Colorado Senate No Longer Attempting to Ban Slots Games
The Colorado Senate has been involved in tweaking the rules and regulations around slot-style gambling lately. They did successfully pass a bill banning the use of credit cards for lottery purchases, thereby preventing potential gamblers from racking up credit card debt to continue playing.
However, the Senate stopped short of another change: banning slots-style games. That was initially planned, but senators abandoned the idea altogether. The overarching move was an attempt to limit the range of online lottery games available, so for now, there remains no limit in the state.
Colorado votes on banning credit cards, slot games online
Senators in Colorado voted to pass an amended version of Senate Bill 117 late last week. It passed by a 22-13 vote, and it was then sent to the Colorado House of Representatives. It was immediately referred to the Finance Committee after that.
The state Lottery Commission voted just last year to allow the use of credit cards to purchase lottery tickets. However, with almost a quarter of state residents suffering from credit card debt, lawmakers who felt they were not adequately consulted on when that decision was made voted to reverse it.
In the same vote, there was supposed to be a decision on banning slots-style online games. The amended bill did not include that, though. Initially, the state opted to focus on banning any online products that “resemble casino gaming”. That is where the online slots games ban would have come from, because it very much resembles casino gaming.
However, that amendment was amended itself. The change happened on the Senate floor, according to a report from SBC Americas. The final, amended version had nothing to do with the slot games, and it passed.
Senator Bridges comments on changes
Lottery sales and casino gaming have become a large part of a ton of states' finances. In Colorado, casinos produced over $92 million in gaming revenue in January 2026 alone. Slot machines dominated in that field, so the Senate wanted to be very careful about what they outright banned.
“This amendment takes this bill back from banning all online lottery sales,” said Senator Jeff Bridges, one of the bill’s sponsors. “The bill as it stands right now just says no lottery gambling on credit cards. That’s all the bill says right now.”
“I have said from the moment I found out about the rules that the Division was considering that they were putting casinos in our pockets,” Bridges continued. “They were putting slot machines on our phones. Turns out, the Constitution of the State of Colorado agrees that what the Division wants to do is put a slot machine in everyone’s pocket in the state. And the Constitution of Colorado says that cannot be done without a vote of the people to change the Colorado Constitution.”
Ultimately, the Senator decided it was unconstitutional to ban slot-style online gaming in Colorado. This means it was likely that the bill wouldn't have passed as is. Since it was important to them to ban the use of credit cards to purchase lottery products, an amendment was necessary and successful.
