Central City May Lose its Small Town Charm If New Hotel Casino Gets Approved

Each month, Colorado's three gambling towns (Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek) take in about $100 million. Central City alone however, brings in only $6 million. A gambling company wants to put up a big tower hotel/casino that would bring in much more money. The question is, is it worth it to the historic Colorado city?

Clearly, there are lot of people in Colorado that like to take the trip up to the gambling towns of Black Hawk and Central City. Since 1991, people have been feeding slot machines and playing felt games, trying their luck at "cashing in." More times than not, people come back down the mountain unsuccessful in that endeavor. While Black Hawk rakes it in off of gamblers, Central City is much "quieter" when it comes to its gambling.

Personally, when I take my gambling trips up the mountain, I take the Central City Parkway into Central City and do a little gambling there, first. I like how Central City still feels like an old mining town, which it is; Black Hawk has sprawled to become a "Vegas meets Colorado" destination. Sure, Black Hawk can be more fun, but Central City seems more "Colorado," these days.

READ MORE: Central City Now Has a Strip Club?

According to the Denver Post, a gaming developer out of North Carolina, wants to build a 27-floor hotel casino resort on the east side of Central City. This tower would be the second-tallest in the area, coming in behind Ameristar, which has 34 floors. Central City's code currently prohibits anything higher than 52 feet; this proposed tower would shoot up 345 feet. It would definitely stick out, but would it stick out like a "sore thumb?"

If you check out the developer's website, you find that this would appear to be their first job. That's might make it hard for the town's City Council to give its approval when they meet about it on November 4, 2025.