Cripple Creek Approves New Casino Games, Longer Casino Hours and Higher Betting Limits

On December 16th, 2008, cripple creek voters gave a resounding approval to gaming expansion. More casino games like roulette and craps, longer gaming operation and bigger bets passed in a landslide vote, 267 against 13 in the Teller County town of 1,200 people. Town voters and city officials have said that the amendment 50 will mean more influx of tourist, more tax revenues and employment opportunities in an industry severely affected by the financial crisis.

Cripple Creek will be the first of Colorado's three casino towns to raise wagering limits from $5 dollars to $100 dollars, offer games like roulette and craps and keep gaming facilities open for 24 hours a day. Before the vote, casino facilities had to close between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and only the games of slot machines, blackjack and poker were permitted. Amendment 50 also takes away the authority of the regulators to increase taxes on casino facilities, forcing a statewide vote instead on future plans to increase taxes.

The referendum is the cause of the statewide constitutional amendment passed with sixty percent of statewide voters last month. Statewide voters permitted the towns to re-establish gambling in 1991. The state collected a total of $112 million dollars in taxes from gaming last year, as the state's forty-three casinos produced a total of $816 million dollars in profits. If passed in all 3 towns, some studies predicted that tax revenue could grow by about three hundred million dollars in each town for the first 5 years. The towns will be able to keep ten percent of the earnings, with twelve percent for their counties and 78 percent going to the community colleges.

Colorado casinos can now hire about eight thousand people. Cripple Creek, a gold mining town once known by the name of Poverty Gulch, is the base of seventeen casino facilities. The Cripple Creek City Council had announced plans to hold the vote as soon as possible and even before the statewide vote. The residents in Black Hawk, which is the base of twenty casinos, will vote on the Amendment 50 on January 13th, 2009. The Central City leaders have stated that they will schedule a vote on the Amendment 50, affecting 6 casino facilities in February 2009 or March 2009.

 

Thursday, April 30 , 2009