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Area residents all-in at casinos
By Pat Hill
Thursday July 2 was a dream come true for the casinos in Cripple Creek. Roulette wheels were spinning, dice whirling, slots tingling and cards doing the shuffle whiz. On the first full day of higher possibilities, with wagers raised from $5 to $100, Cripple Creek was rocking.
At 1 p.m. the streets were packed, parking lots full and hangovers invisible.
With the change in limits as well as 24 hours to wager a bet, for an optimist, it’s gold, for a pessimist, it’s a chance to dig a deeper hole.
“In 24 hours what the hell would happen to me? I’d be skinned alive!” said Bob Ross of Woodland Park sitting outside the Wildwood Casino. “I’m up here to have a day’s worth of fun. I didn’t know this place [the Wildwood] was here.”
Ross voted yes on Amendment 50. “Anything to make the town better,” he said.
Inside, Christy Madewell, poker room manager, was still energized from working all night. “It’s exciting!” she said. “We had shots of ... Red Bull for everybody!”
While it’s no secret that the odds favor the house, Madewell surveyed the players and said, “Most people played smart, most were excited but realistic,” she said. “Craps had huge action. At 5:30 a.m. people were loud, clapping, hoopin’ and hollerin’.”
On her 15th hour of working, Madewell was a little teary-eyed over the bouquet of roses she’d gotten from her children, 7 and 10. She’d been feeling guilty about being away from home so much recently.
Sitting at a slot machine at the Wildwood, Marsha Kisicki was about to exit to the roulette table. “I’m not winning here,” she said. “My goal is just to be able to play.”
The house was full at the bewitching hour for Bronco Billy’s Casino. “The first roll of the dice at 12:01 a.m. was a 7, in fact, the first two rolls were 7’s at the craps table,” said the manager, Brett Bashor.
Bashor singled out a man at the craps table who had been playing since the ball rang 14 hours before. “He came here rather than going to Black Hawk,” Bashor said.
The players were definitely a new group, he said. “A lot of experienced gamblers. A lot of these people probably frequent Las Vegas,” he said. “There was constant play all morning.”
Sitting on a bench outside the casino, Lois Schwartz, who does frequent Las Vegas with her husband Don, was reading an Agatha Christie novel.
Like many gamblers, Schwartz is superstitious, or at least believes strongly that her favorite slot machine is the best. As far as the new games, for now, she isn’t interested. “I don’t know how to play craps,” she said.
Comparing Las Vegas to Cripple Creek, Schwartz hopes the latter will bring on some entertainment. “But we enjoy coming here,” she said.
Even in the middle of the afternoon, there was a new mood in the city, a new kind of energy. Like everywhere else that day, the Gold Rush Casino was on a 24-hour roll. “Business exceeded our expectations,” said table-games manager George Rodriguez, who is from Atlantic City, N.J.
At Womack’s, cage cashier Jerry Warrick reports brisk action on the craps and roulette tables since he came to work at 4 a.m. “You can also bet up to $25 on a slot,” he said.
At the Midnight Rose poker room, Dave Knutzen was on a timeout from dealing craps and blackjack. When the housing market hit the skids, Knutzen, a realtor with ReMax Performance, Inc., enrolled in the Dealer’s School in Cripple Creek, a project of the Midnight Rose, Bronco Billy’s, Pikes Peak Community College and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.
The Colorado Grande celebrated Amendment 50 with a new card room, Jack’s at the Grande. “The new limits are fair for everybody; the community colleges should profit and the players have a better chance,” said dealer Mark Shibe. “With a $5 limits you can’t get back what you lost.”
With a different crowd expected in the city with the new limits, Shibe isn’t concerned about an increase in crime. “The police department will take care of it,” he said.
As far as reaction from the locals, the vote proved the people are all for it. “The locals overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure,” Shibe said.
At Johnny Nolon’s, Jaime Brown, casino and slot machine manager, sums up the past 12 hours. “Hectic,” she said.
