[Farmer’s Pick Buffet in Isle Casino in Black Hawk, CO. Photo: Isle Casino] The thought of visiting casinos conjures up several stereotypes, from the glittering slot machines and bustling table games to the all you can buffets. This latter casino staple, most known for its cheap eats in the City of Sin, Las Vegas, the casino buffet has a home in Colorado as well.

Things we care the most are related to security, license, casino bonus structure and gaming facilities. The table below will show you the best Colorado online casino and mention the top three reasons on why you should visit them. Online casino gambling in Colorado is not legal at the moment. However, it is a whole different story when it comes to gambling in land-based casinos. There are three towns in the Centennial State where all forms of gambling in commercial casinos are permitted. Those gambling-friendly towns are Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek.

Although you won’t wind sprawling buffets at all of Colorado’s gambling halls, there are a handful of casino restaurants with buffets to choose from. Out of the 3 casino towns in the state, only buffets can be found in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek. The casinos in Central City are without them to our knowledge.

Because these buffets are located inside the casino, you’ll need to be 21+ to dine. It’s best practice to sign up for the local casinos awards program. This can track your time spent playing and reward you with discounts at some of these very same restaurants. Plus these free programs are free to sign up for and often required for the member pricing at most of these restaurants. Casino parking usually located on-site in a free parking garage.

Best Buffets in Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, CO Casinos

Colorado has taken a very liberal stance toward gambling over the years. Today, almost all forms of gaming are perfectly legal here. Unsurprisingly, many Coloradans are now making the switch from land-based casinos to online casinos. Today, our team of experts is checking out some of the best Colorado online casinos available right now. Colorado Online Casinos This is one of the states that at first glance should hold a large portion of the US online gambling opportunities, with high expectations towards the legalization of online gambling and casinos. This idea is based on the extensive Colorado casinos list existent within the CO state’s borders.

To really make your Gilpin or Teller County casino day a trip to remember, be sure to do more than gamble. You can play casino games virtually anywhere, there are online casinos for that. Instead soak in the local culture, and make sure you get a bit to eat, or two, or three. Go up as many times as you feel to the buffet.

Sometimes you’re hitting the table hard and need to fill up on all you can eat grub, to soak up the free booze and slow down play. Other times it’s just fun to feel like you’re actually beating the house (in terms of money spent) by enjoying the flexible nature of restaurant buffets. Here are the best casino buffets in Colorado:

Ameristar’s Centennial Buffet – Black Hawk

Another adult only, 21+ buffet is located at Ameristar, only steps away form the casino floor. “The world awaits” at this exceptional casino buffet in Black Hawk. It allows you to dine on fare from China to Italy. There’s also the standard American and Mexican fare you’d expect in Colorado. Last but not least is the delectable dessert bar at the Centennial Buffet.

Stations include:

• Seafood Station
• Mexican Station
• Italian Station
• Asian Station
• American Grill
• Carving Station
• Salad Bar
• Hot Bread Station
• Lavish Desserts

Reservations are not accepted, it is first come, first serve. The impressive interior has a rich mountain ambiance, with hand-hewn timbers, iron fixtures and massive stone columns.

There is a Champagne Brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 2pm. The Lunch Buffet runs from 11am to 2pm Wednesday to Friday. The Dinner Buffets runs Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 4pm weekdays and 3pm on weekends.

111 Richman, Casino Pkwy level 1, Black Hawk, CO 80422 | 720-946-4080

Farmer’s Pick Buffet at Isle Casino – Black Hawk

The Isle Casino & Hotel is one of the favorites in Black Hack. This massive casino features over 1100 slots and daily lunch and dinner buffets, along with weekend breakfast and brunch bufffets. The Farmer’s Pick Buffet offers a huge range of food, from pizza to sushi rolls.

What’s special about the Farmer’s Pick Buffet is that it partners with the region’s growers to ensure you get the freshest fare around. There are over 60 tasty items to pick from at the buffet, including a healthy salad bar and savory desert bar. These locally grown ingredients make for a more nutritious and delicious meal. Products, meat, eggs, it’s all fresh for farm-to-form dining.

