<Page> ================================================================================ EXHIBIT 4.8 ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY AS ISSUER AND THE SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS NAMED HEREIN 9% SENIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE 2011 --------------- INDENTURE DATED AS OF JULY 31, 2001 --------------- --------------- BANK ONE TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE --------------- ================================================================================ <Page> TABLE OF CONTENTS <Table> <Caption> PAGE ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE...........................................................1 Section 1.01. Definitions....................................................................................1 Section 1.02. Other Definitions.............................................................................17 Section 1.03. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.............................................17 Section 1.04. Rules of Construction.........................................................................18 ARTICLE 2 THE NOTES...........................................................................................18 Section 2.01. Form and Dating...............................................................................18 Section 2.02. Execution and Authentication..................................................................19 Section 2.03. Registrar and Paying Agent....................................................................19 Section 2.04. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust...........................................................19 Section 2.05. Holder Lists..................................................................................20 Section 2.06. Transfer and Exchange.........................................................................20 Section 2.07. Replacement Notes.............................................................................22 Section 2.08. Outstanding Notes.............................................................................23 Section 2.09. Treasury Notes................................................................................23 Section 2.10. Temporary Notes...............................................................................23 Section 2.11. Cancellation..................................................................................23 Section 2.12. Defaulted Interest............................................................................24 ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT...........................................................................24 Section 3.01. Notices to Trustee............................................................................24 Section 3.02. Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed.............................................................24 Section 3.03. Notice of Redemption..........................................................................24 Section 3.04. Effect of Notice of Redemption................................................................25 Section 3.05. Deposit of Redemption Price...................................................................25 Section 3.06. Notes Redeemed in Part........................................................................26 Section 3.07. Optional Redemption...........................................................................26 Section 3.08. Gaming Redemption.............................................................................26 Section 3.09. Mandatory Redemption..........................................................................27 ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS...........................................................................................27 Section 4.01. Payment of Notes..............................................................................27 Section 4.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency...............................................................27 Section 4.03. Commission Reports and Reports to Holders.....................................................28 Section 4.04. Compliance Certificate........................................................................28 Section 4.05. Taxes.........................................................................................29 Section 4.06. Stay, Extension and Usury Laws................................................................29 Section 4.07. Limitation on Indebtedness and Issuances of Preferred Stock...................................29 Section 4.08. Limitation on Restricted Payments.............................................................31 Section 4.09. Limitation on Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries.......33 Section 4.10. Limitation on the Issuance and Sale of Capital Stock of Restricted Subsidiaries...............34 Section 4.11. Additional Subsidiary Guarantees..............................................................34 Section 4.12. Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries.......................................34 Section 4.13. Limitation on Transactions with Shareholders and Affiliates...................................35 Section 4.14. Limitation on Liens...........................................................................35 </Table> i <Page> <Table> <Caption> PAGE Section 4.15. Limitation on Asset Sales.....................................................................35 Section 4.16. Limitation on Sale-Leaseback Transactions.....................................................37 Section 4.17. Limitation on Senior Subordinated Indebtedness................................................37 Section 4.18. Limitation on Business Activities.............................................................37 Section 4.19. Limitation on Status as Investment Company....................................................37 Section 4.20. Payments for Consent..........................................................................37 Section 4.21. Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control....................................................38 Section 4.22. Corporate Existence...........................................................................38 ARTICLE 5 SUCCESSORS..........................................................................................38 Section 5.01. Merger, Consolidation, or Sale of Assets......................................................38 Section 5.02. Successor Corporation Substituted.............................................................39 ARTICLE 6 DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES...............................................................................39 Section 6.01. Events of Default.............................................................................39 Section 6.02. Acceleration..................................................................................41 Section 6.03. Other Remedies................................................................................41 Section 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults.......................................................................41 Section 6.05. Control by Majority...........................................................................42 Section 6.06. Limitation on Suits...........................................................................42 Section 6.07. Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive Payment.................................................42 Section 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee....................................................................42 Section 6.09. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim..............................................................43 Section 6.10. Priorities....................................................................................43 Section 6.11. Undertaking for Costs.........................................................................43 ARTICLE 7 TRUSTEE.............................................................................................44 Section 7.01. Duties of Trustee.............................................................................44 Section 7.02. Rights of Trustee.............................................................................45 Section 7.03. Individual Rights of Trustee..................................................................45 Section 7.04. Trustee's Disclaimer..........................................................................45 Section 7.05. Notice of Defaults............................................................................46 Section 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders of the Notes....................................................46 Section 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity....................................................................46 Section 7.08. Replacement of Trustee........................................................................47 Section 7.09. Successor Trustee by Merger, etc..............................................................48 Section 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification.................................................................48 Section 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company.............................................48 ARTICLE 8 LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE............................................................48 Section 8.01. Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance......................................48 Section 8.02. Legal Defeasance and Discharge................................................................48 Section 8.03. Covenant Defeasance...........................................................................49 Section 8.04. Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance....................................................49 Section 8.05. Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions.50 Section 8.06. Repayment to Company..........................................................................51 Section 8.07. Reinstatement.................................................................................51 </Table> ii <Page> <Table> <Caption> PAGE ARTICLE 9 AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER....................................................................52 Section 9.01. Without Consent of Holders of Notes...........................................................52 Section 9.02. With Consent of Holders of Notes..............................................................52 Section 9.03. Compliance with Trust Indenture Act...........................................................54 Section 9.04. Revocation and Effect of Consents.............................................................54 Section 9.05. Notation on or Exchange of Notes..............................................................54 Section 9.06. Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc...............................................................54 ARTICLE 10 SUBORDINATION.......................................................................................54 Section 10.01. Agreement to Subordinate......................................................................54 Section 10.02. Liquidation; Dissolution; Bankruptcy..........................................................55 Section 10.03. Default on Designated Senior Indebtedness.....................................................55 Section 10.04. Acceleration of Notes.........................................................................56 Section 10.05. When Distribution Must Be Paid Over...........................................................56 Section 10.06. Notice by Company.............................................................................56 Section 10.07. Subrogation...................................................................................57 Section 10.08. Relative Rights...............................................................................57 Section 10.09. Subordination May Not Be Impaired by Company..................................................57 Section 10.10. Distribution or Notice to Representative......................................................57 Section 10.11. Rights of Trustee and Paying Agent............................................................58 Section 10.12. Authorization to Effect Subordination.........................................................58 Section 10.13. Amendments....................................................................................58 ARTICLE 11 SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEES...............................................................................58 Section 11.01. Subsidiary Guarantee..........................................................................58 Section 11.02. Subordination of Subsidiary Guarantee.........................................................59 Section 11.03. Limitation on Subsidiary Guarantor Liability..................................................60 Section 11.04. Execution and Delivery of Subsidiary Guarantee................................................60 Section 11.05. Subsidiary Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.................................60 Section 11.06. Releases Following Sale of Assets.............................................................61 ARTICLE 12 MISCELLANEOUS.......................................................................................62 Section 12.01. Trust Indenture Act Controls..................................................................62 Section 12.02. Notices.......................................................................................62 Section 12.03. Communication by Holders of Notes with Other Holders of Notes.................................63 Section 12.04. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent............................................63 Section 12.05. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.................................................63 Section 12.06. Rules by Trustee and Agents...................................................................64 Section 12.07. No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders......................64 Section 12.08. Governing Law.................................................................................64 Section 12.09. