Penny Slots
“Lights, camera, action!” in Central City
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Central City visitors had to wonder if they were in the Gilpin County gaming town or Hollywood recently when it was lights, camera, action on the streets of the historic mining town. Reportedly heads snapped during sightings of the camera crew. Could George Clooney be far behind?
Reserve Casino Hotel’s goal? Be the best
Thursday, January 19, 2012
What we thought was going to become a rock-n-roll-themed casino and hotel in Central City took a slight swerve when it officially became Reserve Casino Hotel in the former Fortune Valley space on Jan. 3.
Long construction process pays off for Central City
Thursday, January 05, 2012
The streets of former mining town Central City has finally emerged from the cone zones that were set up for the past six months while Main Street underwent much-needed beauty treatments and infrastructure repairs. Mayor Ron Engels said the $1 million project took much longer than anticipated, but the results were worth the wait. The streetscape included the sanitation district replacing sewer lines, new water mains under the street, paver stones and new lighting above.
Gaming towns boast abundance of holiday cheer
Thursday, December 15, 2011
By Penny Parker Hankering for some holiday cheer in Colorado’s historic hills? While this columnist can’t promise you a stocking full of cash this holiday season, I can suggest some ways to get in the holiday spirit in Black Hawk and Central City.
Fortune Valley finally has new name: Reserve Casino Hotel
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
After much speculation, countless rumors and anticipation, the owners of Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino in Central City have revealed its new name: Reserve Casino Hotel. The name change came as somewhat of a puzzlement to observers who believed that the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino or some other mega music and entertainment company would take over the place that had been remodeled with a strong rock ‘n’ roll theme.
Spruced-up Main Street a real gem for Central City
Friday, November 18, 2011
Central City’s extreme makeover is nearly complete. After three seasons and more than $1 million, the project to beautify and rejuvenate the former gold-mining town’s 150-plus year-old Main Street will wrap up as soon as the end of this month.
Reno outfit has big plans for Riviera
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Black Hawk mayor David Spellman is hanging part of his town’s future on the anticipated new owners of the Riviera Casino. In a deal estimated at $76 million, Reno-based Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. is expected to close on the purchase of The Riv by second quarter of 2012.
Ghostly goings-on keep things lively
Friday, October 21, 2011
Are Colorado’s gaming towns the creepiest places in the United States? Halloween is the time of year that Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek get their ghost on with ghoulie events that explore the past lives of vaporized vixens and villains. All three cities are rich sources for ghost sightings, but the closer it gets to Oct. 31, the more the former natives get restless.
Gaming came just in time for sleepy mountain burgs
Monday, October 10, 2011
Turn back the calendar 20 years to shortly before Oct. 1, 1991, the day that gambling burst onto the scene in three of Colorado’s historic towns. You’d find relatively sleepy villages – Black Hawk and Central City in Gilpin County and Cripple Creek in Teller County – that time and commerce was passing by.
Central City brewery to show off wares at Great American Beer Fest
Friday, September 23, 2011
Central City’s own Dostal Alley Brewery and Casino is breaking out the brews during Denver’s annual national celebration of all things beery at the 30th Great American Beer Festival Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 in the Colorado Convention Center.
Gussied-up Fortune Valley ready for new name
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
My gal pal and I trekked up the hill recently to kick the tires on the new and improved (but not yet renamed) Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino in Central City. General manager Dean DiLullo served as our tour guide and escorted us throughout the made-over casino and hotel lobby. We were dying to see what $20 million could buy after owner Luna Gaming Central City sunk big bucks into the operation.
A Crystal of a casino to open
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
There’s going to be a new kid on the block in Central City. The Davis family from Oregon is making its first foray in the gaming business with the purchase of the Pappone’s space on Main Street between Easy Street and Dostal Alley casinos. The new place will be called Crystal Palace.
Music is in the air
Monday, August 15, 2011
The name of the brand that will be splashed across the Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino in Central City may be Colorado’s gaming community’s best kept-secret, and owner Luna Gaming Central City still isn’t spilling.
Fortune Valley playing a new tune
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
When Luna Gaming Central City paid $10 million for Fortune Valley Casino last year, one casino competitor dubbed the deal “crazy low.” What he didn’t know was that a year later, Luna would invest more than $20 million in significant improvements to the place. The results of that investment were revealed recently, resulting in a spanking new space filled with gaming industry bells and whistles.
Kevin Taylor’s Rouge a treat for opera patrons
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It might seem like a rogue concept, but Rouge (pronounced like the women’s makeup), the steakhouse in Central City’s historic Teller House, opens annually for dinner only on Central City Opera’s scheduled performance dates.
