The fever started taking hold early last year as casino moguls lashed together a $7.3 million political campaign that persuaded state voters to allow higher betting limits and longer hours.

Since then, it's evident in the sound of jackhammers and rolling trucks as casinos expand and refurbish space. And it's seen in the number-shouting, hip-swiveling dice throwers showing up to learn craps and other high-stakes games debuting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Colorado is a far cry from Nevada, but Elvis has been glimpsed on the 16th Street Mall and state leaders envision that Amendment 50's passage will pump hundreds of millions of dollars into community colleges — though a state gaming division spokesman says any “prediction is a crapshoot.”

What is known is that the gaming industry has swelled by more than 750 jobs, hotel rooms in some cities are being snapped up for July and some semblance of a gold-rush vibe surrounds the gambling pits.

“The new stakes are going to bring me here a lot more,” said Steve Hilfer, a Westminster Target manager, as he unleashed a pair of dice across the new green felt at The Lodge Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado's most popular gambling destination.

There's also a flip side to the fever: The rise in wager limits, from $5 to $100, and move to 24-hour play will inevitably lure more cheaters and aggravate addictions.

State regulators have added 13 investigators, and casino managers have beefed up security personnel and installed hundreds of cameras that, with CSI precision, can zoom in on bettors' fingertips. In addition, the Problem Gambling Treatment and Research Center and other treatment sites are bracing for an influx of new clients.

Approval of Amendment 50 ushered in the most dramatic development in Colorado's 18-year gambling history, giving its three major hubs — Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City — the discretion to keep casino doors open around the clock while adding craps and roulette games. Previously, they could offer only poker, blackjack and slot machines.

Once each town held its own election, as required, the ballots revealed a staggering endorsement. “We're not sure who those four or five people were who voted against it,” said Black Hawk City Manager Mike Copp, calling the vote a measure of the town's fever.

33 stories high in Black Hawk

In Black Hawk, where gaming revenues topped a half-billion dollars last year and a new 33-story Ameristar Casino Hotel actually seems to scrape the sky, enterprises are in full-blown dress rehearsal.

Outside, banners blare “Boomtown” and big-screen TVs depict fluttering dollar bills. Inside, dozens of newly hired dealers and players learn the nuances of craps and roulette while senior citizens try out the new gleaming slot machines as “Dancing Queen” wafts from speakers.

The excitement has also pervaded Denver, where Fortune Valley Hotel & Casino staged 16th Street auditions for Elvis impersonators and wheeled in craps tables to teach passersby tips, using fake money.

The casino industry has bet big on Amendment 50's success. A final tally of political contributions pushing the constitutional measure shows more than a dozen gambling corporations gave $7.3 million to the “Coloradans for Community Colleges” political committee, according to records with the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

And while the Colorado Gaming Association last week estimated that 15 casinos invested nearly $3 million into capital improvements as a result of the law change, the figure didn't include the massive Ameristar tower project; it was launched two years ago when plans for the referendum picked up steam. The CGA figure also didn't cover up to $4 million invested or committed by Jacobs Entertainment, owner of the Lodge and Gilpin, toward additional slot machines — increasing their machines to 1,350 — and remodeling dozens of hotel rooms.