Colorado Senate Says Yes to More Sports Betting Protections

• Members of the Colorado Senate approved a bill designed to increase sports betting protections
• Sen. Matt Ball’s (D-31) bill will place limits on account deposits, prohibit credit card deposits, and institute other protections
• The bill now heads to the House of Representatives

A bill designed to increase Colorado sports betting protections is now heading to the House after clearing the Senate.

Sen. Matt Ball’s (D-31) bill, SB 26-131, yesterday passed out of the Senate by a 21-13 vote. Members of the Senate did not comment on the bill before sending it over to the House of Representatives.

The legislation prohibits certain account deposit methods, eliminates push notifications or text message to solicit bets, limits the number of times users can deposit into their accounts, and restrict sports betting advertisements in the Centennial State.

Bill Paired Down in Committee

Ball’s legislation will now be considered by the House. If approved, the legislation will prohibit the use of credit cards for sports gambling accounts and will limit sports betting users from depositing funds more than five times in a 24-hour period.

Additionally, the legislation will prohibit mobile phone push notifications or text messages soliciting bets, prohibit bonus payouts as promotional offers for placing an online sports bets, and restrict sports betting gambling advertisements during peak viewing hours. The bill will prohibit sports betting gambling advertisements in the state from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., or during the broadcast of a live sports event.

The legislation also allows the Colorado Gaming Control Commission to to assess a maximum penalty of $25,000 against a violator of a prohibition.

Originally, the bill prohibited all prop bets in the state. Question arose regarding the prohibition, with several legislators sharing concerns over reduced tax revenue if props were completely eliminated from the state. A fiscal estimate showed a complete prohibition of prop bets in Colorado would have reduced sports betting tax revenues by $2.4 million in 2026-27, $2.6 million in 2027-28, and $2.7 million in 2028-29.

The bill was amended to remove the controversial measure in the Senate Finance Committee. Without the prop prohibition, revenue decreases are only estimate to be about $800,000 in 2026-2027.

The Colorado legislative session will end on May 13.

Advertisement Prohibition Concerns

The House will have to determine if it will keep a sports betting advertisement restriction in the bill, or amend it to make it more possible to include in the final form of the law. Many states have considered prohibitions on advertisements and when they can be aired or broadcast, but have proven to be too complicated to actually put into practice.

Questions remain regarding national broadcasts, how a prohibition on sports betting advertisements would work considering major sports leagues include them in broadcasts and as part of their on-air programming.

Sen. Chris Kolker (D-16), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, voted in favor of the bill in March, but questioned the advertisement prohibition as well. He cast doubt on how such an advertising ban would actually go into effect between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and during live sporting events, especially for national broadcasts It could be difficult to ensure the state is compliant with federal regulations if this restriction is in place, he said.

House members will likely discuss the prohibition in depth if the bill moves through committees.