Changes coming to shuttle service in Black Hawk, Central City

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.

What’s the bus beef? Black Hawk, which attracts the lion’s share of gaming business due to the town’s large number of Las Vegas-style casinos, wants Central City, the smaller player, to pony up 50 percent for the shuttle service, a significant increase from the 35 percent CC now contributes. Black Hawk pays the 65 percent balance.

According to a report from the shuttle company, as of the end of October, the busses carried more than 463,000 riders, up 36 percent from 2009. About a third of that traffic represented riders headed to Central City.

Black Hawk contributed about $800,000 annually for the service; Central City paid roughly $400,000. Under the contract, the joint city shuttle service ends Dec. 29.

“In Central, we understand that a rising tide raises all ships, so what’s good for Central City is good for Black Hawk, and what’s good for Black Hawk is good for Central,” said Central City mayor Ron Engels. “We do not believe that the gaming market is a zero-sum game, so we do not think that it is necessary to fight over market share. We believe that there is a large untapped market of heritage tourists who would appreciate coming to the richest square mile on Earth, and experience a taste of the richness of our collective past, and who would also enjoy dropping a bit of coin at a casino while they enjoy the fullness of what we have to offer.”

Black Hawk city manager Mike Copp, however, believes the current game is all about maintaining market share, and that capturing that share through an exclusive shuttle service is the best path for Black Hawk.

“We believe that because we have well over 1,000 hotel rooms, and 7,000 parking spots, people come here, park and go to Central City,” Copp said. “To increase the market share, we need to keep the bus in Black Hawk. Right now, the way the economy is, we don’t believe there’s a lot of new spending, but we need to increase market share to increase more revenues for the casinos rather than hoping for new gamers until the economy turns around.”

But Central City shuttle users don’t despair. At press time, Central’s city manager Alan Lanning was negotiating with a couple of shuttle providers to come to an agreement to continue service.

“We will be working on schedules and costs,” Lanning said. “Our intent is to have some plan in place by the end of the first week in December.”

So, dear readers, stay tuned.

- Penny Parker is a columnist for The Denver Post. She’s always on the prowl for tidbits and tips from Colorado’s gaming communities. Call her at 303-619-5209 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.