BLACK HAWK — Colorado’s mountain casinos continued their celebration today after a jam-packed launch of higher limits, new games and round-the-clock gambling.
Business at the Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk was up about 60 percent compared with the same time a year ago, said general manager John Bohannon.
At 1 a.m., 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, an official with Jacobs Entertainment, which owns the Lodge and Gilpin casinos.
Golden Gaming, operator of three 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 preparing for much larger crowds this weekend.
“This has the potential to be the busiest weekend in Colorado gaming history,” Abraham said.
Casinos threw full-fledged parties to mark the moment, complete with ribbon cuttings, champagne toasts, live bands and B-list celebrities. Patrons and executives alike were amped over sweeping revisions to the state’s gambling regulations that raise the maximum bet from $5 to $100; allow casinos to offer craps and roulette table games; and let them stay open 24 hours.
Mired in a slump that began in January 2008, the state’s gaming industry went all out to welcome the changes.
The Isle’s celebration included music from the Boogie Machine band. The casino hired comedian Michael Winslow — best known for making sound effects with his mouth in the “Police Academy” movies — to throw the ceremonial dice just before midnight.
In Central City, Fortune Valley’s festivities included Elvis impersonators and a Frank Sinatra show.
“This really is going to be a bit of a mecca of its own, now that you can have full gambling,” said Winslow, who attended Denver’s Jefferson High School.
Many gamblers drove up late just to play the new games.
“That’s why we’re up here,” said Christie Balderston, who says her game is roulette. She and her husband were able to score a coveted hotel room at the Isle on Wednesday night.
Arvada resident Mike Reish wasn’t as lucky. He said hotels were booked all the way to Idaho Springs, some 20 minutes away.
“It’s all good. We found a designated driver, so we’re going to hang out all night and have a good time,” said Reish, who was looking forward to throwing some dice.
The first official craps “bet” in Colorado was made Wednesday afternoon by Nancy McCallin of the Colorado Community College System and Ed Nichols of the Colorado Historical Society — two organizations that will receive a big share of gambling tax revenue.
The Lodge Casino pledged to donate to their respective organizations $1,000 multiplied by the total number they rolled on their ceremonial tosses. Each totaled six, earning $6,000.
That figure, though, is a far cry from the $7 million to $10 million that McCallin estimates community colleges will receive from gambling taxes from the first year of changes.
“I’m feeling the same kind of energy we had when we opened the Lodge, which was in June of 1998,” Lodge official Steve Roark said.
