Dan Hartman, the director of Colorado’s Division of Gaming, told Wednesday that he will retire on May 1, three years to the day after operators went live in Colorado with odds on ping-pong, darts, and UFC during the height of pandemic lockdowns.
Who will replace Hartman is an open question, though he is likely to have a say in who takes his chair. In a unique move, the state has not only posted the position (open to applicants until Feb. 28), but will conduct a national search rather than limit itself to candidates already in Colorado. The new director will oversee limited gaming, sports betting, fantasy sports contests, compliance, licensure, and budgeting, as well as maintaining and developing new regulations.
In addition to sports wagering, Colorado offers limited gaming at retail casinos in three former mining towns and has live horse racing and off-track betting parlors.
In Colorado, retail and digital wagering are permitted, and more than 20 digital platforms are live in the state. Colorado has been the testing ground for several boutique sportsbooks, including SuperBook Sports and Circa Sports, both of which chose the state for their first locations outside of Nevada. Every major operator has a presence in the state, including BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel, all of which went live on May 1, 2020, along with smaller operator BetRivers.