Denver Casinos: How to Gamble Online & In-Person in Denver, CO

Denver may offer an interesting blend of mountain comfort and the bustle of the state capital, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of local gambling. Land-based casinos are only authorized to operate in a handful of Colorado towns and Denver is not one of them.

However, Denver residents still have a few options at their disposal. They can strap in for a 45-minute road trip to Black Hawk or they can gamble at an offshore casino from the comforts of home.

Those looking to broaden their knowledge and discover the best online casinos in Denver do not need to look any further. In today’s guide, we’ll answer all your questions regarding casino gambling as a Denver resident, from the top offshore casinos that accept players in the city, to the casino in the area and more.

Top Online Sportsbooks for Denver Residents

Land-Based Casinos in Denver

While there aren’t any physical casinos located in Denver, residents can still enjoy casino activities by taking a short trip to the western foothills, an area that has a long gambling and mining history.

Players wanting to partake in real-life casino games can visit Black Hawk or Central City, as there are more than 10 land-based casinos in the Denver area that offer gourmet dining experiences, live entertainment and hotel rooms. Black Hawk and Central City might not be the top American gambling destinations, but there are still plenty of options, including:

Ameristar Casino Resort Black Hawk

Ameristar Casino Resort Black Hawk is a popular casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado. This was the largest casino in Colorado when it first opened. The casino floor boasts over 1,250 slot machines, including fan-favorite slots like Wheel of Fortune, Lightning Link and Buffalo Diamond among other slot games. Slot enthusiasts can enjoy various denominations ranging from penny slots to high-limit machines. The casino also features over 40 table games, including favorites like blackjack, craps and roulette as well as a dedicated poker room.

The poker room at Ameristar Casino Resort Black Hawk offers a variety of cash games and tournaments, including no-limit Texas Hold’em, limit Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-Card Stud. The poker room also features daily promotions and jackpots for players.

Bally’s Casino Black Hawk

Bally’s Casino Black Hawk is a popular casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado. The casino offers a selection of slots featuring more than 500 slot machines that take a wide range of denominations, including penny, nickel, quarter, dollar and multi-denomination machines. Some of the hottest slot games offered include Buffalo Gold Revolution, Lightning Link and Dancing Drums.

The casino also offers a variety of table games, including blackjack, craps and roulette, as well as a dedicated poker room. The poker room features a variety of cash games and tournaments, including no-limit betting on Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo.

Bull Durham Casino

Bull Durham Casino is a small, friendly casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado. Despite its small size, the casino offers a variety of popular games, including over 200 slot machines on the gaming floor.

In addition to slot machines, Bull Durham Casino also features a range of games like blackjack, craps, roulette and additional table games. The casino has a dedicated high-stakes area for poker that offers daily tournaments and cash games, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Century Hotel and Casino Central City

Century Hotel and Casino Central City is a popular casino hotel located in Central City, Colorado. The casino floor features over 500 slot machines with a range of denominations, including penny, nickel, quarter and dollar slot machines. Some of the popular slot games offered include Wheel of Fortune, Buffalo Gold and Lightning Link.

In addition to slot machines, Century Hotel and Casino Central City offers a variety of table games, including blackjack varieties, craps and roulette. This hotel and casino also features a dedicated poker room that offers cash games and tournaments, including no-limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

The Famous Bonanza Casino

The Famous Bonanza Casino is a historic casino located in Central City, Colorado. The casino features over 200 slot machines, including classic and new games, with various denominations ranging from penny to dollar machines. The casino also offers a variety of table games, including blackjack, roulette tables and craps as well as a dedicated poker room in their expansive space for gaming. The poker room features regular tournaments and cash games, including no-limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

The Famous Bonanza Casino is known for its historic charm and friendly staff. The casino also features a full-service bar and restaurant that serves classic American cuisine. Guests can enjoy the casino’s outdoor patio area, which offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

The Lodge Casino

The Lodge Casino is a premier casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado. The casino features over 900 slot machines that accept various denominations, such as penny, nickel, quarter and dollar machines. The Lodge Casino also offers a variety of table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat, as well as a dedicated poker room that offers cash games and tournaments, including no-limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

The casino also features a sportsbook with state-of-the-art audio and video systems, comfortable seating and a variety of betting options on a wide range of sports events.

Grand Z Central Casino and Hotel

Grand Z Casino and Hotel is a popular casino hotel located in Central City, Colorado. The casino features over 700 slot machines, including classic and new games, with various denominations ranging from penny to dollar machines.

