A popular location with prospectors in the past, Cripple Creek is still known nowadays as a place where fortunes can be made or lost. This time around, it's not because of its gold mines, but because of the legalized limited stakes gambling that flourishes in the town.

Together with Black Hawk, Cripple Creek makes up a large percent of all the gambling going on in the state of Colorado. While Central City is a fine example of a cosy little gambling hideout, in the popularity column, Cripple Creek is more reminiscent of Black Hawk.

If large crowds are not your thing, Cripple Creek is probably not what you're looking for, however, if you intend to spend a little quality time in the city, gambling, you'd better book your room in advance, because you might be in for a big surprise if you leave everything for the last moment.

Also if you intend to pay the place a visit in the wintertime, make sure you listen to the weather forecast carefully before departing. Weather in Cripple Creek can be very treacherous, especially in the winter.

With all that said and done, let's take a closer look at what this town has on offer for gamblers and for tourists in general.

The Brass Ass Casino is definitely not the largest casino in town, however, there's a good reason we started our tour of the Cripple Creek gambling facilities with this very casino. The history of the Brass Ass is interweaved with the history of the town itself. It was the very first casino in Cripple Creek, named after the original brass ass they have in their window, one of the brass donkeys that was used to launch boats at the 1893 World Exposition in Chicago.

The inside of the casino is a museum with fine examples of Old West street decor, ( street lamps, signs and so on) You'll find the very first electrically lit sign in Cripple Creek here ( H.H Rosser's Poolhall) Gambling-wise, the Brass Ass offers a huge variety of slot machines, video poker and video blackjack. If you decide to gamble here, you'll get drinks on the house, a hot-dog with toppings and a fresh bag of popcorn. Free parking is also available.

The Brass Ass doesn't have a slot club, however, their generous promotions more than make up for it.

In their own words, Bronco Billy's is a "true Colorado style casino". What else would you better like to find in a Colorado town, than a true Colorado style casino?

Authenticity is the key-word for Bronco Billy's Casino located on East Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek.

As far as gambling establishments go, Bronco Billy's is by far my own personal favorite in town. It' is small enough not to be overly flashy and corny, it is authentic, but in the same time, it's large enough to  have live poker. Besides the live poker table, they also have no less than 6 live blackjack tables, a host of slot machines ( there are about 600)  and video poker.

As far as dining is concerned, you can either eat at The Home Cafe or at The Steakhouse. The latter is considered the best diner in town as well as one of the best steak houses in southern Colorado.

Staying with the "local touch" we next present The Colorado Grande Casino, located also on East Bennett Avenue. ( close to Bronco Billy's)

Also one of the smaller casinos, the Colorado Grande offers 194 slot machines, with in-house progressives. When feeling hungry, you can eat at Maggie's Restaurant, ( 94 seats available) where you'll be able to choose from a nice selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner, low carb or heart smart meals.

Based on your play, the Colorado Grande Casino reward system will offer you free food, free hotel rooms and cash coupons. For every dollar you gamble at the casino you earn 1 player point. For every 1000 such points earned you receive $5 back.

When in Cripple Creek, also on East Bennett Avenue, you'll come across Creeker's Casino. Creeker's is also a small casino with no live poker or live blackjack on offer.

Billed "the friendliest casino" casino in Cripple Creek it offers 203 slot machines with in house progressives. Video poker is also available.

There's also a chapel, part the casino building, where Vegas style weddings are ministered, ( provided you hold a Colorado marriage license) and this makes Creeker's quite a unique place.

The live music coupled with the authenticity of the place, indeed makes Creeker's quite possibly the friendliest casino in Colorado.