Colorado’s Senate Bill 26-131 takes effect August 12, 2026. The law bars licensed internet sports betting operators from accepting credit-card deposits and limits an individual to six separate deposits in a gaming day. The measure was enacted by the Colorado General Assembly and signed by the governor.
The statute, formally titled the Sports Betting Protections act, prohibits an internet sports betting operator from accepting more than six separate deposits from an individual within a single gaming day. It also prohibits operators from initiating or sending mobile-device push notifications or text messages to account holders in Colorado that solicit bets or deposits.
The law separately prohibits an internet sports betting operator from accepting deposits using a credit card in connection with the acceptance of a sports bet. A violation of that prohibition is a class 2 misdemeanor, and the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission may assess a penalty of up to $25,000 against a violator.
SB26-131 also restricts advertising by sports betting operations and their marketing affiliates. They may not target, or create advertising content clearly meant for, people under 21, and may not advertise on media where the majority demographic audience is reasonably expected to be under 21.
Internet sports betting operators must provide the Division of Gaming in the Department of Revenue with annual data and metrics related to their sports betting operations for the preceding calendar year. The division must compile the information into a public report every three years beginning January 1, 2029.
The bill lists Senators Matt Ball and Byron Pelton as prime sponsors, along with Representatives Steven Woodrow and Dan Woog. The House passed the bill on third reading on May 9, 2026, by a 50-13 vote, and the Senate later concurred with House amendments and repassed the measure. The governor signed the bill on June 1, 2026.
The act also requires annual transfers from the sports betting fund to the water plan implementation cash fund to be no less than the amount transferred in the previous state fiscal year. It appropriates $124,623 from the legal services cash fund to the Department of Law to provide legal services to the Department of Revenue for implementation.
Source: Colorado General Assembly, SB26-131
Petra Vanhoof has spent the better part of a decade following the shifting tides of gambling regulation across Europe and beyond. She came up through the compliance side of the industry before pivoting to writing, which gives her a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on the rules, loopholes, and political maneuvering that shape how operators actually do business. She is particularly drawn to the gap between what regulators say and what the market ends up doing in response.