Issue 90
May 28 - June 3, 2002
Volume 3
page 1

This Issue

Gaming News
Casino Magic Bay St. Louis Expansion Completes

Harrah's Opens Atlantic City's First Las Vegas-Style Resort

Mandalay Resort Group to Build All-Suites Tower On Las Vegas Strip

Picov Downs Introduces 800 Slots

Maine Votes ''No'' to Casino Gambling

Reno Pushes for River, Kayaking Project


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Casino Magic Bay St. Louis Expansion Completes

BAY ST. LOUIS, MS - Penn National Gaming, Inc. completed the $37 million expansion of its Casino Magic property in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. With the public opening of the 14-story, 291-room Bay Tower Hotel on May 27, Casino Magic Bay St. Louis is the most comprehensive casino resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Penn National acquired Casino Magic Bay St. Louis in August 2000 and broke ground on the expansion project in April 2001.

Commenting on the project's completion, Peter M. Carlino, Chief Executive Officer of Penn National, said, "The Bay St. Louis expansion highlights our strong skills in property planning and development and construction management, and underscores our commitment to prudent capital investments in our properties. With nearly 500 total rooms, excellent restaurants, 40,000 square feet of casino space, a championship golf course, live entertainment and a host of great guest amenities, we believe Casino Magic has emerged as the ultimate resort in the region and we expect to derive solid returns from our investments."

Situated on approximately 600 acres along the Bay of St. Louis, the new tower hotel includes the Jourdan River Grille, the Cypress Cove Ballroom, Spa at the Bay, Tokens Gift Shop and additional property enhancements. The property presently offers a 24-hour casino, daily entertainment in the casino lobby, weekly concerts in the 22,000 square foot entertainment complex, five restaurants, an onsite Arnold Palmer championship 18-hole golf course, RV park, and a 201-room Inn. Casino Magic Bay St. Louis is approximately 46 miles east of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Penn National's Casino Magic hotel expansion has created approximately 200 new jobs in Hancock County. Currently, Casino Magic Bay St. Louis employs over 1,250 people. It is also expected that the upgrades will generate additional gaming taxes, property taxes and tourism taxes for the state and local governments and the area school district.

In addition to Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, Penn National Gaming owns and operates Charles Town Races in Charles Town, West Virginia, which presently features 2,000 gaming machines; the Boomtown Biloxi casino in Biloxi; the Casino Rouge, a riverboat gaming facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the Bullwhackers properties in Black Hawk, Colorado. Penn National also owns two racetracks and eleven off-track wagering facilities in Pennsylvania and the racetrack at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, and operates the Casino Rama, a gaming facility located approximately 90 miles north of Toronto, Canada, pursuant to a management contract.


Harrah's Opens Atlantic City's
First Las Vegas-Style Resort

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - New Jersey Governor James McGreevey joined executives from Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. on May 22 to celebrate the grand opening of what is now the state's largest hotel and the first resort of its kind east of Las Vegas. With the addition of its 25-story Bayview Tower and expanded gaming space, the new Harrah's Atlantic City boasts a total of 1,626 hotel rooms and more than 3,700 slot machines.

In addition to McGreevey, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Phil Satre, Harrah's chairman and chief executive officer; Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and chief operating officer; Tim Wilmott, Harrah's Eastern Division president; Dave Jonas, Harrah's Atlantic City senior vice president and general manager; New Jersey State Senator William Gormley; and Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford.

"Great things are happening in Atlantic City, and we are bullish about the future of this market," said Satre. "Harrah's has always been a leader in Atlantic City, and we are extremely proud to bring the first Las Vegas-style casino resort to the burgeoning Marina District."

The new 452-room Bayview Tower at Harrah's is the most obvious of many firsts created by the company's $200 million investment in the coastal destination. Serving as a beacon on the Atlantic City skyline, the tower features a unique light show with as many as 42 different light configurations that can be seen for miles.

"New Jersey welcomes Harrah's $200 million investment in Atlantic City," said Gov. McGreevey. "The project will provide another popular attraction for visitors while creating new jobs and invigorating the economy."

Visitors approach the property via a new cobblestone grand entrance modeled after Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. Under the porte cachere, customers enjoy separate drop-off and pick-up areas for seamless traffic flow. Automated revolving doors lead to a sprawling Las Vegas-style grand lobby adorned with imported Italian marble, rich wood, art deco columns, brass outlays and a stained glass dome 30 feet above the rotunda that sits immediately adjacent to a new slot area featuring 450 slot machines.

"Harrah's Atlantic City is one of our strongest performing casinos and is one of the many properties throughout the United States where we are making a significant reinvestment," said Loveman. "Through our Total Rewards loyalty program, our Atlantic City customers have enjoyed unsurpassed customer benefits that will now be complemented by a luxurious casino environment."

The new hotel tower features 36 Bayview suites on the 22nd through 24th floors and eight super suites on the 25th floor. The new front desk registration area has 19 separate stations positioned in front of three aquariums, each measuring seven feet high and 20 feet wide and stocked with schooling fish.

Founded in 1937, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. operates 25 casinos in the United States, primarily under the Harrah's brand name.

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