Ameristar Casinos

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Ameristar Casinos, Inc.
Type	Public
Founded	1954
Headquarters	Las Vegas, Nevada
Key people	John Boushy, President/CEO
Industry	Gaming and hospitality
Revenue	▲$854,698,000 USD (2004)
Employees	7,000
Website	www.ameristarcasinos.com

Ameristar Casinos, Inc. NASDAQ: ASCA is a Las Vegas, Nevada based casino operator.

Despite having its headquarters in Las Vegas, Ameristar has not owned or operated a Las Vegas area casino since selling The Reserve Hotel Casino (now Fiesta Henderson) to Station Casinos Inc. in 2001.

1 History
2 Casinos
3 External links
4 References

[edit] History

Ameristar Casinos was formed in Jackpot, Nevada, as Cactus Petes Desert Lodge in 1954 and incorporated in 1956. Cactus Petes, Inc. took over management of the neighboring Horseshu Club in 1964. Cactus Petes came under the partial control of Ray Neilsen of Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1967. Nielsen's construction company had built many of the structures at Cactus Petes. Neilsen's son Craig assumed control of day-to-day operations upon the elder Nielsen's death in 1971. Craig Nielsen became sole owner in 1984, remaining as CEO until his unexpected death on November 19, 2006. President John Boushy succeeded Nielsen as CEO.^[1]

In 1992 the company made its first investment outside Jackpot by securing ownership in a Vicksburg, Mississippi, property known as Delta Pointe. This property was opened in 1994 as Ameristar Casino Vicksburg. Ameristar opened the first of several riverboat casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1996. In 1998 the Reserve Hotel Casino opened in Henderson, Nevada.

The company was renamed Ameristar Casinos, Inc. and went public in 1993. Company headquarters was moved from Twin Falls to Las Vegas in 1996.

The company built and operated The Reserve Hotel and Casino in Henderson, Nevada. It was later sold to Station Casinos which renamed it to Fiesta Henderson.

In 2004, Ameristar acquired the Mountain High Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado and subsequently rebranded the property, expanded the gaming floor and began construction on a new parking garage and hotel. Ameristar also completed the acquisition of the Resorts East Chicago casino from Resorts International Holdings in 2007.

Following the death of Craig Nielsen, a foundation was created in his name that has since funded many organizations that support spinal cord injury (SCI) research, cancer research and children's charities. Ameristar has also partnered with the Craig H. Nielsen Foundation to support the rehabilitation of individuals affected by SCI and was one of the first companies to help fund research at the Nevada Cancer Institute by making a $500,000 donation in 2004.

[edit] Casinos

Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Ameristar Casino Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
- According to Ameristar's website, this is the largest casino both in revenue and size in Kansas City^[2]