When Colorado voters put their stamp of approval on regulated sports betting last fall, they may not have realized how quickly their local casinos would act when it came to the new offering. According to a report from Denver TV news station KDVR, sportsbook operations at Colorado casinos could be up and running as soon as May 1.
When the first legal wager is placed, Colorado will become the 20th US State to actually offer regulated sports betting. (Though many more are themselves in the process of legalizing through legislation or public vote.)
Colorado’s Division of Gaming is planning to offer a total of 33 sports betting licenses to casinos in the state’s gambling towns, Central City, Blackhawk, and Cripple Creek. While 33 lucky casinos will land the big prize, at least 50 have applied for the coveted license. That means a sportsbook will a real draw in the competitive gambling towns and online. Colorado is offering a mobile sports betting option that could be a huge hit. (After all, the closest casino to Colorado’s big population center is nearly a 45 minute drive.)
Sean Demeule, vice president and general manager of Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk reflects the enthusiasm of Colorado casinos about sports betting saying, “(We’re) thrilled that the voters passed sports betting last November. We’re starting to plan how we’re going to roll it out here at Ameristar. We’re going to start with a sportsbook here on property, working on the design right now. We’re taking what’s been done in Vegas and improving on that.”
Not surprisingly, both FanDuel and DraftKings are working on projects in the Colorado market.