Getting Help for Gambling Addiction in Colorado

Problem gambling affects hundreds of thousands of Coloradans — and the number has grown alongside the state’s rapid expansion of legal sports betting and online gambling platforms. If you’re questioning your own gambling habits, or watching someone you love struggle, you don’t have to figure this out alone. Real help exists, and it’s available right now, any hour of the day.

This page walks through the resources available specifically for Colorado residents — from crisis support and treatment referrals to family counseling and self-exclusion tools. Whether your situation feels urgent or you’re just starting to ask questions, the information here is a starting point toward something better.

How Widespread Is Problem Gambling in Colorado?

Colorado legalized sports betting in May 2020, and the market grew faster than almost anyone anticipated. By 2023, the state had processed billions in sports wagers, with mobile betting apps making gambling accessible from any smartphone at any moment. That convenience is part of what makes problem gambling so difficult to recognize early — there’s no trip to a casino, no obvious behavioral marker, just a phone and an app.

Research published through the National Institutes of Health consistently shows that gambling disorder affects between 1% and 3% of the general adult population, with rates climbing among younger adults who came of age with mobile betting normalized. In a state with roughly 4.4 million adults, that translates to tens of thousands of people experiencing serious gambling-related harm at any given time.

Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration recognizes gambling disorder as a significant public health concern and has worked to integrate gambling-specific treatment into the broader behavioral health system. That means more trained providers, more treatment slots, and more pathways to recovery than existed even five years ago.

Signs That Gambling Has Become a Problem

Gambling disorder doesn’t look the same in every person. For some, it shows up as chasing losses — placing larger and larger bets to recover money already gone. For others, it’s secrecy: hiding bank statements, lying about time spent gambling, or creating a separate account a partner doesn’t know about.

A few of the most common warning signs include:

• Needing to bet more money to feel the same excitement
• Repeated failed attempts to cut back or stop
• Gambling to escape stress, anxiety, or depression
• Borrowing money, selling possessions, or missing bills because of gambling losses

Family members often notice changes before the person gambling does. Irritability when not gambling, unexplained absences, sudden financial stress, and withdrawal from relationships are all signals worth paying attention to. The presence of one or two of these signs doesn’t automatically mean someone has a gambling disorder, but they’re worth a conversation — ideally with a trained counselor who understands this specific issue.

Gambling disorder frequently co-occurs with depression, anxiety, and substance use. Studies on co-occurring disorders show that people with gambling problems are significantly more likely to experience mental health challenges, which is why effective treatment addresses both simultaneously rather than treating them as separate problems.

Colorado-Specific Treatment Options

Colorado has built out a meaningful network of gambling-specific treatment resources, much of it funded through tax revenue generated by legal gambling itself. The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration administers the Problem Gambling Fund, which supports free or reduced-cost treatment for residents who qualify.

Outpatient Counseling

Most people with gambling disorder don’t need inpatient care. Outpatient counseling — typically one to two sessions per week with a licensed therapist trained in gambling-specific treatment — is the most common and effective starting point. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the strongest evidence base for gambling disorder, helping people identify thought patterns that drive compulsive gambling and develop practical strategies to interrupt them.

Colorado has licensed providers in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Pueblo, and many smaller communities. Telehealth options have also expanded significantly, making it possible to access gambling-specific counseling from rural areas of the state where in-person providers may not be nearby.

Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)

For people whose gambling has caused more significant disruption — job loss, relationship breakdown, serious financial harm — an intensive outpatient program may be more appropriate. IOPs typically involve three to five sessions per week and combine individual therapy, group support, and psychoeducation about addiction and recovery. They provide more structure than standard outpatient care while still allowing people to live at home and maintain work or family responsibilities.

Inpatient and Residential Treatment

A smaller number of people benefit from residential treatment, where they live at a facility for a defined period — usually 30 to 90 days — while receiving intensive support. This level of care is most appropriate when gambling disorder is severe, when there are significant co-occurring mental health or substance use issues, or when the home environment makes early recovery very difficult. The SAMHSA Treatment Locator can help identify residential programs that accept Colorado residents and work with various insurance plans.

Peer Support and Recovery Groups

Peer support doesn’t replace professional treatment, but for many people it becomes the most sustaining part of long-term recovery. Connecting with others who have lived through similar experiences — the financial wreckage, the secrecy, the failed attempts to stop — reduces the isolation that often keeps people stuck. Colorado has peer support groups meeting in person across the Front Range and virtually, making them accessible statewide.

Support for Families and Loved Ones

Gambling addiction rarely harms only the person gambling. Spouses, parents, children, and close friends absorb enormous amounts of stress, financial damage, and emotional pain. Many family members spend years trying to manage or control the situation — covering debts, making excuses, searching for the right words — before realizing that recovery is a process the person with the addiction has to choose for themselves.

That doesn’t mean families are powerless. Family counseling can help loved ones set boundaries, communicate more effectively, and take care of their own mental health through a genuinely difficult situation. Many treatment providers in Colorado offer family sessions alongside individual treatment, and some specialize in working with families even when the person gambling isn’t yet ready to seek help.

Children in households affected by problem gambling are a particularly vulnerable group. Research shows they face elevated risks for anxiety, depression, and later gambling problems of their own. Addressing the family system — not just the individual — is one of the most protective things that can happen for kids in these situations.

