Located about an hour south of Colorado Springs and two hours south of Denver, Cripple Creek is a former gold mining town turned gambling resort. Historic East Bennett Avenue traverses much of the downtown, where most of the city’s nine casinos can be found.
Visiting Cripple Creek is a bit like stepping back in time, with the building facades, many original, resembling that Old West style of architecture. But you’ll find the latest slots and table games at just about every casino in town, with locals and out-of-towners alike hoping to hit the jackpot.
Sports Betting In Cripple Creek
New to Colorado in 2020 is sports betting, both in-person and online through sportsbook apps. Multiple Cripple Creek casinos have partnered with global sports betting brands and will offer betting windows on-site or self-service kiosks.
Cripple Creek Retail Sportsbook Locations:
Other casinos in town have formed partnerships to offer online sports betting but do not offer retail sportsbook kiosks, including:
Casino Games
Cripple Creek casinos offer all of the table games you would expect, from blackjack and three-card poker to roulette and craps. Not all casinos have table games, but if slots are your game of choice you will find plenty of one-armed bandits at any casino you find yourself in.
You’ll find these table games in Cripple Creek casinos:
- Blackjack
- Craps
- Roulette
- Ultimate Texas Hold’Em
- Three-Card Poker
- Wild Six Card Draw Poker
Blackjack Variants In Cripple Creek
Blackjack comes in many different varieties these days. In addition to standard 6- or 8-deck shoe games, Cripple Creek casinos offer several variants, including:
- Buffalo Bonus Blackjack
- Buffalo Bonus Blackjack 2
- Double-Up Blackjack
- Double-Deck Pitch
The minimum bet is usually $5, but some casinos in town have special days where the minimum bet is $2 or $3. Colorado’s maximum allowable bet is $100.
Poker Rooms
Poker rooms or house-banked tables are available at the following properties:
- Bronco Billy’s
- Wildwood Casino
- Century Casino
- Double Eagle Casino
- Midnight Rose Hotel & casino
- Brass Ass Casino
- Johnny Nolon’s Casino
Just up the street from Black Hawk is Central City, which saw the very same rush of prospectors invading the city during the mining boom. In its heyday, Central City had a larger population than Black Hawk. Today, it’s the smaller of the two casino towns, featuring about a third of the number of casinos. Central City is a slot lover’s paradise and a perfect gambling spot for people who value the personal service offered by smaller casinos.
Sports Betting In Central City
For the moment, there are no operational sports betting windows in Central City. However, there have been some prominent partnerships made between global sportsbook brands and casinos in town:
In late November 2020, Grand Z Casino and Johnny Z’s announced a partnership with IGT and Maverick Gaming. Both casinos, along with Z Casino in Black are expected to launch the PlaySports online sports betting platform and retail kiosks sometime in the next few months.
Casino Games
Not all casinos in Central City have table games, it’s a more slot-focused casino town. Table games are still closed at casinos statewide until further notice, but the town does offer several table game options.
You’ll find these table games in Central City casinos:
Poker Rooms
Poker rooms or house-banked tables are available at the following Central City properties:
Colorado Casinos COVID Closures
Have Colorado Casinos Opened?
Colorado casinos are open for business, thanks to a pair of variance approvals exempting Teller and Gilpin Counties from provisions of Colorado Governor Jared Polis ‘safer-at-home’ order. Teller county is home to Cripple Creek casinos. Gilpin county is home to Black Hawk and Central City casinos.
For now, all guests and employees must wear masks at all times, and you’ll find mandatory temperature screenings at the entrance of every casino. Only slots are open for now, with table games slated to be revisited by health officials at a later date.
Are Cripple Creek Casinos Open?
Cripple Creek casinos initially reopened on June 15, 2020 after receiving a variance from Teller County health officials. The casinos were limited to 50% occupancy and all visitors required to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.
In mid-November 2020, Cripple Creek casinos again faced the prospect of complete closure due to the county entering the “Orange Zone” laid out by its COVID-19 action plan. After appealing to the county, casinos were allowed to remain open at 25% capacity.
The opening was restricted to slot machines only, with table games set to reopen later as long as there isn’t a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the county.
Are Black Hawk and Central City Casinos Open?
Gilpin County, home of Black Hawk and Central City, reopened casinos on June 17, 2020 without table games. Tables games were reintroduced in September 2020, and they closed again in mid-November 2020.
Tribal casinos in the southern part of the state are holding off on reopening for now, however. Read our report for more information on the state of casino reopenings in La Plata and Montezuma County here.
Further Reading
We’ve been extensively covering the reopening. Here’s some of our additional coverage in case you missed it:
What About Tribal Casinos In Colorado? Are They Open?
The two tribal casinos in Colorado remain closed. La Plata and Montezuma counties, home of Sky Ute and Ute Mountain casinos, will not be allowed to open until the trajectory of their Covid-19 cases starts trending downwards.
When Did Online Sports Betting Launch In Colorado?
As of May 1, online sports betting is officially live! Colorado sports bettors can join the action right now with big-name players like DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, and many more.
Colorado’s retail casinos have yet to open in-person sports betting windows or kiosks, with Saratoga Casino in Black Hawk the first of two exceptions. DraftKings has opened a temporary sportsbook window at the Mardi Gras Casino, also in Black Hawk, on Friday, July 10.
Learn everything you need to know about legal sports betting in Colorado.
