Vienna, 23.06.2005 --- At a meeting in Stockholm on 17 June 2005, Casinos Austria International CEO Paul Herzfeld was unanimously elected to the Board of the new European Casino Association (ECA).

The European Casino Association was formed in January 2005 from the European Casino Forum at a meeting held during the International Casino Exhibition in London. The new association replaces its more informal predecessor and aims to strengthen the ability of the European casino industry to pursue, promote and lobby its interests at a pan-European level.

Registered in Brussels as a European trade association, the ECA currently represents over 800 casinos in 19 European countries (incl. Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and, of course, Austria). Together, these casinos employ some 65.000 people, and the European casino industry currently posts annual gross gaming revenues in excess of EUR 8 billion. Membership of the association is expected to grow further in the coming years. The ECA plans to set up an office in Brussels in the near future, which will also serve as a base for the ECA Board.

Casinos Austria International (CAI) is a leading player in the European casino industry. Paul Herzfeld has been CEO and Member of the Board of CAI since 1997, where he manages the Casinos Austria Groups extensive international activities. In addition, he was appointed to the Board of the parent company, Casinos Austria AG, in 2001, where he is responsible for marketing and operational activities at the 12 casinos across Austria.

For further information, please contact:

Hermann Pamminger
Head of Corporate Relations and Customer Care
Phone: +43 1 534 40 524
E-mail: hermann.pamminger@casinos.at