Sometimes even The Face Bar can use a facelift
Friday, June 03, 2011
The Face Bar, home of the famous Face on the Barroom Floor inside Central City’s historic Teller House, was included in a two-year renovation project financed by a grant from the State Historical Fund.
Better access for CC sightseers
Thursday, May 19, 2011
There’s a whole lot of movin’, shakin’ and submarine celebratin’ in Central City starting in May. The Gilpin Historical Society recently opened a new satellite museum inside Washington Hall after Central City moved its police department back into City Hall from Washington Hall.
This Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the casino game
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Don’t even try to tell Ed Smith that the gambling business is a young person’s game. He won’t hear of it. At age 70 apiece, Ed, and his wife, Shirley, are planning to open their third casino in a building they bought years ago at 125 Gregory St. at Main Street in Black Hawk. The Smiths leased the space originally to Bronco Billy’s then most recently to Bullwhackers. When Bullwhackers opted not to renew the lease, the building came back to the Smiths.
Isle chef reworks menu with help from customers
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Chef David Oliveri of the Isle Casino Hotel in Black Hawk is taking Denver’s penchant for farm-to-table ingredients up to the hills. Oliveri, the chef at Isle eatery Farraddays’, is ready for diners on a spring fling with as many local ingredients as he can get his hands on.
Central City mayor determined to balance gaming, history
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Now that the “hard-scrabble” battle to win the election for Central City mayor is over (by a margin of seven votes, a virtual landslide by CC standards), Ron Engels is busy tackling the city’s business.
Central City antes up for inter-city bus service
Thursday, March 17, 2011
When gal pal and I last headed up the hill, we knew we had to make a choice of “donating” our money to either Black Hawk or Central City casinos in the aftermath of the split between the two towns over shared free bus transportation. We hemmed and hawed, but ultimately settled on Black Hawk in order to try the new menu at Farraddays’ at Isle Casino Hotel, and lodging at the Lodge Casino (more about that in the next column). But while we were waiting at the BH bus stop to head to our next casino, we noticed some black mini-buses emblazoned with Central City casino logos. What the hey?
Smokin’ Aces opens in historic Black Hawk building
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Where can you go in Black Hawk when you want to boogie-oogie-oogie “till you just can’t boogie no more”? Smokin’ Aces, Black Hawk’s only nightclub, opened Feb. 18 inside the Crook’s Palace Restaurant, the only eatery without gaming. The building at 200 Gregory St. is owned by the city of Black Hawk. Brothers Mike and Matt Casarez adeptly operate the lunch and dinner service in the 1868 building, arguably the site of the oldest saloon in Colorado.
Century Casino improves poker operation, adds jackpots
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Poker players wanted more tables, and Century Casino in Central City listened. As a result of popular demand, the Century Casino has expanded and moved its poker room. The new space, downstairs next to the all-new Retro Deli, features three tables – instead of the two that used to be upstairs – away from the jingle-jangling sounds of slot machines.
Restaurant guru retooling Lady Luck, Isle offerings
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on at restaurant concepts in The Isle and Lady Luck in Black Hawk. Why? There’s a new chef sheriff in town, and he’s making his mark by shaking things up at Lady Luck’s Otis & Henry’s Bar and Grill (formerly Station Café), and Farraddays’, The Isle’s fine dining spot. Gal pal and I recently headed up the hill to catch up with chef Eric Brenner, who consults with several of the parent company’s operations around the country.
Towns part ways, each offer own shuttle-bus system
Thursday, January 06, 2011
In terms of the shared bus shuttle system, when Black Hawk and Central City decided to each pick up their jacks and quit playing together, each town successfully found a new game within its own borders. After a six-week scramble, Central City successfully launched its own shuttle buses on Dec. 28, with no interruption of service when the joint-operating agreement between the two gambling towns ended the same day.
Central City businesses pitch in to host holiday bash on Dec. 18
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Flying in the face of a dreadful economy, which has put many office parties into limbo land, Central City is throwing a Holiday Business Bash to beat the band. The historic town up the hill is hosting a free Holiday Business Bash catering to smaller companies who want to host a party, but don’t have the budget, along with holiday party-orphaned individuals who just want to join in the festive season.
Changes coming to shuttle service in Black Hawk, Central City
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Black Hawk and Central City – Gilpin County neighbors separated by a mere mile – are playing a game of Family Feud. The once kissing cousins who in recent years coexisted side by side in Colorado’s gaming world, are dissolving the jointly funded shuttle service that transported gamblers from one town to the other with several stops in both burgs on a daily basis.
