming Association agreement allows New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware online poker sites to share player pools.
This agreement is considered vital to the survival of the otherwise small independent markets.
Should Colorado lawmakers pass a bill legalizing online poker it may include language regarding Colorado’s participation in the agreement.
That would make multi-state poker a possibility in Colorado. In fact, it’s likely a must-have for the local online poker market to survive long-term.
The population in Colorado is larger than that of Nevada and Delaware, but smaller than New Jersey. Online poker barely survived in these states when they were on their own. Pooling players with other states seems like the best hope for a robust local online poker scene in Colorado.
Colorado online poker partnerships
Only existing Colorado casinos in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek are eligible to apply for a sports betting license to offer both retail and online sports betting.
Online poker in Colorado will likely run under similar restrictions.
That means online poker operators without a physical presence in the state will need to find a local casino partner in order to legally launch.
While several will undoubtedly do so, none have to this point. Deals like this aren’t likely to be signed until legal online poker moves closer to becoming a reality inside the state.
Penn National Gaming does have a multi-year agreement with The Stars Group for online gaming market access in several states. Colorado is not currently one of those states.
Since Penn National Gaming operates Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk in Colorado, that agreement could be extended to include CO online poker under an Ameristar Black Hawk license should online poker be legalized in Colorado.
How Colorado online poker will work
Colorado isn’t likely to try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to online poker.
That means once legislation authorizing the launch of the first CO online poker sites passes, legal online poker will launch as a fenced-in market inside Colorado.
Players who are 21 years or older and within state lines will be eligible to play online poker cash games and tournaments.
Online poker operators will use geolocation technology to ensure every player on these sites are inside the state.
Players will need to sign up for an online account with the operator of their choice and go through identity and age verification processes before they can play.
In the future, state lawmakers may enter into a multi-state compact to allow operators to share player pools with online poker sites in other states with legal online poker.
Online poker bonuses and rewards
Colorado online poker sites will most likely offer free play to attract new customers, just like most legal online poker sites do in other states.
Giving free bonus cash as an incentive to sign up has proven to be a successful poker marketing strategy in other states.
PokerStars Pennsylvania offers you $30 in free play as long as you sign up using the PokerStars PA bonus code PLAY30 and deposit at least $20.
The offer includes $20 in free play and $10 in Spin and Go tickets.
You also get a ticket to a depositor freeroll event on the last Sunday of every month, featuring cash prizes and no entry fee.
You can also use the promo code STARS600 when you make their first deposit (or first three qualifying deposits within 60 days) to earn a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $600.
You’ll need to earn redemption points to unlock the bonus. However, you get 5 points for every $1 paid in tournament fees or rake in most games and PokerStars PA releases the first $10 in bonus cash into your account once you earn your first 100 redemption points.
You can only receive the free-money bonus or the deposit bonus, not both.
PokerStars CO should roll out with something similar. Other online poker sites launching in Colorado will try to compete with this bonus structure.
Fund your online poker account
Colorado online poker operators are going to do everything they can to make getting money on and off the sites as easy as possible.
That means offering a variety of deposit and withdrawal options. This will include credit and debit cards, third-party payment processors like PayPal, and cash at CO casinos.
Depositing
CO sportsbooks plan to be as flexible as possible when it comes to depositing.
Standard deposit options at online sportsbooks include:
- Cash at the casino cage
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Electronic checks (ACH/VIP Preferred)
- Electronic wallets (PayPal/Skrill)
- Online bank transfers
- PayNearMe
- Prepaid cards
- Wire transfers
Expect CO online poker operators to offer the same options.
Withdrawing
Withdrawing tends to be slightly more challenging with many payment processors only sending money in one direction.
That means standard withdrawal options tend to be limited. Common withdrawal methods at sportsbooks are:
- Cash at the casino cage
- Check by mail
- Electronic check
- Electronic wallet
- Prepaid card
- Wire transfers
Expect CO online poker operators to offer the same options, but the exact methods available will vary from operator to operator.
Of course, customer support options will be available to make getting your money on and off CO online poker sites as easy as possible.