The lunch buffet runs 11am to 2pm Monday to Friday and its combined with the brunch buffet from 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. There’s also a Saturday and Sunday morning breakfast from 8am to 10pm. Dinner service 3:30pm to close every day of the week.

401 Main St, Black Hawk, CO 80422 | 303-998-7777

Monarch’s The Buffet – Black Hawk

Calling itself “Black Hawk’s Premier Dining Buffet”, The Buffet at Monarch Casino is a nightly can’t miss if you’re a fan of lobster and crab. You must be 21+ to dine at this buffet. The nightly event provides Whole Main Lobster (1 per person), Snow Crab and USDA Prime Rib. Plus a whole bunch of buffet staples. On weekends there is a wonderful Saturday and Sunday Champagne & Mimosa Brunch.

These unique stations are ready to serve at any time:

• Asian Station
• American Station
• Southwest Station
• Seafood Station
• Live Action Station
• Dessert Station

Every Monday to Thursday from 3:30pm to 10pm there is a Lobster, Crab and USDA Prime Rib Dinner. The Seafood Spectacular is held Friday and Saturday from 3:30pm to Midnight and Sunday from 3:30pm to 10pm. On weekends the Champagne & Mimosa Brunch is from 9am to 2:30pm.

Every day enjoy All You Can Eat Crab Legs! These snow crab legs are available daily starting at 3:30pm and all day long on weekends. To receive the best deals and member price sign up for Monarch Rewards.

488 Main St, Black Hawk, CO 80422 | 303-582-1000

Seasons Buffet at The Lodge Casino – Black Hawk

“Your 1st choice for fun!” The Lodge Casino is a locals’ favorite with a big sized casino, a myriad of games and unique amenities like its attached hotel and buffet. You must be 21+ to dine at the Seasons Buffet.

Every day there is a breakfast buffet from 7:30am to 10:30am. On Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm there is a brunch. On weekdays Monday to Friday lunch is served from 11am to 3pm. The dinner buffet begins at 4pm daily.

There are theme nights on Tuesday and Wednesday, so no crap legs. It’s best to sign up for the free membership at Guest Services to receive the member pricing here. All former and active military, as well as first responders receive 20% off at the Seasons Buffet.

240 Main St L2, Black Hawk, CO 80422 | 303-582-6374

The Down Under Restaurant Buffet at Midnight Rose – Cripple Creek

One of three adjacent Triple Crown Casinos, the Midnight Rose boasts several one-of-a-kind highlights. It has the only poker room in Cripple Creek. It also boasts the town’s only casino buffet at The Down Under Restaurant. Touted as the “Best Fine Dining In Town”, probably gets its name from its basement location under the Midnight Rose.

This fine dining establishment is an excellent choice to make your vacation complete. Every Thursday to Sunday there is a satisfying Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet. Pair your meal with an excellent wine from a wide array of choices. Then finish with a yummy desert. With low lighting, wooden oak floors and historic brick walls The Down Under Restaurant exudes ambiance.

256 E Bennett Ave, Cripple Creek, CO 80813 | 719-689-0303

The recent gambling expansion bill and referendum in Colorado did not include provision for online casino games. Bill 1327 has bought sports betting online. This joins pari-mutuel horse racing bets and daily fantasy sports contests on the statutes of the Centennial state.

There are options for online casino fans – via sweepstakes gambling sites. These sites have slots and (limited) casino games. You can play for ‘sweeps coins’ instead of dollars, which means that the games are considered sweepstakes contests in the eyes of the law. Those sweeps coins can be exchanged for dollars if you win.

Best Online Sweepstakes Casinos:

This guide looks at online casino games in Colorado in depth. You’ll find information about the sweepstakes casinos, social casinos and a preview of what any future regulated online casino scene in Colorado could look like below.

Colorado online casinos: Introducing sweepstakes

Sweepstakes contests are usually associated with retail businesses. They offer drawings or other games as an incentive to buy from them.

