Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. Contributes C$250,000 to Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. Contributes C$250,000 to Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund

		Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. logo. (PRNewsFoto) LAS VEGAS, NV USA

		Duncan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (center), presents a check for C$250,000 for the Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund to Tim Wilmott, Chief Operating Officer, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (left), and Tony Santo, Senior Vice President, Operations, Products and Services, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (right). (PRNewsFoto) LAS VEGAS, NV USA

More Than $2 Million Raised to Date in Effort to Assist 8,000 Employees LAS VEGAS, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In the largest donation by a third party to date, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLGC) has donated C$250,000 (US$211,700) to the Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET). (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021220/LAF055LOGO) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050922/LATH087) The OLGC, a crown agency of the Government of the Canadian province of Ontario, made the donation as part of a C$1 million (US$855,000) contribution to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the United States. The OLGC is the owner of Casino Windsor, which is operated by Harrah's. "The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's donation to the Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund is greatly appreciated," said Tim Wilmott, Harrah's chief operating officer and chairman of the Harrah's Foundation, which oversees the Employee Recovery Fund. "The OLGC's contribution to the recovery fund will certainly help Harrah's employees in their time of great need." The Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund was seeded with a $1 million allocation by the Harrah's Foundation. To date, $2.18 million has been contributed to the fund, including nearly $500,000 from Harrah's employees. The fund has also received numerous monetary donations from outside vendors, including: * Brady Industries, $100,000; * CIGNA, which has committed $25,000; and, * A substantial contribution from International Game Technology (IGT). In addition, Harrah's has received contributions of goods and services from many vendors in its hurricane recovery efforts, including PR Newswire and the Bernard Hodes Group. "The lives of nearly 8,000 Harrah's employees were disrupted by this devastating storm," Wilmott said. "Thanks to the generosity of our business partners, our employees and members of the public, we can help supply the assistance our displaced employees need to begin the recovery process." The public can assist Harrah's employees by visiting the company's Web site -- http://www.harrahs.com -- for additional information on how to help. For more information on the company's employee relief efforts, please visit: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/harrahs/22667/. Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada 67 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions. On June 13, 2005, Harrah's Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc., and now owns or manages through various subsidiaries more than 40 casinos in three countries, primarily under the Harrah's, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names. With nearly 4 million square feet of casino space, more than 40,000 hotel rooms and nearly 100,000 employees, the Harrah's portfolio is the most diverse in the gaming industry. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.