Ameristar's commitment to excellence evident in the Midwest

The hotel tower that Harrah's Entertainment constructed in 2001 at East Chicago, Indiana when the company owned that casino will be given a much-needed face lift starting this month.

Ameristar Casinos, Inc., which purchased the property from Resorts Destinations in 2007, is investing $4.2 million in a major hotel renovation project that will include all of the facility's 280 standard guest rooms and 10 luxury suites.

Upgrades include new plush carpeting and fresh wallpaper, enhanced light fixtures, 42-inch high-definition TVs, and a new luxury bedding package.

The project comes on the heels of $1 million in upgrades made to the air quality system throughout the four levels of the casino vessel and will be followed by an additional $800,000 in air quality improvements to the casino's spacious pavilion area.

All of the investments are incremental to Ameristar's initial $30-million in upgrades during the rebranding process that took place in 2008.

"Ameristar remains committed to both East Chicago and Northwest Indiana even during these tough economic times," said the company's chief executive officer, Gordon R. Kanofsky. "We believe our continuing investments in our property will help spur the local economy by attracting even more guests to Ameristar East Chicago."

Attracting those guests has been a challenge for Ameristar, a Las Vegas-based corporation that owns eight casinos in seven markets around the country.

Recent measures to entice casino-goers to the property include reduced pricing at the Heritage Buffet. Lunch for $10.99 per person is served every day, with dinner for $12.99 per person Sunday through Friday. A new seafood buffet was introduced on Saturdays for $19.99 per person.

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Congratulations to Josh Tieman, a 27-year-old poker pro from Chicago, who collected first prize of $441,692 and his first gold bracelet earlier his month for winning the No-Limit Hold'em Shootout at the 2010 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Tieman overcame a tough field of 358 players, each of whom put up a $5,000 entry fee, to emerge victorious in the grueling 3-day event. The total prize pool for the competition was nearly $1.7 million.

A few weeks ago this column was devoted to thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown and the obstacles a 3-year-old must overcome to win it. This columnist referenced the golfing world's Grand Slam by incorrectly stating that the great Bobby Jones was the first and only one to accomplish the feat when he won the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 1930.

With thanks to readers Darryl W. Kirk and Dennis Halloran who caught my mistake and provided the correct information, Jones in fact won what was then known as the Grand Slam but it consisted of the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open. The Masters was not held until 1934.