Colorado's Casinos — Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek
Colorado allows casinos only in three former mining towns. Black Hawk has become a real small-strip destination 45 minutes from Denver.
Colorado licenses casinos only in Black Hawk, Central City (next door), and Cripple Creek (near Pikes Peak). Black Hawk dominates with ~10 active properties: Ameristar Black Hawk, Monarch Casino Resort, Mardi Gras, Lodge Casino, Saratoga. Central City has 5 smaller properties; Cripple Creek 7-9 small ones. Tables $5–15 mass-floor; rules generally good post-2021 (limits raised, more table types allowed).
Black Hawk — the working strip
45 minutes west of Denver, up I-70 and Highway 119. The town turned itself into a small casino strip post-1991 legalization.
Ameristar Black Hawk (Boyd Gaming) — the largest, with 530 rooms, full table game menu, decent dining. The default destination property. Monarch Casino Resort — 23-story tower (the tallest building in town), opened 2020. Smaller floor than Ameristar but the most luxurious property. Lodge Casino, Mardi Gras, Saratoga, Isle, Wild Card, Sasquatch, Z Casino — the smaller venues, all within a few blocks.Central City — Black Hawk's quieter neighbor
Adjacent to Black Hawk. Five smaller properties: Reserve Casino Hotel, Famous Bonanza, Century Casino, Easy Street, Dostal Alley. Lower volume; better lower-limit selection on weekdays.
Cripple Creek — the Pikes Peak alternative
90 minutes from Colorado Springs, 45 minutes from Pikes Peak. Smaller scale than Black Hawk: Bronco Billy's (the largest), Wildwood, Triple Crown, Brass Ass, Double Eagle. Combine with a Pikes Peak summit drive.
Rule sets
Colorado raised single-bet limits in 2021 from $100 to $1,000 and added new game types (craps, roulette were new at the time). 3:2 blackjack is generally available. Single-zero roulette exists at the largest properties.
Practical
Topics
- colorado
- denver
- rockies