Century Casinos began life as Casinos Austria and was created in 1992 by several executives.
Century Casinos are rooted in Colorado where, in 1996, it purchased Womack's Saloon & Gaming Parlor for $13.5m. This combined project (it merged with Alpine Gaming in 1994) would later take on the Century Casino name in 2010.
Century Casinos spread its reach in tribal-based casinos through the 90s, opening the Legends casino at the Soboba Reservation in California in 1995. In 1996, Century Casinos relocated their HQ from Denver back to Cripple Creek, Colorado, where it first opened its retail operations.
In the late 90’s, Century Casinos began to think more globally, obtaining a Marriott hotel in Prague in 1994. In 2000, it was awarded a license for a casino in Caledon, South Africa, which it would manage and co-own.
It wasn’t until 2007 that the company identified Poland as an emerging marketplace. They paid $8.7m to acquire a 33% stake in Casinos Poland. Century Casinos further increased its stake to 67% in 2013.
They continued to expand to new global markets throughout the 2010s. In Canada, it purchased the Silver Dollar Casino in Calgary, Alberta in 2010 for $10.5m and then the Apex casino in Saint Albert for £12.3m in 2016. In England, it purchased a small casino being developed in the city of Bath which opened in 2018.
The company recognized the value of riverboat casinos in the infancy of this industry. They cleverly circumnavigate the laws imposed by states that stopped the building of land based casinos. One such state that operates riverboat casinos is Indiana and, after protracted legal struggles they were able to open the Belterra riverboat casino in 2000.
The project was a joint venture between Century Casinos and Hospitality Franchise Systems, which had partnered with Century Casinos in 1994. When their Belterra riverboat project was sold, the company received $2.9m.
The company’s ventures in the riverboat casino sector would prove fruitful later. They now operate casinos on four cruise ships for TUI Cruises.
Century Casinos consolidated its position as a foremost gambling company in Colorado. In 2021, Century announced its partnership with the UK sports gambling company Bet365 to launch sports betting operations in the Centennial State.
