LICENSING - Gaming

The Division of Gaming and the Gaming Commission issue six types of casino gaming licenses for individuals and businesses that meet our licensing requirements:

Gaming License types:

Manufacturer/Distributor — Companies that manufacture or serve as a distributor for approved slot machines and component parts.
Retailer — Persons permitting or conducting limited gaming on their premises.
Operator — Persons permitting slot machines on their premises or persons, such as slot machine routers, who place and operate slot machines on the premises of a retailer.
Key Employee — Persons who have the responsibility of making management or policy decisions in a gaming establishment.
Support Employee — Persons such as dealers and cashiers, including anyone employed in the field of limited gaming.
Associated Equipment Supplier — Persons who import, manufacture, or distribute associated equipment in Colorado, or who otherwise act as an associated equipment supplier.

Please review the list of Automatic Disqualifiers prior to applying for a license.

Effective Monday, November 5, the Central City and Cripple Creek offices will be changing their licensing staff hours.

Cripple Creek: Tuesday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Central City: Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Cripple Creek office lobby will be closed to the public on Mondays while the Central City office lobby will be closed to the public on Fridays. During those closed hours, the main office phones will be forwarded to the Golden office. The Golden office staff will be able to forward calls to the appropriate staff member.

Automatic Disqualifiers

The following is a list of Automatic Disqualifiers which prevent individuals from receiving a gaming license. If you answer YES to any of these questions, by Colorado law you cannot obtain or hold a Colorado gaming license.

Have you ever been convicted of any gambling-related felony at any time?
Have you ever been convicted of any felony involving theft by deception (including, but not limited to, embezzlement and other thefts using fraud, trickery, scams, con games, illegal schemes, etc.) at any time?
Have you ever been convicted of any felony involving fraud or misrepresentation (including, but not limited to, bad checks, fraud, forgery, perjury, tax or welfare fraud, and crimes involving false documentation) at any time?
Have you served a sentence, including probation or parole, within the past 10 years upon conviction for any felony, even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years ago?
Have you served a sentence, including probation or parole, within the past 10 years upon conviction of any misdemeanor gambling-related offense, even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years ago?
Have you served a sentence, including probation or parole, within the past 10 years upon conviction of any misdemeanor theft by deception offense (including, but not limited to, embezzlement and other thefts using fraud, trickery, scams, con games, illegal schemes, etc.), even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years ago?
Have you served a sentence, including probation or parole, within the past 10 years upon conviction of any misdemeanor involving fraud or misrepresentation (including, but not limited to, bad checks, fraud, forgery, perjury, tax or welfare fraud, and crimes involving false documentation), even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years ago?
Are you currently being prosecuted or facing pending charges, in any jurisdiction, for any of the above offenses, or are you on a deferred prosecution or a deferred judgment and sentence for any of the above offenses?
Have you ever been convicted of professional gambling as defined by Colorado law? Colorado Division of Gaming, “Automatic Disqualifiers”.
Have you ever been identified as a career offender or a member of a career offender cartel?
Have you ever refused to cooperate with any legislative body or other official investigatory body involved in the investigation of crimes related to gaming, official corruption or organized crime?
Are you under 21 years of age at the time of this application?
Are you the spouse or child living in the household of any person employed by the Colorado Division of Gaming or the Limited Gaming Control Commission?
Are you an officer, reserve police officer, agent, or employee of any law enforcement agency of the state of Colorado with the authority to investigate or prosecute crime in Teller or Gilpin counties or of any law enforcement agency or detention or correctional facility within Teller or Gilpin counties?
Are you a district, county or municipal court judge whose jurisdiction includes all or part of Teller or Gilpin counties?
Are you an elected municipal official or county commissioner of Teller or Gilpin counties or the cities of Central City, Black Hawk or Cripple Creek?
Are you a Central City, Black Hawk or Cripple Creek city manager or planning commission member?

NOTICE: The License Application Form is an official document. If you provide false information on your gaming license application and/or do not disclose all information the application asks, your license is subject to denial or revocation, and you may be subject to criminal prosecution. The Division of Gaming will conduct a complete background investigation and will check all sources of information. Applicants are advised that it is better to disclose all information than face denial, revocation or criminal prosecution.

If you need clarification of any of the above questions, please contact the Investigations Section at any of the three Division of Gaming offices.

Automatic Disqualifiers last revised on February 3, 2014

License Fees (2-Year License)

Effective July 1, 2015, License Fees increased. Please refer to the following tables for fees:

Gaming Licence Types
	As of July 1, 2015
Manufacturer/Distributor-Type 1 (original and renewal)	$3,700
Manufacturer/Distributor-Type 2 (original and renewal)	$7,400

Associated Equipment Supplier (Type 1)	$3,700
Associated Equipment Supplier (Type 2)	$7,400

Operator-Type 1 (original and renewal)	$3,700
Operator-Type 2 (original and renewal)	$7,400

Retailer-Type 1 (original and renewal)	$5,500
Retailer-Type 2 (original and renewal)	$8,000

Key Employee (original)	$275
Key Employee (renewal)	$215

Support Employee (original)	$115
Support Employee (renewal)	$70

* Type 1 applicants have six or fewer persons with a 5% or more interest in the license, all of whom live in Colorado. All others are Type 2 applicants.

