The casino opened on February 4, 2000, as the Riviera Black Hawk, and originally lacked a hotel.

The $442 million project included the addition of hotel rooms and more casino space, both debuting in November 2020.

The casino featured table games, 1,000 slot machines, a 490-seat entertainment venue, a buffet, and a coffee shop.

Unlike its Las Vegas counterpart, the Black Hawk property lacked a hotel.

[6][7] Monarch also bought 1.5 acres of vacant land, just east of the Riviera, for future development.

[8] With 988 rooms in Black Hawk, Monarch considered the local hotel market to be in need of expansion.

This was a primary factor in purchasing the Riviera,[9] which was among the largest casinos in Black Hawk at the time, with 750 slot machines.

[11] A $295 million renovation and expansion was launched in 2015,[12] starting with a new, nine-story parking garage on the property's east side.

PCL alleged that Monarch repeatedly declined to approve a guaranteed maximum price, and Monarch called the suit "an attempt to deflect attention from [PCL's] failures to deliver the completed project in a timely and cost appropriate manner.