LAS VEGAS – Pinnacle Entertainment has announced today that the Indiana Gaming Commission approved the company's proposed acquisition of Ameristar Casinos. Completion of the transaction remains subject to the receipt of additional required regulatory
approvals and customary closing conditions.

Anthony Sanfilippo, chief executive officer of Pinnacle Entertainment, said, “We thank the Indiana Gaming Commission for approving our proposed acquisition of Ameristar Casinos, and look forward to entering the Chicagoland market with Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago. The property and its team members have a reputation for providing a high level of service and top-quality guest experience, and we are excited to welcome them to the Pinnacle Entertainment family in the near future. The property will also augment our presence in the broader region, which currently includes Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Ind., and in the future, will include
our new gaming entertainment center currently being developed at River Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“We continue to make progress toward obtaining Federal Trade Commission and the remaining state gaming regulatory agency approvals necessary to complete the acquisition. We remain on track to close the transaction in the 2013 third quarter,” said Sanfilippo.