Colorado sports betting handle fell 5.3% year-over-year in May as new deposit and marketing rules take shape

The Colorado Division of Gaming’s May report shows a $469.1m sports betting handle, with gross gaming revenue at $44.7m and taxes at $3.86m. For high-risk payment providers, the more immediate story is Senate Bill 26-131: from August 12, Colorado will cap bettors at six deposits in a 24-hour period, ban credit cards for funding accounts, and tighten promotional messaging rules.

1. Colorado’s sports betting handle in May was $469.1m, down 5.3% year-over-year. Gross gaming revenue totalled $44.7m, down 9%, while taxes totalled $3.86m, up 7.7%.
2. Parlays led the market with $190m in bets. Basketball followed with $91.7m, baseball with $61.7m, and table tennis generated a $34m handle. For PSPs, the mix matters because it shows where transaction flow is concentrating inside the state’s regulated market.
3. Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 26-131 into law, with the new sports betting restrictions taking effect on August 12. The law limits bettors to six deposits within a 24-hour period and bans credit cards as a funding source for accounts.
4. The same law also prohibits marketing directed at people under 21 and bars operators from sending promotional push notifications or text messages encouraging customers to make bets or deposits. That is not just a compliance note; it changes how operators can drive funding behavior and reactivation.