With the chance to win $25,000 with a royal flush on Progressive Poker, players were lining up all night long, Brown said.
For people who thought the liquor flowed for 24 hours, there was a rude awakening. “We started locking up the liquor at 1:45 a.m.,” Brown said. “From then on, we served coffee and soda.”
On the Fourth of July at the Double Eagle Hotel and Casino, business was booming, particularly at the craps and roulette tables, said Robert Enriqez, director of table games. “We’re at maximum capacity, with a wide assortment of players, a lot of locals but some new faces, too.”
By Norma Engelberg
July 1 was a busy day in Cripple Creek for city staff and local casino managers who were getting ready for 24-hour gaming.
City Clerk Debra Blevins took $300 in device fees for each of 18 new devices in six casinos that day but with a 10-day grace period Deputy Clerk Stephanie Fisher said many casino owners will wait until the last possible day to pay fees. They waited until July 1 to bring the new devices online and pay the fees because if they had paid them in June, they would also have to pay quarterly fees on the new devices.
Each device has a city stamp, similar to a serial number, which the city uses to keep track of the number of devices in each casino. Once initial device fees are paid, casinos also must pay quarterly device fees that range from $100 to $225 per device depending on the quarter for the first 50 devices in the casino and $300 per quarter for each additional device on premises. Device fees for the next quarter are determined by the number of devices reported the previous quarter.
There also is a $50 administrative fee for exchanging one machine for another. This could happen if a casino removes machines to make room for tables but for the most part, Fisher said, the casinos are adding devices rather than exchanging them.
Device fees are revenue for the city, 60 percent of each fee goes to the general fund and 40 percent goes to the water-wastewater enterprise fund.
The city has spent the last few months getting ready for the changeover to 24-hour gambling. City Administrator Bill McPherson keeps a list in his head of all the work he has done with the casinos to get ready.
“We’ve eliminated two-hour parking limits, for example,” he said at the July 1 council meeting. “With 24-hour gaming the parking limits didn’t make sense anymore.”
The city also changed its street-sweeping hours, when vehicles must be off city streets, from 2 to 6 a.m. to 5 to 8 a.m.
“That’s when the casinos think will be their slowest time,” he said.
Other changes include requiring casinos to upgrade their communications systems from analog to digital by midnight July 1 and increasing security.
“I’ve been meeting with casino security on the best places to locate surveillance cameras,” McPherson said. “They also have moved their cashier cages and staggered their money drops. And they have increased lighting in alleys and parking lots for customer safety.”
Mayor Dan Baader said the city is bracing for the change but he doesn’t expect trouble.
“Shuttles will be running later and we’ve beefed up the police and fire departments,” he said. “The state patrol is watching and Teller County deputies are patrolling but I’m not expecting any trouble. These people are coming up here to be entertained.”
Fire Chief Randy Baldwin said he hopes there won’t be dramatic increase in medical and fire responses but does expect a steady increase as word about changes gets out.
“The city has been aggressive in anticipating our needs and we have added 2 to 8 [a.m.] coverage,” he said. “I expect a change in the type of calls we get. About 76 percent of our calls are medical. Typically, events always bring in additional calls.”
Now that the big change has come, most city officials have a wait-and-see attitude.
“We’ll learn from our experiences and react accordingly,” McPherson said.
Baader is optimistic.
“I hope this is successful,” he said. “Casino health is related to our health as a city. If they see a 15-20 percent increase in revenue we’ll see new investors. We have 2,000 employees in this city and most of them don’t live here. If this change succeeds we have room in our master plan for 1,500 to 2,000 new homes and apartment units. If investors come up with a project you can bet they’ll be assisted.”
Gambling changes
When Colorado voters approved Amendment 50 in November, betting limits in Cripple Creek, Black Hawk and Central City were raised from $5 to $100. As well, the hours were extended to 24/7 and roulette and craps added. In December, voters in Cripple Creek approved the measures for their city. July 2 ushered in a new age for three mountain communities. Seventy-eight percent of the new money generated from the amendment goes for financial aid and classroom instruction at Colorado community colleges.
