Southern California's First Vegas-Style Casino Opens

ST. LOUIS, LA - Ameristar Casinos, Inc. opened its new casino and entertainment facility in St. Charles, MO on August 6 in a whirlwind of celebration. Guests were treated to the a dazzling array of gaming, dining and festivities including a laser light show, aerial ballet performances, traditional blues, and the largest fireworks display in the history of the Midwest.

A 130,000-square foot casino with 3,300 slot and video poker machines and 95 table games, including a live poker room, seven dining and entertainment venues, a retail gift shop and a video game arcade. Ameristar now offers the largest selection of slot machines and table games in the St. Louis market. The new complex replaced the existing operations at the company's St. Charles property, increasing the number of gaming positions by approximately 80 percent and significantly expanding the breadth of non-gaming amenities available to guests, increasing restaurant seating capacity to 1,580 seats.

A wide variety of entertainment options were offered to guests of the grand opening party. An aerial performance presented by Anti-Gravity awed the crowd throughout the evening. Later, fans were thrilled again by Lasernet's laser light show which illuminated the walkway of the streetscape. Blues fans had the opportunity to soak up the sound of the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings and the Charles Glenn who gave the inaugural performances in the Bottleneck Blues Bar. In the new casino, local favorite Galaxy entertained guests late into the night and a jazz trio greeted guests upon arrival.

Throughout the event, attendees were invited to preview the facility's seven cutting-edge restaurants. Venues include the Bottleneck Blues Bar, featuring Southern cuisine; the 47 Port Street Grill steakhouse; the King Cat Club, offering the perfect place to relax and have a martini; the Amerisports Bar & Grill, which houses a 34-foot long video wall and two high-tech, giant video screens; the Landmark Buffet; the 24-hour Falcon Diner; and the eclectic southern-style of Pear's Oyster Bar.

The highlight of the evening came at 9:45 p.m. when the sky above St. Charles exploded in vibrant color for nearly 20 minutes. More than 12,000 shells were used in a pyrotechnics display designed and directed by the world renowned Grucci Fireworks Family of New York. The result was an electrically fired show, choreographed to move with music selections, which was believed to be the largest fireworks display in the Midwest.

"The grand opening of our new facility was a great success," says Senior Vice President and General Manager Tony Raymon. "We are proud to be able to show off the results of our efforts and offer the people of St. Charles a property that raises the bar on entertainment and fun. We invite everyone to come out and experience the high quality and many amenities for which Ameristar is known."

Ameristar Casino St. Charles, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameristar Casinos, Inc., brings the finest gaming and entertainment to the banks of the Missouri River, serving the entire metropolitan St. Louis area from its convenient location, just north of the Interstate Highway 70 bridge near historic downtown St. Charles, Missouri. Established in 1994 as the first gaming facility in Missouri, the new Ameristar boasts a cobblestone streetscape inspired by the 1880s architecture of the St. Charles River Port District with seven dining and entertainment venues. The streetscape adjoins an all-new 130,000 square foot casino vessel offers the largest selection of gaming options in the region, including 3,300 slot and video poker machines, 95 table games and one of the last two remaining live poker rooms in the market.