Grand Opening Celebration of Luxury Hotel and Spa: Ameristar Casino Black Hawk Offers Destination Resort Amenities and Services

"Ameristar remains very enthusiastic about Black Hawk," said
Ameristar Chief Executive Officer Gordon Kanofsky. "Our $235 million
investment in this expansion will generate more local economic
development by attracting guests who would be spending their leisure
dollars elsewhere. We look forward to introducing Ameristar's
exceptional guest service, gaming, luxury amenities and food and
beverage offerings to an even broader range of guests."

The expansion makes Ameristar one of Gilpin County's largest
employers, with more than 720 Team Members. In 2008, Ameristar Casino
Black Hawk had a payroll of more than $22 million, and it has
increased current staffing levels by approximately 45 percent over
the previous year to accommodate the larger facilities and increased
guest traffic.

"We are seeing a brand new demographic of guests," said Reggie
Fullwood, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Ameristar
Casino Hotel Black Hawk. "These are people who are new to our casino
and new to our market, and they are bringing a lot of energy and
enthusiasm with them."

In January 2009, Black Hawk voters passed a local referendum to
implement Amendment 50, a statewide provision that liberalized several
Colorado casino regulations. The new hotel and spa enable Ameristar to
fully leverage the changes, which included increasing single-bet
limits to $100, operating the casino 24 hours daily and adding the
games of craps and roulette.

"With the investment we have made in the Black Hawk community, we are
very proud of the jobs we have been able to create," Fullwood said.
"Along with our industry partners, we are also proud of the benefit
that Colorado will receive from increased tax revenues. The state of
Colorado is expected to receive millions in gaming tax dollars, the
bulk of which will go to cash-strapped community colleges."

In the four years Ameristar has owned the property, the Company has
paid more than $63 million in casino and other taxes to Black Hawk,
Gilpin County and the state. Amendment 50 is expected to increase
guest traffic and spending for all Colorado gaming properties, thus
increasing state and local tax revenues while creating more jobs.

With the opening of the new hotel and spa, Ameristar Casino Hotel
Black Hawk has undergone a transformational expansion, offering
guests:

--  A 33-story, four-diamond quality hotel tower with 536 well appointed
rooms, including 64 suites.   All rooms have wireless high-speed Internet
access and such luxury furnishings as plasma-screen televisions, double
vanities and separate tubs and showers.  Each standard 450-square-foot
guest room has a marble foyer and either one king-size or two queen-size
beds.  All suites include hot tubs, and some feature double-sided
fireplaces and views of the Rocky Mountains.  All rooms are furnished with
top-of-the-line mattresses, luxurious linens and premium bath products.

--  The property's swimming pool, along with its indoor and outdoor
whirlpool spas, are located on an open-air, heated patio on the hotel's
roof.  This pool level includes a movable glass wall to enclose the pool
during winter months while preserving the panoramic mountain views.  The
patio surrounding the pool is made of dry-stacked, quarried stone, with
wrought-iron details, and heavy wood beams and trusses.

--  The full-service ARA day spa is located within the hotel and features
six treatment rooms, hot tubs, and sauna and steam rooms.  The spa offers
traditional spa services, including massages, scrubs, facials, pedicures
and manicures.  An adjoining fitness center with state-of-the-art
cardiovascular and strength-training machines is available to all hotel
guests.

--  The new hotel tower contains more than 15,000 square feet of flexible
meeting space.  Conference and meeting rooms are equipped with the latest
technology, and the property's diverse restaurants can cater any event.

The new hotel tower complements existing amenities, including:

--   The 55,000-square-foot state-of-the-art casino, which includes more
than 1,600 slot machines featuring ticket-in/ticket-out coinless slot
technology, as well as a 14-table live poker room, 18 table games including
blackjack, craps and roulette, classic gambling reels and the newest
video-style games.

--   A wide range of food and beverage outlets.

--  The largest parking garage in the market, with more than 1,500
spaces.

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 therefore we 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 Dec. 31, 2008, and "Item 2.
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2009.

About Ameristar Casino Hotel Black Hawk

Ameristar Casino Hotel Black Hawk offers an outstanding gaming
experience to the Denver area at a desirable location just 40 minutes
west of the city at Highway 119 and Richman Street in the Black
Hawk/Central City gaming district. The facility offers more than
1,600 slot and video machines, 18 table games and 14 live poker
tables, along with five dining and entertainment venues and the
largest parking garage in the market, with more than 1,500 spaces.

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 positions in the markets in which
it operates. Founded in 1954 in Jackpot, Nev., Ameristar has been a
public company since November 1993. The Company has a portfolio of
eight casinos in seven markets: Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St.
Charles (greater St. Louis); Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago
(Chicagoland area); Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City; Ameristar
Casino Hotel Council Bluffs (Omaha, Neb. and southwestern Iowa);
Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg (Jackson, Miss., and Monroe, La.);
Ameristar Casino Hotel Black Hawk (Denver metropolitan area); and
Cactus Petes Resort Casino and The Horseshu Hotel and Casino in
Jackpot, Nev. (Idaho and the Pacific Northwest).

Visit Ameristar Casinos' web site at www.ameristar.com (which shall
not be deemed to be incorporated in or a part of this news release).

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Heather Leigh
Public Relations Manager
Ameristar Casino Black Hawk
(720) 946-4123 direct
(303) 250-0204 cell
Email Contact

SOURCE: Ameristar Casinos

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