At 1 p.m. the streets were packed, parking lots full and hangovers invisible.
With the change in limits as well as 24 hours to wager a bet, for an optimist, it’s gold, for a pessimist, it’s a chance to dig a deeper hole.
“In 24 hours what the hell would happen to me? I’d be skinned alive!” said Bob Ross of Woodland Park sitting outside the Wildwood Casino. “I’m up here to have a day’s worth of fun. I didn’t know this place [the Wildwood] was here.”
Ross voted yes on Amendment 50. “Anything to make the town better,” he said.
Inside, Christy Madewell, poker room manager, was still energized from working all night. “It’s exciting!” she said. “We had shots of ... Red Bull for everybody!”
While it’s no secret that the odds favor the house, Madewell surveyed the players and said, “Most people played smart, most were excited but realistic,” she said. “Craps had huge action. At 5:30 a.m. people were loud, clapping, hoopin’ and hollerin’.”
On her 15th hour of working, Madewell was a little teary-eyed over the bouquet of roses she’d gotten from her children, 7 and 10. She’d been feeling guilty about being away from home so much recently.
Sitting at a slot machine at the Wildwood, Marsha Kisicki was about to exit to the roulette table. “I’m not winning here,” she said. “My goal is just to be able to play.”
The house was full at the bewitching hour for Bronco Billy’s Casino. “The first roll of the dice at 12:01 a.m. was a 7, in fact, the first two rolls were 7’s at the craps table,” said the manager, Brett Bashor.
Bashor singled out a man at the craps table who had been playing since the ball rang 14 hours before. “He came here rather than going to Black Hawk,” Bashor said.
The players were definitely a new group, he said. “A lot of experienced gamblers. A lot of these people probably frequent Las Vegas,” he said. “There was constant play all morning.”
Sitting on a bench outside the casino, Lois Schwartz, who does frequent Las Vegas with her husband Don, was reading an Agatha Christie novel.
Like many gamblers, Schwartz is superstitious, or at least believes strongly that her favorite slot machine is the best. As far as the new games, for now, she isn’t interested. “I don’t know how to play craps,” she said.
Comparing Las Vegas to Cripple Creek, Schwartz hopes the latter will bring on some entertainment. “But we enjoy coming here,” she said.
Even in the middle of the afternoon, there was a new mood in the city, a new kind of energy. Like everywhere else that day, the Gold Rush Casino was on a 24-hour roll. “Business exceeded our expectations,” said table-games manager George Rodriguez, who is from Atlantic City, N.J.
At Womack’s, cage cashier Jerry Warrick reports brisk action on the craps and roulette tables since he came to work at 4 a.m. “You can also bet up to $25 on a slot,” he said.
At the Midnight Rose poker room, Dave Knutzen was on a timeout from dealing craps and blackjack. When the housing market hit the skids, Knutzen, a realtor with ReMax Performance, Inc., enrolled in the Dealer’s School in Cripple Creek, a project of the Midnight Rose, Bronco Billy’s, Pikes Peak Community College and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.
The Colorado Grande celebrated Amendment 50 with a new card room, Jack’s at the Grande. “The new limits are fair for everybody; the community colleges should profit and the players have a better chance,” said dealer Mark Shibe. “With a $5 limits you can’t get back what you lost.”
With a different crowd expected in the city with the new limits, Shibe isn’t concerned about an increase in crime. “The police department will take care of it,” he said.
As far as reaction from the locals, the vote proved the people are all for it. “The locals overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure,” Shibe said.
At Johnny Nolon’s, Jaime Brown, casino and slot machine manager, sums up the past 12 hours. “Hectic,” she said.
With the chance to win $25,000 with a royal flush on Progressive Poker, players were lining up all night long, Brown said.
