Canyon Casino is a long-time gaming favorite in Black Hawk. Photo by Jeffrey V. Smith
By Jeffrey V. Smith
Black Hawk’s Canyon Casino is in the heart of Black Hawk’s gaming district and has a mix of 404 new and classic coin slot machines as well as five table games, including craps and roulette. Part of Black Hawk’s first wave of large casino construction in the 1990’s, the building has long been a part of the city’s gaming history, and was initially opened by Eagle Gaming, L.P. as Harrah’s Casino Black Hawk on Dec. 24, 1993.
In January 1997, limited-stakes gambling and increasing taxes got the best of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., however, and it sold its share in both its Black Hawk and Central City casinos, and left the state by the end of March. Partners bought out Harrah’s minority stake in the casinos and Black Hawk’s Canyon Casino was born April 1, 1997, at 131 Main Street. Eagle Gaming, a privately-held, Colorado-based gaming company, also developed the Riviera Casino Black Hawk. MDM Gaming, Nona Morelli’s, 131 Main Street Limited Liability Co. and Wild West Development Co. are partners in Eagle Gaming.
Harrah’s carved parking spaces from behind its property relocating several structures in the process. File Photo
Soon after the name change, the casino became involved in the controversy to move the city’s iconic historic landmark, the 1896 Lace House, along with five other homes, to make room to expand its parking lot from 100 to 370 spaces. Due to a ban on large parking lots in town, when gambling debuted the only real public parking was at Miner’s Mesa, a 3,000-car lot a long distance from the center of town (and the Canyon Casino). The town later loosened regulations when it became obvious that close-in parking was crucial to a casino’s survival. Eagle Gaming offered to pay $3.5 million to safely move the house, but, ultimately, the plan was blocked by courts on behalf of the Colorado Historical Society.
Harrah's Slots. File photo.
In 1997, a Gilpin County judge, citing a 1976 contract between the city of Black Hawk and the historical society, kept the house from moving until the contract expired in 2006. For a while, the gingerbread house – built by Lucien K. Smith for his wife – remained perched on an island of land with a parking lot carved out of the mountainside around it. After 134 years, the house, considered the finest example of Carpenter Gothic in the West, was moved from 161 Main St. to Mountain City Historic District Village at 410 Gregory St. and restored. The newly created cluster of historic mining homes was made possible by a land swap with Canyon Casino’s owners.
The Canyon Casino opened in December 1997 following Harrah’s Casino’s exit from Colorado. The new signs went up soon after Harrah’s closed. File Photo
Today, Canyon Casino’s 13,240 square foot gaming space features a roulette wheel, three blackjack tables and a craps table along with 404 total slots, including a wide variety of video slots. One hundred of the slot machines are the variety that drop coins, which have become rare in today’s technology age. New games like Tiger’s Realm, Griffin’s Gate, Zeus II, Silver Sword, Bright Diamond and Gems Gems Gems are coming soon. The casino also recently added The Sure Bet Snack Shop, located on the second floor. It offers snacks like nachos, hot dogs and soft pretzels for $2 or less and personal pizzas starting at $3.
