Colorado Slots And Online Slot Machines

Colorado slots have been legal at live casinos in Cripple Creek, Central City and Black Hawk since 1991. Today, Colorado’s 35 commercial casinos and the state’s two tribal casinos combine to house more than 14,000 slot machines. This means a wide range of options, including everything from classic reels to the latest multimedia video slots.

Real-money online slots are not legal in Colorado. However, slots at social casino sites are. These social casino sites have players play with fake digital currency that can later be redeemed for cash prizes. Scroll down to see the legal social casino slots options in Colorado.

Beyond that, you will find information about the most popular slots at live casinos in Colorado and what online casinos might offer should they become legal inside the state. Also, there’s some discussion about the different types of slots, including ones with progressive jackpots, and the ways to access these slots in Colorado.

Are slot machines legal in Colorado?

You can legally play slots at licensed casinos in Black Hawk, Central City or Cripple Creek as long as you’re 21 or older. There are also two tribal casinos in the state that offer legal slot play under the same parameters.

Right now, you can’t bet more than $100 on any game, but you can do it over and over again, 24 hours a day. Colorado casinos pay 20% of the slot revenue they earn to the state in the form of taxes.

Ameristar Black Hawk offers the largest selection of slots in the state with more than 1,250.

Playing CO online slots for free

You can’t legally play real-money online slots in Colorado, but you can play online slots for fun at play-money online casinos affiliated with Colorado casinos.

There’s even a link to the play-for-fun HollywoodCasino.com on the Ameristar Black Hawk website. US casino giant PENN Entertainment runs both operations.

HollywoodCasino.com runs on Scientific Games software, offering Vegas-style online slots for free online. Many of the slots found on HollywoodCasino.com are the same ones you can find on the floor at Penn National Gaming casinos, including Ameristar Black Hawk in Colorado.

A HollywoodCasino.com mobile app is also available for Android and iOS mobile devices.

The online slots available are intended for use only by those 21 or older, and only for amusement purposes. No actual money or anything of value can be won playing these slots.

Legal online slot options in CO

You can also legally enjoy playing slots online for fake currency that can be redeemed as cash prizes via social casinos like Chumba Casino and Sweeptastic.

That’s because social casino sites use a legal sweepstakes gambling model to operate legally all across the US.

On the surface, social casinos look like any other online casino. They have a range of slots and electronic table games available.

The key difference is the sweepstakes model. Social casinos operate under laws designed for sweepstakes contests. Although you can win real money and withdraw it, you can’t use real money on the site. Instead, there is a dual currency system keeping the games legal.

Instead of making a traditional deposit, you buy Gold Coins which you can use for “fun” play only. These Gold Coins have no monetary value, but when you purchase them, you are given Sweeps Coins for free. Sweeps Coins have a cash value you can play with or redeem from the site.

To stay legal, sweepstakes gambling sites need to give you a chance to enter for free.

Playing real money slots in Colorado for free

Should Colorado online casinos ever be legalized, regulated online casinos in the state will offer real cash bonuses without requiring you to make a deposit.

This is a great opportunity for you to take a shot at winning money without risking any of your own. These offers are relatively small, in the $10 to $25 range. You can’t just take the money and run, though. You’ll be required to wager your bonus at least once and meet any further site-specific playthrough requirements before you can make a withdrawal.

No-deposit slot bonuses essentially provide you an opportunity to check out an online casino. Match deposit bonuses are much bigger and generally offer you more of an opportunity to turn the bonus into something substantial. Most are 100% matches based on your first deposit.

Once again, you’ll need to play through the bonus before it is cleared into your real money balance.

The number of times each bonus needs to be bet varies. However, playing with the bonus money on real money online slots has its benefits. These jackpots grow with every eligible spin on the slot range from a few thousand dollars to more than $1 million.

Most online slots also offer plenty of ways to win via line hits and bonus games.

CO online casino banking

If and when online casinos are legalized in Colorado, you’ll need to find the banking option that best suits you for getting money on and off the sites.