For people who thought the liquor flowed for 24 hours, there was a rude awakening. “We started locking up the liquor at 1:45 a.m.,” Brown said. “From then on, we served coffee and soda.”
On the Fourth of July at the Double Eagle Hotel and Casino, business was booming, particularly at the craps and roulette tables, said Robert Enriqez, director of table games. “We’re at maximum capacity, with a wide assortment of players, a lot of locals but some new faces, too.”
By Norma Engelberg
July 1 was a busy day in Cripple Creek for city staff and local casino managers who were getting ready for 24-hour gaming.
City Clerk Debra Blevins took $300 in device fees for each of 18 new devices in six casinos that day but with a 10-day grace period Deputy Clerk Stephanie Fisher said many casino owners will wait until the last possible day to pay fees. They waited until July 1 to bring the new devices online and pay the fees because if they had paid them in June, they would also have to pay quarterly fees on the new devices.
Each device has a city stamp, similar to a serial number, which the city uses to keep track of the number of devices in each casino. Once initial device fees are paid, casinos also must pay quarterly device fees that range from $100 to $225 per device depending on the quarter for the first 50 devices in the casino and $300 per quarter for each additional device on premises. Device fees for the next quarter are determined by the number of devices reported the previous quarter.
There also is a $50 administrative fee for exchanging one machine for another. This could happen if a casino removes machines to make room for tables but for the most part, Fisher said, the casinos are adding devices rather than exchanging them.
Device fees are revenue for the city, 60 percent of each fee goes to the general fund and 40 percent goes to the water-wastewater enterprise fund.
The city has spent the last few months getting ready for the changeover to 24-hour gambling. City Administrator Bill McPherson keeps a list in his head of all the work he has done with the casinos to get ready.
“We’ve eliminated two-hour parking limits, for example,” he said at the July 1 council meeting. “With 24-hour gaming the parking limits didn’t make sense anymore.”
The city also changed its street-sweeping hours, when vehicles must be off city streets, from 2 to 6 a.m. to 5 to 8 a.m.
“That’s when the casinos think will be their slowest time,” he said.
Other changes include requiring casinos to upgrade their communications systems from analog to digital by midnight July 1 and increasing security.
“I’ve been meeting with casino security on the best places to locate surveillance cameras,” McPherson said. “They also have moved their cashier cages and staggered their money drops. And they have increased lighting in alleys and parking lots for customer safety.”
Mayor Dan Baader said the city is bracing for the change but he doesn’t expect trouble.
“Shuttles will be running later and we’ve beefed up the police and fire departments,” he said. “The state patrol is watching and Teller County deputies are patrolling but I’m not expecting any trouble. These people are coming up here to be entertained.”
Fire Chief Randy Baldwin said he hopes there won’t be dramatic increase in medical and fire responses but does expect a steady increase as word about changes gets out.
“The city has been aggressive in anticipating our needs and we have added 2 to 8 [a.m.] coverage,” he said. “I expect a change in the type of calls we get. About 76 percent of our calls are medical. Typically, events always bring in additional calls.”
Now that the big change has come, most city officials have a wait-and-see attitude.
“We’ll learn from our experiences and react accordingly,” McPherson said.
Baader is optimistic.
“I hope this is successful,” he said. “Casino health is related to our health as a city. If they see a 15-20 percent increase in revenue we’ll see new investors. We have 2,000 employees in this city and most of them don’t live here. If this change succeeds we have room in our master plan for 1,500 to 2,000 new homes and apartment units. If investors come up with a project you can bet they’ll be assisted.”
Gambling changes
When Colorado voters approved Amendment 50 in November, betting limits in Cripple Creek, Black Hawk and Central City were raised from $5 to $100. As well, the hours were extended to 24/7 and roulette and craps added. In December, voters in Cripple Creek approved the measures for their city. July 2 ushered in a new age for three mountain communities. Seventy-eight percent of the new money generated from the amendment goes for financial aid and classroom instruction at Colorado community colleges.
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