LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwire) -- 07/22/09 -- Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASCA) today announced that Richard J. Darder has joined Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs in Council Bluffs, Iowa as Senior Vice President and General Manager.

Darder is a casino executive with more than 30 years of experience at gaming facilities across the country, and has managed primarily Native American properties in the Midwest and West. Most recently, he was General Manager of the Meskwaki Casino Bingo Hotel near Des Moines, Iowa. Before that, he served as General Manager of Cliff Castle Casino near Sedona, Arizona, as CEO of Casino Pauma in San Diego, and as CEO/General Manager of Sac and Fox Casino in Powhattan, Kansas. He also held managerial positions with casinos in the states of Nevada, Arizona and Washington. Richard began working in the casino industry in 1975 as a pit clerk at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip while completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Richard has a record of strong financial management at the properties he has led, boosting profits by double-digit percentages at a number of locations," said Michelle Shriver, Ameristar's Senior Vice President of Operations. "He fully supports the collaborative, interactive leadership style we strive for at Ameristar and has a track record of mentoring Team Members and promoting strong teamwork, which has led to improved Team Member satisfaction and retention and better Guest service at properties he has managed."

"I'm very excited to be joining Ameristar," Darder said. "I especially look forward to partnering with the Team Members at Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs to optimize the property's financial performance and enhance guest service and Team Member satisfaction."

Darder, 55, graduated from UNLV with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Hotel Administration.

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