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Gaming NewsKansas Star Casino to open early19 December 2011DUBUQUE, Iowa -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Peninsula Gaming, a world class casino and entertainment company based in Dubuque, Iowa, announced today that it will open the Kansas Star Casino on December 26, 2011, nearly two months earlier than expected. Kansas Star leadership credits the early opening to good weather, a great team of contractors, and outstanding assistance from its partners at the Kansas Lottery and regulators at the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. “Our initial construction schedule anticipated delays that simply haven’t happened,” said Scott Cooper, general manager of Kansas Star Casino. “We’ve experienced some good luck that is being passed down to the 500 employees who will now certainly have a happier new year with our opening in December rather than February 2012.” The addition of hundreds of new jobs plus the revenue-sharing partnership with the state of Kansas will contribute significantly to the local economy earlier than expected. Another strong indicator of interest is the number of early applications to the Lucky Star Player’s Club, which has exceeded goals with more than 26,000 applications received from 39 states. The construction of the initial phase is complete, featuring a magnificent gaming floor with more than 1,300 slot machines and 32 gaming tables. Kansas Star employees have been training daily to provide exceptional Kansas style hospitality with the polish and excitement of Las Vegas gaming. Many of the dealers are recent graduates from the Kansas Star Dealers School in Mulvane. In August, Kansas Star launched the twelve-week program to train students on how to be a successful casino dealer. After screening more than 600, 80 individuals were chosen for dealer school instruction at no cost to the students. The school was split up into two 40-student classes. Students attended for four hours a day, five days a week, for twelve weeks. “Players at Kansas Star will find familiar games exactly like what they play in Las Vegas. No ante or pay to play on our table games,” said Mike Dickson, director of gaming at Kansas Star. “We spoke with players all around the region to put together a wide selection of the most popular slot machine themes from Las Vegas and the regional casinos around Kansas.” The next phase, opening in early 2013, will feature a 150-room hotel, as well as a buffet, deli, fine dining steak house, and Mojo’s Sports Bar. Construction on this phase has already begun. The final phase of the project concludes early in 2015 with the crown jewel of the Kansas Star: an indoor equine center that will be one of the premier facilities of its kind, drawing horse shows, rodeos and other equestrian events from around the country. This phase of development will also add an additional 150 hotel rooms and RV parking. Construction of the Kansas Star broke ground in March 2011 on 202 acres just south of Wichita at Kansas Turnpike exit 33 in Mulvane. The $314 million project has created 1,640 construction jobs and is expected to ultimately employ nearly 800 people. Earlier this year the state of Kansas chose Peninsula Gaming to operate the state-owned project, establishing the company’s first casino in Kansas. Peninsula, headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, operates four other casino properties located in Iowa and Louisiana. |