Colorado online casinos will make this easy by offering a variety of mainstream deposit and withdrawal methods, including:

• ACH or bill pay bank transfers.
• Debit or credit cards.
• Cash via PayNearMe or a licensed Colorado casino’s cage.
• Third-party payment processors like PayPal.

You can use most of these methods to withdraw your winnings. If you can’t withdraw via the same method you deposited, CO online casinos will provide alternative options like a check in the mail.

With so many real money slots to check out, bankroll management is important. To enjoy playing slots longer, you should keep your spin amount small. Other tips are setting stop-losses and cashing out when you hit a big win.

Playing CO slots on mobile apps

If and when CO online casinos eventually launch, they will do so with mobile apps attached. These apps will offer access to a wide variety of online slots through mobile devices located inside state lines.

The apps will be available for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Mobile online casino apps tend to be scaled-down versions of the same online casinos you can access with an internet browser or by downloading the online casino software onto your desktop or laptop computer. That often means fewer slots available on your mobile device than your computer. Still, you can rest assured Colorado online casinos will make the most popular online slots available on mobile.

Android users will need to visit the casino websites to download the apps because the Google Play store does now allow casino apps. iPhone and iPad users will find the apps in the Apple App Store and casino websites.

What types of slots are available in Colorado?

Slots come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. New technology and designs mean new games appear on huge screens with surround sound and multimedia special effects. Plus, many traditional three- and five-reel mechanical slots can still be found on some Colorado casino floors.

Here are the main types of slots you’ll find at both live casinos in Colorado and online in other parts of the country:

• Three-reel mechanical (traditional)
• Three-reel electronic (traditional)
• Three-reel video with bonus games
• Five-reel mechanical
• Five-reel video with bonus games
• Multimedia slots (expanding reels, special wilds, interactive bonus games)

Themes run the gamut, ranging from Greek mythology to those based on popular TV shows, films and recording artists.

Many also offer fun and exciting bonus games or progressive jackpots that offer huge rewards.

List of the most popular slots in CO

Ameristar Black Hawk is a haven for slot players in the state, offering the largest selection of slot machines in Colorado.

In fact, it boasts more than 1,250 slot machines, including the following list of Ameristar Black Hawk’s most popular slots. There’s little doubt the slots on this list will go online if and when Colorado legalizes online casinos:

Buffalo Gold: Buffalo Gold is a slot designed by Aristocrat Games based on its extremely popular Buffalo slot. It offers more than a thousand lines on every spin and most of the features from the original, plus an additional gold bonus.

Buffalo Gold Aristocrat’s Xtra Reel Power framework with a 4×5 layout gives you 1,024 ways to win. Any left-to-right combination pays. In the original game you bet in 40 credit increments. With Buffalo Gold, you bet 60 coins at a time, eventually opening up the gold bonus with max bets.

The high-paying symbol is the buffalo itself, plus the game features wild symbols and scatter symbols. In fact, the gold coin scatter symbols trigger the free spins game when you land three or more. The Golden Buffalo that can appear during these free games offer big wins.

Buffalo Grand: Buffalo Grand is a slot designed by Aristocrat Games as a sequel to its extremely popular Buffalo slot. It’s a touchscreen slot with a large 4/5/5/5/4 reel format. There are retriggering free spins, five progressive jackpot levels, Buffalo wilds and video cut scenes. There’s also a Wheel of Fortune-style extra bonus game.

Once again, gold coin scatter symbols lead to free spins. The Buffalo Grand difference is the 3D animated Buffalo wilds grant multipliers randomly during the free spins, and you can retrigger the free spins with three or more scatter symbols anytime for a total of up to 50 free spins.

There’s also a jackpot wheel round with a video scene of an American eagle flying the western plains above a herd of stampeding buffalo. The wheel itself offers free spins and a chance at one of the progressive jackpots.

Dragon Link: Dragon Link is an Aristocrat Games-designed slot series featuring four different slot machines found in the same slot banks inside a casino. The games are similar, and although they offer different themes, they share a progressive jackpot.