The casino also offers a variety of table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat, as well as a dedicated poker room that offers cash games and tournaments, including no-limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker.

Horseshoe Black Hawk

Horseshoe Black Hawk is a top-notch casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado. The casino features over 1,500 slot machines with various denominations, including penny, nickel, quarter and even dollar machines.

In addition to slot machines, Horseshoe Black Hawk offers a wide variety of table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and poker games. The poker games are available in the casino’s 2nd-floor live-action poker room, which helps it to stand out from a more typical casino. The casino also features a state-of-the-art sportsbook that offers a variety of betting options on a range of sports events.

Lady Luck Casino Black Hawk

Lady Luck Casino Black Hawk is conveniently located in the heart of Black Hawk, making it an ideal base for exploring the area’s many attractions, including historic buildings, museums and outdoor recreation areas. The casino offers over 400 slot machines to slots fans which makes it an ideal place for playing slots as well.

In addition to slot machines, Lady Luck Casino Black Hawk offers a variety of table games, including blackjack, roulette, craps and poker. There are low and high table buy-ins for the poker tournaments featured here. The casino also offers a sportsbook to their customers which has a variety of betting options on a range of sports events available.

Saratoga Casino Black Hawk

Saratoga Casino Black Hawk is a popular casino located in Black Hawk, Colorado, USA. The casino features over 500 slot machines. Some of the popular slot games offered include Buffalo Gold, Lightning Link and Dancing Drums.

In addition to slot machines, Saratoga Casino Black Hawk offers a variety of table games, such as blackjack, craps, roulette tables and poker. The casino also features an in-person sportsbook that offers a variety of betting options for multiple sporting events.

The Best Online Casinos in Denver

Our team of devoted casino experts has devised a list of Denver’s top 10 online casinos. While abiding by strict criteria, each operator is tried and tested before receiving a ranking. The casino operators displayed below passed with top marks, thus allowing our team to provide you with the best online casinos in Denver.

1. BetOnline – Daily tournaments with cash prizes
2. Bovada – The most popular poker room in Denver with low wagering limits
3. Bookmaker.eu – An extensive selection of casino games with live dealer rooms
4. Heritage Sports – Speedy payouts with a long-standing reputation as a top Denver casino
5. BetAnySports – Multiple live dealer rooms and great casino game variety
6. Everygame – An intuitive casino mobile app for Denver residents
7. BetUS – The best online casino in Denver for bonuses and promotions
8. JustBet – Excellent live casino in Denver with a variety of special offers
9. WagerWeb – A vast selection of casino games at this Denver casino
10. GTbets – A secure real money online casino with a fast-rising reputation

Best Online Casino in Denver List Reviewed

To separate the best online casinos in Denver from the rest, we’ve dwindled our top 10 operators to the five highest-ranked ones. Below you’ll find the leading 5 casino operators in Denver alongside a short review highlighting the unique perks that put these online establishments ahead of the competition:

1. BetOnline: The Best Online Casino in Denver  

Due to its long-standing position within the online gambling industry, BetOnline presents a reputation that most casino operators yearn for. Honing more than 25 years in the business has enabled BetOnline to deliver more games for casino fans than most of its rivals – with 500+ individual games spread across various slots and table games.

BetOnline isn’t strictly about quantity, as the available games and tables operate under some of the most notable software developers, thus leading to a quality of online gaming that’s often unmatched. Furthermore, table limits can go as high as $10,000 per round and they host regular tournaments daily and monthly, catering to the poker and blackjack online casino crowd.

Whether you’re looking for slots, poker, blackjack, live dealer games or other table games, customers at BetOnline will be delighted with its lag-free and seamless operation when accessing the casino through their Android or iOS mobile devices. A completely optimized site can be obtained through any mobile device browser and poker fans can make use of a downloadable app.

Adding more enticement, new customers at BetOnline can raise their bankroll with a bonus of up to $3,000, which is enabled for your first three deposits. Banking options cater to many, as your deposits can be made via Bitcoin, credit or debit cards or even e-wallets. That said, cryptocurrency has become a popular banking option, providing some of the best limits.

2. Bovada: The Most Popular Poker Room in Denver with Low Wagering Limits  

Safety and security are imperative features of an online casino and Bovada delivers one of Denver’s most secure online gaming services. Behind their SLL encryption technology ensuring customer safety, is a plethora of casino games, bonuses and promotions to keep players satisfied.