If you’re a family member trying to understand what’s happening or figure out how to help, speaking with someone who specializes in gambling addiction is a good first step. You can reach the 24/7 Gambling Addiction Hotline any time — calls are confidential, and you don’t have to be the person gambling to reach out.

Colorado’s Self-Exclusion Program

Colorado operates a voluntary self-exclusion program that allows residents to ban themselves from licensed casinos and, in some cases, online gambling platforms. Enrolling in the program means your name and photo are added to a list that participating venues are required to check. If you’re found gambling at an enrolled venue after self-excluding, any winnings can be confiscated.

Self-exclusion isn’t a treatment in itself, but it can be a meaningful tool — especially in the early stages of recovery when reducing access to gambling matters. It works best alongside counseling and other support, not as a standalone solution. Colorado’s Division of Gaming administers the program, and enrollment can be done in person or, for some programs, online.

For people who gamble primarily on apps and online platforms, self-exclusion is more complicated. Most platforms have their own responsible gambling tools — deposit limits, time limits, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion options — but they operate independently. If online gambling is part of the picture, our platform-specific gambling help resources walk through the tools available on major betting apps and sites used by Colorado residents.

Financial Recovery After Problem Gambling

Gambling-related financial harm is often severe. Credit card debt, drained retirement accounts, unpaid rent, and borrowed money from family members are common. The financial damage can feel so overwhelming that it becomes a reason not to seek help — as if the situation is too far gone to be worth trying.

It isn’t. Financial recovery takes time, but it’s possible, and it starts with stopping the losses. Many gambling addiction treatment programs include financial counseling or can refer clients to nonprofit credit counseling services. Addressing debt and financial stress is a genuine part of recovery, not a separate problem to handle later.

For immediate financial crisis — eviction, inability to buy food, utility shutoffs — Colorado has a network of emergency assistance programs through county human services departments. A counselor or case manager connected to gambling treatment can often help navigate these resources while treatment is underway.

Mental Health and Gambling: The Connection Matters

Many people who develop gambling problems aren’t gambling purely for entertainment. Gambling becomes a way to manage something else — anxiety, depression, loneliness, trauma, or the numbness that comes from chronic stress. The temporary relief gambling provides is real, which is part of why it’s so hard to stop even when the consequences are obvious.

Mental health data from the CDC shows that behavioral health conditions are among the most prevalent health challenges in the United States, affecting tens of millions of adults. Gambling disorder sits within this broader landscape of behavioral health, and treating it effectively often means addressing the underlying emotional pain driving the behavior.

This is not about blame. People don’t choose to develop gambling disorder any more than they choose to develop depression. Understanding the connection between mental health and gambling can actually make it easier to seek help — because it reframes the problem from a moral failure to a health issue that responds to treatment.

How Confidentiality Works

One of the most common reasons people delay getting help is fear — fear that someone will find out, fear of judgment, fear of consequences at work or in a relationship. Confidentiality is a legitimate concern, and it’s worth being clear about how it works.

Professional treatment for gambling disorder is protected by the same confidentiality laws that apply to all healthcare. Your provider cannot share information about your treatment without your consent, with narrow exceptions for situations involving imminent safety risk. Calling a crisis or support line is also confidential — no information is shared with employers, family members, or anyone else.

The 24/7 Gambling Addiction Hotline is completely confidential. You can call to ask questions, talk through what you’re experiencing, or get connected to Colorado-specific resources — without giving your name if you prefer. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to take a first step, whatever that step looks like for you.

Finding the Right Resources for Your Situation

Not every resource fits every person. Someone in acute crisis needs something different from someone who’s been in recovery for six months and is looking for ongoing support. A family member trying to understand what’s happening needs different information than someone ready to enter treatment tomorrow.

Colorado’s gambling addiction resources span the full range:

• Crisis support: Available 24/7 by phone for anyone in immediate distress related to gambling
• Outpatient counseling: Offered across the state, including telehealth for rural residents
• Intensive programs: For situations requiring more structured support
• Family services: Counseling and support for loved ones at any stage

The best starting point for most people is a conversation with someone who knows the Colorado system — which providers have availability, which programs are covered by Medicaid or sliding-scale fees, and which approach might fit your specific situation. That’s exactly what the hotline is designed to provide.

If you’re not sure where to start, our educational resources and recovery tools offer clear, practical information about gambling disorder, treatment options, and what recovery actually looks like — without jargon or judgment.

Taking the First Step Toward Recovery

Recovery from gambling addiction is real. People who have lost everything — savings, marriages, careers — have rebuilt their lives. It takes time, support, and usually professional help. But it happens, more often than most people in the middle of the problem believe it can.

You don’t have to have everything figured out to make a call. You don’t have to be certain you have a problem. You don’t have to be at rock bottom. Reaching out early — when the damage is still limited, when relationships are still intact, when the financial hole is still manageable — makes everything that follows easier.

Colorado has real resources, real providers, and real pathways to recovery. Confidential, judgment-free support is available right now. If you’re ready to talk to someone who understands what you’re going through, reach out to the 24/7 Gambling Addiction Hotline and take that first step today. You are not alone in this, and help is closer than it might feel right now.