Gambling in the Rocky Mountains

Abstract

Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek (Colorado), and Deadwood (South Dakota) is analyzed through interdependencies between local history, geog­raphy, and regional and national developments of the gaming and heritage industries. First, local history and the pro‑gaming campaigns are examined. Second, the economic, social, and political transformations that followed the onset of gaming in the late 1980s and the early 1990s are discussed. The cur­rent situation is then analyzed from the same perspectives. Finally, current chal­lenges to the towns' tourism economies are examined. These include schisms related to historic preservation of local architecture, the intensification of old regional rivalries, and competition in the gaming and heritage tourism mar­kets nationwide. The examination shows how planning, communication, and examination of the bigger picture and its contextual interdependencies are cru­cial for sustainable development at the local level. Comparative studies on community developments that are sensitive to space, time, and scale support the goal of a broader understanding of sustainability.