The Bicycle Casino Brings Much Needed Holiday Cheer to its Community's Children with its Annual Christmas Celebration

BELL GARDENS, Calif., Dec. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bicycle Casino once again celebrated the season of giving with a little help from its 1600 employees and several local charitable organizations, along with a wink from Santa Claus himself.

Honoring a long standing commitment to the Bell Gardens community, this local card casino continues to take great pride in wrapping its arms around its youth, especially this year, when so many have fallen upon hard times.  On December 22nd, for its 27th year, the Bike continued its holiday tradition, creating a magic day of Christmas for 2200 children and their families, with assistance from the Rio Hondo Boys and Girls Club, Rotary Club, Bell Gardens Merchants and Commerce Association, HSA and the Lions Club as well as other local volunteers. Children in need were indentified by these committed organizations, along with Bell Garden's schools, police and fire departments and provided with special invitations. Hosted by the casino's committed employees, deemed fondly team members, every child enjoyed a Christmas party at its best, with a personal visit with Santa, a keepsake photo, a gift-wrapped toy and lunch. It was a day of fun, face-painting, balloon animals, games and entertainment.

The casino's managing partner, Haig Kelegian was very pleased and proud, stating, "This year was particularly inspiring and uplifting to everyone. It's rewarding to see our Bike family rally and take such good care of these kids. Even with the struggling economy and the challenges we all face together as a business and individually, their enthusiasm and passion make us proud and serves to remind us what the holiday season is really all about."

This year's heavy rains wreaked havoc everywhere and the casino felt the impact as well. Within hours of the party's opening, event chair, Tracie Thomas and her crew of elves did a phenomenal job orchestrating the move from an outdoor festival to an indoor event in the Bike's new spacious Event Center. Casino Manager, Zaven Esmaili was impressed boasting, "The event went off without a hitch and no one seemed to notice that the pony rides, petting zoo and carnival rides were missing this year. Our team members seamlessly made the transition from outdoor carnival to inside Christmas party".

CEO, Hashem Minaiy, knows how important this annual party is to these children. "For many of them, this party is their Christmas.  That knowledge keeps us passionate about providing this opportunity for these kids each year, especially now," states Minaiy.

Equally committed, employees of the Bicycle Casino visited the children at the Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center last week as they have done for over 20 years. Dressed as various popular cartoon characters including Spiderman, Superman, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a snowman and several reindeer, and accompanied by Santa, employees brought joy and toys to many disabled children and those marooned in the hospital over the holidays.

Kelley O'Hara, Director of Marketing at the Bike, added, "For 27 years, the Bicycle Casino has taken great pride in helping our Bell Gardens community in any way that we can. Hosting the holiday festivities here, especially knowing that the economy has hit our community hard, allows us to share some holiday joy with the children and their families." CEO Hashem Minaiy seconds that sentiment. "Our team members are extremely generous with their time and effort during the holiday season. Who they are, and what they stand for really defines us as a company.  They give to our customers and they give to our community. These events always bring us together."

In the end, a good time was had by all.

THE BICYCLE CASINO

The Bicycle Casino is the premiere place for poker in the Los Angeles area and is open for business 24-hours a day, every day of the year including the holidays. Featured prominently on the World Poker Tour and the North American Poker tour, the Bike is one of the largest tournament casinos on the globe. Providing 175 tables with a wide array of games and limits, the Bike features Blackjack, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Pan 9, Chinese Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, as well as a wide range of poker games spread to accommodate all levels of play, including the ever popular No Limit Hold'em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 3-Card Poker.  Its home of the innovative project, "Live at the Bike!", the only live, high stakes cash game streamed via the Internet. Check out www.thebike.com for details.

The Bicycle Casino is located at 7301 Eastern Avenue, Bell Gardens, CA 90201, just off the 710 freeway and only minutes from the LAX and downtown Los Angeles areas.

For more details, stop by the Welcome Center or visit www.thebike.com.

SOURCE The Bicycle Casino