World Poker Tour Expands Season

MINNEAPOLIS -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Players hoping to get a slice of the millions in prize money offered on the World Poker Tour will have at least one additional opportunity in the upcoming third season as the Tour adds a stop at THE MIRAGE in Las Vegas in July, 2005. This new Tour stop represents an expansion over the Tour's second season in 2003-2004, when the total prize money for the Tour reached $35 million. The World Poker Tour airs on The Travel Channel on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Season 3 of the World Poker Tour will once again feature events in Paris and Aruba, two on seagoing cruises, and a stellar lineup of U.S. destinations. The new tournament, THE MIRAGE "The Mirage Poker Showdown," is slated for July 29-August 1, making it the second stop on the schedule. The Tour returns to Las Vegas to cap off the third season with the WPT Championship in April 2005, when the WPT will crown its third WPT World Champion. The total prize pool for the second season WPT Championship was a WPT record $8.3 million and the winner took home $2.7 million.

All WPT tournaments (except for the pro/celebrity WPT Invitational) are open to pros and amateurs alike who ante up each tournament's buy-in or play in satellite tournaments for a chance to win an entry. The announcement of the schedule will enable players to begin signing up for satellites offered by the casinos and online poker rooms that host WPT tournaments. Satellite information can be found at www.worldpokertour.com. More than 4,000 players participated in WPT tournaments in season two.

Anyone age 21 or older wishing to play in WPT tournaments should contact the participating casino to obtain information on the buy-in fee and registration deadlines. You may then register with and provide payment to the host casino to reserve a seat in the tournament.

A growing number of the WPT tournament entries are women. There's no limit to who enters a WPT tournament. WPT players range in age from 21 to 70; they come from all over the world; they represent both sexes and many different ethnicities.

Enthusiasts who would like to attend a final table TV taping should contact the casino or card room directly to reserve their seats.

Season two of the World Poker Tour is currently airing Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Travel Channel and culminates on June 30 with the WPT Championship.

World Poker Tour, LLC is a media and entertainment company principally engaged in the development, production and marketing of gaming-themed televised programming, the licensing and sale of branded products and the sale of corporate sponsorships. World Poker Tour, LLC is a subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc.

The World Poker Tour is a joint venture between Steven Lipscomb and Lakes Entertainment, Inc., which owns approximately 80% of WPT. Lakes currently has development and management agreements with four separate Tribes for four new casino operations, one in Michigan, two in California and one with the Nipmuc Nation on the East Coast. In addition, Lakes Entertainment has agreements for the development of one additional casino on Indian-owned land in California through a joint venture with MRD Gaming, which is currently being disputed by the Tribe. Lakes Entertainment, Inc. common shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol "LACO".