`Strictly Slots' Awards 216 Honors To Harrah's Entertainment Casinos; Company Employees Set Industry Benchmark For Service.

Business Editors

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2001

Readers Overwhelmingly Select Total Rewards As Best Slot Club

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) garnered 216 honors in "Strictly Slots"' first annual "Best of Slots" Awards, as the magazine's readers recognized Harrah's as the industry's best in 109 categories, including Best Slot Club.

"Mostly mirroring `Casino Player''s votes in this category, Harrah's Total Rewards has yet again won best slot club in nearly every jurisdiction in which it operates," wrote "Strictly Slots" in its October issue. "Those votes include the Rio in Las Vegas and Showboat in Atlantic City, both of which have completely integrated the national Total Rewards system."

In addition to honoring Total Rewards, the gaming industry's only nationwide player-card program, "Strictly Slots" readers also pinpointed Harrah's customer service as a distinguishing characteristic in determining the winners.

"There's nothing you'll find in Casino A that you won't find in Casino B or Casino C -- they all have the same games, they all have restaurants, they all have some form of entertainment," wrote "Strictly Slots." "What they don't share are employees and in this department, Harrah's clearly shines as the industry leader. Recognized over and over for their innovative, creative and successful attempts at humanizing an industry that becomes more computerized and mechanized every day, Harrah's is the benchmark for service in the gaming world. The results once again prove it."

"This is a tremendous honor," said Phil Satre, Harrah's Entertainment's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "It illustrates that players nationwide visit our properties because we offer the latest, most innovative slot machines combined with impeccable guest service and an unmatched entertainment experience. I congratulate our 44,000 employees on this achievement."

Harrah's Laughlin received 32 awards, including top honors in 28 categories such as "Best Overall Casino," "Best Slot Club," "Most Innovative Casino" and "Best Variety of Slots." "Strictly Slots" wrote, "Down in the boomtown of Laughlin, Nevada, it would appear that Harrah's has no competition. With a virtual sweep of the categories, Harrah's Laughlin is clearly at the summit of the Colorado River gaming town."

Harrah's Las Vegas walked away with 26 total wins and was recognized as the "Luckiest Casino," the "Most Comfortable Casino," as well as having the "Best Video Slots" and the "Best Slot Service" among 13 additional first place wins. Harrah's Atlantic City was honored with 25 awards including "Best Overall Casino," "Best Reel Slots" and "Best Slot Hosts."

"In Atlantic City, `Strictly Slots' readers clearly favor Harrah's as the best overall casino in the city, not so much for its individual strengths, but for the sum of its parts," the magazine wrote. "Harrah's never fails to provide a consistently exciting gaming product in a comfortable, attractive casino, with excellent service and the newest games."

"This announcement follows Harrah's dominance in `Casino Player''s `Best of' awards," said Gary Loveman, Harrah's Entertainment's President and Chief Operating Officer. "Together, these accolades prove that our strategy of providing great customer service resonates with players. Our approach of thoroughly understanding our customers and rewarding their loyalty through consolidated play across the country translates into a successful operation with an extremely high customer approval rating."

"Strictly Slots" Editor-In-Chief Adam Fine said the trend is "toward value, service and comfort" and he noted that players want to be "comfortable where they play, and have a relaxing, informal time."

Fine went on to say, "Clearly, this is why Harrah's has proven to be so popular in so many gaming markets. The company has managed to combine a friendly, service-oriented staff with a casual but fun environment at all its casinos, and that's what today's players want."

Full results of the "Best of Slots" survey are printed in the October edition of "Strictly Slots."

Founded more than 60 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the most geographically diversified casino company in the United States, operating 25 casinos under the Harrah's, Showboat, Rio and Harveys brand names. With a combined database of more than 24 million players, Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its target customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.

Additional information about Harrah's Entertainment is available on the Company's web site, www.harrahs.com.