Ease of use and the overall functionality of Bovada’s online casino is another highlight our experts recommended. Its landing page is simple to navigate and finding your favorite games is simple. The likes of Betsoft, Rival Games and RTG deliver modern software design with more than 300 casino game titles and most games allow wagers of up to $2,500.

The live dealer casino at Bovada provides unlimited blackjack tables and early payouts at 99.5%. In addition, live dealers in European and American roulette, baccarat and Super 6 offer variety for the live experience. Overall, there are 40+ live dealer options, giving Denver casino goers a wide variety when utilizing a live-streaming croupier.

The network assisting Bovada’s poker services is the busiest in North America. Although blackjack, roulette, slots and live dealer tables are all great, the poker services at Bovada are undoubtedly the main attraction of this top Denver online casino.

Some of the restrictive table limits at Bovada may not attract the high rollers, but the bonuses will attract most newbies. With a substantial $3,000 welcome bonus and just an x25 rollover requirement, Bovada presents a tempting welcome offer that is difficult for its rivals to match.

3. Bookmaker: An Extensive Selection of Casino Games With Live Dealer Rooms 

Since its launch in 1985, Bookmaker.eu has established a positive reputation for its bookmaking and casino services. And since 1996, they’ve been available online and continue to garner respect within the industry.  

Bookmaker is renowned for its fairness and integrity because they refuse to ban winning bettors from its site. Most online casinos and sportsbooks allow customers to win, but if they realize you’re playing professionally, they’ll eventually find a reason to limit or suspend your account. And for this reason, Bookmaker has built a loyal customer base. Although their old-school aesthetics can sometimes look outdated, don’t discredit Bookmaker, as this Denver casino and sportsbook is the gold standard for online gambling. 

Appearance isn’t the strong suit of Bookmaker but look no further for those seeking simplicity and a straight-to-the-point online casino experience that will allow you to stake high limits and get paid. Bookmaker doesn’t distract you with banners or promotional pop-ups, you’re here to wager and that’s exactly what this operator allows you to do.

While there isn’t a dedicated online poker room at Bookmaker, game selection for slots and table games isn’t short on variety. And although we would have liked to see more roulette variations, the live dealer rooms make up for it.  

4. Heritage Sports: Reputation for Speedy Payouts

If you’re looking for reputation and experience, Heritage Sports has been another well-established operator providing online gambling services since 2001. The sign-up process is simple and their banking options range from Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Amex, Cashiers Cheque, Bank Transfer or P2P. None of these aforementioned deposit options come with hidden fees and they notably encourage Bitcoin deposits coupled with excellent bonuses and fast payout times. 

There’s a nice variety of slots on offer at the Heritage Sports casino, such as 3-reel, 1-line, 5-reel and 9-line slots, as well as some 3D slots. And although straight poker isn’t available, customers can enjoy more than 27 video poker titles and various table games such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat.

The Heritage Sports site may appear outdated to some, but it’s simple to navigate and doesn’t complicate online gambling with distractions or lag. They offer various promotions throughout the year and alongside casino rebates, bonuses and loyalty rewards, it is a safe and secure site whose reputation has survived for decades. 

One attribute we enjoyed about Heritage Sports is the ability to test their services before you play with real money. Most games at this casino allow you to play for fun or with real money, thus allowing players to test the games before placing actual wagers. 

Alongside offering a great choice of slots and table games, you can also enjoy free bets on your birthday. And it’s these small promotional offers that are why customers continue returning to use Heritage Sports services.

5. BetAnySports: Great Casino Game Variety with Multiple Live Dealer Rooms      

Online casino variety in Denver doesn’t get more extensive than the six different options at BetAnySports. Players can find top slots at the 3D Casino, high stakes with the Classic Casino, jackpots at the Fortune Casino and opt for a Las Vegas experience when joining the Diamond Casino.

Extending its variety, BetAnySports has an additional two casino options for its live dealer offerings. You can join Vegas Live and the Lucky Live Dealer Casino for thrilling real dealer games, including roulette, blackjack and specialty games. 

New customers can take advantage of rebates every 30 days and deposits are completely free. For players that lose six successive deposits from playing number-generated casino games, the house money program not only rebates losses each month but additionally gives you a free seventh deposit. 

