The lottery was established in 1983, but even with the state’s growing tolerance of gambling trends, the efforts of establishing a Colorado casino were unsuccessful, up until the end of the 80s, when the backbone of the Central City and Black Hawk local economy was too weak to be sustained. In 1949, horse and dog racing became legal (greyhound racing is now banned) and in the 50s there was even an attempt to make the municipality exempt from the state of Colorado laws which prohibited gambling, but the request was dismissed by the state court. The wind changed direction in 1932 when small-scale gambling was allowed in Central City, where the officials allowed certain games of chance due to the financial benefits they were bringing to the city budget. Not for long, though by 1866, gambling houses became illegal. Keno, roulette, faro, and poker became popular means of entertainment and one of the few escapes from reality that miners could afford. Mining towns across North America have always had a special rapport with casinos and sport betting – being important gold mining locations, Black Hawk and Central City were centers of Colorado gambling scene in the 19th century, where gold rush and the prospect of affluent life brought miners from different parts of the country, each carrying a piece of their past and previous habits with them.