Every state has laws allowing these contests – including Colorado.

There are casinos online operating around the country that turn slots and casino table games into mini sweepstakes contests. From the perspective of players, the spin of a slot or shuffle of cards looks exactly the same as you’d find in any casino.

To make this model legal, the casinos have to:

There needs to be some way to let players enter the contests without needing to make a purchase. The casinos give you free sweeps coins if you send them a letter or in some cases, award you with free sweeps just for logging in.

This does sound complex, although when you strip away the terms the model is simple. You buy gold coins, get sweeps coins for free and then use those sweeps coins to enter contests (casino games). If you win, then you can exchange those sweeps coins to dollars and legally withdraw them to your bank.

Online casino brands available in Colorado

There are two major brands offering legal online casino gambling under sweepstakes rules:

• Chumba Casino: The online casino for Chumba has slots, video poker, blackjack and keno available. Most of the game titles are slots, many of which have big progressive jackpots. Titles are colorful with many complex and entertaining games. They include Triple Double Fever, Viking Odyssey, Cupids Fortune, Crazy Bunny Spin and Stampede Fury. You will get $2 in sweeps coins at Chumba simply for registering. If you like what you find, a matched deposit bonus is also available.
• LuckyLand Slots: This brand exclusively offers slot games. There are 60+ titles available, covering all the popular slot themes. These are unique games, not the same titles that you’ll find in live casinos or at online casinos in regulated states. Look out for the big progressives. LuckyLand Slots casino offer new players a matched welcome bonus. Slot titles include Vaults of Valhalla, Amazonia 3D, Buffalo Rush, Clover Cash and Mayan Gold. This casino can be accessed via a website or Android app.

Social online casinos in Colorado

Many players enjoy casino games but don’t want to gamble real money. Social casino apps and websites fill this niche. They provide access to online slots, along with leaderboard contests and social network features.

You’ll find some of the slots at social casinos are online versions of popular live slots – for example Dancing Drums or Zeus.

Chips can be purchased via social casino apps, though these are for play-money purposes only and can’t be redeemed or exchanged for real money. Social online casino brands include House of Fun, Viva Vegas Slots and Doubledown Casino.

What would future regulated online casinos look like?

It will take new legislation to bring regulated online casinos to Colorado. These are already allowed in other states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia.

By looking at how things work in those states – we can get a good idea of how a future legal casino setup would operate.

There are more than 30 live casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. If CO followed other states, these venues would all be able to apply for licenses to operate online casinos. It is unlikely that you’ll see ‘Gilpin Casino’, ‘Wild Bills Casino’ and so on appear as websites. In the regulated states, the pattern is that local casinos partner with the big online casino brands.

These casinos then appear online as 888 Casino, Bet365 Casino, Unibet Casino and so on. The ties with the brick and mortar venue goes beyond the license. Players can make deposits at the cage of the linked live casino (as well as depositing directly through the apps or casino websites).

Some brands will have a single wallet for sports betting and casino games (and poker, where this is also available). Others will treat their casinos separately.

With so many potential online casinos in Colorado, competition would be fierce. This would be a boost for players – who would be able to take advantage of many different bonus offers and promotions.

In regulated states, casinos offer a mix of no-deposit free play, and matched deposit bonuses on your first deposits. You’ll also find loyalty rewards and regular promotions on offer. By signing up with several different brands, players can make sure they are always clearing one bonus or another while enjoying their favorite slots and table games online.

What kind of games are available at online casinos?

Casino games have come a long way since the early days of online gambling. The number of titles, especially slots, has expanded massively. There are also plenty of table games, video poker variants and scratch card style games available.

The biggest single change at online casinos has been the shift from software-based table games to live dealer games. Better networks and computers make it possible to stream games from remote studios based in casinos. You then bet on these using your computer. Live dealer games have a social feel – though they do tend to be slower than the software-based equivalents. You’ll find blackjack, roulette, baccarat and casino poker style games at live dealer online casinos.

