ASCA A SPAC I Acquisition Corporation

Ameristar Casino Resort Spa is now rated among the nation's elite lodging facilities after becoming the first hotel in St. Charles to earn the prestigious American Automobile Association (AAA) Four Diamond designation.

Ameristar's 397 all-suite luxury hotel and spa in St. Charles opened in 2008 and now joins Ameristar properties in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Jackpot, Nevada as Four Diamond facilities. The Company also recently opened a 536-room Four Diamond-caliber luxury hotel and spa in Black Hawk, Colorado, which serves the Metro Denver market.

One of the lodging and restaurant industry's most illustrious honors, the AAA Four Diamond designation recognizes establishments that consistently achieve high levels of quality and service. It is awarded to those restaurants or hotels that significantly meet or exceed AAA requirements. Less than four percent of North America's lodging facilities attain the level of excellence required for the Four Diamond designation.

Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles earned the honor after being evaluated unknowingly on more than 300 facility and guest service benchmarks.

Ameristar CEO and Vice Chairman Gordon Kanofsky said, "Ameristar is honored by the designation, which affirms the dedication to excellence at our eight properties."

"Ameristar is built on providing premium facilities coupled with outstanding guest service. Both are central to earning the AAA Four Diamond designation," Kanofsky added. "The St. Charles hotel and our newly opened hotel at our Black Hawk, Colorado property are the most recent examples of Ameristar's commitment to excellence in quality properties and service."

The hotel tower at Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles is a 25-story full-service casino resort destination that includes the lavish 7,000-square-foot Ara Spa and an inviting indoor-outdoor connecting pool with a full-length deck and event lawn area.

Custom design and finishes are prevalent throughout. Sunken living rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows showcase views of the Missouri River on one side and the historic city of St. Charles on the other. Non-smoking and wheelchair-accessible rooms are available.

Each suite features:

• Full-height leather headboards
• Geometrically-patterned stone floors at the entrance
• 37-inch plasma-screen televisions in the living room and bedroom
• Bathrooms with a separate tub and glass-enclosed shower, matching vanities, enclosed water closets and an LCD television screen
• Complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access
• In-room safe

Ten King Spa and two Presidential suites include such features as full wet bars, premium surround-sound entertainment systems and gas log fireplaces.

About Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles, owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASCA), brings the finest gaming, lodging and entertainment to the banks of the Missouri River, serving the entire metropolitan St. Louis area from its convenient location just north of the Interstate Highway 70 bridge near historic St. Charles, Missouri. Established in 1994 as one of the first gaming facilities in Missouri, the property was re-branded as an Ameristar facility that opened in 2002. Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles boasts a full-service spa and indoor-outdoor pool, 397-suite luxury hotel with seven restaurants and three entertainment venues, including HOME, the region's premier nightclub. The resort features a 130,000-square-foot casino vessel offering the largest selection of gaming options in the region, including approximately 3,000 slots, more than 50 table games such as blackjack, craps, and roulette, a new luxury high-limit room and a 19-table live poker room.

About Ameristar

Ameristar Casinos, Inc., is a leading Las Vegas-based gaming and entertainment company known for its premier properties characterized by innovative architecture, state-of-the-art casino floors and superior dining, lodging and entertainment offerings Ameristar's focus on the total entertainment experience and the highest-quality guest service has earned it leading market share positions in the markets in which it operates. Founded in 1954 in Jackpot, Nev., Ameristar has been a public company since November 1993. The Company has a portfolio of eight casinos in seven markets: Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles (greater St. Louis); Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City; Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs (Omaha, Neb., and southwestern Iowa); Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg (Jackson, Miss., and Monroe, La.); Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago (Chicagoland area); Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk (Denver metropolitan area); and Cactus Petes Resort Casino and The Horseshu Hotel and Casino in Jackpot, Nev. (Idaho and the Pacific Northwest).

Visit Ameristar Casinos' Web site at http://www.ameristar.com (which shall not be deemed to be incorporated in or a part of this news release).

Contact: Mike Knopfel Public Relations Manager Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles 636/ 940-4946