Colorado Gambling History
Whenever someone says something about gambling, the first American state that comes to everyone’s mind is Nevada. Las Vegas is indeed pretty much the center of the brick and mortar gambling universe, but you need to know, gambling is not exclusive to the aforementioned great state.
What would you say if I told you, Colorado was also a good gambling destination? Let me rephrase that : an excellent gambling destination.
People who know a few things about gambling in the U.S.A., will certainly think of indian gambling, after all, there are Ute reservations in the state, and wherever there’s an indian reservation there’s bound to be some indian casinos around.
For those of you who had no idea there were indians in Colorado: shame on you, and put your hands on some history books asap, or read below.
The Ute are the oldest continuous residents of Colorado. Historians think they came to the eastern slopes of the Rockies in search of food from Utah and New Mexico but nobody can exactly pinpoint when that happened. One thing is likely, though, the Ute might’ve been the very reason that forced the ancient Anasazi people of the area, into the sandstone caverns, where remains of their civilization can still be found today. The Ute might have come to Colorado on their own or they, themselves might’ve been displaced by other peoples and forced to move. It it known that they were surrounded by mostly hostile tribes in the Colorado area, like the Navajo and Apache to the south, to the east by the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Sioux, and Pawnee, and the Shoshone and Paiute to the west.
The Ute language is Shoshonean. Over time, the Utes broke up into several smaller factions. The Mouache and Capote factions are the ones making up the present day southern Utes with their headquarters at Ignacio, Colorado. This is the town where the Sky Ute Casino is located. A mere 25 minutes away from Durango, but also close to Pagosa Springs and Farmington, Sky Ute Casino is a complex tourist destination with attractions that far exceed gambling. They will accommodate conferences, they have swimming pools, hot tubs, a restaurant ( the Pino Nuche) and a cafe, in a word, everything a tired gambler needs to give his bones a rest, after a hard day of poker, blackjack or roulette.
The casino itself will not disappoint visitors. Besides the games you've grown to expect in a casino ( roulette, slots), they went to great lengths to bring players a top-notch table-gaming experience. They have blackjack, ( six deck shoe and two deck pitch), the usual Texas Holdem and Omaha. They also have three-card poker. The most important thing - something that I particularly appreciate – is, that their card room is completely smoke-free.
The Weeminuches form the Ute Mountain tribe nowadays, with their headquarters in Towaoc. They also have a casino, the Ute Mountain Casino.
Ute Mountain also offers a wide range of casino games:Texas Holdem, Omaha, Bingo, Keno, Blackjack, video poker and slots.
The slots they have at Ute Mountain Casino are linked up with the slots at Sky Ute Casino and with other Colorado-based gambling facilities. This will give birth to a huge progressive jackpot. Hit that and your worries are literally over for the rest of your life.
Events and promotions are also abundant in the Casino. A high variety of poker tournaments are held on a regular basis. The March Madness Keno tournament has a generous prize-pool of $2000. Every Wednesday at 7pm, there's a 3-card-poker tournament. For a mere $10 buyin you get the chance to win over $700.
If you imagine that Ute Mountain Casino is some sort of small, traditional-looking venue, think again. There's a large restaurant called Kuchu's, a hotel, offering all the comfort you could possibly expect. Though the hotel suits are built around a distinct Anasazi theme, it may all be a far cry from a truly genuine native-american atmosphere. Don't be turned off, though. If you feel like sleeping in a teepee, Ute Mountain will give you the possibility. Use their RV park and campground. The campground is complete with pull-through RV spaces, restrooms, tent spaces, shower, laundry, playground, game room, heck, there's even cable TV. It is ultimately up to you, how genuine your indian gambling experience becomes.
Though raiders and warriors in the past, the Ute will surprise you with their hospitality and generosity. Do not miss the chance to pay a visit to one of Colorado's Ute casinos.local musicians, like C.C. Collier. It's a mainstay!
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