Colorado Gambling Laws
How to get free sweeps at Global Poker
One of the requirements for a site like Global Poker to remain classified as a sweepstakes site is that it must be possible to play for its prizes without paying anything yourself. While there are several ways that you can get free Sweeps Coins on Global (Gold Coin purchase, social media contests, registration), we wanted to explore the most direct method: mailing a request to Global Poker company headquarters.
This method for acquiring Sweeps Coins comes with exceptionally specific instructions. Global Poker’s Sweeps rules lay out exactly what you need to do. Let us be clear: You must follow these instructions to the letter. If you don’t, your request is voided and you won’t receive any free Sweeps.
Colorado gambling laws are covered by Section 18 of the Colorado Code, although there is no mention of online casino games and poker in Colorado statues, which means that there’s nothing to stop players from gambling on US-facing offshore gambling sites. Can I gamble online in Colorado? Gambling is defined in Colorado law as “risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control. Laws and Regulations - Gaming Laws and Regulations - Gaming The Secretary of State's office publishes the Code of Colorado Regulations, the official record of all administrative rules adopted by State agencies. Colorado Limited Gaming Act with Constitutional Amendment - updated 5/6/20. Changes to Colorado Gaming and Sports Betting Rules may be proposed by the public, the gaming or sports betting industry, the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (Commission), or from within the Division of Gaming (Division). Proposed Rule changes are forwarded to a Division subject matter expert to analyze and to draft the proposed.
To start, use this link to join Global Poker and create a new account.
All requests must be handwritten. If you use a computer to produce your request, it will not work, so you’ll need a pen (or two).
Secondly, you have to have stationery that conforms to specific dimensions. Your request card needs to be 4” x 6”, blank, unlined and unfolded. Global recommends a postcard, but you can either buy the proper cards at an office supply store like Office Depot (what we did), or you can cut paper into the proper size.
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You will also need to have No. 10 envelopes on hand to contain your request. You can put only one request in each envelope, so don’t try to pack them into one mailing. Finally, you will need some stamps. Neither Global nor any other sweepstakes site will pay for postage.
Once you have everything together, you’re ready to start the request. As you can see, the elements that Global wants on each card are quite explicit.
On the same side of each card, you will write your full name, your email address and every word of the following statement:
“I wish to receive Sweeps Coins to participate in the sweepstakes promotions offered by Global Poker. By submitting this request, I hereby declare that I have read, understood and agree to be bound by Global Poker’s Terms and Conditions and Sweeps Rules.”
Here’s how we wrote our request. The name and email have been blacked out for privacy reasons.
Please make sure that you only write on one side of the card. If you mark the opposite side, start again.
Once you’ve written your card, you should turn your attention to the envelope. It, too, must be handwritten with both Global Poker’s address and your return address.
Don’t use return labels, even though they would save money. Also, make sure to write the phrase “Sweepstakes Credits” somewhere on the envelope — we wrote it as if it was the person to whom we were sending the request.
Put the request in the envelope, and do not fold it as you do so. The instructions clearly mention that the request must be unfolded. After that, put the stamp on the request, and drop it in a mailbox.
Each successful request will yield 5 free Sweeps Coins into your account. If you want to redeem cash prizes from your account, you will need to verify it, so that’s not a bad thing to do while you’re waiting for the requests to arrive at VGW’s mailing address.
Global Poker player rewards
Global Poker doesn’t offer a VIP rewards program, which is a major shortcoming even by social gaming standards. On the bright side, the site features leaderboards and challenges that award its most active players with free Sweeps Coins. Furthermore, since the guarantees are relatively high, tournaments hosted on Global Poker can be considered a type of promotion.
Colorado is another state that starts its section on gambling laws off with a legislative declaration to set forth how the following laws pertaining to gambling are to be interpreted by the courts. It reads as follows:
“(1) It is declared to be the policy of the general assembly, recognizing the close relationship between professional gambling and other organized crime, to restrain all persons from seeking profit from gambling activities in this state; to restrain all persons from patronizing such activities when conducted for the profit of any person; to safeguard the public against the evils induced by common gamblers and common gambling houses; and at the same time to preserve the freedom of the press and to avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.