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.................................................64 Section 12.10. Successors....................................................................................64 Section 12.12. Severability..................................................................................64 Section 12.12. Counterpart Originals.........................................................................64 Section 12.13. Table of Contents, Headings, etc..............................................................65 </Table> iii <Page> <Table> <Caption> PAGE EXHIBITS Exhibit A FORM OF NOTE AND SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE Exhibit B FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS </Table> iv <Page> INDENTURE dated as of July 31, 2001 among Argosy Gaming Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), the Subsidiary Guarantors listed on the signature page hereto and Bank One Trust Company, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee (the "Trustee"). The Company and the Trustee agree as follows for the benefit of each other and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the 9% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the "Notes"): ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE SECTION 1.01. DEFINITIONS. "ACQUIRED INDEBTEDNESS" means Indebtedness of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or assumed in connection with an Asset Acquisition by a Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that Indebtedness of such Person which is redeemed, defeased, retired or otherwise repaid at the time of or immediately upon consummation of the transactions by which such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or such Asset Acquisition shall not be Acquired Indebtedness. "ADDITIONAL NOTES" means additional Notes (other than the Initial Notes) issued under this Indenture in accordance with Section 2.02 and subject to compliance with Article 4 hereof, as part of the same series as the Initial Notes. "ADJUSTED CONSOLIDATED NET INCOME" means, for any period, the aggregate net income (or loss) of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period determined in conformity with GAAP; PROVIDED that the following items shall be excluded in computing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (without duplication): (i) the net income of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary, except to the extent of the amount of dividends or other distributions actually paid to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries by such Person during such period; (ii) the net income (or loss) of any Person prior to the date it becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or is merged into or consolidated with the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or all or substantially all of the property and assets of such Person are acquired by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (iii) the net income of any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by such Restricted Subsidiary of such net income is not at the time permitted by the operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to such Restricted Subsidiary; (iv) any gains or losses (on an after-tax basis) attributable to Asset Sales; (v) solely for purposes of calculating the amount of Restricted Payments that may be made pursuant to clause (C) of the first paragraph of Section 4.08, any amount paid or accrued as dividends on Preferred Stock of the Company owned by Persons other than the Company and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (vi) all extraordinary gains and extraordinary losses, including any premium, fees and expenses payable in connection with the offering of the Notes, and the initial establishment of the Credit Facility; (vii) any non cash impairment loss determined in accordance with GAAP related to the carrying value of assets owned by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries as of the date of the Indenture that are recorded in the ordinary course of business and are being used by the Company or have been replaced by other comparable assets of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries; (viii) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles; and (ix) upon the occurrence and during the continuance of a Trigger Event, the net income of Empress Casino Corporation, except to the extent of the management fee paid to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company <Page> other than Empress Casino Corporation pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement during such period. "AFFILIATE" means, as applied to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under direct or indirect common control with, such Person. For purposes of this definition, "control" (including, with correlative meanings, the terms "controlling," "controlled by" and "under common control with"), as applied to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. "AGENT" means any Registrar, Paying Agent or co-registrar. "APPLICABLE PROCEDURES" means, with respect to any transfer or exchange of or for beneficial interests in any Global Note, the rules and procedures of the Depositary that apply to such transfer or exchange. "ASSET ACQUISITION" means (i) an investment by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in any other Person pursuant to which such Person shall become a Restricted Subsidiary or shall be merged into or consolidated with the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, PROVIDED that such Person's primary business is related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such investment; (ii) an acquisition by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of the property and assets of any Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that constitute substantially all of a division or line of business of such Person; PROVIDED that the property and assets acquired are related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such acquisition; or (iii) the occurrence of a Reverse Trigger Event. "ASSET DISPOSITION" means the sale or other disposition by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than to the Company or another Restricted Subsidiary) of (i) all or substantially all of the Capital Stock of any Restricted Subsidiary; (ii) all or substantially all of the assets that constitute a division or line of business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or (iii) the occurrence of a Trigger Event. "ASSET SALE" means any sale, transfer or other disposition (including by way of merger, consolidation or sale-leaseback transaction) in one transaction or a series of related transactions by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to any Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of (i) all or any of the Capital Stock of any Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) all or substantially all of the property and assets of an operating unit or business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) any other property and assets (other than the Capital Stock of or other Investment in an Unrestricted Subsidiary) that is outside the ordinary course of business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case, other than a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in compliance with Article 5 hereof; PROVIDED that "Asset Sale" shall not include: (a) sales or other dispositions of inventory, receivables and other current assets in the ordinary course of business; (b) sales, transfers or other dispositions of (1) assets constituting a Restricted Payment permitted to be made under Section 4.08 or (2) Investments permitted pursuant to clause (vi) of the definition of Permitted Investments; (c) sales or other dispositions of assets for consideration at least equal to the fair market value of the assets sold or disposed of, to the extent that the consideration received are invested in accordance with clause (i)(B) of Section 4.15; (d) the occurrence of a Trigger Event; (e) sales, transfers or other dispositions of assets with a Fair Market Value not in excess of $10.0 million in any transaction or series of related transactions; or (f) sales, transfers or other dispositions of furniture, fixtures or equipment that has become 2 <Page> worn out, obsolete or damaged or otherwise unsuitable for use in connection with the business of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries. "ATTRIBUTABLE DEBT" in respect of a sale and leaseback transaction means, at the time of determination, the present value of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback transaction including any period for which such lease has been extended or may, at the option of the lessor, be extended. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the rate of interest implicit in such transaction, determined in accordance with GAAP. "AVERAGE LIFE" means, at any date of determination with respect to any debt security, the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the sum of the products of (A) the number of years from such date of determination to the dates of each successive scheduled principal payment of such debt security and (B) the amount of such principal payment by (ii) the sum of all such principal payments. "BANKRUPTCY LAW" means Title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors. "BOARD OF DIRECTORS" means the Board of Directors of the Company, or any authorized committee of the Board of Directors. "BUSINESS DAY" means any day other than a Legal Holiday. "CAPITAL STOCK" means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated, whether voting or non-voting) in equity of such Person, whether outstanding on the Closing Date or issued thereafter, including, without limitation, all Common Stock and Preferred Stock. "CAPITALIZED LEASE" means, as applied to any Person, any lease of any property (whether real personal or mixed) of which the discounted present value of the rental obligations of such Person as lessee, in conformity with GAAP, is required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of such Person. "CAPITALIZED LEASE OBLIGATIONS" means the discounted present value of the rental obligations under a Capitalized Lease. "CASH EQUIVALENTS" means (i) United States dollars, (ii) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the full faith and credit of the United States government or any agency or instrumentality thereof having maturities of not more than six months from the date of acquisition, (iii) certificates of deposit and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition, bankers' acceptances with maturities not exceeding six months and overnight bank deposits, in each case with any domestic commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of $500,000,000 and a Thompson Bank Watch Rating of "B" or better, (iv) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than seven days for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (ii) and (iii) above entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in clause (iii) above and (v) commercial paper having the highest rating obtainable from either Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's Corporation and, in each case, maturing within six months after the date of acquisition. "CHANGE OF CONTROL" means the occurrence of any of the following: (i) a "person" or "group" (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) other than a group comprised of 3 <Page> one or more Excluded Persons becomes the ultimate "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of more than 40% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company on a fully diluted basis; (ii) individuals who on the Closing Date constitute the Board of Directors (together with any new directors whose election by the Board of Directors or whose nomination by the Board of Directors for election by the Company's stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors then in office who either were members of the Board of Directors on the Closing Date or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the members of the Board of Directors then in office; (iii) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any "person" (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act); or (iv) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of the Company. "CLOSING DATE" means the date on which the Notes are originally issued under the Indenture. "COMPANY" means Argosy Gaming Company, a Delaware corporation. "CONSOLIDATED EBITDA" means, for any period, Adjusted Consolidated Net Income for such period plus, to the extent such amount was deducted in calculating such Adjusted Consolidated Net Income: (i) Consolidated Interest Expense, (ii) income taxes (other than income taxes (either positive or negative) attributable to extraordinary and non-recurring gains or losses or sales of assets); (iii) depreciation expense; (iv) amortization expense; and (v) all other non-cash items reducing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (other than items that will require cash payments and for which an accrual or reserve is, or is required by GAAP to be, made), less all non-cash items increasing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (other than normal recurring accruals of revenue in the ordinary course of business), all as determined on a consolidated basis for the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries in conformity with GAAP; PROVIDED that, if any Restricted Subsidiary is not a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary, Consolidated EBITDA shall be reduced (to the extent not otherwise reduced in accordance with GAAP) by an amount equal to (A) the amount of the Adjusted Consolidated Net Income attributable to such Restricted Subsidiary multiplied by (B) the percentage ownership interest in the income of such Restricted Subsidiary not owned on the last day of such period by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of a Trigger Event for purposes of determining the Consolidated EBITDA attributable to Empress Casino Corporation the Company shall (i) add to Adjusted Consolidated Net Income only the Consolidated Interest Expense and income taxes of Empress Casino Corporation that are permitted to be distributed to the Company pursuant to the Trust Agreements and (ii) not add to Adjusted Consolidated Net Income any depreciation and amortization expenses or other non cash items reducing Adjusted Consolidated Net Income of Empress Casino Corporation. "CONSOLIDATED INTEREST EXPENSE" means, for any period, the aggregate amount of: (i) interest in respect of Indebtedness of the Company and its Consolidated Subsidiaries (including, without limitation, amortization of original issue discount on any such Indebtedness, the interest portion of any deferred payment obligation and imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt, calculated in accordance