October 19, 2016 - The Denver Post "Colorado’s gaming powerhouse pushing to become resort destination with offerings beyond casinos"
Black Hawk's next roll of dice
Black Hawk developing distilleries, breweries, pedestrian mall, bike trails in push to become resort destination beyond gambling casinos
Colorado’s gaming powerhouse pushing to become resort destination with offerings beyond casinos
By Jason Blevins | The Denver Post
BLACK HAWK — The budget for this once hard-luck mining town hovered around $150,000 in the late 1980s. Today, thanks to legal gambling and nearly $1 billion worth of casino development, where gamblers lose more than $604 million every year, the city of Black Hawk has an annual budget closer to $25 million. That’s a lot of money for a town of fewer than 100 people.
In recent years, city leaders have used Black Hawk’s share of gaming taxes to buy up nearly all the buildings along its Gregory Street, and to acquire history-rich mines and empty land around town. Now the city is launching an ambitious plan to transform once again, this time into a resort destination.