Colorado law says legal Colorado sportsbook operators must be ready to accept bets on May 1. There won’t be much to bet on, with major professional sports shut down, but the start date is fixed. An initiative passed by the voters in November specifically names that date and so does the enabling legislation HB 19-1327.
So far, Colorado’s Limited Gaming Control Commission has approved sportsbooks in brick-and-mortar casinos including Billy’s, Brass Ass, Bronco Billy’s, Christmas, Dostal Alley, Double Eagle, Golden Gates, Golden Gulch, J.P. McGill’s, Mardi Gras, Midnight Rose, Monarch, and Saratoga.
Of those, at least six have partnered with sportsbooks. PointsBet will run the books for the Double Eagle, DraftKings has partnered with the Mardi Gras, BetFred USA will run the Saratoga sportsbooks and Smarkets, Wynn and Bet America have partnered with FHR Colorado, which owns Billy’s, Bronco Billy’s and Christmas casinos. DraftKings Sportsbook was the first to get approval for mobile wagering.
The commission will meet April 16 by video conference when it will mull how to move forward. According to a spokesman: “The broader question hinges on the current state of the unknown reality we all find ourselves in now. How long will closures and stay at home orders last? What other actions and measures might be put in place?”
The NBA may be ready sooner rather than later.
“Hopefully, by the middle of May, we’re starting to get back to normal, and the NBA is playing games. Maybe not with fans, but we’re playing it because sports plays such an important role,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on radio station WFAA.
Colorado is authorized to approve as many as 33 licenses for retail and internet sportsbooks.