with the effective interest method of accounting; all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers' acceptance financing; the net costs associated with Interest Rate Agreements); (ii) all but the principal component of rentals in respect of Capitalized Lease Obligations paid, accrued or scheduled to be paid or to be accrued by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such period; (iii) any interest expense on Indebtedness of another Person that is Guaranteed by such Person or one of its Subsidiaries or secured by a Lien on assets of such Person or one of its Subsidiaries, whether or not such Guarantee or Lien is called upon; and (iv) the product of (a) all dividends, whether paid or accrued and whether or not in cash, on any series of preferred stock of such Person or any of its Restricted 4 <Page> Subsidiaries, other than dividends on Capital Stock payable solely in Capital Stock of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock) or to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, times (b) a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is one minus the then current combined federal, state and local statutory tax rate of such Person, expressed as a decimal, in each case, on a consolidated basis and in accordance with GAAP; EXCLUDING, HOWEVER, (A) any amount of such interest of any Restricted Subsidiary if the net income of such Restricted Subsidiary is excluded in the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (iii) of the definition thereof (but only in the same proportion as the net income of such Restricted Subsidiary is excluded from the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (iii) of the definition thereof) and (B) any premiums, fees and expenses (and any amortization thereof) payable in connection with the offering of the Notes, the amendment of the Credit Facility as of even date herewith and any amortization of premiums, fees and expenses incurred prior to the date hereof in connection with the initial establishment of the Credit Facility and the offering of the Existing Notes, all as determined on a consolidated basis (without taking into account Unrestricted Subsidiaries) in conformity with GAAP. "CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES" means, for any Person, each Subsidiary of such Person (whether existing on the date of the Indenture or created or acquired thereafter) the financial statements of which are consolidated for financial statement reporting purposes with the financial statements of such Person in accordance with GAAP. "CORPORATE TRUST OFFICE OF THE TRUSTEE" shall be at the address of the Trustee specified in Section 11.02 hereof or such other address as to which the Trustee may give notice to the Company. "CREDIT FACILITY" means the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement as of even date herewith, among the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors, and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent bank and the lenders referred to therein, together with any agreements, instruments and documents executed or delivered pursuant to or in connection with such Credit Facility (including, without limitation, any Guarantees and security documents), in each case as such Credit Facility or such agreements, instruments or documents may be amended, supplemented, extended, renewed, refinanced or otherwise modified from time to time. "CURRENCY AGREEMENT" means any foreign exchange contract, currency swap agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement. "CUSTODIAN" means the Trustee, as custodian with respect to the Notes in global form, or any successor entity thereto. "DEFAULT" means any event that is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default. "DEFINITIVE NOTE" means a certificated Note registered in the name of the Holder thereof and issued in accordance with Section 2.06 hereof, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto except that such Note shall not bear the Global Note Legend and shall not have the "Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note" attached thereto. "DEPOSITARY" means, with respect to the Notes issuable or issued in whole or in part in global form, the Person specified in Section 2.03 hereof as the Depositary with respect to the Notes, and any and all successors thereto appointed as depositary hereunder and having become such pursuant to the applicable provision of this Indenture. 5 <Page> "DESIGNATED SENIOR INDEBTEDNESS" means (i) any Indebtedness outstanding under the Credit Facility (except that any Indebtedness which represents a partial refinancing of Indebtedness theretofore outstanding pursuant to the Credit Facility, rather than a complete refinancing thereof, shall only constitute Designated Senior Indebtedness if such partial refinancing meets the requirements of clause (ii) below) and (ii) any other Senior Indebtedness that, at the date of determination, has an aggregate principal amount outstanding of at least $50.0 million and that had been specifically designated by the Company as "Designated Senior Indebtedness." "DISQUALIFIED STOCK" means any class or series of Capital Stock of any Person that by its terms or otherwise is (i) required to be redeemed prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes, (ii) redeemable at the option of the holder of such class or series of Capital Stock at any time prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes or (iii) convertible into or exchangeable for Capital Stock referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above or Indebtedness having a scheduled maturity prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes; PROVIDED that any Capital Stock that would not constitute Disqualified Stock but for provisions thereof giving holders thereof the right to require such Person to repurchase or redeem such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of an "asset sale" or "change of control" occurring prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes shall not constitute Disqualified Stock if the "asset sale" or "change of control" provisions applicable to such Capital Stock are no more favorable to the holders of such Capital Stock than the provisions contained in Sections 4.15 and 4.21 hereof and such Capital Stock specifically provides that such Person will not repurchase or redeem any such stock pursuant to such provision prior to the Company's repurchase of such Notes as are required to be repurchased pursuant to Sections 4.15 and 4.21. "EMPRESS CASINO JOLIET" means the Empress Casino and Hotel located in Joliet, Illinois or any successor casino or hotel/casino. "EMPRESS CASINO CORPORATION" means Empress Casino Joliet Corporation, an Illinois corporation that owns and operates Empress Casino Joliet, or any successor in interest thereto. "EXCHANGE ACT" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. "EXCLUDED PERSONS" means William F. Cellini, F. Lance Callis, Jimmy F. Gallagher, James B. Perry, John B. Pratt, Sr. and Stephanie Pratt, each of such person's immediate family or a trust or similar entity existing solely for the benefit of such person or such person's immediate family. "EXISTING INDENTURE" means that certain Indenture, dated as of June 8, 1999 (as such Indenture may be amended or supplemented) among the Company, as issuer, certain subsidiaries of the Company, as subsidiary guarantors, and Bank One Trust Company, National Association, as trustee. "EXISTING NOTES" means the Company's 10 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 issued pursuant to the Existing Indenture. "FAIR MARKET VALUE" means the price that would be paid in an arm's-length transaction between an informed and willing seller under no compulsion to sell and an informed and willing buyer under no compulsion to buy, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive if evidenced by a resolution of the Board of Directors. "FF&E INDEBTEDNESS" means any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that is Incurred to finance the acquisition or lease after the date of the Indenture of furniture, fixtures or equipment ("FF&E") used directly in the operation of any of the Company's casinos and secured 6 <Page> solely by a Lien on such FF&E, which Indebtedness has a principal amount not to exceed 100% of the cost of the FF&E so purchased or leased. "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America as in effect from time to time, including, without limitation, those set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession. All ratios and computations contained or referred to in the Indenture shall be computed in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis. "GAMING AUTHORITY" means any agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, department, office or instrumentality of the United States or foreign government, any state province or any city or other political subdivision, or any officer of official thereof, including the Illinois Gaming Board, the Indiana Gaming Commission, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, the Missouri Gaming Commission and any other agency with authority to regulate any gaming operation (or proposed gaming operation) owned, managed or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. "GAMING LICENSE" means every license, franchise or other authorization required to own, lease, operate or otherwise conduct the present and future gaming activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries. "GLOBAL NOTES" means, individually and collectively, each of the Global Notes, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto issued in accordance with Section 2.01 hereof. "GLOBAL NOTE LEGEND" means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g), which is required to be placed on all Global Notes issued under this Indenture. "GOVERNMENT SECURITIES" means direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America, and the payment for which the United States pledges its full faith and credit. "GUARANTEE" means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of any Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness of any other Person and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any obligation, direct or indirect, contingent or otherwise, of such Person: (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness of such other Person (whether arising by virtue of partnership arrangements, or by agreements to keep-well, to purchase assets, goods, securities or services (unless such purchase arrangements are on arm's-length terms and are entered into in the ordinary course of business), to take-or-pay, or to maintain financial statement conditions or otherwise) or (ii) entered into for purposes of assuring in any other manner the obligee of such Indebtedness of the payment thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part); PROVIDED that the term "Guarantee" shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The term "Guarantee" used as a verb has a corresponding meaning. "HOLDER" means a Person in whose name a Note is registered. "INCUR" means, with respect to any Indebtedness, to incur, create, issue, assume, Guarantee or otherwise become liable for or with respect to, or become responsible for, the payment of, contingently or otherwise, such Indebtedness, including an "Incurrence" of Acquired Indebtedness; PROVIDED that neither the accrual of interest nor the accretion of original issue discount shall be considered an Incurrence of Indebtedness. 7 <Page> "INDEBTEDNESS" means, with respect to any Person at any date of determination (without duplication): (i) all indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money; (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments; (iii) all obligations of such Person in respect of letters of credit or other similar instruments (including reimbursement obligations with respect thereto, but excluding obligations with respect to letters of credit (including trade letters of credit) securing obligations (other than obligations described in this definition) entered into in the ordinary course of business of such Person to the extent such letters of credit are not drawn upon or, if drawn upon, to the extent such drawing is reimbursed no later than the third Business Day following receipt by such Person of a demand for reimbursement following payment on the letter of credit); (iv) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred and unpaid purchase price of property or services, which purchase price is due more than six months after the date of placing such property in service or taking delivery and title thereto or the completion of such services, except Trade Payables; (v) all Capitalized Lease Obligations; (vi) all Indebtedness of other Persons secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such Person; PROVIDED that the amount of such Indebtedness shall be the lesser of (A) the Fair Market Value of such asset at such date of determination and (B) the amount of such Indebtedness; (vii) all Indebtedness of other Persons Guaranteed by such Person to the extent such Indebtedness is Guaranteed by such Person; and (viii) to the extent not otherwise included in this definition, obligations under Currency Agreements and Interest Rate Agreements. The amount of Indebtedness of any Person at any date shall be the outstanding balance at such date of all unconditional obligations as described above and, with respect to contingent obligations, the maximum liability upon the occurrence of the contingency giving rise to the obligation, PROVIDED (A) that the amount outstanding at any time of any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount is the face amount of such Indebtedness less the remaining unamortized portion of the original issue discount of such Indebtedness at such time as determined in conformity with GAAP, (B) that money borrowed and set aside at the time of the Incurrence of any Indebtedness in order to prefund the payment of the interest on such Indebtedness shall not be deemed to be "Indebtedness" so long as such money is held to secure the payment of such interest and (C) that Indebtedness shall not include any liability for federal, state, local or other taxes. "INDENTURE" means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time. "INDIRECT PARTICIPANT" means a Person who holds a beneficial interest in a Global Note through a Participant. "INITIAL NOTES" means the initial $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under this Indenture on the date hereof. "INTEREST COVERAGE RATIO" means, on any Transaction Date, the ratio of (i) the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the then most recent four fiscal quarters prior to such Transaction Date for which reports have been filed with the SEC or provided to the Trustee (the "Four