June was a good month for the Colorado sports betting market, which wrapped up its 2025-26 fiscal year with figures that show the usual summer slowdown, even as the state's full-year totals set a new mark. The Colorado Division of Gaming released the June 2026Sports Betting Proceeds Report this month, giving bettors and operators a clear picture of where the market stands heading into football season.
June Revenue Reflects the Summer Lull
Colorado sportsbooks generated $25.9 million in net sports betting proceeds during June 2026, with the state collecting just under $2.6 million in taxes from that revenue. Those numbers are notably lower than what the state saw earlier in the spring, when May alone brought in $44.7 million in revenue.
The dip is not a red flag. It is a familiar pattern for Colorado, where June sits in the middle of a stretch with no NFL, no NBA, and no NHL action. Baseball becomes the dominant betting option during these months, but it typically cannot generate the same volume as football does in the fall. Nearly all of June's revenue, more than $25.7 million, came from mobile and online wagering, underscoring just how small a role retail sportsbooks play in the state's market today.
Full Fiscal Year Sets a New High Mark
While the monthly numbers cooled off, the bigger story is what happened across the entire fiscal year. From July 2025 through June 2026, Colorado sportsbooks generated $474.3 million in net proceeds, and the state collected $47.2 million in taxes, both of which represent the state's strongest fiscal year performance to date.
That growth in tax collection did not happen by accident. Colorado has been phasing out a deduction that let operators write off free bets and promotional wagers against their taxable revenue. That deduction shrank steadily over the past two years and disappeared completely on July 1, 2026. Even in months when total handle dipped slightly, the state's effective tax rate climbed because a larger share of revenue became taxable. That policy shift, more than any single month's betting activity, is why Colorado's tax haul kept climbing even as some monthly totals softened.
What Comes Next for Colorado Bettors
The June report lands at an important moment for the state's sports betting industry. People who use Colorado sports betting apps will have some decisions to make. Senate Bill 131, the consumer protection law Governor Jared Polis signed earlier this summer, takes effect on August 12. Once it does, Colorado sportsbooks will no longer be able to accept credit card deposits, bettors will be capped at six deposits per day, and operators will be barred from sending push notifications or text messages soliciting bets.
Combined with the free-bet deduction phase-out, the state's sports betting market is entering fall under a very different set of rules than it operated under a year ago. Football season typically drives Colorado's biggest handle numbers of the year, and this year's July report, covering the first month of the new fiscal year, will be the first real test of how these changes affect betting activity once football fans start placing wagers again.
For now, the June figures serve as a quiet close to a record-setting year, one that also set the stage for a very different one ahead.
