LAS VEGAS, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. today announced it has opened Lumiere Place, the company's new casino and entertainment complex in St. Louis. The property is adjacent to St. Louis' Central Business District, the America's Center convention center, the 66,000-seat Edward Jones Dome stadium and the Laclede's Landing entertainment district, and near the famed Gateway Arch.
To highlight the opening ceremony, Pinnacle Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Lee and St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay threw an oversized light switch and lit the massive light box, or "Lumiere," surrounding the complex's 24-story tower.
"Lumiere Place represents a new era in the Midwest's gaming and entertainment," Lee said. "While our casino technically meets the state's standards for a 'riverboat,' it does not feel or look like a riverboat; it looks and feels like a casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It is also authentic in its style. We didn't try to replicate a historical theme, or copy a casino that was built elsewhere. We developed a contemporary style that is unique to St. Louis and is a step ahead of all other casinos that have ever been built. Even the name 'Lumiere Place' is unique to St. Louis, paying homage to its French origins while highlighting the huge light feature that will now forever be a distinctive part of the city's skyline."
Lumiere Place, with an investment of $507 million, features a large casino with approximately 2,000 slots and more than 45 table games. It also houses two hotels: the Pinnacle-owned, 200-room Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, which occupies the high-rise tower; and the 295-suite HoteLumiere, which is undergoing a $16 million renovation and is connected to the property via a sky bridge crossing Second Street. Lumiere Place has over 2,000 parking spaces and is easily accessible from Interstate 70 and the Dr. Martin Luther King and Eads bridges. Parking is always free for gamblers. It is also convenient to the Laclede's Landing stop on the MetroLink light rail system. Additionally, Lumiere Place will be connected to Baer Park, the Central Business District and the America's Center convention center via underground moving walkways passing under Interstate 70. Both hotels and the underground pedestrian tunnel will open in early 2008.
"This opening has been more than four years in the making," said Todd George, Vice President and General Manager of Lumiere Place. "Today, we get to share with the public this beautiful building, built by thousands of diligent construction workers and brought to life by our enthusiastic and fun-loving employees. Lumiere Place has an energy and excitement that our visitors will immediately feel, and that will make it everyone's 'place' in the city."
Lumiere Place leads a renaissance that is underway in downtown St. Louis and throughout the city, with more than $4.5 billion being invested in housing and economic development in recent years.
Including this first phase, the Company owns all the real estate in the Lumiere Place area, an approximately 20-acre redevelopment zone adjoining the Mississippi River bounded by Third Street, Carr Street, Leonor K. Sullivan Drive and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
About Lumiere Place
The $507 million Lumiere Place includes a 75,000-square-foot casino with 2,000 slot machines, more than 45 table games, and a dedicated poker room. The complex boasts seven restaurants, including SLeeK, a steakhouse by celebrity chef Hubert Keller. Hubert Keller is also the talent behind Lumiere's Burger Bar, a venue offering fresh ground hamburgers ranging from the basic to versions with white truffles and foie gras. Other restaurants include Asia from nationally known restaurateur Tri La, The Kitchen Buffet & Bistro where the buffet itself is in the kitchen, and Peet's Coffee & Tea. Peet's Coffee & Tea is a San Francisco Bay Area institution that provided Starbucks with its original coffee beans and has progressed to being the leading provider of gourmet coffees and teas in California. St. Louis will join Chicago as the only cities in the Midwest with authentic Peet's coffee venues. Night spots include Aqua, a piano bar overlooking the casino floor and grand promenade, and globar, a high-energy lounge near the center of the casino floor. Lumiere Place also features a large, hidden VIP lounge for select casino customers.
Pinnacle was selected by the City of St. Louis to develop a casino in downtown St. Louis in early 2004 on land that Pinnacle had owned in part since the mid-1990s. Construction began in September 2005. The project received its license from the Missouri Gaming Commission today.
About Pinnacle Entertainment
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates casinos in Nevada, Louisiana, Indiana, Missouri, Argentina and The Bahamas and has significant insurance claims related to a hurricane-damaged hotel and casino complex previously operated in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Company opened Lumiere Place, a $507 million casino hotel in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, in December 2007. Pinnacle also has a second casino development project under construction in the St. Louis area, which opening is dependent upon final approval by the Missouri Gaming Commission. Pinnacle is currently developing a second casino resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to be called Sugarcane Bay; anticipates developing a casino resort in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be called Riviere; and has submitted a proposal for a casino resort in Kansas City, Kansas, subject to various approvals. Additionally, Pinnacle owns a casino site at the heart of the famed Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on which it plans to build a major new casino resort.
All statements included in this press release, other than historical information or statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the timing of Pinnacle's construction projects and expected budgets, 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 Entertainment 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) many construction-related factors could prevent the Company from completing its construction and development projects within budget and on time; (b) the risk that the Company's new development projects, proposed expansions to the existing facilities, and other capital intensive projects could strain the Company's financial resources and the risk that such projects and new developments might not provide for a sufficient return, if any; and (c) other risks, including those as may be detailed from time to time in Pinnacle Entertainment's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). For more information on the potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results and business, review the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K.
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to responsible gaming. |
World Casino Directory 
Gambling Forums 