Operating under the highly reputable casino game software developer Betsoft, BetAnySports customers are guaranteed an excellent 3D casino experience with popular titles such as Mr. Vegas, and table games like blackjack and roulette equally operate flawlessly on all mobile devices and operating systems. 

Gambling Laws in Denver

Casino gambling in the Centennial State has not been broadly legalized. For this reason, there aren’t any physical casinos or other gambling venues in Denver. However, Central City and Black Hawk are less than an hour’s drive from Denver and there are more than a dozen casinos across the two cities.

Current legislation in Colorado prohibits all forms of gambling unless it’s legally sanctioned and regulated by the Colorado Gaming Association (CGA) or the Colorado Racing Commission (CRC). Legal gambling in Denver involves social gaming, lottery tickets, off-track horse betting and online sports betting.

Gambling at online sportsbooks in Denver requires you to be 21 years or older. Pari-mutuel wagering, DFS and the lottery have a legal age limit of 18 years or older.

Is it legal to gamble online in Denver?

There are multiple forms of gambling that are allowed in Denver, as long as you are at least 21 years of age. Residents can play daily fantasy sports or check out the top online sportsbooks in Colorado to really get in on the action.

However, many Denver residents use top-rated offshore online casinos, such as BetOnline and Bovada. While the law doesn’t state that playing online casino games outside of Colorado is illegal, it does restrict payments to gambling operators outside of the border. Denver players can simply utilize cryptocurrency to stay within the law.

History of Gambling in Denver

Gambling has a rich history

in the city of Denver, specifically during the mid-1800s to early 20th century when it was a mining town with workers regularly hosting poker games. However, gambling in Denver was non-existent after prohibition laws introduced new rules and regulations.

From the late 1940s to the mid-90s, laws were relaxed, as Denver locals could once again enjoy multiple gambling activities such as lottery, charitable gaming, horse and dog racing and licensed casinos.

Here is a timeline of the most defining moments in Denver’s gambling history:

• 2020: The first-ever bets at a regulated Denver online sportsbook are made.
• November 2019: Colorado voters approve Proposition DD to legalize sports betting, which includes provisions for online sports betting.
• May 2019: Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs a bill to legalize sports betting in the state.
• February 2019: Colorado lawmakers consider a bill to legalize sports betting in the state.
• November 2014: Colorado voters reject a ballot measure that would have allowed casino gambling at horse racetracks.
• 2008: Colorado voters approve a ballot measure to expand casino gambling to include slot machines and table games in existing casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
• 1991: Colorado voters approve a ballot measure to allow limited-stakes gambling in the towns of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
• 1983: Colorado voters approve a ballot measure to allow limited-stakes gambling in the town of Central City.
• 1976: Colorado voters reject a ballot measure to legalize casino gambling in the state.
• 1972: Colorado voters approve a ballot measure to allow bingo and raffles for charitable purposes.

The Future of Online Casinos in Denver  

Each year we’re witnessing a huge progression toward online gaming, which is positive for all regions of North America. For Denver specifically, there hasn’t been a bill attempting to legalize online casinos since 2012. The legalization of sports betting in 2019 has already set the trend in the industry that could eventually regulate casino gaming.

For the time being, online casino enthusiasts can enjoy one of many offshore sites from their desktop or mobile devices. The best online casinos in Denver highlighted in our guide deliver multiple online casino options and you can’t go wrong when playing with BetOnline, Bovada, Bookmaker, Heritage Sports or BetAnySports.

How to Play at Denver Casinos

The road to getting started with a top online casino in Denver isn’t as complicated as many believe. It takes a handful of minutes and a few clicks to get started. You can use our step-by-step guide below to assist you in becoming an online casino player in no time:

Step 1: Create A Gaming Account

Enter one of the top online Denver casinos URL addresses into your desktop or mobile devices browser and click “Join Now” or “Register,” – usually located at the top of the landing page.

Step 2: Enter Your Details

You’ll be presented with a small application form that requires basic details such as full name, email address, contact number, home address and password. Once you’ve filled in the blanks, submit the form.

Step 3: Deposit

You will receive a confirmation email and your account should be ready. Now, you’ll need to top up your account with funds. Find the banking or cashier page of the operator you’re using and select a payment method. Enter the amount you wish to play with and continue with the prompts. Be sure to utilize a bonus promo code if a welcome bonus isn’t automatic with your registration.

Step 4: Play Your Favorite Games

Once the funds have reached your account, you can find any online casino game and place your initial wager.

FAQs – Denver Casinos