For a more relaxed night of gambling, why not avoid Colorado’s casinos and instead head to a bingo hall? Bingo is a great game for people of all ages and is one of the only forms of gambling that players as young as 18 can legally partake in. There are bingo halls across the state so get your bingo cards and markers ready – today could be your lucky day!
Where to Play Bingo
As bingo is a charitable form of gambling, it is one of the only forms which can legally take place outside of the Licensed Gaming towns Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, and Central City. There are, therefore, licensed bingo halls found throughout Colorado.
Bingo Halls
Bingo is played in bingo halls throughout the state of Colorado and typically have evenings run on behalf of organizations and are seen as charitable events. Some bars and pubs will also offer bingo nights as part of their entertainment schedule. Here are some of the top bingo halls you will find across the state:
- Turn of the Century Bingo, Aurora: Nightly charitable bingo with jackpots from $1,000 – $15,000.
- Slammers Bingo, Lakewood: Offers 20 charitable bingo sessions per week with daily payouts of $2000.
- Barry’s Bingo, Denver: 315 seat bingo hall running 2+ sessions every day of the week.
- Turn II Bingo, Denver: A recently renovated venue offering bingo seven days per week for different charities.
- The Bingo Company, Denver: Nightly bingo run by non-profit organizations that give away $20,000 per week with progressive jackpots of up to $12,000.
- Bingo Oasis, Northglenn: 500 seat bingo hall running bingo Thursday to Sunday, with charity bingo events other nights of the week.
- Bingo World, Colorado Springs: A family-friendly venue offering twice-daily bingo seven days per week.
- Carefree Bingo, Colorado Springs: Runs charitable bingo several times per day with progressive jackpots of up to $15,000.
- DAV26 Bingo, Colorado Springs: Runs Sunday night bingo sessions to raise money for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Casino Bingo
Some casinos also host bingo. For casino bingo, only the two Native American casinos function as bingo halls. Charitable organizations can also sponsor gambling events held at a licensed casino.
- Sky Ute Casino Resort: A 200-seat bingo hall that runs session Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday evenings, and Sunday afternoons:
- Sunday: Doors open at 11am for a 12.15pm start
- Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday: Doors open at 4.30pm for a 5.45pm start
- Monday, Tuesday, & Saturday: No bingo
- Ute Mountain Casino Hotel: A 400-seat bingo hall running bingo from Thursday to Monday:
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday: 7pm & 7.30pm
- Sunday: 2.30pm & 3pm
- Tuesday & Wednesday: No bingo
Online Bingo
Online bingo is not currently legal from inside the state of Colorado. “Legal” and “licensed” online bingo is available to residents of Colorado via several off-shore sites. However, although these sites may be legal and licensed in the countries they operate, it is still illegal to gamble on these sites from Colorado.
The only form of legal online gambling in Colorado is sports gambling. This is a recent development with the Colorado sports betting market launching on 1st May 2020. Take a look at our page on winning real money online if you are looking for convenient internet or mobile betting.
Bingo Gameplay
Bingo is a simple game of chance where generated numbers correspond to numbers on a bingo card. The most common form of bingo in the US is 75-ball game. Players must mark each number called out on their bingo card which contains 25 numbers in a 5×5 grid. The aim of the game is to get a row, column, or bingo pattern of numbers; when you achieve this you have bingo. Shout out “BINGO”, the card will be checked for the generated numbers, and if correct you win that game.
Players can have multiple scorecards per game, and it is possible to achieve bingo on more than one card. It is possible for two players to win. If two players call bingo simultaneously, both players receive half the winnings each.
Bingo games are not a specific length; the game continues until someone yells “BINGO”. Each bingo session will have multiple bingo games and will usually run for around 2 to 3 hours. Most bingo halls will have snack bars so that players can buy snacks and refreshments in between games.
Colorado Bingo Laws
As bingo is a charitable form of gambling along with raffles and the Colorado Lottery, it falls under the Secretary of State’s jurisdiction. This means it is legal for anyone over the age of 18 to buy bingo cards and collect payouts. Children can also play bingo, as long as an adult has bought the cards and collects the winnings on their behalf. It is down to each individual venue as to whether they offer family-friendly sessions and if there is a minimum age limit.
If you have a non-profit organization and wish to run a bingo session to raise charity, then the organization must be licensed. The jurisdiction states: “Only non-profit organizations that have been in existence in Colorado for five or more years are eligible to be licensed and conduct bingo and/or raffles.”
There are also caps on bingo prizes. $15,000 is the maximum value for any progressive jackpot. Instead of cash, prizes can be won but alcohol as a prize is prohibited. For full information on the state laws around bingo and raffles take a look at the Bingo-Raffles Law Handbook.