Coloradans recently got another place to make sports bets, after a meeting of the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (CLGCC). The group, which met most recently on December 16, added a new sportsbook to the Colorado market by approving the application of Bet365.
The UK-based gaming company was granted a permit, making Colorado the second US jurisdiction Bet365 is licensed to operate in.
While there is no date yet for Bet365 to go live in Colorado — and the current approval is only the first stage of approval — once the operator goes live, it will bring Colorado’s total sportsbook operators to 26, with 17 retail operators. The temporary approval sets Bet365 up for final approval for a full operating license after background checks are completed.
Bet365 Nears Active Status in Colorado
While Bet365 doesn’t yet have a full license to operate in the state, this move represents the first stage in that process. With this initial approval, the application now moves into a deeper vetting stage where the CLGCC does a background check on the operator to ensure compliance with Colorado laws.
Once full approval has been granted, Bet365 will be free to start retail operations in the state. The operator has not yet set a date for when it expects to be live in Colorado, but that date will be dependent on when the CLGCC issues its final approval.
The approval will add another sportsbook to the portfolio of local partner Century Casino. Century — which has casinos in Cripple Creek and Central City — also currently partners with Tipico Sportsbook and Circa Sportsbook.
Bet365 is also licensed in New Jersey, but the operator was left out in the cold when New York selected nine operators that did not include Bet365.
Other Regulator Actions
Bet365 was not the only thing on the agenda at the December meeting of the CLGCC. Among the other items under consideration were some Limited Gaming License renewals, plus some temporary and first vendor licenses.
Bally’s Black Hawk had licenses renewed for several properties, including the Bally’s Black Hawk North, Bally’s Black Hawk West and Bally’s Black Hawk East casinos, as well as Ameristar Casino Black Hawk.
The above operations were approved for renewal of the Retail and Master Licenses for the various properties, but the regulator also renewed the Manufacturer/Distributor License and Operator Licenses for Black Hawk.
Sports is the Thing in Colorado
While gamblers in Colorado have access to a wide range of sports betting and daily fantasy sports options, online gambling gets a bit sparse in the state after that. Neither online casinos nor online poker is allowed in Colorado at the moment, and there is nothing really on the horizon on that front.
Casino and poker players in the Centennial State are limited to live play, but they have options. There are nearly 40 retail casinos in Colorado, both commercial and tribal.
Since the opening of the market on May 1, 2020, sports has been the main attraction in the Colorado online gaming market and there are currently nine operating online sportsbooks. There has been a total of 33 licenses granted, however, with Bet365 poised to enter that group soon.
Currently, Coloradans have the following options for online sports bets:
- FOX Bet
- Caesars
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- Barstool
- PointsBet
- Betfred
- BetRivers
- BetMGM
In addition to sports betting, Colorado sports fans can also get involved in regulated daily fantasy sports (DFS). Colorado was the fifth state to legalize DFS, with fantasy sports teams facing off in the state beginning this year. Currently, Centennial State residents can get their fantasy sports fix with the following operators:
- DraftKings
- Monkey Knife Fight
- FanDuel
- Yahoo DFS
- Fantasy Draft