Quarter Period") to (ii) the aggregate Consolidated Interest Expense of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such Four Quarter Period. In making the foregoing calculation: (A) PRO FORMA effect shall be given to any Indebtedness Incurred or repaid during the period (the "Reference Period") commencing on the first day of the Four Quarter Period and ending on the Transaction Date (other than Indebtedness Incurred or repaid under a revolving credit or similar arrangement to the extent of the commitment thereunder (or under any predecessor revolving credit or similar arrangement) in effect on the last day of such Four Quarter Period unless any portion of such Indebtedness is projected, in the reasonable judgment of the senior management of the Company, to remain outstanding for a period in excess of 12 months from the date of the Incurrence thereof), in each case as if such Indebtedness had been Incurred or repaid on the first day of such Reference Period (and PRO FORMA effect shall be given to eliminate interest attributable to any Indebtedness which has been defeased either pursuant to a "covenant defeasance" or 8 <Page> "legal defeasance" in accordance with the instrument under which it was incurred); (B) Consolidated Interest Expense attributable to interest on any Indebtedness (whether existing or being Incurred) computed on a PRO FORMA basis and bearing a floating interest rate shall be computed as if the rate in effect on the Transaction Date (taking into account any Interest Rate Agreement applicable to such Indebtedness if such Interest Rate Agreement has a remaining term in excess of 12 months or, if shorter, at least equal to the remaining term of such Indebtedness) had been the applicable rate for the entire period; (C) PRO FORMA effect shall be given to Asset Dispositions and Asset Acquisitions (including giving PRO FORMA effect to the application of proceeds of any Asset Disposition) that occur during such Reference Period as if they had occurred and such proceeds had been applied on the first day of such Reference Period; and (D) PRO FORMA effect shall be given to asset dispositions and asset acquisitions (including giving PRO FORMA effect to the application of proceeds of any asset disposition) that have been made by any Person that has become a Restricted Subsidiary or has been merged with or into the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary during such Reference Period and that would have constituted Asset Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions had such transactions occurred when such Person was a Restricted Subsidiary as if such asset dispositions or asset acquisitions were Asset Dispositions or Asset Acquisitions that occurred on the first day of such Reference Period; PROVIDED that to the extent that clause (C) or (D) of this sentence requires that PRO FORMA effect be given to an Asset Acquisition or Asset Disposition, such PRO FORMA calculation shall be based upon the four full fiscal quarters immediately preceding the Transaction Date of the Person, or division or line of business of the Person, that is acquired or disposed for which financial information is available. "INTEREST RATE AGREEMENT" means any interest rate protection agreement, interest rate future agreement, interest rate option agreement, interest rate swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar agreement, interest rate hedge agreement, option or future contract or other similar agreement or arrangement. "INVESTMENT" in any Person means any direct or indirect advance, loan or other extension of credit (including, without limitation, by way of Guarantee or similar arrangement; but excluding advances to customers, suppliers or contractors in the ordinary course of business that are, in conformity with GAAP, recorded as accounts receivable or prepaid items on the balance sheet of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries) or capital contribution to (by means of any transfer of cash or other property to others or any payment for property or services for the account or use of others), or any purchase or acquisition of Capital Stock, bonds, notes, debentures or other similar instruments issued by, such Person and shall include: (i) the designation of a Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary and (ii) the retention of the Capital Stock (or any other Investment) by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, of (or in) any Person that has ceased to be a Restricted Subsidiary, including without limitation, by reason of any transaction permitted by clause (iii) of Section 4.10. For purposes of the definition of "Unrestricted Subsidiaries" and Section 4.08 hereof, the amount of or a reduction in an Investment shall be equal to the fair market value thereof at the time such Investment is made or reduced. "Investment" shall not include the occurrence of a Trigger Event. "LEGAL HOLIDAY" means a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the City of New York or at a place of payment are authorized by law, regulation or executive order to remain closed. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue on such payment for the intervening period. "LIEN" means any mortgage, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, lien or charge of any kind (inducing, without limitation, any conditional sale or other title retention agreement or lease in the nature thereof or any agreement to give any security interest). 9 <Page> "MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT" means the Management Agreement to be entered into between Argosy Illinois Corporation and Empress Casino Corporation upon a Trigger Event pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreements. "MATERIAL CASINO" means any casino of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries that represent in excess of 10% of Consolidated EBITDA of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries. "MOODY'S" means Moody's Investors Service, Inc. and its successors. "NET CASH PROCEEDS" means: (i) with respect to any Asset Sale, the proceeds of such Asset Sale in the form of cash or cash equivalents, including payments in respect of deferred payment obligations (to the extent corresponding to the principal, but not interest, component thereof) when received in the form of cash or cash equivalents and proceeds from the conversion of other property received when converted to cash or cash equivalents, net of (A) brokerage commissions and other fees and expenses (including fees and expenses of counsel and investment bankers) related to such Asset Sale, (B) provisions for all taxes (whether or not such taxes will actually be paid or are payable) as a result of such Asset Sale without regard to the consolidated results of operations of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (C) payments made to repay Indebtedness or any other obligation outstanding at the time of such Asset Sale that either (1) is secured by a Lien on the property or assets sold or (2) is required to be paid as a result of such sale and (D) appropriate amounts to be provided by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary as a reserve against any liabilities associated with such Asset Sale, including, without limitation, pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities, liabilities related to environmental matters and liabilities under any indemnification obligations associated with such Asset Sale, all as determined in conformity with GAAP and (ii) with respect to any issuance or sale of Capital Stock, the proceeds of such issuance or sale in the form of cash or cash equivalents, including payments in respect of deferred payment obligations (to the extent corresponding to the principal, but not interest, component thereof) when received in the form of cash or cash equivalents and proceeds from the conversion of other property received when converted to cash or cash equivalents, net of attorney's fees, accountants' fees, underwriters' or placement agents' fees, discounts or commissions and brokerage, consultant and other fees incurred in connection with such issuance or sale and net of taxes paid or payable as a result thereof. "NON-RECOURSE INDEBTEDNESS" means Indebtedness: (i) as to which neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (A) provides credit support of any kind (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Indebtedness) or (B) is directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise; (ii) no default with respect to which (including any rights that the holders thereof may have to take enforcement action against an Unrestricted Subsidiary) would permit upon notice, lapse of time or both any holder of any other Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to declare a default on such other Indebtedness or cause the payment thereof to be accelerated or payable prior to its stated maturity; and (iii) as to which the lenders have been notified in writing that they will not have any recourse to the stock or assets of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. "NOTES" has the meaning assigned to it in the preamble to this Indenture, and shall include the Initial Notes and the Additional Notes, which shall be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture. "OBLIGATIONS" means any principal, interest, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and other liabilities payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness. "OFFER TO PURCHASE" means an offer to purchase Notes by the Company from the Holders commenced by mailing a notice to the Trustee and each Holder stating: (i) the covenant pursuant to which 10 <Page> the offer is being made and that all Notes validly tendered will be accepted for payment on a PRO RATA basis; (ii) the purchase price and the date of purchase (which shall be a Business Day no earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed) (the "Payment Date"); (iii) that any Note not tendered will continue to accrue interest pursuant to its terms; (iv) that, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the purchase price, any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer to Purchase shall cease to accrue interest on and after the Payment Date; (v) that Holders electing to have a Note purchased pursuant to the Offer to Purchase will be required to surrender the Note, together with the form entitled "Option of the Holder to Elect Purchase" on the reverse side of the Note completed, to the Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Payment Date; (vi) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the Paying Agent receives, not later than the close of business on the third Business Day immediately preceding the Payment Date, a telegram, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of such Holder, the principal amount of Notes delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his election to have such Notes purchased; and (vii) that Holders whose Notes are being purchased only in part will be issued new Notes equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered; PROVIDED that each Note purchased and each new Note issued shall be in a principal amount of $1,000 or integral multiples thereof. On the Payment Date, the Company shall (i) accept for payment on a PRO RATA basis Notes or portions thereof tendered pursuant to an Offer to Purchase; (ii) deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the purchase price of all Notes or portions thereof so accepted; and (iii) deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Trustee all Notes or portions thereof so accepted together with an Officers' Certificate specifying the Notes or portions thereof accepted for payment by the Company. The Paying Agent shall promptly mail to the Holders of Notes so accepted payment in an amount equal to the purchase price, and the Trustee shall promptly authenticate and mail to such Holders a new Note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered, PROVIDED that each Note purchased and each new Note issued shall be in a principal amount of $1,000 or integral multiples thereof. The Company will publicly announce the results of an Offer to Purchase as soon as practicable after the Payment Date. The Trustee shall act as the Paying Agent for an Offer to Purchase. The Company will comply with Rule 14e-l under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent such laws and regulations are applicable, in the event that the Company is required to repurchase Notes pursuant to an Offer to Purchase. "OFFERING" means the offering of the Notes by the Company. "OFFICER" means, with respect to any Person, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, the Secretary or any Vice President of such Person. "OFFICERS' CERTIFICATE" means a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by two Officers of the Company, one of whom must be the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer of the Company, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof. "OPINION OF COUNSEL" means an opinion from legal counsel who is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company or the Trustee. "PARTICIPANT" means, with respect to the Depositary, a Person who has an account with the Depositary. 