Colorado Gaming

Colorado Casinos and Gaming

First let me paraphrase this by saying this will start book report style and then get back to my normal witty charm and very casual writing style. I'm not the book report type...

Legalized gaming began in Colorado on October 1, 1991, as a result of a voter approved amendment to the State Constitution. This amendment allowed gaming in three mining towns, whose economy had been paralyzed after their mines began to close. The towns are Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. Both Black Hawk and Central City are 30 minutes west of Denver, and Cripple Creek is 30 minutes southwest of Colorado Springs.

In the beginning there were just eleven casinos between the three towns. Now there are more than 40 casinos, with new projects in development. As the smaller casinos close down, they are being replaced with national chains and mega-resort style casinos.

Colorado gaming is "Limited Gaming", which according to the Colorado Department of Revenue - Division of Gaming, is defined as, "Maximum single bet of $5 on slot machines, and live Blackjack or Poker."

Gaming options include Vegas style slots, Blackjack, miscellaneous table games, and card rooms for Texas Hold 'Em. Keno is only offered at the state's 2 tribal casinos. Both casinos are in Southern Colorado - The Ute Mountain Casino near Towaoc, and the Sky Ute Casino and Lodge near Ignacio.

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Ok now that that's done... I hate book reports, but how do you present all that information without doing it book report style?

So what does all that mean to people like me, the penny player?

First off, we have three legal gambling towns with 40+ casinos in Colorado. This is awesome. In Oregon and California, I have only been able to casino-hop by driving 30 or 45 minutes away. Only in Nevada have I had the pleasure of walking between casinos when it seems my luck has ran out. Colorado is just amazing. All three towns are easy to walk around in, though some areas are a little harsh because of the altitude (sorry mom, I'll explain it to the rest of you someday). Luckily there are shuttles and local area buses that will take you from one end of town to the other, stopping at or near most casino entrances.

I normally start at the top of the hill, hit most the casinos on the way down, and then take the bus back up to the top. It works out very nice since the shuttle runs quite often. The bus is called the "Black Hawk/Central City Tramway", and schedules are available by going to www.nextbus.com. Navigate to Colorado to see maps and pickup times. I've used this website on my cell phone, and there are also signs at most stops indicating how long until the next shuttle arrives.

According to the Colorado Gaming Report, as of April 2006, the number of penny slots has increased by over one thousand machines in Black Hawk alone. Great news for penny players.

Colorado also has the $5 limit. Not a problem for me since I have a hard enough time playing machines with 30 lines, plus a 10 credit buy-in for super pay. That's 40¢ for a total bet. I think I will be ok.

This does, however, affect the Blackjack or card player. Most of the tables that I have seen only offer a $5 minimum bet, which in turn is also the max bet. There is no way to raise or lower your bet depending on game play. I have found that this almost forces the issue of splitting or doubling down. That is the only way to increase your bet, since the law deems that as a second, separate bet. I've noticed myself splitting 7's against a 6-up just to try and rake in a little extra. I don't play tables much, but a friend was in town who wanted to play.

Keno is not available in Black Hawk and Central City, which is a bummer. Keno, to me, is a way to keep gambling while having dinner or a snack in the food court.

Last, but not least, are the things that we don't have. Roulette, Craps, Money Wheel, or Off-Track betting are not available in the gambling towns. There are some private locations throughout Colorado that have live and off-track betting. Oregon has recently added most of these within the last few years. Because of this, I can see Roulette, Craps, and Money Wheel coming to Colorado someday.

As far as development goes, wow. The latest to join in the game is the national chain, Ameristar Casinos. It opened in mid 2005 as a takeover from Mountain High Casino. It has vastly transformed since it's opening in 2005, and it is about to make even more changes.

Expected by Spring of 2008, the Ameristar Black Hawk will open a 500+ room hotel. This property is rumored to have a full spa, and when completed will be the tallest structure between Denver and Salt Lake City. I can't wait for the spa to open, and I will make an appointment for the first available. This will be for my wife, of course. What a great way to get her to go up there! "Honey I got you an appointment for a massage." Hee hee, she will hit me for that one...

Also, early last year marked the opening of Colorado Central Station's new hotel. I had the pleasure of spending my birthday there, and it was great. I had a king/non-smoking room, and it was wonderful. There was plenty of room to move around, a very large TV, a nice seating area, safe in the closet, and a very large bathroom with nice size shower and tub. I definitely recommend this one.

Well that's it for now. Hope this blog helps anyone who was looking for information on Colorado gaming. Check back for reviews of the casinos and trip reports in the future and sign my guest book if you get a chance.

J