The 101-room property took five years to build. The hotel sits to the right of Wildwood Casino and includes 2,800 square feet of event space.
“This is another historic moment for Cripple Creek. The Wildwood Hotel will be the first stand-alone hotel built since the casino was approved in 1991,” said General Manager Matt Andrigetti, according to local news outlets. “We are thrilled to attract more visitors on weekends and mountain vacations and enjoy great games and all the fun our town offers.”
Cripple Creek is a historic mining town two-and-a-half miles south of Denver. Colorado voters established gambling in the town in 1991.
The opening of Wildwood’s hotel comes almost one year to the day after the casino opened a retail sportsbook. Wildwood partnered with ISI Race & Sports for sportsbook hardware, software and marketing services.
Colorado’s retail sportsbooks have struggled to attract customers since the state legalized sports betting in May 2020. Colorado’s Department of Revenue reported retail wagers made up just 1%, or $2.5m, of May 2021 handle.
The state has not yet released June sports betting figures, but there is hope that a return to expanded casino capacity will lift retail sportsbook figures. Summer months tend to attract more visitors to Cripple Creek, which serves as a weekend getaway for Coloradans.
The launch of a new hotel should improve Wildwood’s ability to attract customers.
Wildwood bills itself as the “Highest Casino in the World.” Its gaming floor is at 9,593 feet above sea level, according to a Denver Post report.
Wildwood conducted a professional survey years ago and found its elevation tops any other casino in the world.