The games are Panda Magic, Golden Century, Happy & Prosperous and Autumn Moon. Each is a traditional five-reel and three-row slot with anywhere from 25 to 50 paylines. Each includes a Hold & Spin feature offering instant credits and a chance at a big jackpot.

Here you’re looking for coin symbols with numbers on them. Get all 15, and the shared Grand Jackpot is yours. This series is similar to the previously released Lightning Link series by Aristocrat.

Lightning Link: Lightning Link is an Aristocrat Games-designed slot series featuring four different slot machines found in the same slot banks inside a casino. The games are similar, and although they offer different themes, they share a progressive jackpot.

The games are the Chinese-themed Happy Lantern, sea-themed Magic Pearl, desert-themed Sahara Gold and Las-Vegas-themed High Stakes. Each features five reels, 50 paylines and two special features.

The first is a free spins bonus game triggered when you hit three or more scatter symbols. The second is triggered when you hit six or more pear symbols. Here, the pearls remain locked in place as you spin for free. Find more at any time, and you’ll keep spinning until you run out of spins without hitting more pearls or find all 15.

Various prizes hide under the pearls, including access to four linked jackpots that are shared between the games. Get all 15 pearls, and you’ll win the Grand Jackpot.

88 Fortunes: 88 Fortunes is a classic Chinese-themed five-reel and 243-ways-to-win slot designed by Shuffle Master. The game includes a free games feature, Fu Bat pick-win bonus round, and Fu Bat Jackpot symbols, giving you a chance to win one of four progressive jackpots.

Dancing Foo: Dancing Foo is a part of the Aristocrat Games-designed Gold Stacks 88 slot series. It’s an Asian-themed slot led by an Asian all-star cast, including Baby Fortune King, Baby Dragon, Peacock, Foo Lions and Panda.

It uses Aristocrat’s Extra-Ways math model, offering hundreds of ways to win and includes a Pick & Match feature.

Jinse Dao Dragon: Jinse Dao Dragon is a five-reel Scientific Games-designed Asian-dragon-themed slot with 243 ways to win. It includes an Expanding Reels feature, adding up to three rows, credit prizes and jackpots. Land three yin yang symbols on the reels and spin a wheel that may award one of four jackpots or up to 20 free games.

It is part of a game series with Jinse Dao Phoenix.

Jinse Dao Phoenix: Jinse Dao Phoenix is a five-reel Scientific-Games-designed Asian-phoenix-themed slot with 243 ways to win. It includes an Expanding Reels feature, adding up to three rows, credit prizes and jackpots.

Land three yin yang symbols on the reels and spin a wheel that may award one of four jackpots or up to 20 free games. It is part of a game series with Jinse Dao Dragon.

Lunar Festival: Lunar Festival is a part of the Aristocrat Games-designed Gold Stacks 88 slot series. It’s an Asian-themed slot led by an Asian all-star cast, including Baby Fortune King, Baby Dragon, Peacock, Foo Lions and Panda. It uses Aristocrat’s Extra-Ways math model, offering hundreds of ways to win and includes a Pick & Match feature.

Wonder 4: Wonder 4 is an Aristocrat Games-designed multi-play slot offered on widescreen Viridian monitors. It allows you to bet on four slot games at once.

In fact, this slot features four five-reel slot games developed by Aristocrat, and you can see all four on the screen at once. The games are Pompeii, Buffalo, Firelight and Wild Splash.

You choose which of the four games to play. That means you can play all four different games at a time, or the same game four times on four different screens.

Progressive jackpots in Colorado

Progressive jackpots are one of the top reasons slots are the most popular games in Colorado casinos. Big jackpots that grow with every spin can be quite alluring.

Slots with progressive jackpots are far and away the fastest and easiest way to win life-changing money at a casino, and that draws crowds.

Progressive jackpot slots are pretty much the same as most other slot machines. The big difference is that the top prize increases a little bit with every spin.

A small percentage of every bet made on a progressive jackpot slot goes into the progressive jackpot prize pool. Over time, these jackpots can grow exponentially.

It’s a lot like a lottery, where the more tickets people buy, the larger the prizes grow.