Live poker in Colorado
The truth is there is a healthy and vibrant live poker scene in Colorado. In 1990, Colorado voters approved limited-stakes gaming in the former mining towns of Cripple Creek, Central City, and Black Hawk.
The first limited-stakes casinos launched in these cities in October 1991. The maximum bet allowed was only $5 and casinos had to close from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Slots, blackjack and poker were the only games authorized.
A small poker scene started and in 2008 it expanded when CO voters passed Amendment 50, raising the maximum bet to $100 and allowing the casinos to stay open 24 hours. Craps and roulette games were also authorized at the casinos.
There are now six live card rooms in Colorado, including:
- Ameristar Casino Poker Room: Black Hawk (22 tables)
- Golden Gates Casino Poker Parlour: Black Hawk (18 tables)
- Isle Casino Poker Room: Black Hawk (seven tables)
- Midnight Rose Poker Room: Cripple Creek (nine tables)
- Sky Ute Casino Poker Room (tribal casino): Ignacio (six tables)
- Ute Mountain Casino Poker Room (tribal casino): Towaoc (eight tables)
A proposal is also in the works that would allow Colorado casinos to remove the $100 betting limit. That could see the Colorado live poker scene expand even further.
Any further gambling expansion should be considered a plus for online poker. As CO laws regarding gambling are further relaxed the chances that online poker will be seriously considered increase.
Poker rooms in Colorado
There’s a decent sized live poker scene in Colorado with six live poker rooms operating across the state.
Walk into any one of the Colorado poker rooms on this list, and you’ll find securing a seat at affordable stakes is as easy as asking for one.
Ameristar Casino Poker Room: Black Hawk
Ameristar Black Hawk’s Poker Room has 22 tables. It offers variety of games and limits around the clock, seven days a week, including:
- 1-3-100 Spread Hold’em
- 2-5-100 Spread Hold
- 30-60 Limit Hold’em
- 50-100 Limit Hold’em
- 2-5-100 Spread Big-O
Amenities include tableside food service, in-room chair massages, mobile charging ports at every seat and comps for live poker play.
Comps include $.50 mycash® (=$1 comp for food) per hour of live play.
Jackpots and High Hands promotions include a Primary Bad Beat Jackpot and $25,000 Mini Bad Beat Jackpot.
Golden Gates Casino Poker Parlour: Black Hawk
The Golden Gates Casino Poker Parlour has 18 tables. It offers a variety of spread cash games and tournaments.
In fact, the Golden Gates Casino and Poker Parlour is founder and home of the Colorado Poker Championship and an internationally-televised Heartland Poker Tour event and a Mid-States Poker Tour event.
Isle Casino Poker Room: Black Hawk
The Isle Casino Poker Room has seven tables. It offers a variety of cash games and tournaments around the clock.
Amenities include free beverages and tableside food service, 10 flat screen TVs around the room, dedicated restrooms, smoking terrace, and a cigarette and snack vending machine.
Midnight Rose Poker Room: Cripple Creek
The Midnight Rose Poker Room has nine tables open Tuesday through Sunday. It spreads $1/$2-100 and $1/$2-$20 Texas Hold’em daily with $5/$10 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo every Thursday and $5/$10 Omaha Hi-Lo every Saturday, plus weekend tournaments.
Amenities include meal service.
Sky Ute Casino Poker Room (tribal casino): Ignacio
The Sky Ute Casino Poker Room has six tables offering spread cash games and tournaments.
Ute Mountain Casino Poker Room (tribal casino): Towaoc
The Ute Mountain Casino Poker Room has eight tables offering spread cash games and tournaments.
Colorado is another state that starts its section on gambling laws off with a legislative declaration to set forth how the following laws pertaining to gambling are to be interpreted by the courts. It reads as follows:
“(1) It is declared to be the policy of the general assembly, recognizing the close relationship between professional gambling and other organized crime, to restrain all persons from seeking profit from gambling activities in this state; to restrain all persons from patronizing such activities when conducted for the profit of any person; to safeguard the public against the evils induced by common gamblers and common gambling houses; and at the same time to preserve the freedom of the press and to avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.
