British online gaming operator bet365 was approved to offer online sports betting in Colorado at Thursday’s meeting of the state’s Limited Gaming Control Commission.
The license approval for bet365 is technically “temporary,” but that is standard for new operators in the state. The company can be granted a full operating license after a background investigation by the state, according to LGCC Chairman Richard Nathan. The license was approved unanimously and without public discussion by the five LGCC commissioners.
Founded in 2000, bet365 launched its European sports betting operation in 2001. The company has yet to indicate when it is planning to launch in Colorado.
Colorado now has 26 licensed online sportsbook operators and 17 retail operators. Colorado would be bet365’s second state of operation in the United States, as it already has an online sportsbook in New Jersey. It also made a bid for a license in New York, but it was not among the nine operators approved to launch in 2022.
The casino partner for bet365 in Colorado is Century Casino, which has locations in Cripple Creek and Central City. Century Casino has also partnered with Tipico Sportsbook and Circa Sportsbook.
Other license approvals
The LGCC commissioners also unanimously approved retail and master license renewals for four Black Hawk casinos — Ameristar Casino Black Hawk, Bally’s Black Hawk North, Bally’s Black Hawk East, and Bally’s Black Hawk West.
In addition, the regulatory body approved 19 sports betting vendor licenses, which cover entities that provide services or act on behalf of sports betting operators. Some notables on that list include the PGA Tour, Elias Digital Solutions (a subsidiary of Elias Sports Bureau), Don Best Sports Corp., and Betclever.