Ute Mountain Casino Resort Teams Up With GSN On 'World Series of Blackjack 2006'

TOWAOC, Colorado - (PRESS RELEASE) -- Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel & Resort is partnering with GSN, The Network for Games, on the broadcaster's third year of the franchise series World Series of Blackjack 2006. Ute Mountain Casino, the largest casino in southwest Colorado, is currently hosting three preliminary blackjack tournaments. The top winner of each tournament will win one of the 40 seats in the World Series of Blackjack which will be taped early next year. A total of three seats will be awarded at Ute Mountain Casino. The total prize pool for the finals in Las Vegas will be $1,000,000.00 (one million dollars) with more than $500,000.00 (half a million) going to the grand prize winner.

For the first time in the series' history, players representing casinos will compete for a chance to earn a seat in the 2006 show through a series of qualification events held at casinos nationwide. Seats in the first two seasons of the event were by invitation only. The new qualification structure opens the doors on this elite tournament and creates a unique opportunity for participating casinos.

Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel and Resort will be hosting their tournaments on the 2nd and 3rd of December, the 6th and 7th of January, and the 20th and 21st of January with GSN being on site taping some of the action and interviewing the winners for usage in the series.

“We are looking forward to having three of the winners from Ute Mountain's tournament take on the best blackjack players in the ‘World Series of Blackjack 2006' on GSN,” said Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN.

“The staff and guests of Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel and Resort are very excited to be the exclusive home of the World Series of Blackjack in the state of Colorado and the Four Corners area,” said Robert Mudd, General Manager of the Casino – Hotel, “By bringing this national event here we are continuing to prove that we are a premier destination resort; we are Colorado's place to play.”

GSN'S World Series of Blackjack debuted in March 2004 when 25 world-class blackjack players competed for a prize pool of $250,000. Blackjack players who participated in the inaugural year included Stanford Wong and Anthony Curtis, among others.

The second season of World Series of Blackjack premiered January 2005 and included a larger playing field, 40 players, and a larger prize pool, $500,000. Ken Einiger emerged as the champion, beating such greats as Ken Smith, Joe Maloof, and “Hollywood” Dave Stann.

Ute Mountain Casino offers a large variety of slot machines and table games with blackjack being one of its most popular card games. Blackjack enthusiasts who would like further information about the Ute Mountain blackjack tournaments can call toll free: 1-800-258-8007.

In addition to blackjack programming, GSN features extensive poker programming and has branded Friday as “Casino Night” from 10 PM to Midnight ET/PT. Residents near Ute Mountain Casino can enjoy GSN's programming on Charter Cortez Cable (Channel 76), DirecTV (Channel 309) or Dish Network (116).

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN has allowed viewers to play-along with on-air programming via their computers and GSN.com for some time. The recent launch of GSNi (GSN Interactive) has taken interactivity to the next level, affording viewers the chance to play-along with TV shows using only their remote controls. Reaching more than 57 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

Located only eleven lucky miles from Cortez, Colorado, The Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel & Resort is the gateway to Colorado, located minutes from Mesa Verde National Park and the Four Corners. Nestled in the shadow of the legendary Sleeping Ute Mountain, The Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel & Resort with its mix of Nevada-style casino games, dining options, and distinctive accommodations offers something for everyone. The Ute Mountain Casino – Hotel & Resort is owned and operated by the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe.

Information on current and upcoming events is available throughout the casino or at www.utemountaincasino.com