Craig maintained majority ownership of the company and served as CEO and Chairman of the Board until his death.

Prior to opening the Vicksburg casino in early 1994, Craig combined it with the Jackpot properties to found Ameristar Casinos, Inc., which went public in November 1993. Confident that it was the superior location in the market, Craig assembled a team to overcome the development risks and proceeded with construction. With riverboat and dockside gaming beginning to grow in states beyond Nevada and New Jersey, Craig identified a steep site on the bank of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi that many others had considered but passed on due to the engineering and geological challenges it posed for the construction of a casino. His plan was a financial success, and Cactus Petes earned a Four Diamond Award from the AAA, matching the ranking of the top properties on the Las Vegas Strip. He expanded the casino floors and built luxury hotel rooms, several new restaurants, and a ballroom for live entertainment. Facing opposition from the two other shareholders, Craig bought them out and proceeded to realize his vision. Following his 1985 injury, Craig set his mind to redevelop them into a regional casino resort complex to draw in customers for longer stays and to expand their market. Craig Neilsen’s parents owned a one-third mostly passive interest in Cactus Petes and The Horseshu, two small roadside casinos in Jackpot, Nevada, serving the southern Idaho market.

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