Pinnacle Entertainment Announces General Manager Appointments at Its Louisiana Boomtown Properties

LAS VEGAS, NEW ORLEANS, and BOSSIER CITY, La., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: PNK) announced today two Louisiana property management appointments, with Barry Regula named Vice President and General Manager of Boomtown New Orleans and Lance George as Vice President and General Manager of Boomtown Bossier City.  Mr. Regula moves to his new role in New Orleans following a ten year tenure at Boomtown Bossier City, including the last four as Vice President and General Manager, the position that will now be held by Mr. George following his time as Vice President and Assistant General Manager at Boomtown New Orleans since June 2009.  The appointments are subject to regulatory approval.

Regula and George bring extensive gaming industry and Louisiana market experience to their new roles.  Mr. Regula has over 18 years of casino entertainment experience, including more than 8 years of gaming industry experience in Louisiana.  Mr. George has more than 7 years of casino entertainment management experience, with nearly all of it occurring at Pinnacle's Louisiana properties.  They will report to Geno Iafrate, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pinnacle's L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, who has recently assumed added responsibilities including direct oversight of the Company's Boomtown New Orleans and Boomtown Bossier City properties as Pinnacle pursues operational excellence initiatives at its properties across the state.

Geno Iafrate commented on the re-aligned management responsibilities, "Barry and Lance bring a wealth of casino entertainment management experience and extensive knowledge of the Louisiana market to their new roles.  In the 15 years Barry has been with Pinnacle, he has successfully grown property operating results, market share and guest satisfaction.  In addition, Boomtown Bossier City has achieved stellar levels of team member satisfaction, retention and training under Barry's leadership over the last several years.  Since joining Pinnacle in 2003 as a database marketing analyst at our Belterra Casino Resort in Indiana, Lance has assumed a growing range of responsibilities, including senior management roles at each of our Louisiana properties.  We look forward to the benefit of their experience at Boomtown New Orleans and Boomtown Bossier City as Pinnacle delivers on its promise of delivering best-in-market experiences to our team members and guests.

"These appointments highlight the depth of Pinnacle's property management team and we are delighted to promote from within and bring accomplished casino entertainment executives to manage our Louisiana Boomtown properties.  Complementing these appointments, we recently implemented a new reporting structure for our operations in Louisiana.  With our implementation of best practices continuing to drive success at L'Auberge du Lac, we are confident that a coordinated approach in Louisiana can lead to further operating excellence and high levels of guest and employee satisfaction at our Louisiana Boomtown properties."

Barry Regula has served as Vice President and General Manager of Boomtown Bossier City for the past four years.  He joined Pinnacle in 1995 as Entertainment & Special Events Manager for the Casino Magic properties in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis.  After serving in various slot management-related roles at Casino Magic, Barry joined Boomtown Bossier City in 2003 as Assistant General Manager and Director of Operations prior to being promoted to Vice President and General Manager in 2006.  He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. in Communications.  

Lance George, who has served as Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Boomtown New Orleans since 2009, joined Pinnacle in 2003 as a Database Analyst at Belterra Casino Resort.  After serving as Database Marketing Manager at Boomtown Bossier City from 2004 to 2006, he served in a variety of marketing roles of increasing prominence at L'Auberge du Lac, Boomtown New Orleans and the Company's corporate offices before his promotion to Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Boomtown New Orleans.  He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Communications.  

Boomtown New Orleans, located on the West Bank of the Mississippi in New Orleans and approximately 15 minutes from the French Quarter, opened in 1994 and features a 30,000-square-foot casino with more than 1,500 slot machines and 39 table games, including a live poker room and high limit slots and tables.  Boomtown New Orleans also offers approximately 1,700 parking spaces and features four casual and fine dining venues, a 350-seat nightclub entertainment venue and over 4,600-square-feet of meeting and conference space.

Boomtown Bossier City, located off I-20 in Bossier City, Louisiana, approximately three hours east of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, opened in 1996.  The property features a 30,000-square-foot casino with more than 1,000 slot machines and 32 table games, including a live poker room and high limit slots and tables.  Offering approximately 1,800 parking spaces, the resort also features a 187-guestroom hotel, four restaurant options and approximately 1,500-square-feet of meeting and conference space.

About Pinnacle Entertainment

Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates a total of seven casinos, located in Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana and Nevada, and a racetrack in Ohio.  The Company is also developing a casino in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that is scheduled to open in December 2011.  

All statements included in this press release, other than historical information or statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  These forward-looking statements, including statements on strengthening operating margins, are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that could significantly affect future results.  Accordingly, Pinnacle cautions that the forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such statements.  Such factors include, but are not limited to: (a) the Company's business may be sensitive to reductions in consumers' discretionary spending as a result of downtowns in the economy; (b) significant competition in the gaming industry in all of the Company's markets could adversely affect the Company's profitability; and (c) other risks, including those as may be detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").  For more information on the potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results, review the Company's filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K.

Belterra Casino Resort, Boomtown Bossier City, Boomtown New Orleans, and L'Auberge du Lac are registered trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.  All rights reserved.

SOURCE Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.