Freed of ‘Bad Penny,’ gal pal, b-friend win big at casinos
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
So I travel to Black Hawk and Central City with my faithful gal pal on a regular basis for this column, and we each typically “donate” roughly $100 back to the casinos each visit. One time we won about $100 more than we lost, and thought we would be recruited as the newest members of the high rollers club! But after her recent windfall winnings on a trip to Ameristar with her boyfriend, I realized what the problem was – she was gambling with me, the BAD Penny, so to speak.
Loss of opera’s marketer director casts pall over Central City
Thursday, November 04, 2010
I think the only thing sadder than reporting on someone who died at your own age, is the death of a child. That’s why it sorely saddens me to have to report on the untimely death of Deb Hruby, Central City Opera’s marketing director and Colorado native who died by her own hand on Oct. 17. She was 56.
Prepare to be haunted on Central City Creepy Crawl
Thursday, October 21, 2010
During this time of the year, not all of the visitors to Colorado’s historic Central City are alive! Bwaaaaaaaaah! The former mining town’s 150 years of history add up to one legendary ghost town where, as Halloween approaches, reports of sightings of the un-dead run rampant. To celebrate its hallowed past, (very alive) members of The Gilpin Historical Society will lead The Creepy Crawl, hour-long lantern tours Saturdays, Oct. 16, 23 and 30 beginning at 7 p.m., with departures every five to seven minutes until 7:30 p.m.
G-Girls more than pretty faces for Black Hawk casino
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Aina, a G-Girl in the Golden Gates blackjack area inside the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, is establishing such a name for herself that she has her own Facebook page (search for Aina Golden Gates on Facebook.com). The 25-year-old, originally from Russia, came to the United States five years ago to learn English and get a bachelor’s degree in international business. She met her husband along the way and stayed put.
Johnny Z’s turning heads in Central City
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Johnny Zimpel winds down his shift slinging espresso at his parents’ new Central City casino Johnny Z’s a few days after its June 9 opening. It’s the first new gaming property to open in Central City in four years, and the buzz factor is evident by the packed video poker bar and slot machine seats. Johnny, a Colorado State University student, punches out and exits his namesake casino in true, young-turk style.
Black Hawk’s Ameristar Casino stars at Food & Wine Classic
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Black Hawk’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa attracted so much buzz during the recent Food & Wine Classic, a fund-raiser put on by the Colorado Restaurant Association on the Metropolitan State College of Denver’s campus, that you would have thought their food booth was a huge bouquet of flowers eager for pollination.
Engels steps in as Central City mayor
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Ron Engels, the affable former city council member, was elected unanimously by the other three council members when Ron Slinger resigned before his term was finished. Slinger said that his new responsibilities as the director of development at Red Rocks Community College Foundation coupled with his mayoral duties was too much for one person. Engels, 51, also works in online technology for Denver Public Schools. He calls Central City home with his partner, Zane Laubhan, who is an ambulance director as well as the Gilpin County coroner.
Central City chronicler still relishes role
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Former big-time New York City ad man Lew Cady recently celebrated 40 years editing Little Kingdom Come, the Central City-based glossy newspaper that doesn’t take itself – or the gambling towns it covers – too seriously. It’s motto? “Published whenever we damn well feel like it.”
Isle employees give modeling a go
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A star – make that a galaxy – is born. Eight employees from each of the St. Louis, Mo.- based Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. properties were chosen to participate in a professional photo shoot for back-of-the-house signage and other materials that communicate messages targeted directly to the employees, as well as recruitment materials.
Riviera chef Jeremy Glas gets capital treatment
Monday, August 09, 2010
Jeremy Glas, director of food and beverage and executive chef at the Riviera Black Hawk Casino, got within a spatula’s toss of Michelle Obama recently when he and a handful of other Colorado chefs were invited to visit as part of the Chef’s Move to Schools program spearheaded by the First Lady.
Big names hit Ameristar for Red Rocks CC soiree
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Red Rocks Community College 40th anniversary gala attendees donned their vintage glad rags and rocked the house during a 1960s Las Vegas-themed fund-raiser at the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk for RRCC student scholarships. Roughly 250 guys and dolls sipped champagne, dined on fab food and were entertained during dinner by Frank Sinatra tribute artist Derek Evilsizor, who set toes a-tappin’.
Faces and places from a year covering Colorado gaming
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Such a deal!
Can you believe this issue marks the one-year anniversary of The Deal? When The Denver Post president and CEO Jerry Grilly asked me to jump on board as a columnist for a new publication that would cover Colorado’s gaming towns, I bit.
