Is Colorado Making A Mistake With College Betting Restrictions?

• Colorado sports betting regulators voted against offering collegiate player prop betting.
• Without in-play NCAA betting as well, Colorado may lose out on big-event revenue from these wagers.

DENVER – Less than two weeks from the Colorado sports betting launch, licensed operators in Colorado are preparing their book for everything they can offer to the people in Colorado.

Colorado is expected to launch on May 1 and become the 18th state to have legal and launched sports betting and has been steadily ahead of pace for the scheduled launch date. However, in a time where rushing to legalize isn’t important, should Colorado sports betting regulations already be revisited to allow for collegiate player props?

Like Iowa, regulations were set by their gaming authorities that no bets should be accepted by licensed operators for college player props bets.

Though operators do not release detailed data surrounding the handle and revenue from player prop bets, with the number of lines available and widespread love of daily fantasy sports, one could assume they are taking heavy action.

Aside from the week-by-week action, with events like March Madness and the College Football Playoffs, Colorado and Iowa sports bettors will be missing out on plenty of betting lines on college sports.

Colorado took it a step further on Thursday though, as the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission restricted in-play betting for college games.

The beginning of college football season is still a while away, but Colorado sportsbooks will likely feature subpar revenue numbers compared to the unrestricted states with legal sports betting. Without the ability to live bet on college football, Colorado books will be missing a major aspect of football bettors’ desires.

Add in constant betting action on March Madness that will be missed out on and the Colorado gaming commission may be revisiting these plans heading into year two.

As Colorado is preparing to launch during the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer months may be tough for online sports betting in Colorado. With only a few options at the sportsbook, if the early football months do not surpass projections, the first year of Colorado sports betting could be off to a rocky start with so many college sports betting restrictions.

News tags: college betting | college player props | Colorado | Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission | in-play betting | Iowa