Colorado Grande GM jumps at opportunity

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.

“We added 1,300 square feet due to Amendment 50,” Rose said. “Plus, we added table games.

The historic building, which dates back to the 1850s, is privately owned by a woman, while the casino is publicly traded as a part of Nevada Gold out of Houston.

They operate three casinos in Washington state, and manage SunCruz line out of Florida, where passengers take day trips to foreign waters to gamble.

Colorado’s Grande Casino has been open since gaming started in the state. Maggie’s, the breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant, is a favorite among locals, Rose said.

“We’ve had the same chef for eight years,” he said. “It’s a local family restaurant serving burgers, steaks and chef’s specialties.”

The Grande pulls the majority of its patrons from area cities including Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Cañon City.

“We’re one of the last boutique casinos,” Rose said.

New boss. After several years with the Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., former Isle general manager John Bohannon has moved on.

Replacing him in the head honcho slot is Brian Watts, officially vice president and general manager of the Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk. Watts joined the parent company – Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. – in 2008 as vice president and general manager of Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City.

A star is born. Since the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa officially opened Sept. 29 in Black Hawk, the hot hotel has been going gangbusters. Since opening, the luxurious hotel/casino/spa has logged more than 90-percent occupancy in the 536-room property – with many nights sold out. Christmas is nearly gone in terms of room rentals, said Heather Leigh, Ameristar’s public relations manager.

“We are thrilled about it,” she said. “Guests are enjoying a four-diamond experience in the gaming town of Black Hawk for the very first time and it’s fun to see how much they like it.

“Ameristar is proud to bring that gaming entertainment experience to them here in Colorado.”
When gal pal and I stayed there overnight for the grand opening ceremonies Oct. 8, the hotel put me up in a sweet suite – king-size bed, living room, two flat-screen TVs, a wet bar with bar stools and see-through fireplace. The tricky part was the shade pulled up over the Jacuzzi tub overlooking parking and a mountainside.

“I’ll never get to sleep with that shade open,” I told gal pal. “She jumped on top of the raised tub ledge and tried to manually shutter the shade. When that failed, she quickly determined that the shade was electronic, and manipulated by a switch on the wall. Duh!

Bankruptcy. The owner of Fitzgeralds Casino in Black Hawk, Majestic Star Casino LLC, has sought bankruptcy protection from creditors after senior secured lenders called a default and demanded to be re-paid $79.3 million in debt, according to Bloomberg.

The company, owned by Detroit businessman Don Barden through Barden Development Inc., listed assets of $406 million and debt of $750 million as of June 30.

According to several sources, who asked not to be identified, it’s business as usual at Fitzgeralds as the parent company goes through reorganization. Visitors won’t notice any changes.