Colorado laws around sports betting, social media search warrants take effect

Dozens of new laws passed during the Colorado legislative session this year go into effect Wednesday. They range from proper produce labeling to artificial intelligence in health care settings. These are bills that passed without a “safety clause,” so they become law 90 days after the legislative session ends, after a constitutionally-required period of time referendum petitions can be filed against bills.

Sports betting limits

Starting Wednesday, people who gamble in Colorado will no longer be able to use credit cards to make deposits on sports betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings. They will also be limited to six deposits per day. The law also prohibits sports betting companies from advertising to people in Colorado under 21 years old.

Senate Bill 26-131 was a bipartisan effort to put in place some protections around the growing sports betting industry and its addictive products. Last year, gamblers in the state bet $6.4 billion on sports, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Division of Gaming.

“Since Colorado’s legalization of online sports betting in 2019, technology has rapidly transformed the industry, catching more and more people in the cycle of devastating gambling addiction,” bill sponsor Sen. Matt Ball, a Denver Democrat, said in a statement. “As online sports betting continues its rise in popularity, we must ensure there are reasonable protections in place to help prevent addiction, protect underage Coloradans, and uphold the integrity of the game and its athletes.”

The new law also requires companies to report annual transactional data starting in February 2028.

Missing college students

Police officers renewing their state certification will now need to complete missing person alerts training, including education about Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts, Blue Alerts, and the State Emergency Alert System. Those are all different public emergency notifications for missing vulnerable people, such as children and older adults with cognitive disabilities.

Senate Bill 26-120, which was a bipartisan effort in the Legislature, also requires that when a student goes missing on a college campus, the school needs to either conduct their own wellness check or immediately contact law enforcement. If the student remains missing after six hours, the school needs to alert the police.

The law was partially inspired by the disappearance and death of the University of Colorado Boulder freshman Megan Trussell last year.

“I brought forward this bill in partnership with the brave families who have lived through the unthinkable — their child going missing, on or off a Colorado college campus,” bill sponsor Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat, said in a statement. “This new, bipartisan law ensures that our peace officers are trained to properly use the full range of missing persons alert systems. It also creates a clear, consistent process for colleges and universities to respond quickly, protect students, and ensure families get the answers they need.”

AI in therapy settings

Artificial intelligence in mental health care settings will be limited under House Bill 26-1195 to only administrative tasks. Providers will need to disclose the use of AI for tasks like transcribing sessions.

Therapists and other professionals will be banned from using AI to provide therapy, and all treatment must be provided by a licensed human.

The Democrat-backed law also prohibits companies such as OpenAI and Character.AI from advertising AI chatbots as the equivalent of a therapist or counselor, as more and more people turn to AI chatbots for that type of support. An October 2025 report from OpenAI showed that over 1 million people per week share suicidal thoughts with ChatGPT. It also comes as AI companies face wrongful death lawsuits after their chatbots allegedly contributed to a person’s suicide and discouraged them from seeking professional support.

Colorado-grown produce

Palisade peaches earned new protections with House Bill 26-1031, a bipartisan bill that cracks down on false produce labels. The new law prohibits sellers from labeling a product as grown in Colorado unless it actually is.

“This new law ensures that vendors who falsely label their produce as Colorado-grown can be held accountable for deceiving consumers and harming Colorado producers,” bill sponsor Rep. Matthew Martinez, a Monte Vista Democrat, said in a statement. “Pueblo green chile and San Luis Valley potatoes are iconic Colorado agricultural products, and no one should be able to slap a ‘Colorado-grown’ label on out-of-state goods. Our law protects local farmers and gives consumers peace of mind.”

Violations of the law fall under the state’s deceptive trade practice statute, which can result in hefty civil penalties.

Social media search warrants 

Large social media companies will now need to respond within 72 hours to search warrants from law enforcement. Bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 26-11, applies to companies that have at least 1 million monthly users who can create profiles and share content.

“This bill ensures that when tragedy strikes, families and law enforcement are not left waiting indefinitely for answers held by covered platforms,” House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, a Colorado Springs Republican, said in a statement when the bill was signed into law.

Those social media companies will also need a staffed hotline that law enforcement can reach. Lawmakers said the bill is important to follow up on reports of fentanyl sales, gun trafficking and sexual exploitation on social media platforms.

School traffic safety

House Bill 26-1318 sets roadway signage requirements around schools and defines school zones as streets within 1,000 feet of school boundaries. Signs in that area will need to indicate that driving penalties are doubled.

If a local government wants to reduce the size of a school zone, it will need to hold a public hearing about it. Those governments can also use technology such as an automated vehicle identification system to find traffic violations in a school zone.

The law was inspired by Liam Stewart, a Littleton middle schooler who was hit by a car while biking to school in 2023.

“Too many parents have suffered the tragic loss or injury of their child because of speeding and distracted drivers, and our law seeks to make roads around Colorado schools safer for all,” bill sponsor Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, said in a statement.