Return to Colorado Casinos or the United States Casinos & Gambling main page.

Colorado Historia de

The first casino gambling was brought from French, English, Irish and Spanish immigrants, mostly traveling up the Mississippi River from the deep south long before the Civil War.

According to popular belief, though argued by some, Brown's Saloon was the first casino built on American Soil in 1822. The saloon was built upon the intersecting corners of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Trappers in the west greatly enjoyed the casino gambling and those passing through quickly spread the idea further west. Gold miners were constantly traversing the plains in search of wealth towards the Pacific Coast. Inevitably, casinos were developed in abundance in an attempt to capture what gold these prospectors may have found.

American laws fluctuated, making gambling illegal, much to the pleasure of the Puritan folk. As the years went on, legalized gambling gathered more support, and various states began accepting the development of state regulated casinos.

Colorado gambling enthusiasts were greatly pleased in November of 1990 when Casino operators made their way into Colorado. Voters supported the legislation to legalize casino gambling in Colorado, and in 1991 the law was officially passed. The guidelines came along with a limited stakes rule, holding all bets to a maximum of $5, and an 'adult only' law requiring Colorado casino gamblers to be at least 21 years of age.

Colorado state government legalized casino gambling in three towns - Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. Each of these towns are considered National Historic Districts. The purpose of this legislation was to preserve the history of these towns.

Colorado casino gamblers will also find two Native American Indian casinos - the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colorado and the Ute Mountain Casino in Towaoc, Colorado. These casinos are not required to follow the same legalized gambling codes, but the only variable in their operation is the hours of operations. Colorado gambling establishments are required by law to close their doors no later than 2:00am, while the Native American Indian casinos in Colorado may stay open 24 hours a day.

The city of Black Hawk is currently the largest Colorado gambling local in regards to casino gambling revenue, followed by Cripple Creek. Though Central City maintains the largest amount of casino gambling facilities, their unfortunate location has derived the smallest revenue.

Gamblers from Denver Colorado traveling toward Central City will find Black Hawk first, along the route, therefore making it more convenient to place their wagers at Colorado's Black Hawk casinos. For this reason, Black Hawk has acquired the highest revenue in Colorado casino gambling, amongst the three towns. In an effort to increase revenue and compete with Black Hawk's significant casino gambling business, Central City has financed an exit directly off Interstate-70 near Idaho Springs. The 4-lane Central City Parkway exit would give travelers substantially less driving time to reach Central City's Colorado Casinos, while at the same time taking them off the path to Black Hack.

Another draw for gamblers to visit Colorado's Central City Casinos is the true preservation of national history. Black Hawk's Colorado Casinos, on the other hand, have opted for a more glamorous style, constructing their casinos with a glitzy style more akin to Las Vegas. Cripple Creek is considered to be the middle-man in regards to development, straying more from the historical aspect than Central City, yet avoiding the lights and flamboyance of Black Hawk Casinos.

Central City boasts the largest casino in the history of Colorado gambling - Fortune Valley Hotel & Casino. This vast Colorado gambling attraction is home to 8 live BlackJack tables, 7 live poker tables and 1,008 slot machines, including $0.05-$5.00 Progressive Video Poker machines with both in-house and statewide progressive jackpots. The Fortune Valley Hotel offers 118 rooms and luxuriously decorated suites.

Residents of Colorado frequent the casino gambling facilities, but being a major hot spot for tourists, especially those who come to ski the majestic slopes of the Rockies, Colorado gambling revenue is significantly increased by those vacationing in the mile-high state.

Many smaller Colorado gambling casinos can be found throughout the state, offering a large assortment of slot machines and casino table games. A large number of tourists seeking to avoid the large crowds and high prices discover the amenities and excitement of these smaller Colorado gambling casinos and hotels to be well worth finding.

The popularity Colorado's Casino gambling has soared since it's legalization in 1991. The first two months of the fiscal 2007-2008 year reported Colorado casino gambling revenue at $148-million.