License Fees

Background Deposits

Type 1 Applicants	$5,000
Type 2 Applicants	$10,000
Key Employee	$1,000
Support Employee	N/A

* The Division of Gaming collects a background deposit to cover the costs of conducting a thorough background check. The Division bills against this deposit at a rate of $77 per hour and also charges for any travel or out-of-pocket expenses. Any remaining moneys at the end of the background investigation are refunded to the applicant. The hourly rate is subject to annual review and change on July 1.

Gaming Support

WHO NEEDS A SUPPORT LICENSE?

Casino employees, including but not limited to: dealers, cashiers, change persons, accounting, prop players, count and drop team, slot techs and security.

New support applications are generally processed in one hour.

Support License Application Forms

Support Licenses can be renewed online here

Expired Renewal Application

Note: A support gaming license is considered a public benefit. Under Colorado law, persons applying for a public benefit must establish lawful presence in the United States by providing certain types of identification and submitting a signed affidavit. The support application contains the necessary forms to establish lawful presence. For more information on lawful presence requirements, visit the main Department of Revenue web site.

Key | Tribal Key

The following definitions apply to casino management employees and persons holding a substantial interest, either monetarily or through decision-making influence, in a business licensee:

Key: Any executive, employee, or agent of a business licensee, who while physically working in a casino, has the power to exercise a significant influence over decisions affecting any part of the business.

Associated Person: Any stockholder holding five percent or greater interest in a gaming licensee, or any officer or director, who does not act as a Key executive, employee or agent.

License Forms:

Note: New key applications are generally completed within 60-90 days.

Note: A key gaming license is considered a public benefit. Under Colorado law, persons applying for a public benefit must establish lawful presence in the United States by providing certain types of identification and submitting a signed affidavit. The original key application contains the affidavit, and the identification will be obtained during the background process. The renewal application contains the necessary forms to establish lawful presence. For more information on lawful presence requirements, visit the main Department of Revenue web site.

Retailer | Operator | Manufacturer/Distributor | Associated Equipment Supplier

The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission issues four types of business licenses:

Note: New business applications can take six months to a year or more to complete, depending upon the complexity of the investigation and the workload of the Division's background staff.

Retailer for persons permitting or conducting limited gaming on their premises, also known as a casino license.
Operator for persons permitting slot machines on their premises or to persons, such as slot machine routers, who place and operate slot machines on the premises of a retailer.
Manufacturer/Distributor for companies that manufacture or serve as a distributor for approved slot or video machines and component parts.
Associated Equipment Supplier is required for a person who imports, manufactures, or distributes associated equipment in Colorado, or who otherwise acts as an associated equipment supplier.

No license is required of any other suppliers of goods to casinos, although the Division of Gaming reserves the right to subject any business or individual supplying goods to a casino to a finding of suitability.

Casino Business License Application Forms

Table Game Application Forms & Instructions

Persons seeking approval of a table game shall pay a fee of $2,250.00 for costs of inspection, examination, and evaluation of the game and for drafting regulations and internal control minimum procedures governing play and control of such game.

Gaming License Verification

Verify the current status of a gaming license:

Gaming License Verification

Notification Forms

Notification Forms

These notification forms are for the Division of Gaming ONLY. They DO NOT apply to the Marijuana, Liquor, or Racing Divisions.

UPDATED PROCESS FOR ISSUING INDIVIDUAL GAMING LICENSES

The Division of Gaming updated its licensing process for certain licenses as of February 17, 2012. The revised process impacts those licensees who are out of the state of Colorado.

Because a Colorado gaming license is considered a public benefit, evidence of lawful presence must be provided and verified pursuant to Article 72.1 of Colorado Revised Statutes, also known as the Secure and Verifiable Identity Document Act. To ensure our agency’s compliance with this Act, an applicant is required to submit a photocopy of the required form(s) of identification with the license application. The individual is required to present himself/herself in person at one of the Division of Gaming offices and bring the original document with him/her before the license can be issued and before the individual can obtain his/her license ID badge and before the individual can exercise any of the privileges granted under such license.

Effective February 17, 2012, out of state applicants have another option in lieu of presenting themselves in person. When completing the application, applicants may have their identification (the same identification photocopied and submitted with the application) verified by law enforcement when the Verification of Fingerprints form in the application is completed. This verification must be completed by law enforcement during the fingerprinting process. If it is not, applicants must present themselves in person as detailed above.

Renewal applicants (excluding expired renewals) will be allowed to submit their applications without completing either process since their identification has already been verified.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the Division of Gaming’s Agent in Charge, John Madruga at 303.205.1337.