Colorado’s casinos reported Thursday huge spikes in traffic and business on the first day of higher-stakes gambling.
Shortly after the bet limits were raised and new games added at just past midnight, the Lodge and Gilpin casinos in Black Hawk had nearly three times more gamblers than they did on the same day last year.
“It’s fair to characterize the launch as successful,” said John East, a vice president with Jacobs Entertainment, which owns the Lodge and Gilpin casinos.
Gamblers were playing the new table games — craps and roulette — until well into the morning, East said.
Casinos can now stay open 24 hours instead of having to close at 2 a.m. The maximum single bet has been raised from $5 to $100. Voters statewide approved the changes last fall.
Preliminary figures showed that business at the Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk was up about 60 percent, said general manager John Bohannon.
“We saw our table games volumes increase almost four times, compared to an average Wednesday,” Bohannon said.
Overall, casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek added 27 craps tables and 16 roulette games, according to the Division of Gaming.
Golden Gaming, operator of the Mardi Gras, Gulch and Gates casinos in Black Hawk, also had a big turnout.
“Our table games and poker business were up significantly,” said Christopher Abraham, a spokesman for Golden Gaming. “Our poker room was going all night long.”
Operators are expecting much larger crowds this weekend because of the new regulations and July Fourth holiday.
“This has the potential to be the busiest weekend in Colorado gaming history,” Abraham said.
Much of the additional gaming-tax revenue generated from the changes has been earmarked for the state’s community colleges.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com
