Colorado Launches Illegal Gambling Awareness Campaign

Befitting of its role as the de facto gateway to the Wild West, Colorado has more legal gambling options — be they mobile or in person — than just about any other state. And on Wednesday, the Colorado Division of Gaming launched an illegal gambling awareness campaign to make it clear which options pass legal muster and which don’t.

Titled “Play Legit. Gamble Only Where Legal,” the campaign aims to educate the public about the risks associated with illegal gambling and the importance of instead patronizing regulated venues.

In so doing, the campaign will promote legal brick-and-mortar casinos in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek, as well as online sports betting apps and off-track betting.

“With many certified and legal gambling sites available, it’s never worth it to put yourself in danger,” Chris Schroder, director of the Colorado Division of Gaming, said in a press release. “Together, let’s play by the rules and ensure that Colorado remains a safe and responsible gaming destination. By recognizing and preventing illegal gambling, we all win.”

Launch comes a week after Porter ban

For novice bettors, telling the difference between a legal betting app and an illegal one can be extremely difficult.

“Work with the well-known sites,” said Jon Clay, vice president of threat intelligence for the global cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, prior to March Madness. “If you get an unsolicited email or text message, I would ignore it totally. Don’t get scammed into, ‘Hey, you’re going to win your first bet.’ I would definitely stick with those known, legitimate sites, and I would bookmark them. They (the imposters) will make domains that look very similar to FanDuel or ESPN BET, but there’s a different character or something in there.”

The “Play Legit” campaign’s launch comes a little more than a week after news broke that Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., placed millions of dollars in bets as a VIP with FanDuel’s Colorado sportsbook before he signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors.

A day later, the NBA issued a lifetime ban to Jontay for betting on NBA games, among other violations of the league’s gambling policy.