Ameristar Casinos, Inc. News

Ameristar Casinos Rebrands East Chicago Property, Renames it Ameristar Casino Hotel

LAS VEGAS, June 27 PRNewswire-FirstCall — Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASCA) announced it has rebranded the East Chicago, Ind., property it acquired last September to "Ameristar Casino Hotel." The new name marks the completion of a number of enhancements to the facility, including improved food and beverage offerings, a remodeled casino floor featuring a new design and layout, state-of-the-art technology that will bring Ameristar's Star Awards players' program to guests and an enhanced mix of games.

Ameristar will celebrate the property's rebranding with three free, high-profile concerts along the shores of Lake Michigan this summer:

— Academy Award, Golden Globe and multi-Grammy winner Lionel Richie, who has sold more than 100 million records and achieved a string of 13 consecutive top 10 hits, is set to perform July 20.

— Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Smokey Robinson, widely regarded as the all-time top purveyor of mainstream romantic soul and one of the country's most important performers of urban contemporary music, will take the stage Aug. 17.

— Country music sensation and television star Reba McEntire, whose 22 number one hits, multiple-platinum albums and long-running situation comedy have made her one of country music's most successful crossover artists, will close the series Sept. 13.

"Metropolitan Chicago is the United States' third-largest commercial gaming market and one in which Ameristar is eager to excel," said Gordon Kanofsky, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Ameristar. "It's now the seventh market in which Ameristar operates and an important addition to our portfolio of eight properties across the United States. We look forward to providing to the Chicagoland area Ameristar's exceptional guest service in combination with our high-quality casino, dining and entertainment offerings."

Among the features guests visiting Ameristar Casino Hotel in East Chicago will experience are:

— A remodeled 53,000-square-foot casino offering more than 1,800 slot machines and 76 table games, including a dedicated baccarat room and a 16-table live poker room. In addition, a new bar has been added on each of the casino's three levels.

— Four restaurants, including the upscale Waterfront Grill steakhouse, Double Down Diner, remodeled All Sports Cafe and remodeled and renamed Heritage Buffet. Heritage Buffet features new menu items and an expanded salad station and dessert bar. All Sports Cafe offers new decor, a larger bar and 20 plasma screen televisions. The property's entire food and beverage operation is benefiting from Ameristar's strong emphasis on culinary excellence, which has garnered numerous awards throughout the United States.

— Two lounges, including a new VIP Star Club. The Star Club has been completely refurbished and includes a new food service line that doubles the food offerings available to guests and accommodates chefs' stations. In addition, it features new menus that provide guests with a rotating variety of culinary options.

— A 15-story, full-service hotel tower, which has 290 rooms, including three junior and seven super suites. The super suites are more than 1,000 square feet in size and offer whirlpool soaking tubs, all-marble baths and surround sound audio systems. The tower is conveniently connected to both the casino and the pavilion and features a fitness facility.

— Direct access from a 1,975-space parking garage, in addition to a convenient, 250-space surface parking lot.

Still to come are more state-of-the-art slot machines and further improvements and additions to the property's pavilion, including a Starbucks coffeehouse slated to open later this summer.

Forward-Looking Information

This release contains certain forward-looking information that generally can be identified by the context of the statement or the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," "plans," "is confident that," "should" or words of similar meaning, with reference to Ameristar or our management. Similarly, statements that describe our future plans, objectives, strategies, financial results or position, operational expectations or goals are forward-looking statements. It is possible that our expectations may not be met due to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, and we therefore cannot give any assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. For a discussion of relevant factors, risks and uncertainties that could materially affect our future results, attention is directed to "Item 1A. Risk Factors" and "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008.

About Ameristar

Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is a leading Las Vegas-based gaming and entertainment company known for its premier properties characterized by innovative architecture, state-of-the-art casino floors and superior dining, lodging and entertainment offerings. Ameristar's focus on the total entertainment experience and the highest quality guest service has earned it leading market share positions in the markets in which it operates. Founded in 1954 in Jackpot, Nevada, Ameristar has been a public company since November 1993. The Company has a portfolio of eight casinos in seven markets: Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in St. Charles (greater St. Louis); Ameristar Casino Hotel in East Chicago (Chicagoland area); Ameristar Kansas City; Ameristar Council Bluffs (Omaha, Nebraska and southwestern Iowa); Ameristar Vicksburg (Jackson, Mississippi and Monroe, Louisiana); Ameristar Black Hawk (Denver metropolitan area); and Cactus Petes and The Horseshu in Jackpot, Nevada (Idaho and the Pacific Northwest).