OUR 55 YEAR LIFE STORY

Ray Neilsen dies and his wife Gwen assumes control of his shares. Their son Craig adopts a leading role in the day-to-day operation of Cactus Petes.

After a $22 million construction project at Cactus Petes, including a casino expansion and the addition of a hotel tower, restaurants and Olympic-sized swimming pool, the property becomes one of the largest gaming facilities in northeast Nevada.

Cactus Petes is awarded the prestigious American Automobile Association Four Diamond designation.

The future site of Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg, known as Delta Pointe, is secured.

Ameristar Casino Vicksburg opens in February. It's the largest casino in that city — a distinction it still enjoys today.

The Company's fourth property, Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs, is licensed. Construction begins.

Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs opens in January — the largest riverboat in the state. (It still is today.)

Ameristar relocates the Company headquarters from Twin Falls, Idaho, to its current location in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ameristar enters into an agreement to acquire The Reserve Hotel Casino, then under construction in Henderson, Nevada.

The Reserve Hotel Casino — a fully themed, off-Strip facility — opens as Ameristar Casinos' fifth property.

Ameristar Council Bluffs is the only riverboat facility in the state of Iowa to receive the prestigious American Automobile Association Four Diamond designation.

Gwen Neilsen dies. She played a key role in the transition of Ameristar Casinos from a private to a publicly traded company and was instrumental in the organization's strategic expansion.

Ameristar purchases properties in Kansas City and St. Charles, Missouri, from Station Casinos and agrees to sell The Reserve to Station.

The Reserve Hotel Casino is sold to Station Casinos.

Ameristar Casino Vicksburg completes a $10 million renovation project.

Ameristar Casino St. Charles begins construction of a new casino-entertainment facility.

Ameristar Casino Kansas City completes construction on its twin floating casinos, making The River King and Queen one single 140,000 square-foot gaming facility. A new five-story parking garage is completed.

Ameristar's revenues more than double, to $550 million.

Ameristar is ranked 14th out of Nevada's top 25 publicly traded companies by the Nevada Business Journal.

The all-new $360 million Ameristar Casino St. Charles opens, featuring 130,000 square feet of gaming space along with seven distinctively themed restaurants and entertainment venues. Ameristar St. Charles is the first casino in Missouri to offer coinless ticket-in/ticket-out slot technology.

Craig Neilsen is named "Best Performing CEO" by the American Gaming Association.

The all-new Ameristar Kansas City is officially unveiled in September after a $64 million renovation project to its casino floor and restaurants. With its 140,000 square feet of gaming space, this premier facility is one of the ten largest casinos in the U.S. Its eleven diverse dining venues include the $6 million Amerisports Brew Pub, with its unparalleled state-of-the-art audio-visual system.

Ameristar Casino Vicksburg opens its enhanced and rebranded Heritage Buffet restaurant after a $7 million renovation.

Ameristar announces its first cash dividend.

In April, Ameristar Casino debuts in Black Hawk, Colorado with a renovated and expanded facility. Details of its planned 33-story hotel are announced.

In November, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Craig H. Neilsen passes away at his home in Las Vegas. He leaves a lasting impact on the lives of many others through his generosity and community spirit. Under his guidance, the Company has grown from two original Nevada properties to seven properties in Nevada, Mississippi, Iowa, Missouri and Colorado.

Ameristar Team Members, both individually and with company and foundation matches, contribute more than $3 million to local Ameristar communities through Ameristar's 2007 Workplace Giving Campaign. Contributions in 2007 surpass the year before by 23 percent.

In January, Ameristar announces the opening of the first of 400 luxury suites in its Casino Resort Spa complex in St. Charles, Missouri. The property's new amenities are fully opened in May and include:

• ara, a 7,000-square-foot, luxurious full-service day spa;
• Indoor/outdoor pool area including cabanas, fire pits and fountains;
• 22,000-square-foot state-of-the-art conference and meeting space;
• HOME St. Louis, the most dynamic nightclub in the greater St. Louis area;
• A five-story covered garage providing guests direct access to the property;
• An enhanced entryway including a new, five-lane road renamed Ameristar Boulevard.

Between May and July, Ameristar completes a $100 million expansion of Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg that includes:

• A new 1,000-space parking garage featuring VIP parking, valet parking and direct access to the casino
• The market's only live poker room.
• A casino expansion that adds hundreds of additional gaming positions amid new comfortable and contemporary design.
• A new, upscale VIP Star Club lounge.
• Two themed restaurants, Pearl's Oyster Bar, featuring fresh seafood and Cajun cuisine, and DeliLUX, serving quick, cooked-to-order sandwiches and dinners.

In June, the Company rebrands Resorts East Chicago as Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago. This new name marks the completion of a number of enhancements to the facility. The property includes:

• A remodeled 53,000-square-foot casino with more than 1,800 slot machines and 76 table games, including a dedicated baccarat room and a 16-table live poker room. In addition, new bars are added on three of the casino's four levels;
• Four restaurants, including the upscale Waterfront Grill Steakhouse, Double Down Diner, remodeled All Sports Café and a remodeled and renamed Heritage Buffet featuring new menu items and an expanded salad station and dessert bar. The All Sports Café has new décor, a larger bar and 20 plasma screen televisions. The property's food and beverage operation is elevated by Ameristar's strong emphasis on culinary excellence, which has resulted in numerous awards.
• Two lounges, including a new, completely refurbished VIP Star Club lounge with a food service line that accommodates chefs' stations and doubles the food offerings. New menus provide guests with a rotating variety of culinary options.
• A 15-story, full-service hotel tower, with 290 rooms, including three junior and seven superior suites. The tower, which also includes a fitness facility, is conveniently connected to both the casino and the pavilion with direct access to a 1,975-space parking garage and a 250-space surface parking lot.

In November, voters in Missouri approved regulatory reform that:

• Removed the state's $500 loss limit
• Eliminated the player identification card requirement.

In addition, the new law increases the tax rate Missouri casinos pay to the state from 20 percent to 21 percent, with all additional revenues specifically earmarked for the state's educational system. Within a few hours of receiving approval from the Missouri Gaming Commission, Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles and Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City enact the changes.

Also in November, voters in Colorado approve Amendment 50, which allows the three Colorado mining towns where gaming is legal – including Black Hawk, where Ameristar's property is located - to ask local voters to liberalize restrictions limiting casino operations. The proposed changes would allow:

• Increasing single-bet limits from $5 to $100.
• Operating the casino 24 hours daily (from the current 18-hour-a-day limit).
• Adding the games of craps and roulette.

In January, voters in Black Hawk approve the local referendum allowing the implementation of Amendment 50. The reforms take effect July 2. Additional revenue generated by the changes will benefit the state's community colleges.

Also in January, Ameristar Casino Black Hawk tops off its 33-story, 536-room luxury hotel and spa, signaling the arrival of Las Vegas-caliber accommodations and entertainment to the Rockies when the hotel and related amenities open later in the year. Amenities will include:

• A 33-story, full-service hotel with 536 rooms, including 64 suites.
• Black Hawk's only hotel swimming pool, along with indoor and outdoor whirlpool spas set within an open-air heated patio on the hotel's roof.
• A full-service day spa.
• An adjoining fitness center.
• Almost 10,000 square feet of event and meeting space.

The hotel and spa are scheduled to open in late September 2009, with a grand opening celebration slated for October 8.