Betting activity is about to ramp up considerably with the 2024 football season close to kickoff, but sports bettors in Colorado may see some changes to their favorite sportsbook menus.
According to Fair Play Initiative, a sports betting and fantasy research organization, the Colorado Division of Gaming (CDG) took aim at over 100 betting markets in a memo sent to Colorado sports betting operators earlier this week. The CDG did not consult the operators beforehand and the 145 markets in question were removed for being too “negative” or “concerning.”
Colorado Division of Gaming took a moral stance against 100+ betting markets yesterday. Most of the 147 markets were removed primarily for being too "negative."
— Fair Play Initiative (@fairplaygov) August 21, 2024
Don't worry; you can still bet on a player to hit "Under 0.5 HRs", just not "to a HR - No." This leaves the door... https://t.co/Ld6KXTFAcw pic.twitter.com/ygOsKprfEH
Here are a few examples of wagers that were rejected from three major sports:
Golf
- Player to Make or Miss the Cut - Yes or No
- Golfer X Worst Round Score in the Tournament
- Hole Ball Hit Into Bunker - Yes or No
Football - Pro American
- Most Fumbles Lost (Season) by a Team and/or Player
- Player to NOT Score Anytime Touchdown - Yes or No
- Will there be a Roughing The Passer Call? - Yes or No
Baseball
- Batter to Hit a Home Run in the Next At Bat - Yes or No
- Player A to have X or more Errors
- Team To Have an Error during Game - Yes or No
The CDG's actions put how wagers are worded under strict scrutiny as these types of bets tend to focus on poor or underperformance by teams or players.
Perhaps this is a ricochet effect from the Jontay Porter scandal which led to a lifetime NBA ban and federal felony charges for the former Toronto Raptors forward. However, a spokesperson from the CDG told Covers that is all part of its regular protocol:
“The Division of Gaming reviews its catalog of events regularly and removes anything that is a negative wager, duplicate, expired, or a concerning wager. During this review, 145 total wagers were removed from a very robust Colorado betting catalog of over 4,500 wagers. The Division takes strides to ensure the integrity of gaming in Colorado and continues to do its due diligence all while working with stakeholders to uphold integrity in gaming while providing Coloradans as many betting markets as possible.”
Jeffrey Benson, Director of Operations at Circa Sports, responded to Fair Play Initiative's original X thread, saying that his company’s sportsbook “can’t offer those markets in the way we would like because of restrictions put in place by the Colorado regulators. Benson also added that no explanation was given for these restrictions at the time of disclosure.
We can't offer those markets in the way we would like to because of restrictions put in place by the Colorado regulators. We are evaluating how we can offer "player to X" going forward.
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) August 21, 2024
Benson did clarify that while the CDG has prohibited wagers on, for instance, players NOT to score, this does not necessarily change the prices or limits on the Yes prices.
Fair Play Initiative also suggested that bettors can still bet on a player to hit “Under 0.5 HRs” in a baseball market, but will no longer be able to take action on a “Player to hit a HR - No” wager.
Wagers could be reassessed
This is all new information for Colorado sportsbooks to navigate, but there looks to be an opportunity for operators to request the reinstatement of some of the removed markets once they have “softer” wording.
Take this golf bet for example:
“Player to Make or Miss Cut” is now disallowed, but would “Player Score Over Cut Line Score” or “Player to Tee Off in Round 3 - Yes/No” be more acceptable to the CDG?
Ultimately, the CDG audited about 3% of the overall Colorado sports betting catalog of over 4,500 bets, with the regulator's spokesperson also stating that it's is open and willing to work with sportsbooks in Colorado to find a middle ground:
“While these wagers were removed, discussions continue with stakeholders to reassess any wagers and work to ensure that the gaming in Colorado remains safe.”
We will continue to monitor this story to see if there is further explanation provided from either side.