The same is true with progressive jackpot slots, where the more people play the bigger the jackpot grows. When it gets to a certain point, the chance at a big money win draws even more people in, and the jackpot grows bigger even faster.

Eventually, someone hits the jackpot. Then, it returns to a designated baseline figure and the whole process starts over again.

The largest progressive jackpots at Colorado casinos are usually on linked progressives. These are single progressive jackpots offered by multiple slots.

Linked progressives include network-area progressives inside the same casino and area-wide progressives that may have machines connected to a single jackpot in multiple casino locations.

Progressive jackpot slots and linked progressives work the same way at online casinos.

Slots rewards schemes

Colorado casinos have loyalty programs that reward you for regular play. If you play slots, enrolling in these schemes can have some significant benefits for you.

Not taking advantage of these programs is like leaving money in a machine and walking away.

Colorado casinos will issue you a card you can insert into the slots you play. Win or lose, you’ll collect points you can redeem for rewards on the property such as accommodations, food, beverages and free play.

These are like old-school Vegas comps you can use at the Colorado casino of your choice and its partners. Some offer bonuses and promotions in connection with the program, giving you the chance to increase your earnings and rewards regularly.

For the most part, online casinos in Colorado will have loyalty schemes as well.

Colorado slot machine laws

The first legal slot machines didn’t come to Colorado until legal casino gambling came to the former mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek in 1991.

These places were on the verge of becoming ghost towns when Colorado voters approved Initiative 4 to the Colorado constitution, allowing for limited gambling operations in these three locations only.

Licensed gaming operations were allowed to run slots, blackjack and poker as an effort to save the failing local economies. The first 11 limited gaming casinos opened in the state in October 1991. The maximum bet allowed was only $5, and casinos had to close from 2-8 a.m. In 2008, Amendment 50 passed, allowing the casinos to take bets of up to $100 and stay open 24 hours.

The three towns have since transformed from ghost towns to quaint gambling destinations. Smaller casinos reminiscent of Old West saloons dot the landscape across all three towns, and there are a few larger operations, as well.

Black Hawk has the most casinos, and Central City is just a few miles away. Both are less than an hour’s drive from downtown Denver. Cripple Creek is about an hour from Colorado Springs in the southeastern part of the state. Two tribal casinos owned and operated by the Ute Tribe of Colorado have since opened on the western side of the state, as well.

List of Colorado casinos with slot machines

Currently, there are approximately 35 live casinos in CO, and all of them have slots. The smallest have just over 100, while the biggest boast 1,000 or more.

Except for two tribal casinos owned and operated by the Ute Tribe of Colorado on the western side of the state, the casinos are all in the former mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.

The following lists will tell you what to expect from each casino in terms of how many slot machines are spread across their floors:

Black Hawk Casinos

• Ameristar Casino and Hotel: 1,250
• Horseshoe Black Hawk Casino: 900
• Lodge Casino: 900
• Monarch Casino: 750
• Saratoga Casino: 500
• Bally’s Black Hawk Casino North: 650
• Bally’s Black Hawk Casino West: 650
• Z Casino: 435
• Lady Luck Casino: 400
• Gilpin Casino: 370
• Wild Card Saloon and Casino: 216
• Bull Durham Casino: 188
• Sasquatch Casino: 145
• Bally’s Black Hawk Casino East: 140
• Black Hawk Station Casino: 127
• Red Dolly Casino: 120

Central City Casinos

• Grand Z Casino Hotel: 550
• Century Casino Central City: 500
• Johnny Z’s Casino: 350
• Easy Street Casino: 200
• Famous Bonanza Casino: 200
• Dostal Alley Casino and Brewery: 65

Cripple Creek Casinos

• Bronco Billy’s Casino: 800
• Double Eagle Hotel & Casino: 500
• Wildwood Casino: 500
• Midnight Rose Hotel & Casino: 385
• McGill’s Hotel & Casino: 300
• Brass Ass Casino: 265
• Johnny Nolon’s Casino: 250
• Colorado Grande Casino and Hotel: 200