Jacqueline Hart Gibson, Black Hawk. It was announced January 24, 2020, that the Golden Gates, Golden Gulch and Mardis Gras casinos in Black Hawk were acquired by Twin River Worldwide Holding, TRWH, out of Rhode Island, for 51 million dollars. The company also announced, via their marketing representative Megan McGuinness at McGuinness Media, TRWH has formed partnerships for the rights of three sports gaming licenses for these properties. The company reports they will make an announcement regarding sports betting at these locations at a later date.  

Golden Gates, Golden Gulch and Mardis Gras casinos are located together at 300 Main Street in Black Hawk. The properties contain 20 table games, 700 slots, and a poker parlor. There are three restaurants, a 24 hour bar service, and a parking garage. 

President and Chief Executive Officer of TRWH George Papanier stated, “We are very pleased to close this transaction, the latest in our on-going efforts to diversify our portfolio.” In addition to the casinos recently acquired, TRWH also owns two casinos in Rhode Island, one in Mississippi, one in Delaware and Arapahoe Park Racetrack in Aurora, CO. 

President and CEO of TRWH George Papanier, and Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer Phil Juliano, answered a few questions to give Black Hawk employees and residents some clarification as to how this acquisition will affect the community. Here’s what they had to say.  

What are Twin River’s intentions for the staff currently employed at Golden Gate/Golden Gulch and Mardi Gras casinos? Are their current positions secure? Will there be new opportunities open to them due to the change? Will benefits packages change at all? 

We have committed to retain all employees, up to and including the General Manager Brandon Lenssen. As far as opportunities, TRWH is a rapidly expanding company with many internal growth opportunities available within the organization. A number of our management positions have been filled by internal candidates, as we try to promote within whenever possible. We have properties in Rhode Island, Mississippi, Delaware, Colorado and more coming online soon in new markets. It’s an exciting time to be part of this flourishing company. There is a new corporate benefits plan in place for employees which allows them to have an annual savings in premiums, so employees that partake in the new TRWH company benefits offered will see a cost savings when compared to their previous structure.

 Twin River did significant renovations to properties purchased in Rhode Island. Are there plans to do the same here and what might that look like for local residents and employees, i.e. time off work during reconstruction, etc?

As with any of our acquisitions, one of our core strategies is to grow revenues with capital improvements. This is a key ingredient to the promotion and enhancement of the property. We plan to do these enhancements in stages, as to not affect the operation all at once, but to make these updates over time as we continue to serve our guests.

Are there any events planned to celebrate new ownership and if so when, and what will those events look like? 

We are very concerned about making promises and under delivering. So, once we complete the renovations and modifications to the facility that will enable us to make a promise we CAN deliver on, we will launch that promise with appropriate activities for our guests and employees. Meanwhile, within our offers and incentives we send to customers, we will offer an improved value proposition for existing customers in direct mail, advertising, etc. We do see a golden opportunity in the market for these three casinos, which are located right in the center of Black Hawk.

The properties your company has acquired in the past were invested in and value in the properties increased. Is that the vision for Golden Gate/Golden Gulch/Mardi Gras casinos as well? 

Absolutely. We will take a few months to evaluate the operations and look for opportunities and ways we can enhance the property. This includes evaluating gaming product, food and beverage offerings and floor layouts to name a few. A very exciting opportunity we just announced on Monday, January 27, 2020, in a press release is partnerships with DraftKings Inc. and FanDuel Group, two of the nation’s top sportsbooks. These market access partnerships will allow us to give sports fans in Colorado access to award-winning mobile sports betting products, as well as an exciting DraftKings retail sportsbook location inside one of our newly acquired casinos. This is just one example of ways we will seek to improve the guest experience and grow our market share.

(Originally published in the January 30, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)