CENTRAL CITY, Colo. -- Higher gaming stakes are expected to help Central City boom once again, adding another chapter to the one time mining town’s boom and bust history.

The most recent boom was when gaming first started in 1991.

Business tapered off as moneyed interests built huge casinos in neighboring Black Hawk.

Now, the higher stakes and 24 hour gaming are expected to bring more business back to historic Central City.

"The new gamer that's going to come up… is going to stay for several days,” said Central City mayor Ron Slinger. “And they're not going to just gamble and eat the whole time."

Slinger said the business community is working at making Central City more of a destination resort.

“There will be more hotels and more casinos,” Slinger said. “But there will also be other amenities. He cited a golf course as an example.

Slinger said the new hotels will not be high risers like the 33-story Ameristar casino under construction in Black Hawk. He said new hotels in Central City will fit in with existing architecture.

“We’re absolutely in love with our main street,” the mayor said. “We like it the way it is.”

But city officials said they want to fill some of the empty stores on Main Street, and develop some of the vacant property in other parts of town.

They see 24-hour gaming as the key to building a critical mass in the historic district.

“We’re going to have more people,” said Joe Behm, president of the Central City Business Improvement District. “They’re going to need more services. They’re going to want more coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and casinos. All that will be driven by higher limits, 24-hour gaming, and the addition of craps and roulette.”

Lone Tree resident Matt Filios said the changes will make Central City more appealing to him.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Steve Boulter, Manager of the Dostal Alley Casino. “But over time the empty store fronts will be filled.”

The managers of what is perhaps the best known icon in Central City, the Opera House, told 7NEWS they’re excited about the new limits.

“We’re the largest historic property owner in Central City,” said Opera House spokeswoman Valerie Hamlin. “We own over thirty properties to house our artists in during the summer. We own the Opera House and the Teller House.”

Hamlin said the higher gaming stakes will provide more tax revenue to the state, which in turn will provide more grant money for historic preservation.

“It will help us take care of our properties and be good stewards,” Hamlin said. “We’ve won many awards and it will help us continue with those efforts.”