- Sports betting launched in Colorado on May 1, 2020
- Colorado’s sports betting industry is off to a solid start despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Wildwood Casino sportsbook is the fourth retail betting outlet in Colorado.
The fourth retail sportsbook has opened in Colorado at Cripple Creek’s Wildwood Casino. Dubbed ‘Woody’s Sportsbook’, it is the first retail betting outlet in Cripple Creek and joins the property’s mobile betting platform at BetWildwood.com.
Located inside Woody’s Sports Bar and Grill the new sportsbook features a full bar and restaurant, a wall of TVs and two ticket windows supplemented by a number of betting kiosks. The live ticket writers are available during the hours the restaurant is open–10 AM to 10 PM Mountain Time–while the kiosks are available 24/7. The sportsbook is operating under necessary health and safety precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic. One interesting feature: each sportsbook chair has a button which guests press when they’re ready to leave. This alerts casino staff to sanitize the seat for the next guest. Wildwood Casino reopened on June 15 and initiated a number of health/safety practices including on-demand cleaning crews, temperature checks, hand sanitizer stations and UV light technologies. At this time, all of the casino’s patrons are required to wear masks under the statewide mandate issued by Colorado governor Jared Polis late in the week.
Wildwood Casino’s General Manager Matt Andrighetti is happy to have the retail sportsbook open after delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic:
“We’re excited to welcome sports bettors to the premier of our sportsbook. It’s been a long wait getting to this day with the pandemic cancelling sporting events, but we’ve made it.”
Business has been fairly brisk at Wildwood Casino as well as the other properties in Cripple Creek. The property has been near capacity every weekend and have been forced to turn people away at times.
Wildwood’s sports betting operation is powered by Las Vegas based ISI Race & Sports. They specialize in providing B to B sports betting software and solutions. ISI was responsible for developing the first self service kiosks used in Nevada and have previously worked with William Hill and IGT. They’ve since expanded to full service retail sports betting solutions as well as risk management and other back of the house functions. They also power Wildwood’s mobile betting platform.
Wildwood Casino is operated by American Gaming Group and CEO Joseph J. Canfora is pleased to be working with ISI:
“Wildwood has become the market leader for casinos in Cripple Creek and we wanted a partner who could help us achieve the same status for retail and online sports betting. We are able to combine our extensive knowledge of the local Colorado market with ISI’s 20 years offering sports betting services and the Amelco betting platform and native mobile apps to create a winning experience for our customers.”
Likewise, ISI President Bill Sterns is excited to play a part in developing the Colorado sports betting market:
“We are very excited about the opportunity to help bring sports betting to Colorado. We’ve been doing this for more than 20 years and have developed best practices that help our partners get out of the gate early and maintain their lead in sports betting.”
Wildwood is the largest casino in Cripple Creek offering 500 slot machines, table games and multiple dining options. They also operate the 67-room Gold King Inn and the Gas N’ Roll gas station and convenience store. Wildwood is in the process of building a new 102-room hotel tower adjacent to the casino. They also have the unique distinction of claiming to be the ‘highest casino in the world’ at 9,593 feet above sea level. CEO Canfora says the property did extensive research to ascertain this fact. Surveyor Roland G. Obering, P.E. & P.L.S., from Obering, Wurth & Associates, LLP said in a statement that the elevation at the entrance to the gaming floor on the north side of the casino is 9,593 feet above sea level. Presumably, that means they’ve now got the highest sportsbook in the world as well.
