Blue Chip Casino Celebrates First Anniversary; Newest Entertainment Destination Focuses on Year of Accomplishments.MICHIGAN CITY Michigan City, city (1990 pop. 33,822), La Porte co., NW Ind., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1836. Michigan City produces machinery, consumer articles, kitchen and transportation equipment, concrete and wire products, chemicals, apparel, and cast iron boilers. , Ind IND Investigational new drug Therapeutics A status assigned by the FDA to a drug before allowing its use in humans, exempting it from premarketing approval requirements so that experimental clinical trials may be conducted. See Phase 1.2, 3 studies, Sponsorship. .--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 1998--On Aug. 22, 1997, Blue Chip Casino casino or cassino (both: kəsē`nō). 1 Card game played with a full deck by two to four players. Its origins are obscure though it probably traces back to the Italian game of Scopa. , Indiana's eighth riverboat casino A Riverboat casino is a type of casino unique to several areas of the United States which use a riverboat as a casino. Several states authorized this type of casino to limit the areas where casinos could be constructed. , welcomed its first guests. Since that date, more than 1.7 million individuals have visited Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, enjoying the exciting and friendly atmosphere of the casino and the surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. Indiana Dunes Indiana Dunes State park and national lakeshore, southern shore of Lake Michigan, northern Indiana, U.S. The state park (founded 1925) comprises 2,182 acres (883 hectares) of shoreline, marshland, dunes, and forests. Lakeshore region. "To say we are pleased with the experiences of this past year would be an understatement," said Kevin Flynn, Blue Chip's chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "From the beginning, our focus was on creating an exciting entertainment option for our guests. Based on the numbers of guests visiting Blue Chip, we believe we are achieving our goal." Since beginning operations last August, Blue Chip's accomplishments are varied, but each demonstrates the success of northern Indiana's newest entertainment destination. Since welcoming its first guests in August 1997, Blue Chip has: -0-
-- Greeted its first 1 million guests in less than 8 months.
-- Awarded Indiana's highest Caribbean Stud Poker jackpot of
$565,000.
-- Completed a $2 million casino expansion.
-- Generated more than $35 million in tax revenue for the city,
county and state.
-- Donated more than $125,000 to community organizations and
individuals such as the Michigan City Senior Center, the United
Way and many other community groups.
-- Paid more than $520,000 to the Michigan City Community Endowment
Corp., which will provide funds for local not-for-profit and
youth organizations, as well as the Michigan City Zoo.
-- Contributed hundreds of hours of volunteered time. Blue Chip
employees have volunteered their personal time to support food
drives, toy drives, community festivals and fundraisers.
-- Voted "Best Casino in Indiana" by Michiana Now.
-- Announced plans to break ground in October 1998 for a $18 million
hotel and parking garage.
"The tax revenue from Blue Chip is enabling us to initiate projects which Michigan City has needed for years. We are able to direct the revenue to special neighborhood projects which service our city's infrastructure needs," said Michigan City Mayor Sheila Sheila is a common given name for a female, taken from the Gaelic name Síle/Sìle, which is believed to be a Gaelic form of Julia or Cecilia. Like "Cecil" or "Cecilia", the name means "Smart and Wise", from the Latin caecus. Brillson. "Michigan City has many wonderful attractions. Our beautiful lakefront and marina Marina “a piece of virtue.” [Br. Lit.: Pericles] See : Virtuousness attract thousands of visitors each summer, as does our diverse shopping opportunities. Blue Chip Casino rounds out the entertainment portion of the tourism trade we are striving to attract to Michigan City." According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Linda Bell, executive director of the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the number of visitors seeking assistance at the County Visitor Information Centers has increased 122 percent over 1997 figures. In addition, the county is hosting an average of 35 motorcoach tours a week compared to two per week in 1997. The estimated economic impact of these tours based upon industry measurement standards is $2.6 million. Blue Chip Casino averages seven motorcoach tours per day, bringing in visitors from a five-state area and Canada. "Economic indicators Economic indicators The key statistics of the economy that reveal the direction the economy is heading in; for example, the unemployment rate and the inflation rate. for the first six months of 1998 indicate tourism in LaPorte County has increased dramatically compared to the same time last year," said Bell. "Visitors to Blue Chip are a part of the economic impact of tourism in our communities and we are excited that so many Blue Chip guests are discovering and enjoying our area for the first time." Flynn added, "This first year has proven to be successful from many aspects. We believe our guests are enjoying their experience at Blue Chip. I appreciate the effort put forth by the entire Blue Chip team for consistently providing superior service and a quality entertainment experience. Providing great guest service has been our mission since welcoming our first guests in 1997. I am very proud of what we've accomplished towards this goal." EDITOR'S NOTE Editor's Note (foaled in 1993 in Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1992 U.S. Champion 2 YO Colt Forty Niner, who in turn was a son of Champion sire Mr. Prospector and out of the mare, Beware Of The Cat. Trained by D. : According to Indiana Gaming Commission data released today, Blue Chip's admissions for July 1998 were 337,837. Total gaming revenue for the month was $13,451,000. Slot machines recorded coin-in of $170,861,000 generating $10,854,000 in revenue, and table games drop of $12,400,000 generating revenue of $2,597,000.
CONTACT: Blue Chip Casino Inc.
Financial: Joseph McQuaid, 312/456-7281
Public Relations: Stacey Harris, 219/879-7711 ext.2208
or 888/492-1457
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