(2) All the provisions of this article shall be liberally construed to achieve these ends and administered and enforced with a view to carrying out the declaration of policy stated in subsection (1) of this section.” (1)
So in addition to seeking a broad interpretation of the laws here, the goal is expressed as focusing on those profiting from gambling and not the act of gambling itself. It is worth mentioning at this point that Colorado law has a unique definition of “professional gambling,” which means the following:
“(a) Aiding or inducing another to engage in gambling, with the intent to derive a profit therefrom; or
(b) Participating in gambling and having, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser chance of losing or a greater chance of winning than one or more of the other participants.” (2)
So this does not mean deriving one’s income from gambling, it means either running a gambling operation and profiting from that or cheating at gambling.
The most significant part of this directive in reference to poker playing is their seeking to “avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.”
This in itself lends itself strongly to not prohibiting gambling which falls in this category, which notably would at least seem to include both social gambling in private games and internet gambling as well, as this could easily be seen as a social pastime in the manner described.
The Actual Gambling Law Itself In Colorado
So let’s look at the actual law in Colorado as far as gambling offenses are concerned. As we look at this, we need to bear in mind the directive of not looking to interfere with social gambling.
Before we can look at the law against gambling we need to look at how gambling is defined in this state:
“”Gambling” means risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control…” (3)
This is a pretty standard definition and is set up so that betting on poker is clearly included, since poker hands are contingent at least in part upon chance.
So here’s how the law against gambling in Colorado reads:
“(1) A person who engages in gambling commits a class 1 petty offense.
(2) A person who engages in professional gambling commits a class 1 misdemeanor. If he is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 5 felony.” (4)
Once again, keep in mind that “professional gambling” means deriving profit apart from the honest play of a player who gains through the means of luck and skill, so that would fall under (1) and would be classified as the offense of gambling and not professional gambling.
A petty offense in Colorado is the least serious of offenses, although it is still a criminal offense.
Playing Poker In Colorado
There does seem to be some conflict here when we look at the actual law and compare it with the legislative directive we begun this discussion looking at. This directive comprises a significant and binding part of the state’s overall gambling law though and is not just there for judges to refer to when the law is unclear.
So looking at the law itself and how it reads then this would seem to make all gambling in Colorado illegal. We do know that there is legal gambling in Colorado though so this section is certainly not the last word, and is subject to modification by other provisions in the law, such as the legislative directive.
So we really need to look at both of these together to determine what forms of gambling are prohibited, and we know that the directive prescribes that we not limit social gambling, so that would presumably not be included, and social gambling may be seen as not just home games but the playing of online poker as well.
You never know how courts will actually interpret laws in practice though, as there was a case in Colorado where persons were charged with running a poker tournament, and the judge found them not guilty because poker was found to be a game of skill and therefore not gambling. (5) It is very difficult to imagine how the judge came to this conclusion as this would require there to not be any element of chance at all in it, but at least it was a friendly one to poker players.
Colorado also has provisions to regulate live poker rooms and there are a total of 10 live poker rooms in the state, in the areas of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, Central City, and Ignacio. Many of these poker rooms are within easy driving distance from major population centers such as Denver and Colorado Springs and feature a wide variety of stakes to suit the needs of a wide variety of players. (6)
Whether or not online poker is ever found to be illegal or not, and there has not ever been anyone charged with this, players from Colorado continue to play it, and there is at least some leaning toward regulating it down the road.
In the mean time if you are up for some online poker and are from Colorado, the one site I have no problem recommending to you is Ignition Poker and Casino, one of the newest and surprisingly – one of the most trusted sites out there today. It absorbed the former Bovada Poker software and features the same promos and even bigger bonuses for new players. Check the review out here!
References:
(1) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-101, Legislative Declaration – Construction
(2) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-102 Definitions
(3) ibid.
Legal Online Gambling Colorado
(4) Colorado Revised Statutes, 10-10-103, Gambling
(5) Poker Deemed Not Gambling In Colorado Criminal Case
(6) All Live And Online Poker Rooms In Colorado
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State Of Colorado Gambling Laws
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