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Colorado Belle

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Coordinates: 35°09′29″N 114°34′19″W / 35.15798°N 114.57203°W / 35.15798; -114.57203
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Colorado Belle
The property as seen from the Colorado River in 2018
Location Laughlin, Nevada, U.S.
Address 2100 South Casino Drive
Opening dateNovember 10, 1980; 43 years ago (1980-11-10)
Closing dateMarch 17, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-03-17)
ThemeRiverboat
No. of rooms1,168
Total gaming space42,706 sq ft (3,967.5 m2)
OwnerGolden Entertainment
Renovated in1997, 2005 , 2012
Websitecoloradobelle.com

The Colorado Belle was a casino hotel on the banks of the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada, owned and operated by Golden Entertainment. Initially closed on March 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on May 18, 2020, Golden Entertainment announced that the Colorado Belle would remain closed "indefinitely," even after casinos were allowed to reopen.[1] As of January 2024, the property remains closed.

The Colorado Belle is a fixed building made to look like a six-deck replica of a 19th-century Mississippi River paddle steamer riverboat, with 1,168 rooms in two seven-story towers. The casino had 42,706 sq ft (3,967.5 m2) of gaming space with 750 slot machines, and 16 table games.[2][3] The hotel had three restaurants: The Loading Dock, Big Easy Deli, and Pints brewery. The resort also included two pools, a fitness room, two gift shops, a koi pond and an arcade.

History

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Advanced Patent Technology, a slot machine maker and slot route operator, announced plans in 1979 to build a hotel and casino, with the hotel to be managed by Ramada.[4] Construction began in October, as a joint venture with John Fulton, a Southern California restaurateur[5] and the casino was opened on November 10, 1980.[6]

In 1983, a preliminary agreement was reached to sell the casino to a group including attorney William Morris and Circus Circus Enterprises executives William Bennett and William Pennington for $1.6 million[7] but Morris quit the deal a month later.[8] The next year, Circus Circus bought the casino for $4 million, and made plans to move it to make room for an expansion of its neighboring Edgewater Hotel and Casino.[9]

Plans for Colorado Belle were unveiled in 1985[10] and it opened on July 1, 1987, at a cost of $80 million.[11]

Circus Circus Enterprises later became Mandalay Resort Group in 1999 and was bought by MGM Mirage in 2005.

In June 2007, MGM Mirage sold the Colorado Belle and the Edgewater to a partnership of Anthony Marnell III and Sher Gaming for a total of $200 million.[12][13][14]

In January 2019, Golden Entertainment bought the Colorado Belle and the Edgewater from Marnell and Sher for a total of $190 million.[15][16]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colorado Belle was among businesses that were ordered by then-Governor Steve Sisolak to close on March 17, 2020, to prevent the spread of the virus. On May 18, 2020, Golden Entertainment announced that the Colorado Belle would remain closed indefinitely due to the economic impact of the business closures and uncertainty about the market. Approximately 400 employees were laid off, although some could relocate to Golden Entertainment's other properties, such as the Edgewater and Aquarius Casino Resort.[1][17]

The Colorado Belle is the only gaming property in Laughlin that has not reopened since the pandemic closures.[18] In May 2024, a small room fire was reported in the closed hotel, originating from a bathroom exhaust fan that had burned up.[19] As of 2024, the property's website now redirects to KATSU5, an Indonesian online gambling site.

References

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  1. ^ a b Velotta, Richard N. (May 18, 2020). "Laughlin's iconic Colorado Belle to stay closed indefinitely; 400 to lose jobs". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "Nonrestricted Square Footage Report". Nevada Gaming Control Board. March 6, 2018. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Nonrestricted Count Report (Report). Nevada Gaming Control Board. June 30, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Advanced Patent slates gambling-activity boost". Wall Street Journal. via ProQuest. July 26, 1979. ProQuest 134402295. (subscription required)
  5. ^ "Advanced Patent starts hotel-casino construction". Wall Street Journal. via ProQuest. October 8, 1979. ProQuest 134309172.(subscription required)
  6. ^ "Advanced Patent adds 3 directors as part of an SEC settlement". Wall Street Journal. via ProQuest. November 25, 1980. ProQuest 134405424.(subscription required)
  7. ^ "Advanced Patent Technology to sell casino for $1.6 million". Dow Jones News Service. via Factiva. January 10, 1983. Retrieved June 26, 2012.(subscription required)
  8. ^ "Advanced Patent says talks on sale of Nevada casino off". Dow Jones News Service. via Factiva. February 18, 1983. Retrieved June 26, 2012.(subscription required)
  9. ^ "Circus Circus buys casino from Gaming & Technology". Wall Street Journal. via ProQuest. February 16, 1984. ProQuest 397964596.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Circus Circus: New hotel-casino". Wall Street Journal. via ProQuest. August 19, 1985. ProQuest 398031945.(subscription required)
  11. ^ "Colorado Belle sets sail for grand opening". The Courier. June 24, 1987. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  12. ^ Stutz, Howard (October 17, 2006). "MGM Mirage selling two Laughlin casinos". Casino City Times. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  13. ^ Stutz, Howard (May 18, 2007). "Group gets approval to buy casinos". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  14. ^ "MGM Mirage closes sale of Laughlin hotels". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 2, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  15. ^ Velotta, Richard N. (December 5, 2018). "Golden Entertainment closer to operating 2 Laughlin casinos". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  16. ^ "Golden Entertainment completes acquisition of two Laughlin, Nevada casino resorts" (Press release). Golden Entertainment. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via BusinessWire.
  17. ^ Horwath, Bryan (May 18, 2020). "Employees laid off 'indefinitely' at Colorado Belle casino in Laughlin". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  18. ^ Stutz, Howard (February 7, 2022). "Closed casinos, visitation declines hurt two Clark County gamingmarkets". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  19. ^ "Small fire hits iconic Nevada casino". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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35°09′29″N 114°34′19″W / 35.15798°N 114.57203°W / 35.15798; -114.57203

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