If you enjoy slots from WMS, IGT, Aristocrat and others, then you’ll now find many of them at online casinos. In a future regulated online casino market in Colorado, you can expect these to be listed among titles created especially for online use. Slots work well on casino apps, fitting perfectly onto your smartphone screen when you flip into landscape view. There are slots with progressive jackpots, interactive bonus games and games themed on big movie and TV franchises online.

Video poker also has multiple variations online. You’ll find many more titles than just the Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild standards. These include many multi-hand variants, plus games with bonus multipliers (Bonus Poker and others).

New technology has enabled innovative new titles. These include virtual betting games involving horses, soccer and auto-racing. Keno, Bingo, scratch cards and novelty titles (some based on TV game shows) complete the list.

Live casinos in Colorado

Casinos in Colorado have been legal since 1991. These are located in 3 places, namely Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City. There are also tribal casinos in Colorado, at Ute Mountain. This setup is different to many other states. Instead of a smaller number of large ‘resort’ type venues, Colorado has many smaller casinos – many with a rich history going all the way back to days of pioneers.

Here are the casinos you’ll find, grouped into the 3 areas:

Casinos in Black Hawk

• Bill Durham Saloon and Casino
• Bullpen Casino
• Bullwhacker’s Black Hawk Canyon and Grand Plateau Casino
• Colorado Central Station Casino
• Dan Cooper’s Eureka! Casino
• The Gilpin Casino
• Golden Gates Casino
• Golden Gulch Casino
• Mardi Gras Casino
• Isle of Capri Hotel and Casino
• The Lodge Casino
• Red Dolly Casino
• The Richman Wild Card Saloon and Casino
• Riviera Black Hawk Casino
• Saratoga Casino
• Silver Hawk Saloon and Casino

Casinos in Cripple Creek

• Black Diamond Casino and Saloon
• Brass Ass Casino
• Bronco Billy’s Casino
• Colorado Grande Casino
• Creeker’s Gaming Hall
• Double Eagle Hotel and Casino
• Gold Creek Casino
• Gold Diggers Casino
• Gold Rush Hotel and Casino
• Imperial Casino
• J.P. McGills Hotel and Casino
• Johnny Nolon’s Casino
• Midnight Rose Hotel and Casino
• Uncle Sam’s Casino
• Wild Horse Casino
• Womacks Casino and Hotel

Casinos in Central City

• Century Casino
• Doc Holliday Casino
• Dostal Alley Brewpub and Casino
• Easy Street Casino
• Famous Bonanza
• Reserve Casino Hotel
• Scarlet’s Casino
• Teller House

Other forms of Colorado online gambling

While the options for online casino games are currently limited. There are several other ways to legally gamble online in Colorado.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests are legal and regulated. These games involve picking line-ups of players and entering them into contests including one-on-one cash games and bigger tournaments. The most popular DFS sites are FanDuel and DraftKings.

You can also legally bet online on horse races. This involves entering pari-mutuel betting pools at tracks around the country. Horse racing betting sites offer data and sometimes live streams of the races. Brands include Bet America, TwinSpires and TVG.

Sports betting was the most recent addition. This went live in May of 2020. Many of the casinos listed above have retail sportsbooks. You can also bet online via sports betting apps anywhere within state lines.

Wrapping up: Online casinos in Colorado

As things stand, there is no legislation on the books or in plan to legalize online casinos in Colorado. With the introduction of sports betting via mobile devices, the Centennial state has recently expanded online gambling significantly. Tax revenues from sports betting could potentially lead to a further expansion – which would pave the way for future legislation covering online casinos and poker rooms.

With so many live casinos in Colorado, competition for licenses would be fierce. This would not only give residents the choice of many major brands – it would mean a big choice of welcome bonus offers too.

Online Casino Colorado Hotels

In the meantime, there are legal options for online casino fans. Sweepstakes casinos operate with a dual-currency model, keeping them legal under existing sweepstakes contest laws. While their range of games and slots is limited, these are high quality. You can use sweeps cash to play, and if you win (including progressive jackpots), you can exchange these back to dollars and withdraw to your bank.