Colorado marks 20 years of gaming

By Nancy Crimmins

Where were you 20 years ago? Two decades can seem like an eternity – or like yesterday – depending on a great number of variables.

Twenty years ago, on Oct. 1, 1991, I joined masses of people to head “up the hill” (a phrase that gamblers would learn over the next two decades to mean Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek). Seems like a lifetime ago – particularly since so much has changed.

I spent my entire writing/editing career with The Denver Post, and I was lucky enough to cover the gaming scene, along with other responsibilities. And even luckier? None of my co-workers reveled in the beat, so I got to cover everything. I went, of course, to Black Hawk and Central City way too many times to count. I went to Deadwood and Cripple Creek a few times each. I went to Vegas for my own, personal “research” more than a few times.

But 20 years ago I knew (ital) nothing (end ital) about gambling. I was what we now affectionately call a “newbie.”

When I drove up to Central City on that beautiful fall day in 1991, I parked in a pay lot. Yep. The only parking for casinos was in pay lots – unless you happened to live in the town, or wanted to walk a mile or so from some obscure area. Parking rates ranged $5-$10, with a few smart alecks charging $15. And the parking spots became a premium as the days – and weeks – went on. Parking in that big lot above Central City was fairly abundant, but involved waiting for a shuttle or a fairly grueling hike, particularly on the way back.

Nobody pays for parking anymore.

There were a LOT of casinos in 1991 – with more to come in the ensuing months. Central City was hot. Black Hawk had some casinos – but nothing like Central City. Lines formed out the doors of some of the casinos. People hovered over players, waiting to get on a machine. People skunk-eyed anyone who had the nerve to try and play two machines at one time.

I didn’t do a lot of gambling in the first few months. I was more interested in the people, the noise, the excitement of it all. Everyone was having so much fun – and it was absolutely contagious.

You know what? It still is. At least for me, the fun and excitement is still there.

I eventually learned to play a pretty good game of blackjack. I learned to love video poker – my husband would say, perhaps a bit too much. I tried and tried to like the poker rooms, but I’ll leave those to the talented men and women who take that business so seriously. They kinda scare me, to tell you the truth. But those games were all available at the $5 limits Colorado enforced for much of the past two decades.

Lodging, parking
Things began really changing in 1995 when Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Hotel & Casino, (now Fortune Valley, at least for the moment), opened in Central City. Suddenly there were hotel rooms for tired gamblers and out-of-staters, taking the first step toward destination-style gaming.

Casinos were beginning to add parking lots, and Harvey’s led the way with a covered parking garage and friendly greeters who handed out t-shirts and six-packs of soda just for parking there. Other casinos began offering free parking, usually based on the idea that the visitors were patronizing their establishments exclusively. Red Dolly offered $1.99 prime rib and a close-knit atmosphere that encouraged “regulars” to visit often.

Then came 1998 and the opening of what seemed like a giant of a casino, the Isle of Capri. The Isle offered twice as many rooms as Harvey’s and astounded Colorado residents with its tropical theme, vivid colors and Vegas-style approach. It was a significant step toward bright-lights gaming and contrasted sharply with the smaller, mountain-themed casinos in Black Hawk.

With both Harvey’s and the Isle competing with other mid-size casinos for business, player’s clubs, drawings, giveaways, free rooms and other perks all became new and exciting incentives for gamers.

Blackjack tables and poker rooms were being added or enlarged to lure more serious gamers. Video poker and slot machines – traditionally the noisy, flashy center of the casinos – grew ever-more sophisticated. In the ‘90s, players cashed out coins and dollar tokens by the bucket-full. Players would buy rolls and rolls of coins to feed the machines, and sometimes had to wait at a machine for 30 minutes to be paid out for jackpots. Even if the cash-out was modest, if the machine was out of coins, there had to be a hand-payout by casino personnel.

Now, coin-operated machines are quaint, and found in a few of the smaller casinos. In their place, it’s cash-in, ticket-out; no muss, no fuss. No hauling around buckets of coins, no dirty hands to wash constantly.