11 <Page> "PERMITTED ASSET SWAP" means an exchange of assets by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries for (i) one or more Permitted Businesses; (ii) a controlling equity interest in any Person whose assets consist primarily of one or more Permitted Businesses; and/or (iii) long-term assets that are used in a Permitted Business in a like-kind exchange pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code or any similar successor provision of the Internal Revenue Code or a reverse like-kind exchange as described in Revenue Procedure 2000-37. "PERMITTED BUSINESS" means a casino or gaming business, businesses ancillary, complimentary or reasonably related thereto and reasonable extensions thereof. "PERMITTED INVESTMENTS" means: (i) an Investment in the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary or a Person which will, upon the making of such investment, become a Restricted Subsidiary or be merged or consolidated with or into or transfer or convey all or substantially all its assets to, the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that such person's primary business is related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of such Investment; (ii) Temporary Cash Investments; (iii) payroll, travel and similar advances to cover matters that are expected at the time of such advances ultimately to be treated as expenses in accordance with GAAP; (iv) stock, obligations or securities received in satisfaction of judgments; (v) Interest Rate Agreements and Currency Agreements designed solely to protect the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries against fluctuations in interest rates or foreign currency exchange rates; (vi) Investments in any Person the primary business of which is related, ancillary or complementary to the businesses of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries; PROVIDED that at the time of such Investment the aggregate amount of such Investments pursuant to this clause (vi) does not exceed $40.0 million; and (vii) early retirement of Indebtedness outstanding on the date of the Indenture owed to former shareholders of Jazz Enterprises Inc. "PERMITTED JUNIOR SECURITIES" means: (i) Equity Interests in the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor or (ii) debt securities that are subordinated to all Senior Indebtedness and any debt securities issued in exchange for Senior Indebtedness to substantially the same extent as, or to a greater extent than, the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees are subordinated to Senior Indebtedness under the Indenture. "PERMITTED LIENS" means (i) Liens securing obligations under Senior Indebtedness that is permitted to be incurred pursuant to the Indenture including, without limitation, the Credit Facility; (ii) Liens existing on the Closing Date; (iii) Liens granted after the Closing Date on any assets or Capital Stock of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries created in favor of the Holders; (iv) Liens for taxes, assessments, governmental charges or claims that are being contested in good faith by appropriate legal proceedings promptly instituted and diligently conducted and for which a reserve or other appropriate provision, if any, as shall be required in conformity with GAAP shall have been made; (v) statutory and common law Liens of landlords and carriers, warehousemen, mechanics, suppliers, materialmen, repairmen or other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business and with respect to amounts not yet delinquent or being contested in good faith by appropriate legal proceedings promptly instituted and diligently conducted and for which a reserve or other appropriate provision, if any, as shall be required in conformity with GAAP shall have been made; (vi) Liens incurred or deposits made in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and other types of social security; (vii) Liens incurred or deposits made to secure the performance of tenders, bids, leases, statutory or regulatory obligations, bankers' acceptances, surety and appeal bonds, government contracts, performance and return-of-money bonds and other obligations of a similar nature incurred in the ordinary course of business (exclusive of obligations for the payment of borrowed money); (viii) easements, rights-of-way, municipal and zoning ordinances and similar charges, encumbrances, title defects or other irregularities that do not materially interfere with the ordinary course of business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (ix) Liens (including extensions and renewals thereof) upon real or personal property acquired after the Closing Date; PROVIDED 12 <Page> that (a) such Lien is created solely for the purpose of securing Indebtedness Incurred, in accordance with Section 4.07 hereof, to finance the cost (including the cost of improvement or construction) of the item of property or assets subject thereto and such Lien is created prior to, at the time of or within six months after the later of the acquisition, the completion of construction or the commencement of full operation of such property (b) the principal amount of the Indebtedness secured by such Lien does not exceed 100% of such cost and (c) any such Lien shall not extend to or cover any property or assets other than such item of property or assets and any improvements on such item; (x) leases or subleases granted to others that do not materially interfere with the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (xi) Liens encumbering property or assets under construction arising from progress or partial payments by a customer of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries relating to such property or assets; (xii) any interest or title of a lessor in the property subject to any Capitalized Lease or operating lease; (xiii) Liens arising from filing Uniform Commercial Code financing statements regarding leases; (xiv) Liens on property of, or on shares of Capital Stock or Indebtedness of, any Person existing at the time such Person becomes or becomes a part of, any Restricted Subsidiary, PROVIDED that such Liens do not extend to or cover any property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary other than the property or assets acquired; (xv) Liens in favor of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, other than Liens securing intercompany Indebtedness incurred under clause (3) of the second paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof; (xvi) Liens arising from the rendering of a final judgment or order against the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary that does not give rise to an Event of Default; (xvii) Liens securing reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit that encumber documents and other property relating to such letters of credit and the products and proceeds thereof; (xviii) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods; (xix) Liens encumbering customary initial deposits and margin deposits, and other Liens that are within the general parameters customary in the industry and incurred in the ordinary course of business, in each case, securing Indebtedness under Interest Rate Agreements and Currency Agreements and forward contracts, options, future contracts, futures options or similar agreements or arrangements designed solely to protect the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from fluctuations in interest rates, currencies or the price of commodities; (xx) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for the sale of goods entered into by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business in accordance with the past practices of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries prior to the Closing Date; (xxi) Liens on or sales of receivables; (xxii) Liens securing obligations under Currency Agreements and Interest Rate Agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business; and (xxiii) Liens in addition to the foregoing incurred in the ordinary course of business PROVIDED that the amount of the obligations secured by such Liens does not exceed in the aggregate $10.0 million at any one time outstanding and that (A) are not incurred in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of advances or credit (other than trade credit in the ordinary course of business) and (B) do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of the property or materially impair the use thereof in the operation of the business by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. "PERSON" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or agency or political subdivision thereof (including any subdivision or ongoing business of any such entity or substantially all of the assets of any such entity, subdivision or business). "PUBLIC EQUITY OFFERING" means an underwritten primary public offering of Common Stock of the Company pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act. "REPRESENTATIVE" means the indenture trustee or other trustee, agent or representative for any Senior Indebtedness. 13 <Page> "RESPONSIBLE OFFICER," when used with respect to the Trustee, means any officer within the Global Corporate Trust Service Area of the Trustee (or any successor group of the Trustee) or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject. "RESTRICTED INVESTMENT" means any Investment other than a Permitted Investment. "RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARY" means any Subsidiary of the Company other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary. "REVERSE TRIGGER EVENT" means after the occurrence of a Trigger Event, the transfer of the shares of the capital stock of Empress Casino Corporation to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreements. "S&P" means Standard & Poor's Ratings Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, and its successors. "SEC" means the Securities and Exchange Commission. "SECURITIES ACT" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. "SENIOR INDEBTEDNESS" means the following obligations of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor, whether outstanding on the Closing Date or thereafter Incurred: (i) all Indebtedness and all other monetary obligations (including, without limitation, expenses, fees, principal, interest reimbursement obligations under letters of credit and indemnities payable in connection therewith) of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor under (or in respect of) the Credit Facility or any Interest Rate Agreement or Currency Agreement relating to the Indebtedness under the Credit Facility; provided, however, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this clause (i), Senior Indebtedness shall not include any Indebtedness of the Company, to the extent not permitted by Section 4.07 or 4.17; and (ii) all other Indebtedness and all other monetary obligations of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor (other than the Notes), including principal and interest on such Indebtedness, unless such Indebtedness, by its terms or by the terms of any agreement or instrument pursuant to which such Indebtedness is issued, is on a parity with, or subordinated in right of payment to, the Notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee; provided, however, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this clause (ii), Senior Indebtedness shall not include: (a) any Indebtedness of the Company that, when Incurred, was without recourse to the Company, (b) any Indebtedness of the Company to a Subsidiary of the Company, or to a joint venture in which the Company has an interest, (c) any Indebtedness of the Company, to the extent not permitted by Section 4.07 or 4.17 hereof, (d) any repurchase, redemption or other obligation in respect of Disqualified Stock, (e) any Indebtedness to any employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (f) any liability for taxes owed or owing by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (g) any Trade Payables. "SENIOR SUBORDINATED OBLIGATIONS" means any principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, or the redemption or the acquisition of, the Notes payable pursuant to the terms of the Notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees or upon acceleration, including any amounts received upon the exercise of rights of rescission or other rights of action (including claims for damages) or otherwise, to the extent relating to the redemption or purchase price of the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees or amounts corresponding to such principal, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes. 14 <Page> "SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDIARY" means, at any date of determination, any Subsidiary that, together with its Subsidiaries: (i) for the most recent fiscal year of the Company, accounted for more than 10% of the consolidated revenues of the Company and its Subsidiaries or (ii) as of the end of such fiscal year, was the owner of more than 10% of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, all as set forth on the most recently available consolidated financial statements of the Company for such fiscal year. "STATED MATURITY" means (i) with respect to any debt security, the date specified in such debt security as the fixed date on which the final installment of principal of such debt security is due and payable and (ii) with respect to any scheduled installment of principal of or interest on any debt security, the date specified in such debt security as the fixed date on which such installment is due and payable. "SUBSIDIARY" means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the voting power of the outstanding Voting Stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person and one or more other Subsidiaries of such Person and, notwithstanding the occurrence of a Trigger Event, shall continue to include Empress Joliet Corporation during the term of the Trust Agreements. "SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE" means any Guarantee by each Subsidiary Guarantor of the Company's payment obligations under this Indenture and on the Notes, executed pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture. "SUBSIDIARY GUARANTOR" means (i) each Restricted Subsidiary of the Company and (ii) any other Subsidiary of the Company that executes a Subsidiary Guarantee pursuant Section 4.11. "TEMPORARY CASH INVESTMENT" means any of the following: (i) direct obligations of the United States of America or any agency thereof or obligations fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the United States of America or any agency thereof; (ii) demand deposit accounts, time deposit accounts, certificates of deposit and money market deposits maturing within 180 days of the date of acquisition thereof issued by a bank or trust company which is organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or any foreign country recognized by the United States of America, and which bank or trust company has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating in excess of $100.0 million (or the foreign currency equivalent thereof and has outstanding debt which is rated "A" (or such similar equivalent rating) or higher by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (as defined in Rule 436 under the Securities Act) or any money-market fund sponsored by a registered broker dealer or mutual fund distributor; (iii) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than 30 days for underlying securities of the types described in clause (i) above entered into with a bank or trust company meeting the qualifications described in clause (ii) above; (iv) commercial paper, maturing not more than one year after the date of acquisition, issued by a corporation (other than an Affiliate of the Company) organized and in existence under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or any foreign country recognized by the United States of America with a rating at the time as of which any investment therein is made of "P-2" (or higher) according to Moody's or "A-2" (or higher) according to S&P ; (v) securities with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition issued or fully and conditionally guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States of America, or by any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof, and rated at least "A" by S&P or Moody's; and (vi) other dollar denominated securities issued by any Person incorporated in the United States rated at least "A" or the equivalent by S&P or at least "A2" or the equivalent by Moody's and in each case either (A) maturing not more than one year after the date of acquisition or (B) which are subject to a repricing arrangement (such as a Dutch auction) not more than one year after the date of acquisition (and reprices at least yearly thereafter) which the Person 15 <Page> making the investment believes in good faith will permit such Person to sell such security at par in connection with such repricing mechanism. "TIA" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. Sections 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date on which this Indenture is qualified under the TIA. "TRADE PAYABLES" means, with respect to any Person, any accounts payable or any other indebtedness or monetary obligation to trade creditors created, assumed or Guaranteed by such Person or any of its Subsidiaries arising in the ordinary course of business in connection with the acquisition of goods or services. "TRANSACTION DATE" means, with respect to the Incurrence of any Indebtedness by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, the date such Indebtedness is to be Incurred and, with respect to any Restricted Payment, the date such Restricted Payment is to be made. "TRIGGER EVENT" means the transfer of shares of capital stock of Empress Casino Corporation into trust pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreements. "TRUST AGREEMENTS" means the Transfer of Ownership Agreement by and among the Company, Empress Casino Corporation and the Illinois Gaming Board and the Trust Agreement by and between the Company and LaSalle Bank National Association, each dated as of July 24, 2001, together with any agreements, instruments and documents executed or delivered pursuant to or in connection with such agreements, in each case as such agreements, instruments or documents may be amended, supplemented, extended, renewed or otherwise modified from time to time. "TRUSTEE" means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving hereunder. "UNRESTRICTED SUBSIDIARY" means: (i) any Subsidiary of the Company that at the time of determination shall be designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary by the Board of Directors in the manner provided below, and (ii) any Subsidiary of an Unrestricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that such Subsidiary: (a) has no Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt; (b) is not party to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company unless the terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding are no less favorable to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons who are not Affiliates of the Company; (c) is a Person with respect to which neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (1) to subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (2) to maintain or preserve such Person's financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results; and (d) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit support for any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it shall thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of the Indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary shall be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company as of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under the "Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock" covenant described below, the Company shall be in default of such covenant. "U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS" means securities that are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of 16 <Page> America, which, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of pthe issuer thereof at any time prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes, and shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt; PROVIDED that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U. S. Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the U.S. Governmental Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt. "VOTING STOCK" means with respect to any Person, Capital Stock of any class or kind ordinarily having the power to vote for the election of directors, managers or other voting members of the governing body of such Person. "WHOLLY OWNED" means, with respect to any Subsidiary of any Person, the ownership of all of the outstanding Capital Stock of such Subsidiary (other than any director's qualifying shares or Investments by foreign nationals mandated by applicable law) by such Person or one or more Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of such Person. SECTION 1.02. OTHER DEFINITIONS. <Table> <Caption> Defined in Term Section ---- ------- "AUTHENTICATION ORDER"............................... 2.02 "COVENANT DEFEASANCE"................................ 8.03 "EVENT OF DEFAULT"................................... 6.01 "EXCESS PROCEEDS".................................... 4.15 "LEGAL DEFEASANCE"................................... 8.02 "PARI PASSU INDEBTEDNESS"............................ 4.15 "PAYING AGENT"....................................... 2.03 "PAYMENT BLOCKAGE NOTICE"............................ 10.03 "REGISTRAR".......................................... 2.03 "RESTRICTED PAYMENTS"................................ 4.08 </Table> SECTION 1.03. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF TRUST INDENTURE ACT. Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings: "INDENTURE SECURITIES" means the Notes; "INDENTURE SECURITY HOLDER" means a Holder of a Note; "INDENTURE TO BE QUALIFIED" means this Indenture; "INDENTURE TRUSTEE" or "INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE" means the Trustee; and 17 <Page> "OBLIGOR" on the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees means the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, respectively, and any successor obligor upon the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees, respectively. All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA have the meanings so assigned to them. SECTION 1.04. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. Unless the context otherwise requires: (a) a term has the meaning assigned to it; (b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP; (c) "or" is not exclusive; (d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; (e) provisions apply to successive events and transactions; and (f) references to sections of or rules under the Securities Act shall be deemed to include substitute, replacement of successor sections or rules adopted by the SEC from time to time. ARTICLE 2 THE NOTES SECTION 2.01. FORM AND DATING. (a) GENERAL. The Notes and the Trustee's certificate of authentication shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. The Notes may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Note shall be dated the date of its authentication. The Notes shall be in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof. The terms and provisions contained in the Notes shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Indenture and the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. However, to the extent any provision of any Note conflicts with the express provisions of this Indenture, the provisions of this Indenture shall govern and be controlling. (b) GLOBAL NOTES. Notes issued in global form shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto (including the Global Note Legend thereon and the "Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note" attached thereto). Notes issued in definitive form shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto (but without the Global Note Legend thereon and without the "Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note" attached thereto). Each Global Note shall represent such of the outstanding Notes as shall be specified therein and each shall provide that it shall represent the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be reduced or increased, as appropriate, to reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a Global Note to 18 <Page> reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby shall be made by the Trustee or the Custodian, at the direction of the Trustee, in accordance with instructions given by the Holder thereof as required by Section 2.06 hereof. SECTION 2.02. EXECUTION AND AUTHENTICATION. An Officer shall sign the Notes for the Company by manual or facsimile signature. The Company's seal shall be reproduced on the Notes and may be in facsimile form. If an Officer whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at the time a Note is authenticated, the Note shall nevertheless be valid. A Note shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Note has been authenticated under this Indenture. The Trustee shall, upon a written order of the Company signed by an Officer (an "Authentication Order"), authenticate Notes for original issue up to the aggregate principal amount stated in paragraph 4 of the Initial Notes plus the aggregate principal amount stated in paragraph 4 of any Additional Notes permitted to be issued under this Indenture. The aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at any time may not exceed such amount except as provided in Section 2.07 hereof. The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Notes. An authenticating agent may authenticate Notes whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with Holders or an Affiliate of the Company. SECTION 2.03. REGISTRAR AND PAYING AGENT. The Company shall maintain an office or agency where Notes may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange ("Registrar") and an office or agency where Notes may be presented for payment ("Paying Agent"). The Company may act as its own Registrar or Paying Agent. The Registrar shall keep a register of the Notes and of their transfer and exchange. The Company may appoint one or more co-registrars and one or more additional paying agents. The term "Registrar" includes any co-registrar and the term "Paying Agent" includes any additional paying agent. The Company may change any Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the name and address of any Agent not a party to this Indenture. If the Company fails to appoint or maintain another entity as Registrar or Paying Agent, the Trustee shall act as such. The Company or any of its Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar. The Company initially appoints The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") to act as Depositary with respect to the Global Notes. The Company initially appoints the Trustee to act as the Registrar and Paying Agent and to act as Custodian with respect to the Global Notes. SECTION 2.04. PAYING AGENT TO HOLD MONEY IN TRUST. The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes, and will notify the Trustee of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate 19 <Page> trust fund for the benefit of the Holders all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings relating to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Notes. SECTION 2.05. HOLDER LISTS. The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of all Holders and shall otherwise comply with TIA Section 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least seven Business Days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders of Notes and the Company shall otherwise comply with TIA Section 312(a). The Trustee, the Registrar and the Company shall provide a current list of all Holders to any Gaming Authority upon demand. SECTION 2.06. TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE. (a) TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF GLOBAL NOTES. A Global Note may not be transferred as a whole except by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary, by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or to another nominee of the Depositary, or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such successor Depositary. All Global Notes will be exchanged by the Company for Definitive Notes if (i) the Company delivers to the Trustee notice from the Depositary that it is unwilling or unable to continue to act as Depositary or that it is no longer a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Company within 120 days after the date of such notice from the Depositary or (ii) the Company in its sole discretion determines that the Global Notes (in whole but not in part) should be exchanged for Definitive Notes and delivers a written notice to such effect to the Trustee. Upon the occurrence of either of the preceding events in (i) or (ii) above, Definitive Notes shall be issued in such names as the Depositary shall instruct the Trustee. Global Notes also may be exchanged or replaced, in whole or in part, as provided in Sections 2.07 and 2.10 hereof. Every Note authenticated and delivered in exchange for, or in lieu of, a Global Note or any portion thereof, pursuant to this Section 2.06 or Section 2.07 or 2.10 hereof, shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Note. A Global Note may not be exchanged for another Note other than as provided in this Section 2.06(a), however, beneficial interests in a Global Note may be transferred and exchanged as provided in Section 2.06(b) or (c) hereof. (b) TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF BENEFICIAL INTERESTS IN THE GLOBAL NOTES. The transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in the Global Notes shall be effected through the Depositary, in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture and the Applicable Procedures. (c) TRANSFER OR EXCHANGE OF BENEFICIAL INTERESTS FOR DEFINITIVE NOTES. If any holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note, then the Trustee shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(g) hereof, and the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest shall instruct the Registrar through instructions 20 <Page> from the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee shall deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. (d) TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF DEFINITIVE NOTES FOR BENEFICIAL INTERESTS. A Holder of a Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Global Note or transfer such Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in a Global Note at any time. Upon receipt of a request for such an exchange or transfer, the Trustee shall cancel the applicable Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of one of the Global Notes. (e) TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF DEFINITIVE NOTES FOR DEFINITIVE NOTES. Upon request by a Holder of Definitive Notes and such Holder's compliance with the provisions of this Section 2.06(e), the Registrar shall register the transfer or exchange of Definitive Notes. Prior to such registration of transfer or exchange, the requesting Holder shall present or surrender to the Registrar the Definitive Notes duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instruction of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by such Holder or by its attorney, duly authorized in writing. Upon receipt of a request to register such a transfer, the Registrar shall register the Unrestricted Definitive Notes pursuant to the instructions from the Holder thereof. (f) LEGENDS. The following legends shall appear on the face of all Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued under this Indenture. "THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (I) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.07 OF THE INDENTURE, (II) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (III) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (IV) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY." (g) CANCELLATION AND/OR ADJUSTMENT OF GLOBAL NOTES. At such time as all beneficial interests in a particular Global Note have been exchanged for Definitive Notes or a particular Global Note has been redeemed, repurchased or canceled in whole and not in part, each such Global Note shall be returned to or retained and canceled by the Trustee in accordance with Section 2.11 hereof. At any time prior to such cancellation, if any beneficial interest in a Global Note is exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note or for Definitive Notes, the principal amount of Notes represented by such Global Note shall be reduced accordingly and an endorsement shall be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such reduction; and if the beneficial interest is being exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note, such other Global Note shall be increased accordingly and an endorsement shall be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such increase. 