Pinnacle Entertainment Appoints General Managers for Projects

20 January 2004

LAS VEGAS – (Press Release) -- Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: PNK) today announced management changes to provide the leadership for its Lake Charles project and continuation of the success of its Belterra property.

Alain Uboldi, currently Regional Vice President and General Manager overseeing the Company's Belterra Resort Casino and Boomtown Bossier City, has been named General Manager of the Company's Lake Charles property currently under construction. He will retain responsibilities over Boomtown Bossier City. Recruited to replace Mr. Uboldi as General Manager of Belterra Casino Resort is Larry Buck, who is joining the Company as Vice President and General Manager. Mr. Buck, since June 2000, has been the General Manager of Hyatt's Grand Victoria Casino & Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana.

Mr. Uboldi joined Belterra as Vice President and General Manager in 2001. Born in Monte Carlo, he began his career with Peat Marwick Mitchell in Paris from 1969 to 1973, returning to Monaco to take on executive gaming management duties for hotel chain Societe des Bains de Mer (SBM Group) from 1973 to 1980, with responsibility for essentially all of the gaming operations at the famed Monte Carlo casino. He became Executive Vice President of the Playboy Casino Hotel in Atlantic City in 1981 and then Controller for the Regine's nightclub chain in 1982. From 1983 to 1992, he was General Manager of the Lady Luck Casino Hotel in Las Vegas and then created Lady Luck Gaming Corporation, serving as its President and COO from 1992 until the sale of that company in 2000. At Lady Luck, he was instrumental at developing and opening several casinos in Mississippi, Iowa and Colorado.

At Grand Victoria, Mr. Buck had managerial responsibility for the casino hotel, ranging from daily operations to long-term strategies.

Earlier, from 1999 to 2000, Mr. Buck was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah's Reno in Reno, Nevada. From 1996 to 1999, he was Vice President/General Manager of the Players Casino in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior thereto, Mr. Buck was Vice President of Operations at the Players Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana since 1993 when that casino opened. He was also Vice President of Finance and Administration for the Players Casino in Metropolis, Illinois, from 1991 to 1993.

Mr. Buck began his career at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, the first major project of Mirage Resorts. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Syracuse University and an MBA in Financial Management from Drexel University. He is active in industry and charitable associations, including the Casino Association of Indiana, of which he is a board member.

"Larry Buck is a terrific addition to our management team. He has been one of the leaders in the Indiana/Ohio River gaming industry for several years and has the skills and experience to oversee the opening of the expansion that we now have under construction. He will continue the tradition of success at this property that has been developed and nurtured by Alain Uboldi," stated Daniel R. Lee, Pinnacle's Chairman and CEO. "Larry also helped open and operate the first casino in Lake Charles and one of the first casinos in St. Louis, Missouri. We are under construction in Lake Charles, were recently selected to develop a casino in the City of St. Louis and are under consideration to develop a casino in St. Louis County. While Larry's primary responsibilities will be at Belterra, his experience in these other markets will also be invaluable to our Company."

Mr. Lee continued, "Meanwhile, we look forward to having Alain Uboldi's leadership in Lake Charles. Alain has done a tremendous job at Belterra in developing a management team and producing solid financial results. He is the perfect person to lead our Lake Charles project, which will be our Company's largest property when it opens in March 2005."