New road
On Nov. 19, 2004, the ribbon was cut to officially open the Central City Parkway, the winding, four-lane route directly from I-70 to its namesake town. Among much celebration and back-slapping, race-car driver Buddy Lazier zipped up the roadway to the cheers of Central City residents and business people.

Although problems popped up along the way, the parkway offered another route to the gaming towns – a particular advantage when there were problems with Highway 6 through Clear Creek Canyon, or congestion along the narrow, two-lane Highway 119.

But the parkway wasn’t the salvation for many of the casinos in Central City that opened and closed over the years. Many of the smaller casinos in Central City and Black Hawk struggled to keep up with the bigger establishments, and we bid adieu to so many places. The Teller House opened, closed, re-opened and closed again, along with its sister casino, Scarlett’s. Black Hawk’s Lilly Belle’s closed over a decade ago, and still sits empty. Richman Casino closed years ago and fittingly serves only as office space for the giant casino across the street.

Slumpin’
Colorado’s smoking ban was expanded to include Colorado casinos and was officially enacted on Jan. 1, 2008. Non-smokers celebrated, smokers were upset and casinos quickly made adjustments by adding smoking areas and increased patio and deck space. The double-whammy in 2008 involved an economic slump that hit everyone hard. Suddenly, people were adjusting their budgets. The upside, however, meant Colorado gamblers stopped going to Las Vegas and Atlantic City as much and focused more on the in-state casinos.

Big time (for art, can use very first cover of Deal, or roulette, craps art)
The resilient casinos countered the bad news of 2008 by successfully introducing legislation approved by a statewide ballot. On July 2, 2009, at 12:01 a.m., casinos threw themselves and their patrons giant parties, introducing new $100 gaming limits, 24-hour gaming and new games: roulette and craps. Gamblers were thrilled and there was a whole new excitement in the gaming towns. Along with the changes came another bonus: a surge of younger, hip crowd started finding their way to the gaming tables, particularly on the weekends. Suddenly, poker rooms started expanding for these savvy students of televised poker. Craps tables became exciting centers in the casinos with all of the noisy cheering associated with those rolls of the dice. Heady times, indeed, and the excitement continues to this day.

A ‘star’ is born
And then there’s Ameristar. What was once Mountain High Casino by Hyatt was bought by the Ameristar Corporation, which decided to up the ante on casino hotels in Colorado. On July 8, 2010, Ameristar unveiled its astounding 33-story, 536-room hotel in Black Hawk. Full-service spa! Rooftop pool! Hot tubs! Hotel rooms and suites fit for the queens and kings of gaming!

Ameristar has become a cornerstone of Colorado gaming and its reception has been interesting, to say the least. I was in their posh, upscale Star Club on a Saturday night and was amused to see bedecked and bedazzled couples sitting across the room from a rather paunchy fellow in flannel shirt and overalls. Ah, Colorado. There seems to be room for everyone in Colorado’s gaming towns.

So it’s on to the next 20 years and the changes they will bring. Save me a seat at the blackjack tables – I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

- Nancy Crimmins retired from The Denver Post and continues to gamble and write – in that order.

WHERE DOES IT GO?

Colorado casinos have paid over $1.45 billion in taxes since 1992 (as of fiscal year 2010). After operating expenses for the Colorado Division of Gaming are deducted from casino tax revenue, the remaining money is distributed according to the following Constitutional formula:

- 28% to the State Historical Society
- 12% to Gilpin and Teller counties
- 10% to Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek
- 50% to the State General Fund
Any additional tax revenues generated by the implementation of Amendment 50 are distributed according to the following Consitutional formula:
- 78% to the Colorado community, junior and district colleges
- 12% to Gilpin and Teller counties
- 10% to Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek

Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Gaming

COLORADO GAMING:
By the numbers

42
Number of casinos in Colorado, including two tribal casinos

9,000
Number of Coloradans employed by the gaming industry

36
Number of blackjack tables in Cripple Creek

$378 million
Amount in casino taxes distributed to the Colorado Historical Society since 1992.

2,338
Number of slot machines in Central City

$5.37 million
Amount paid to Colorado Community Colleges in 2010 under Amend. 50

82
Number of poker tables in Black Hawk