21 <Page> (h) GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO TRANSFERS AND EXCHANGES. (i) To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes upon the Company's order or at the Registrar's request. (ii) No service charge shall be made to a holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note or to a Holder of a Definitive Note for any registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer pursuant to Sections 2.10, 3.06, 4.15, 4.21 and 9.05 hereof). (iii) The Registrar shall not be required to register the transfer of or exchange any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part or upon the order of any Gaming Authority. (iv) All Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Global Notes or Definitive Notes shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Global Notes or Definitive Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange. (v) The Company shall not be required (A) to issue, to register the transfer of or to exchange any Notes during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of any selection of Notes for redemption under Section 3.02 hereof and ending at the close of business on the day of selection, (B) to register the transfer of or to exchange any Note so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part or (C) to register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a record date and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date. (vi) Prior to due presentment for the registration of a transfer of any Note, the Trustee, any Agent and the Company may deem and treat the Person in whose name any Note is registered as the absolute owner of such Note for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and interest on such Notes and for all other purposes, and none of the Trustee, any Agent or the Company shall be affected by notice to the contrary. (vii) The Trustee shall authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.02 hereof. SECTION 2.07. REPLACEMENT NOTES. If any mutilated Note is surrendered to the Trustee or the Company and the Trustee receives evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Note, the Company shall issue and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, shall authenticate a replacement Note if the Trustee's requirements are met. If required by the Trustee or the Company, an indemnity bond must be supplied by the Holder that is sufficient in the judgment of the Trustee and the Company to protect the Company, the Trustee, any Agent and any authenticating agent from any loss that any of them may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Company may charge for its expenses in replacing a Note. 22 <Page> Every replacement Note is an additional obligation of the Company and shall be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with all other Notes duly issued hereunder. SECTION 2.08. OUTSTANDING NOTES. The Notes outstanding at any time are all the Notes authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest in a Global Note effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof, and those described in this Section as not outstanding. Except as set forth in Section 2.09 hereof, a Note does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Note. If a Note is replaced pursuant to Section 2.07 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Note is held by a bona fide purchaser. If the principal amount of any Note is considered paid under Section 4.01 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding and interest on it ceases to accrue. If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate of any thereof) holds, on a redemption date or maturity date, money sufficient to pay Notes payable on that date, then on and after that date such Notes shall be deemed to be no longer outstanding and shall cease to accrue interest. SECTION 2.09. TREASURY NOTES. In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Notes have concurred in any direction, amendment, supplement, waiver or consent, Notes owned by the Company, or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company, shall be considered as though not outstanding, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, amendment, supplement, waiver or consent, only Notes that the Trustee knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. SECTION 2.10. TEMPORARY NOTES. Until certificates representing Notes are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, shall authenticate temporary Notes. Temporary Notes shall be substantially in the form of certificated Notes but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Notes and as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate definitive Notes in exchange for temporary Notes. Holders of temporary Notes shall be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture. SECTION 2.11. CANCELLATION. The Company at any time may deliver Notes to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Notes surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee and no one else shall cancel all Notes surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall destroy canceled Notes (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act). Certification of the destruction of all canceled Notes shall be delivered to the Company. Subject to Section 2.07, the Company may not issue new Notes to replace Notes that it has paid or that have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation. 23 <Page> SECTION 2.12. DEFAULTED INTEREST. If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on the Notes, it shall pay the defaulted interest in any lawful manner plus, to the extent lawful, interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the Persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of defaulted interest proposed to be paid on each Note and the date of the proposed payment. The Company shall fix or cause to be fixed each such special record date and payment date, PROVIDED that no such special record date shall be less than 10 days prior to the related payment date for such defaulted interest. At least 15 days before the special record date, the Company (or, upon the written request of the Company, the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company) shall mail or cause to be mailed to Holders a notice that states the special record date, the related payment date and the amount of such interest to be paid. ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT SECTION 3.01. NOTICES TO TRUSTEE. If the Company elects to redeem Notes pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of Section 3.07 hereof, it shall furnish to the Trustee, a reasonable time prior to the redemption notice period set forth in Section 3.03 below or such other time as shall be required by order of any applicable Gaming Authority, an Officers' Certificate setting forth (i) the clause of this Indenture pursuant to which the redemption shall occur, (ii) the redemption date, (iii) the principal amount of Notes to be redeemed and (iv) the redemption price. SECTION 3.02. SELECTION OF NOTES TO BE REDEEMED. If less than all of the Notes are to be redeemed or purchased in an Offer to Purchase at any time, the Trustee shall select the Notes to be redeemed or purchased among the Holders of the Notes in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange, if any, on which the Notes are listed or, if the Notes are not so listed, on a PRO RATA basis, by lot or in accordance with any other method the Trustee considers fair and appropriate. In the event of partial redemption by lot, the particular Notes to be redeemed shall be selected, unless otherwise provided herein, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date by the Trustee from the outstanding Notes not previously called for redemption. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the Notes selected for redemption and, in the case of any Note selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. Notes and portions of Notes selected shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000; except that if all of the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed, the entire outstanding amount of Notes held by such Holder, even if not a multiple of $1,000, shall be redeemed. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, provisions of this Indenture that apply to Notes called for redemption also apply to portions of Notes called for redemption. SECTION 3.03. NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. Subject to the provisions of Section 4.15 hereof, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date or such other time as shall be required by order of any applicable Gaming 24 <Page> Authority, the Company shall mail or cause to be mailed, by first class mail, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address. The notice shall identify the Notes to be redeemed and shall state: (a) the redemption date; (b) the redemption price; (c) if any Note is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Note to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date upon surrender of such Note, a new Note or Notes in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion shall be issued upon cancellation of the original Note; (d) the name and address of the Paying Agent; (e) that Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price; (f) that, unless the Company defaults in making such redemption payment, interest on Notes called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date; (g) the paragraph of the Notes and/or Section of this Indenture pursuant to which the Notes called for redemption are being redeemed; and (h) that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number, if any, listed in such notice or printed on the Notes. At the Company's request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company's name and at its expense; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.01, an Officers' Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice as provided in the preceding paragraph. SECTION 3.04. EFFECT OF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. Once notice of redemption is mailed in accordance with Section 3.03 hereof, Notes called for redemption become irrevocably due and payable on the redemption date at the redemption price. A notice of redemption may not be conditional. SECTION 3.05. DEPOSIT OF REDEMPTION PRICE. One Business Day prior to the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Trustee or with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest on all Notes to be redeemed on that date. The Trustee or the Paying Agent shall promptly return to the Company any money deposited with the Trustee or the Paying Agent by the Company in excess of the amounts necessary to pay the redemption price of, and accrued interest on, all Notes to be redeemed. If the Company complies with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, on and after the redemption date, interest shall cease to accrue on the Notes or the portions of Notes called for redemption. If a Note is redeemed on or after an interest record date but on or prior to the related interest payment date, then any accrued and unpaid interest shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Note was registered at the close of business on such record date. If any Note called for redemption shall not be 25 <Page> so paid upon surrender for redemption because of the failure of the Company to comply with the preceding paragraph, interest shall be paid on the unpaid principal, from the redemption date until such principal is paid, and to the extent lawful on any interest not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof. SECTION 3.06. NOTES REDEEMED IN PART. Upon surrender of a Note that is redeemed in part, the Company shall issue and, upon the Company's written request, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder at the expense of the Company a new Note equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Note surrendered. SECTION 3.07. OPTIONAL REDEMPTION. (a) Except as set forth in clause (b) of this Section 3.07, the Company shall not have the option to redeem the Notes pursuant to this Section 3.07 prior to September 1, 2006. Thereafter, the Company shall have the option to redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on September 1 of the years indicated below: <Table> <Caption> Year Percentage ---- ---------- 2006............................................... 104.500% 2007............................................... 103.000% 2008............................................... 101.500% 2009 and thereafter................................ 