Expedia.com Best of +VIP Access™ Award marks latest recognition in distinguished year for Monarch…

Reno Property Honored with over Twenty Awards and Special Recognitions in 2015

RENO, NV, December 16, 2015 – Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRI) announced today that Expedia.com recently named the Company’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada as one of 2015’s “Best of +VIP Access” winners. The annual award is given to 400 of Expedia’s top rated +VIP Access hotels worldwide which deliver the highest customer satisfaction scores from Expedia’s qualified elite status members. This award represents the latest in an extensive list of over 20 high-profile awards and special recognitions from leading hospitality media sources for Monarch’s market-leading Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in 2015.

In 2015, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa received the following commendations, among others, from high-profile, consumer-trusted sources of travel information:

John Farahi, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monarch Casino & Resort, commented, “Our team has worked tirelessly to create a resort featuring world-class gaming, food and lodging with the goal of establishing Atlantis as the premier casino resort spa in Northern Nevada. Recognition in 2015 from a wide range of respected and consumer-trusted hospitality experts such as Expedia.com, USA Today, Wine Spectator and TripAdvisor, among others, is a testament to our team’s accomplishments and our continuous investment in our facility. Furthermore, this growing list of awards clearly exemplifies the service-first focus that we also emphasize in Black Hawk, Colorado as we continue to expand and transform Monarch Casino Black Hawk into a full-scale casino resort spa over the next three years. I commend our entire team for its tireless efforts and thank our guests for their continued loyalty, the combination of which drives the recognition of Atlantis by these prominent media and travel outlets.”

About Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc.
Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc., through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, a hotel/casino facility in Reno, Nevada, and the Monarch Casino Black Hawk (formerly the Riviera Black Hawk Casino) in Black Hawk, Colorado, approximately 40 miles west of Denver. For additional information on Monarch, visit Monarch's website at www.monarchcasino.com.

The Atlantis features approximately 61,000 square feet of casino space; 824 guest rooms; eight food outlets; two espresso and pastry bars; a 30,000 square foot health spa and salon with an enclosed year-round pool; two retail outlets offering clothing and traditional gift shop merchandise; an 8,000 square-foot family entertainment center; and approximately 52,000 square feet of banquet, convention and meeting room space. The casino features approximately 1,450 slot and video poker machines; approximately 37 table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, and others; a race and sports book; a 24-hour live keno lounge; and a poker room.

The Company acquired Monarch Casino Black Hawk, the first casino encountered by visitors arriving from Denver on Highway 119, in April 2012. The property features approximately 30,000 square feet of casino space, approximately 700 slot machines, 14 table games, a 250 seat buffet-style restaurant, a snack bar and a parking structure with approximately 500 spaces. Once completed, the Monarch Black Hawk expansion will nearly double the casino space and will add a 23 story hotel tower with approximately 500 guest rooms and suites, an upscale spa and pool facility, three restaurants (bringing the total to four restaurants), additional bars, a new parking structure and associated support facilities. The planned nine story parking structure will increase total parking on site from approximately 500 spaces to approximately 1,500 parking spaces.

Contacts:
Ron Rowan
Chief Financial Officer (775) 825-4700 or rrowan@monarchcasino.com

Joseph Jaffoni, Richard Land, James Leahy
JCIR
212/835-8500 or mcri@jcir.com