(2) All the provisions of this article shall be liberally construed to achieve these ends and administered and enforced with a view to carrying out the declaration of policy stated in subsection (1) of this section.” (1)
So in addition to seeking a broad interpretation of the laws here, the goal is expressed as focusing on those profiting from gambling and not the act of gambling itself. It is worth mentioning at this point that Colorado law has a unique definition of “professional gambling,” which means the following:
“(a) Aiding or inducing another to engage in gambling, with the intent to derive a profit therefrom; or
(b) Participating in gambling and having, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser chance of losing or a greater chance of winning than one or more of the other participants.” (2)
So this does not mean deriving one’s income from gambling, it means either running a gambling operation and profiting from that or cheating at gambling.
The most significant part of this directive in reference to poker playing is their seeking to “avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.”
This in itself lends itself strongly to not prohibiting gambling which falls in this category, which notably would at least seem to include both social gambling in private games and internet gambling as well, as this could easily be seen as a social pastime in the manner described.
The Actual Gambling Law Itself In Colorado
Pokerstars In Colorado Real Money
So let’s look at the actual law in Colorado as far as gambling offenses are concerned. As we look at this, we need to bear in mind the directive of not looking to interfere with social gambling.
Before we can look at the law against gambling we need to look at how gambling is defined in this state:
“”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…” (3)
This is a pretty standard definition and is set up so that betting on poker is clearly included, since poker hands are contingent at least in part upon chance.
So here’s how the law against gambling in Colorado reads:
“(1) A person who engages in gambling commits a class 1 petty offense.
(2) A person who engages in professional gambling commits a class 1 misdemeanor. If he is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 5 felony.” (4)
Once again, keep in mind that “professional gambling” means deriving profit apart from the honest play of a player who gains through the means of luck and skill, so that would fall under (1) and would be classified as the offense of gambling and not professional gambling.
A petty offense in Colorado is the least serious of offenses, although it is still a criminal offense.
Poker Tournaments In Blackhawk Colorado
Playing Poker In Colorado
There does seem to be some conflict here when we look at the actual law and compare it with the legislative directive we begun this discussion looking at. This directive comprises a significant and binding part of the state’s overall gambling law though and is not just there for judges to refer to when the law is unclear.
So looking at the law itself and how it reads then this would seem to make all gambling in Colorado illegal. We do know that there is legal gambling in Colorado though so this section is certainly not the last word, and is subject to modification by other provisions in the law, such as the legislative directive.
So we really need to look at both of these together to determine what forms of gambling are prohibited, and we know that the directive prescribes that we not limit social gambling, so that would presumably not be included, and social gambling may be seen as not just home games but the playing of online poker as well.
You never know how courts will actually interpret laws in practice though, as there was a case in Colorado where persons were charged with running a poker tournament, and the judge found them not guilty because poker was found to be a game of skill and therefore not gambling. (5) It is very difficult to imagine how the judge came to this conclusion as this would require there to not be any element of chance at all in it, but at least it was a friendly one to poker players.
Colorado also has provisions to regulate live poker rooms and there are a total of 10 live poker rooms in the state, in the areas of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, Central City, and Ignacio. Many of these poker rooms are within easy driving distance from major population centers such as Denver and Colorado Springs and feature a wide variety of stakes to suit the needs of a wide variety of players. (6)
Whether or not online poker is ever found to be illegal or not, and there has not ever been anyone charged with this, players from Colorado continue to play it, and there is at least some leaning toward regulating it down the road.
In the mean time if you are up for some online poker and are from Colorado, the one site I have no problem recommending to you is Ignition Poker and Casino, one of the newest and surprisingly – one of the most trusted sites out there today. It absorbed the former Bovada Poker software and features the same promos and even bigger bonuses for new players. Check the review out here!
References:
(1) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-101, Legislative Declaration – Construction
(2) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-102 Definitions
(3) ibid.
(4) Colorado Revised Statutes, 10-10-103, Gambling
(5) Poker Deemed Not Gambling In Colorado Criminal Case
(6) All Live And Online Poker Rooms In Colorado
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