Ameristar takes spa experience to a new level in Black Hawk
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Ah spa.
I have been lucky to try some of the best spas and spa treatments our state has to offer – including in Beaver Creek, Vail and Aspen.
But the most outstanding “Calgon take me away” experience was recently at The Spa at Ameristar in Black Hawk.
Mayor of Black Hawk, Colorado: 2010 all about the customer for casinos
Thursday, July 08, 2010
In my last column, I invited Central City Mayor Ron Slinger to peer into his crystal ball to predict what his city faces in 2010. This time, I turned the tables to Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman (pictured left).
A Colorado casino in the gas biz? That would be Bullwackers
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Bullwhackers Casino in Black Hawk may be in the gaming, food and entertainment business, but gasoline? How does that work?
I’ve noticed the Bullwhacker’s gas station during each of my treks up the hill, and thought I’d ask Steve Cubbage, director of marketing for Bullwhackers, what’s up with that?
Opening of Black Hawk’s Ameristar hotel realization of a dream
Thursday, July 08, 2010
It was Ray Neilsen posing for photos, shaking hands and story-telling to reporters during the “unveiling ceremony” and grand opening of the monolithic Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk Oct. 8, but the spirit of Ray’s dad, Craig Neilsen, was somewhere in the 33-story, 536-room structure.
Fortune Valley’s Vakanas blazed trail as female craps dealer in Vegas
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Carole Vakanas knows perhaps more than anybody that once upon a time, craps was strictly a man’s game.
Penny Parker: Lady Luck’s LeVesque all about fun, energy and ice cold beer
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Lady Luck general manager Craig LeVesque is rolling out his vision for the rebranding of the Colorado Central Station casino in Black Hawk to the Lady Luck Casino.
Lessons lower the fear factor for Colorado’s craps, roulette newbies
Thursday, July 08, 2010
I’ve got to admit I’m crappy at craps.
A gal pal and I took an overnight trip to Central City’s Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino recently to bone up on craps and roulette, the two new games that debuted July 2 when $100 stakes launched in all three of Colorado’s gaming towns.
Central City festivities honor famed madam
Thursday, July 08, 2010
The life and times of Lou Bunch, Central City’s most notorious madam who operated a house of ill repute in Pine Street’s red light district at the turn of the 19th century, are legendary, but local historian Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel has his favorite story – even if its veracity is in question.
On the bus to Black Hawk, Central City
Thursday, July 08, 2010
When it comes to wheelin’ and dealin’ in Colorado’s gaming towns, Arlie House knows his way around.
Egyptian goddess? She’s in the eye of beholder
Thursday, July 08, 2010
I wrote in a recent Penny Slots column that during an overnight at the new Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk my room overlooked the mountain that flanks overflow parking on the side of the building.
Collector helping preserve Colorado casino history
Thursday, July 08, 2010
You could call Eric Miller a chip off the off the old block. Miller, a Central City resident who makes his living as a building painter, is a third-generation casino chip collector.
Life’s Golden for casino VP
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Freshly armed with a degree in journalism, Jef Bauer answered an ad for a “sports writer” at a Reno casino. But little did the neophyte know, the job was to write horse and sporting event bets for $5.25 an hour.
Central City’s Slinger has hopes for a prosperous 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Ask Central City mayor Ron Slinger to crystal-ball his city’s future for this new year, and he boils it down to one word: “Hopeful.”
Colorado Grande GM jumps at opportunity
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Eric Rose, general manager of the Colorado Grande Casino in Cripple Creek, saw opportunity in them thar hills when Amendment 50 passed last summer, bringing with it higher-stakes gambling.
Central City’s Century Casino boasts a colorful history
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Ask Century Casino & Hotel general manager Mickey Rosenbaum for a tour of his block-long and block-wide Central City casino, and you’ll get a proud papa showing off his baby.
Great service key to Bronco Billy’s success
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Like those who came before him to them thar hills, Marc Murphy, co-owner of Bronco Billy’s Casino in Cripple Creek is a prospector mining for gold of a different sort.
Gilpin GM a character with a capital T
Thursday, July 08, 2010
To call T Alan Roberts a character doesn’t do him justice. He’s a capital C character along with being the general manager of The Gilpin casino in Black Hawk. But his real job is to hand out T-isms like a slot machine that’s always paying out.
Long-time Central City establishment a true family affair
Thursday, July 08, 2010
When Famous Bonanza casino general manager Ann Dodson says her spot is a “family affair,” you can bet on it.
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