Bronco Billy’s moves to expand casino

The owners of Bronco Billy’s Sports Bar & Casino in Cripple Creek have acquired the former Uncle Sam’s Casino and may reopen it as part of an expansion plan.

Mark Chaput, managing partner of Pioneer Group Inc., which owns Bronco Billy’s and an adjacent casino, said Friday that the company acquired Uncle Sam’s as part of a plan to add another restaurant because the two eateries in its casinos often operate at or near capacity.

“We desperately need more restaurant seating for our casinos. Our restaurants are very busy, especially in the summer months,” Chaput said. “Other casinos in Cripple Creek use parking and hotel rooms as draws. We do it with our employees and food.”

Pioneer owns the building between its existing casino complex and Uncle Sam’s and will soon decide whether to incorporate it into Uncle Sam’s to create a third casino in the complex, Chaput said. All three casinos would be connected with each other, he said.

Jim Druck, chief executive of Southwest Casino Corp., which operated Uncle Sam’s, said the company closed the gaming hall Sunday because it was “too small. In a super Wal-Mart world, the corner grocery store can’t survive, and we were the corner grocery store.”

The casino’s 15 to 20 employees were shifted to two casinos operated by Southwest in Cripple Creek, Druck said. Southwest this year had planned to close Uncle Sam’s as part of an unsuccessful bid to acquire and merge two more Cripple Creek casinos.

Uncle Sam’s could reopen within three months after minor remodeling, while the adjacent building would require extensive renovation that could take up to nine months, Chaput said. Pioneer is discussing both plans with architects to determine costs, he said.

If Pioneer includes both buildings in the new casino, they could accommodate up to 150 slot machines and card tables, Chaput said. The company plans to file a license application soon for the third casino with the Colorado Gaming Division, he said.

Many Colorado casino owners operate adjacent gaming halls under multiple licenses because casinos are taxed by the state at a higher rate as revenue increases, said Don Burmania, a division spokesman.

State law limits casino owners to three licenses.