Craig Neilsen, chief executive officer and majority shareholder of Ameristar Casinos, Inc., died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006, at his home in Las Vegas. He was 65.

Mr. Neilsen, who was paralyzed in a car accident in 1985, lived in Vicksburg during construction and early operations of Ameristar-Vicksburg, which was the family-owned company’s first venture outside Nevada when it opened in 1994.

It was then that a portion of the ownership became publicly traded and Ameristar is now one of the 10 largest casino companies in the nation.

Mr. Neilsen’s interests in the company, according to a corporate announcement, will, in keeping with his wishes, be transferred to a foundation he created. The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is dedicated to supporting cutting-edge research to find treatment for those with spinal cord injuries.

&#8220He was an entrepreneur with incredible vision who took the company public and who led our strong growth,” said Neilsen’s son, Ray, who lives in Vicksburg and is co-chairman of the Ameristar board, vice president of operations and special projects, general chairman here and also co-director of his father’s foundation.

&#8220He inspired all of us with the courage, determination and dignity that he demonstrated every day in living with a spinal cord injury,” Ray Neilsen said. &#8220He left a lasting impact on the lives of so many others through his generosity and community spirit. I can’t begin to express the great personal loss to me and my family, as well as to the entire Ameristar family.”

Mr. Neilsen is also survived by stepdaughters, Jaime and Amanda.

At the time the company expansion started 14 years ago, Neilsen owned the private casino hotels Cactus Pete’s Resort Casino and HorseShu Casino. The two properties had a 50-year history and created the foundation for Ameristar.

The company now includes seven properties in Missouri, Iowa, Mississippi, Colorado and Nevada.

Mr. Neilsen was honored as Best Performing CEO by the American Gaming Association in 2002 and was inducted into the American Gaming Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

He also had a real estate and development and construction firm, Neilsen and Company, based in southern Idaho and working in the Twin Falls area.

Mr. Neilsen, born in Logan, Utah, had a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University as well as a master’s degree and a juris doctorate from the University of Utah.

Earlier this year, he was named Outstanding Business Leader by the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.

Co-trustee of the foundation with Ray Neilsen will be Gordon R. Kanofsky, who has been involved in the management of the company for years.

At a board meeting Sunday, John M. Boushy, president of Ameristar, was named chief executive officer and Ray Neilsen and Kanofsky were named co-chairmen of the board.