Regulators are still pushing toward a May 1 launch date for Colorado sports betting.
Whether that target is met in the face of the coronavirus pandemic will likely be decided next month.
That’s according to Dan Hartman, the director of the Colorado Division of Gaming. Hartman and the Limited Gaming Control Commission met via web conference on Thursday.
“We have not really approached the launch date yet,” he said. “We’re still moving everything forward as far a licensing and everything to make sure we reach that May 1 date and are able to go. Those discussions certainly will happen later on, probably in April as this COVID crisis moves forward and we see where the casino industry is at, at this time.”
May 1 is the first day the state can take wagers on sports betting in Colorado. The commission said earlier this month it would start holding extra monthly meetings just for licensing purposes to stay on track.
Colorado shut down its casinos through at least mid-April. The state had 216 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon.
Colorado sports betting licenses approved
A total of 16 licenses were approved for 11 companies at Thursday’s meeting.
Three master licenses went to both Twin River, known as Premier Entertainment Black Hawk in the state, and Full House Resorts.
Full House plans to launch sports betting with Churchill Downs‘ BetAmerica, Smarkets and Wynn Resorts. Twin River, meanwhile, is teaming up with both FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook.
Bet.Works, which will supply the sportsbook for theScore Bet‘s platform through Jacobs Entertainment, got its vendor major license.
Other vendor major licenses went to Stadium Technology Group and Sports Information Services. Vendor minor licenses went to PopOdds, Fan Leads and OBeP Payments.
Three online sportsbook operators licensed
Three big names received their online sports betting licenses:
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- Fox Bet
- PointsBet, which also received its land-based license
Fox Bet, operated by The Stars Group, gets access through a market access agreement with Eldorado Resorts. Eldorado also has a sports betting agreement with William Hill, which should take Eldorado’s other Colorado license.
PointsBet will launch sports betting for Double Eagle casino. But the Australian-listed sportsbook operator’s CEO, Sam Swanell, said a May launch is “unlikely.”
Other CO sports betting licensees
There are now more than two dozen companies with some form of sports betting license in Colorado, with 15 awarded in two prior meetings.
Previously approved licenses:
- Ten master licenses for Double Eagle, Eldorado, Monarch Casino, Penn National, Saratoga Casino and Triple Crown. Eldorado has two licenses, while Triple Crown has three.
- Two online sports betting licenses for DraftKings and theScore Bet. DraftKings also got its land-based license while theScore Bet received a vendor major license.
- A vendor minor license for Global Payments.
