BILOXI, Mississippi – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Music, art, and casino gaming ... an unlikely combination of entertainment, but all three came together today for legendary blues artist B.B. King. The Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE), host of the official B.B. King 80th Birthday Benefit concert, unveiled a commemorative painting by renowned pop artist Steve Kaufman this morning, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Miss.

The vibrant five-foot by five-foot, oil-on-canvas painting is titled "B.B. King the Thrill is Gone." Isle of Capri will produce 210 20-inch by 20-inch hand-signed and numbered prints, which will be offered as collector's pieces from the benefit concert.

Isle of Capri commissioned Kaufman to produce a work of art that would support the regional gaming company's B.B. King 80th Birthday Benefit, a blues fest concert to raise funds and awareness for the planned $10-million B.B. King Museum in the home state of Isle and King. The concert will be held on Saturday, July 30, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

"In our effort to honor Mr. King and his legacy, we wanted to find the best possible artist to create a fitting visual tribute. We selected Steve Kaufman to create this painting because of his incredible talent and his reputation for capturing the personalities of the many celebrities he has painted. Mr. Kaufman's amazing painting will help us brand our event as well as support it through the proceeds generated from print sales," said Timothy M. Hinkley, president and COO of Isle of Capri Casinos.

The original work of art will hang in the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center complex, which is expected to open in 2006. Prints will be available at the B.B. King Birthday Benefit concert silent auction.

Kaufman said, "All my life I've been in awe of B.B. King as the greatest bluesman of all time. His passion for rock and roll is so pure because he plays from his heart. He's an inspiration to me as an artist because I paint with the same ferocious intensity. Since I only paint icons, I am thrilled to finally create a portrait of this living American legend -- and I'm honored to work on a project of this caliber for the B.B. King Museum and the Isle of Capri Casinos."