Gambling in Central City, CO

Mountains were moved, too, particularly for the construction of the Ameristar tower — at one point the tallest building between the Colorado foothills and Salt Lake City. The three mountain towns first tried the legislative route, but failed to make any headway with a bill in the Colorado General Assembly. Then, with the help of powerful lobbyist Freda Poundstone, they decided to push legalized gambling as a preservation effort, and landed Amendment 4 on the November 1990 ballot. Bruce Schmalz, by now the mayor of Central City, got together with Hidahl and some other residents at the local Elks Lodge for what turned out to be a fateful series of meetings. For a time, local law enforcement authorities allowed these operations to continue. By the turn of the last century, though, as the mines played out, both towns began to fall on hard times — and stayed there. Their combined populations dropped from 4,314 in 1900 to 805 in 1920.

This Central City hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones; free local calls are provided . Housekeeping is offered daily and irons/ironing boards can be requested. He’s been an editor and writer for more than a decade, with experience spanning newspapers, magazines, digital news, and commercial writing. His work can be found in publications including TechCrunch, Mental Floss and Huffington Post.

Colorado Weekend Getaway Ideas: Resort Casinos

This old mining town is just 30 miles outside of Denver and is well worth a trip. The food choices are nothing fancy; to go along with the local ale, you can choose from pizzas, calzones, and sandwiches. Dostal has agreed to a partnership with Betsson for sports betting that is expected to launch in 2022. This casino is open seven days a week; however, opening hours may vary, so make sure you check before you travel.

A large number of the town’s old buildings have been renovated and converted into casinos. The contrast in building attitudes and historic preservation efforts eventually lead to some hard feelings between the two communities. Bad blood between Central City and Black Hawk has gotten to the point where the long-running free shuttle between towns no longer goes to Central City.

Central City Stats

In fiscal year 2019, Black Hawk casinos pulled in $619 million in revenue, while Central City accounted for just $79.8 million. Historic buildings — including the legendary Lace House — were moved to accommodate developments.

To avoid that fate, Central City and Black Hawk would have to attract more tourists. Before 1990 it was illegal to gamble in Colorado, but that year Black Hawk and Central City joined with Cripple Creek to support an amendment to the Colorado constitution that allowed gambling. Amendment 4 was approved by a majority of the state’s voters and allowed limited-stakes gambling in the three towns. Money from gambling was to be used for historic preservation. One result of the gambling amendment was to flip the historical relationship between Central City and Black Hawk.

In 1859 prospectors mined more than $1.5 million in gold from Gregory Gulch. Visitation to Central City and Black Hawk declined as the ski industry transformed Colorado tourism in the 1960s and 1970s. Central City Opera lost audiences to modern venues such as the Santa Fe Opera and the Denver Performing Arts Complex.