Colorado Regulator Bans 100+ "Negative" Betting Markets

On August 20, 2024, the Colorado Department of Revenue Gaming Division removed 145 markets from the state's sportsbooks for several reasons. Nearly two-thirds of those markets (95) were removed for what they termed as "negative" wagers. 

A Gaming Division representative clarified what they meant: "A negative wager is a wager that can be interpreted as having a negative connotation or negative result on gameplay,". Per the representative, these decisions were made to preserve the integrity of Colorado gaming.

Some examples of the markets removed for their "negative connotations" by the Colorado Gaming Division are:

Based on that clarification and looking at some of the markets removed, you'd be forgiven for interpreting the main purpose of this decision as to prevent another Jontay Porter situation. A month ago the former Toronto Raptor's player pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after an NBA investigation found Porter helped bettors place winning bets by limiting his participation in certain games. 

The sport the most impacted in this sweep from Colorado's Gaming Division was the Olympics with 28 (19%) markets removed. Pro football was second with 19 (13%) markets removed. Only two basketball markets were removed, the fouls market mentioned above and "Will a player get ejected from the game?"

You can see the full list of markets banned here.

It's important to note that this only impacts these specific markets and not any similarly worded markets. For example, you can't bet on "Most Walks" in baseball but you can still bet on total walks for pitchers.

Colorado's Gaming Division stated that the door remains open for certain markets to return if the wording is changed to remove any negative connotations. What that means exactly is for the division and sportsbooks to discuss and negotiate. 

These reviews by the state's Gaming Division have been done frequently since sports gambling was legalized in Colorado on May 1, 2020. This latest review is the largest market removal since Colorado removed 61 soccer markets for "integrity concerns" in February of 2024.