Gov. Haley Barbour, U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson Lead Speaker Lineup at Crucial Southern Gaming Summit

BILOXI, Miss. (April 25, 2006) — Southern Gaming Summit is renowned for bringing together a stellar array of speakers and panelists from among the gaming industry’s top executives and decision-makers, and this year is no exception.

Joining the industry’s biggest names this year will be more than a dozen political and tourism leaders who will have a significant voice in the shaping of the gaming landscape in the post-Katrina South. Leading this impressive list of speakers are keynote presenters:

• Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who will provide keynote addresses at the Day 1 General Session, May 4. Gov. Barbour has been instrumental in driving legislation that will help the gaming industry rebuild along the Gulf Coast in a manner that will lessen risk during future hurricanes.

• U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a Democrat representing Mississippi’s Second Congressional District, will present the keynote address at the Day 2 General Session, May 5. His district includes the gaming center of the Tunica region.

Among the speakers, panelists and moderators participating in the two-day Conference portion of Southern Gaming Summit 2006 are these influential political and tourism leaders:

• Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., President and CEO, American Gaming Association
• Webster Franklin, Executive Director and CEO, Tunica County Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Larry Gregory, Executive Director, Mississippi Gaming Commission
• A.J. Holloway, Mayor, City of Biloxi
• Jay W. Ledbetter, Director of Criminal Investigation & Intelligence, Mississippi Gaming Commission
• Phillip Martin, Tribal Chief, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
• Ricky Mathews, President/ Publisher, The Sun Herald; and Vice Chair, Governor's Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal  • Bobby Moak, Chairman, Gaming Committee, Mississippi House of Representatives
• Steve Richer, Executive Director, Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Connie Rockco, President, Harrison County Board of Supervisors
• Ernest Stevens, Jr., Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association
• Charlie Williams, Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor – State of Mississippi

Southern Gaming Summit has grown to become a truly regional trade show in recent years, with more than half of attendees coming from outside of Mississippi (45 states were represented in 2005). The continued vitality of the Mississippi market and of gaming throughout the South has led to this unprecedented show of support from gaming leaders around the country.

One of the most popular features of the Summit each year is the Expo, where leading vendors show the latest gaming products, technologies and services. Every booth at this year’s Expo will be filled – and all of the industry’s leading companies are showing additional support for gaming in Mississippi as sponsors of the Summit, including: Tunica Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, AC Coin & Slot, Agilysys, Aristocrat, Bally Technologies, BMM Testlabs, CB Richard Ellis, Dale Morris Architects, FutureLogic, Mississippi Gulf Coast Economic Development Team, IGT, JCM Alliance, Konami Gaming, MEI, ShuffleMaster, Unidesa Gaming & Systems, US Bank Gaming Services, Vending Data Corporation, WMS Gaming, Yesco. Media sponsors are Casino Journal, Indian Country Today, Southern Gaming and Destinations, Mississippi Gaming News, and the Gaming Green Pages.

Registration for the Southern Gaming Summit conference and expo is available online at www.sgsummit.com.

 # # #

Media contact Stephen Gibbs, 954-636-5876, sgibbs@ascendmedia.com.