The state of Colorado is progressive in terms of gambling legislation, and poker fans here have a wide choice of live casino poker rooms and social games. Things really got a boost for poker players in 2008, when the old $5 maximum bet limit was lifted. Online poker is considered to be illegal under current laws, though the liberal attitude towards poker and other gambling games by this State are strong indications that regulated internet poker games are only a matter of time for CO residents.
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This page gives you everything you need to know about Colorado poker in one place. First of all you’ll find a detailed look at the casino poker rooms here – including their big events. After that, social poker games are covered, this includes home games, charity poker nights and bar leagues. Next a look at the current and future scenarios for online poker games is discussed. At the end of this page you can see some important wording from the Colorado Statutes concerning poker games, followed by a summary of the main points.
Live Poker Games In Colorado
There are more than 40 casinos in Colorado, and 11 of these have poker rooms. The biggest and best are at the Black Hawk, CO, Ameristar Casino and the Golden Gates Casino also in Black Hawk. In addition to a great spread of cash games and regular tournaments, these rooms are home to big events including the World Series Circuit tournaments and the Colorado Open Championship.
Colorado Poker – Are Home Games Legal?
You can legally enjoy a home game in this State, this format is exempted from the general gambling laws under the ‘Social Gaming’ clause. As usual, if anyone takes a profit from hosting the game, either via entry fees or raking the pots – the game ceases to be social and becomes illegal gambling.
Charity poker tournaments are on tricky legal ground in this State. If entry fees or donations are mandatory, then the event can’t give prizes based on performance (only randomly), which takes away from the point of the game. Bar poker leagues do not charge entry fees, and are fine as long as there is no mandated minimum drinks order or similar.
Colorado Poker – Online Poker Games
The CO attorney general has already gone ahead and stated that the existing laws are broad enough to cover internet gambling and poker too. This leaves Colorado residents two choices – either play at offshore online poker sites – or wait for regulation.
Offshore sites are based on Caribbean islands where poker is fully legal. They welcome players from many parts of the US including Colorado, and argue that their right to freedom of trade makes this possible. Thousands of people log on to these sites from across the US and enjoy a wide range of both cash games and tournaments. Whilst strictly speaking this would be at your own legal risk, nobody from Colorado has been prosecuted for playing poker online.
At the present time there is no talk about regulating online poker in the Colorado government. With progressive laws already in place, there is every chance that CO will become one of the states to regulate these games. Once some of the pioneering States including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have proved that this model works, I expect to see this State following.
What Do The Colorado Gambling Statutes Say?
The definition of gambling in the Colorado law books is interesting. This stipulates that the person taking the risk must have ‘no control’ over the outcome. In poker the player does have a large element of control, both in bet sizing, manipulating the odds and in hand reading. If I would be able to argue the ‘skill game’ line in any State, then Colorado looks like a good bet.
Here is the key wording from the CO laws, this is from Chapter 18-10-102 and concerns the definition of gambling:
…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…
Colorado Poker – Summing It Up
Colorado is a great State to live in if you are a poker fan. There are plenty of live poker venues to choose from, some of them large. You can also freely enjoy a home-game or a bar league type event. Charity is a little bit more complicated, though as long as all the proceeds go to good causes, the prize distribution should be a secondary concern.
I look forward to hearing the news that CO is looking into the subject of regulating online poker. With the recent spate of legislation, it looks like this State would be a great candidate to allow internet games. Whether this is within its borders or in conjunction with other States.