Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:PNK) today announced that voters in East Baton Rouge Parish approved the development and construction of Riviere, the Company's $250 million gaming entertainment complex that will be built on more than 550 acres the Company owns in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The project requires adherence to certain conditions imposed by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, which approved Pinnacle's plans for Riviere in September 2007.The project, designed to be built in phases, features a world-class gaming resort. The first phase includes a state-of-the-art casino with approximately 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games. An adjoining hotel will offer visitors an atmosphere of casual elegance and comfort. An array of restaurants and lounges, ranging from simple to spectacular, will tempt guests with quality cuisine. Several of the restaurants will be located above the casino and will take advantage of the site's sweeping views of the Mississippi River.

An entertainment venue will host an array of top-name entertainment, live music and other exciting attractions.Future planned phases of Riviere include a residential community and additional hotel rooms. Planned recreation and leisure amenities include a full-service spa and health club; tennis club; equestrian center and riding trails; and a championship golf course, with the historic Longwood mansion serving as its clubhouse."We're extremely grateful to the people of Baton Rouge, who are allowing us to become a part of one of the most exciting and fastest-growing cities in the South," said Daniel R. Lee, Pinnacle Entertainment's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We plan to generate 1,200 direct permanent jobs in Phase One alone, along with millions of dollars per year in incremental tax revenues for the State and Parishes of Louisiana."Our next steps will be to work with local and regional officials on a development agreement, and to move forward on other aspects of zoning, design, planning and safety. I would like to thank the voters of East Baton Rouge for the confidence that they have placed in us today. We look forward to creating a unique entertainment experience that will make all citizens of Baton Rouge proud."

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; 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.