Table games, which haven’t been played at Colorado’s three casino towns since March—even after they reopened last month—could be returning in Gilpin County, home of the largest casino town, Black Hawk.
The County is submitting a proposal on safe table game play practices to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Currently only slot play is allowed anywhere in the state. The casinos closed in March and then partially reopened last month.
The protocols include require hand sanitizer before touching cards and frequent changing of decks. They would also minimize card touching.
The numbers of players would be limited, with the numbers depending on the type of game.
Gilpin County Commissioner Ron Engels commented, “In anything we do when reopening the economy, there is a certain level of risk and we have considered that and we have a mitigation process in place.” He added, “We’re absolutely willing to implement that policy to clamp back down if we are starting to see there be too many cases coming out of the casino.”
Meanwhile, officials in Cripple Creek waived fees on gambling machines for the first two weeks in June. It was the third such action taken by city leaders since Colorado casinos were ordered to close on March 17 due to Covid-19. The city council previously waived fees for the months of April and May. The latest waiver will save casinos $145,495. Altogether, the city has waived $762,002 in fees, which previously had been a major source of revenue for the city. As a result, Cripple Creek cut its 2020 budget by $2.2 million.
Despite the financial pressure resulting from the waivers, city officials and council members support them, stating it’s unfair to charge gambling machine fees while casinos were forced to remain closed. The venues have since reopened by only with slot machines. Interim City Administrator Paul Harris said gaming operators are seeking a variance on current restrictions against roulette, craps, poker and blackjack.
However, Harris noted table games are not as popular in Cripple Creek as they are in Black Hawk, which continually leads the state’s gaming industry. But Harris said table games contribute to the “mini-Vegas” atmosphere.
