The race to market in Colorado is on. Residents of and visitors to the Centennial State will have access to theScore Bet online sportsbook.
Colorado is the second state in the US for the Canadian brand. For its partner in the state, Jacobs Entertainment, the deal opens up a new revenue stream.
Jacobs brings theScore Bet online sportsbook to Colorado
Jacobs operates two casinos in the Centennial State. Those are The Gilpin and The Lodge, both in Black Hawk.
Although state law allows casinos to partner with sportsbook operators for both online and retail applications, this deal appears to only cover the online side of the business. A news release makes no mention of a retail operation at either casino.
Jacobs may partner with another operator for its retail operations. It may also take care of that in-house, although that’s less likely.
Regardless of that, this news means that residents of and visitors to Colorado will eventually be able to place wagers on the desktop site and mobile application. The question right now is when.
May 1 is the likely target date for multiple operators
While there’s no guarantee that any online or retail sportsbooks will launch in Colorado on May 1, that’s the first day they are legally allowed to do so. The law that voters approved in November places a moratorium on legal wagering until then.
So far, things are looking up for that hope. The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission expects to start approving sports betting license applications next month.
Although there’s no guarantee that theScore Bet will be among those first approvals, the closing of this deal points toward that. The tenets of this deal are some of the requirements for completing such an application.
theScore doesn’t necessarily have to wait for regulatory approval to start getting its interface into compliance with Colorado law, however. That work probably has already begun.
Getting to market as soon as possible is important for theScore. It’s likely to have competition as soon as it goes live.
The field in Colorado could become crowded quickly
The first round of license applications totaled 51. While the details are mostly unclear right now, two other online operators are on track with theScore.
DraftKings and FanDuel have also already announced market access deals for the state. Like theScore, they are likely targeting May 1.
The commission seems to share that target. A spokesperson said it would do everything it can to help get as many of its licensees up and running on the first day of May as will be ready on that day.
Whenever those books launch online, Colorado residents and visitors will enjoy the same theScore Bet product that people in New Jersey are using right now. That means bettors will have access to competitive odds, promotions and sign-up bonuses.
If the Colorado Avalanche and/or Denver Nuggets make the playoffs, legal sportsbooks should be open in the Centennial State by that time. One of those online choices may very well be theScore Bet.
