Harrah's Hosts World Series of Poker MBA Championship

LAS VEGAS -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) and Jungle Media Group, publisher of Jungle Magazine, today announced plans to host the World Series of Poker MBA Championship at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas January 13-15, 2006.

More than 500 MBA students are expected to play in the tournament in 2006, the first year the competition will carry the World Series of Poker brand and offer the winner a seat in the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event.

"The World Series of Poker brand has become the standard in the poker business," said Brad Warga, director of executive recruiting for Harrah's Entertainment. "We believe that by bringing the game's excitement and energy to the MBA audience, we can introduce Harrah's to many of the best and the brightest young business professionals in the country."

The tournament was launched in 2003 in Las Vegas for students and alumni from top MBA programs, with proceeds going to charity. The following year, more than 200 students and alumni from schools including Wharton, University of Chicago, Dartmouth (Tuck), Duke, Harvard, Berkeley, Kellogg, and UCLA participated in the event and raised $25,000 for charity.

"We are very excited that Harrah's has agreed to become a driving force behind the MBA Poker Championship," said Brad Jones, founder of the event. "As the premier company in the gaming industry, a large employer of MBA students and a generous charitable donor, Harrah's is the natural choice to host this event. With networking and social events for players and spectators alike including a celebrity poker workshop with Phil Gordon, the 2006 tournament promises to be the best yet."

During the three-day tournament at Caesars Palace, players will compete for thousands of dollars in prize money and a $10,000 seat at the 2006 World Series of Poker. As in past years, a percentage of the prize pool will be donated to charity. Harrah's and other sponsors will be actively recruiting during the event and many players will leave with much more than a cash prize.