100.000% </Table> (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (a) of this Section 3.07, at any time prior to September 1, 2004, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes with the net proceeds of a Public Equity Offering at a redemption price equal to 109% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any; PROVIDED that at least 65% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes originally issued remain outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption and that such redemption occurs within 60 days of the date of the closing of such Public Equity Offering. (c) Any redemption pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.01 through 3.06 hereof. Section 3.08. GAMING REDEMPTION (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, if any Gaming Authority: (1) requests or requires a holder or beneficial owner of Notes to appear before, submit to the jurisdiction of or provide information to, such Gaming Authority and such holder or beneficial owner either refuses to do so or otherwise fails to comply with such request or requirement within a reasonable period of time; or (2) determines that any holder or beneficial owner of Notes is not suitable or qualified with respect to beneficial ownership of the Notes, then the Company may: (1) require that such holder or beneficial owner dispose of its Notes within 30 days (or such earlier date as required by the Gaming Authority) of (A) termination of the 30-day period described above for the holder or beneficial owner to apply for a license, qualification or finding of suitability or (B) the receipt of the notice from the Gaming Authority that the holder or beneficial owner will not be licensed, qualified or found suitable; or (2) redeem the Notes of such holder or beneficial owner at a price equal to the lesser of (A) the price at which such 26 <Page> holder or beneficial owner acquired such Notes or (B) the Fair Market Value of such Notes or, if the Notes are listed on a national securities exchange, the last reported sale price on the date the Company notifies such holder or beneficial owner of the redemption. (b) Immediately upon a determination that a holder or beneficial owner will not be licensed, qualified or found suitable, the holder or beneficial owner will have no further rights (1) to exercise any right conferred by the Notes, directly or indirectly, through any trustee, nominee or any other Person or entity, or (2) to receive any interest or other distribution or payment with respect to the Notes or any remuneration in any form from the Company for services rendered or otherwise, except the redemption price of the Notes. The holder or beneficial owner applying for a licenses, qualification or finding of suitability must pay all costs of the licensure or investigation for such qualification or finding of suitability. SECTION 3.09. MANDATORY REDEMPTION. The Company shall not be required to make mandatory redemption payments with respect to the Notes. ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS SECTION 4.01. PAYMENT OF NOTES. The Company shall pay or cause to be paid the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes on the dates and in the manner provided in the Notes. Principal, premium, if any, and interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent, if other than the Company or a Subsidiary thereof, holds as of 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the due date money deposited by the Company in immediately available funds and designated for and sufficient to pay all principal, premium, if any, and interest then due. The Company shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at the rate equal to the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful. SECTION 4.02. MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE OR AGENCY. The Company shall maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, an office or agency (which may be an office of the Trustee or an affiliate of the Trustee, Registrar or co-registrar) where Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, the 27 <Page> City of New York for such purposes. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency. The Company hereby designates the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee as one such office or agency of the Company in accordance with Section 2.03. SECTION 4.03. COMMISSION REPORTS AND REPORTS TO HOLDERS. Whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC, so long as any Notes are outstanding, the Company shall furnish to the Holders of Notes (i) all quarterly and annual financial information that would be required to be contained in a filing with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if the Company were required to file such forms, including a "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and, with respect to the annual information only, a report thereon by the Company's certified independent accountants and (ii) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K if the Company were required to file such reports, in each case, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and regulations. In addition, whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC, the Company shall file a copy of all such information and reports with the SEC for public availability within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and regulations (unless the SEC will not accept such a filing) and make such information available to securities analysts and prospective investors upon request. The Company shall at all times comply with TIA Section 314(a). SECTION 4.04. COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE. (a) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year, an Officers' Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his or her knowledge the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions of this Indenture (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which he or she may have knowledge and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto) and that to the best of his or her knowledge no event has occurred and remains in existence by reason of which payments on account of the principal of or interest, if any, on the Notes is prohibited or if such event has occurred, a description of the event and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto. (b) So long as not contrary to the then current recommendations of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the year-end financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 4.03(a) above shall be accompanied by a written statement of the Company's independent public accountants (who shall be a firm of established national reputation) that in making the examination necessary for certification of such financial statements, nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that the Company has violated any provisions of Article 4 or Article 5 hereof or, if any such violation has occurred, specifying the nature and period of existence thereof, it being understood that such accountants shall not be liable directly or indirectly to any Person for any failure to obtain knowledge of any such violation. (c) The Company shall, so long as any of the Notes are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee, forthwith upon any Officer becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, an Officers' Certificate 28 <Page> specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto. SECTION 4.05. TAXES. The Company shall pay, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to pay, prior to delinquency, all material taxes, assessments, and governmental levies except such as are contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or where the failure to effect such payment is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders of the Notes. SECTION 4.06. STAY, EXTENSION AND USURY LAWS. The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it shall not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it shall not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but shall suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted. SECTION 4.07. LIMITATION ON INDEBTEDNESS AND ISSUANCES OF PREFERRED STOCK (a) The Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, Incur any Indebtedness (other than the Notes and any guarantees thereof issued on the Closing Date and other Indebtedness existing on the Closing Date) and the Company shall not issue any Disqualified Stock and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any shares of preferred stock; PROVIDED that the Company may Incur Indebtedness or issue Disqualified Stock and the Company's Restricted Subsidiaries may Incur Indebtedness or issue Disqualified Stock or preferred stock if, after giving effect to the Incurrence of such Indebtedness or the issuance of such Disqualified Stock or preferred stock and the receipt and application of the proceeds therefrom, the Interest Coverage Ratio would be greater than 2:0:1. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and any Restricted Subsidiary (except as specified below) may Incur each and all of the following: (i) Indebtedness and letters of credit under the Credit Facility in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding under this clause (1) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of the Company and its Subsidiaries thereunder) not to exceed $675.0 million less any amount of such Indebtedness permanently repaid as provided in Section 4.15 hereof; (ii) Indebtedness owed to the Company evidenced by a promissory note or to any Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that: (A) if the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness and the payee is not the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor, such Indebtedness must be expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Senior Subordinated Obligations with respect to the Notes, in the case of the Company, or the Subsidiary Guarantee, in the case of a Subsidiary Guarantor and (B) any event which results in any such Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any subsequent transfer of such Indebtedness (other than to the Company or another Restricted 29 <Page> Subsidiary) shall be deemed, in each case, to constitute an Incurrence of such Indebtedness not permitted by this clause (ii); (iii) Indebtedness issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to refinance or refund, then outstanding Indebtedness Incurred under the first paragraph of this covenant or clauses (v), (vi), (viii), (ix) and (x) of this paragraph, and any refinancings thereof in an amount not to exceed the amount so refinanced or refunded (plus premiums, accrued interest, fees and expenses); PROVIDED that Indebtedness the proceeds of which are used to refinance or refund the Notes or Indebtedness that is PARI PASSU with, or subordinated in right of payment to, the Notes shall only be permitted under this clause (iii) if: (A) in case the Notes are refinanced in part or the Indebtedness to be refinanced is PARI PASSU with the Notes, such new Indebtedness, by its terms or by the terms of any agreement or instrument pursuant to which such new Indebtedness is outstanding, is expressly made PARI PASSU with, or subordinate in right of payment to, the remaining Notes, (B) in case the Indebtedness to be refinanced is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, such new Indebtedness, by its terms or by the terms of any agreement or instrument pursuant to which such new Indebtedness is issued or remains outstanding, is expressly made subordinate in right of payment to the Notes at least to the extent that the Indebtedness to be refinanced is subordinated to the Notes and (C) such new Indebtedness, determined as of the date of Incurrence of such new Indebtedness, does not mature prior to the Stated Maturity of the Indebtedness to be refinanced or refunded, and the Average Life of such new Indebtedness is at least equal to the remaining Average Life of the Indebtedness to be refinanced or refunded; and PROVIDED FURTHER that in no event may Indebtedness of the Company that is PARI PASSU or subordinated in right of payment to the Notes be refinanced by means of any Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to this clause (iii); (iv) Indebtedness (A) in respect of performance, surety or appeal bonds provided in the ordinary course of business, (B) under Currency Agreements and Interest Rate Agreements; PROVIDED that such agreements (1) are designed solely to protect the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries against fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates and (2) do not increase the Indebtedness of the obligor outstanding at any time other than as a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates or by reason of fees, indemnities and compensation payable thereunder; and (C) arising from agreements providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or similar obligations, or from Guarantees or letters of credit, surety bonds or performance bonds securing any obligations of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to such agreements, in any case Incurred in connection with the disposition of any business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary (other than Guarantees of Indebtedness Incurred by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary for the purpose of financing such acquisition), in a principal amount not to exceed the gross proceeds actually received by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in connection with such disposition; (v) the incurrence by the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors of Indebtedness represented by the Notes and the related Subsidiary Guarantees to be issued on the date of the Indenture; (vi) Indebtedness of the Company, to the extent the net proceeds thereof are promptly (A) used to purchase Notes tendered in an Offer to Purchase made as a result of a Change in Control or (B) deposited to defease the Notes pursuant to Article 8; 30 <Page> (vii) Guarantees of Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary by the Company or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors that was permitted to be incurred by another provision of this covenant; (viii) Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary that is (A) Incurred in connection with the construction of any new facilities related to the gaming business or any related business of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or in connection with the expansion by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of any of its existing facilities or (B) FF&E Indebtedness, provided that the amount of such Indebtedness in the aggregate outstanding at any time, including all refinancings, replacements and refundings thereof, shall not exceed $75.0 million; (ix) Indebtedness evidenced by the Existing Notes, including any notes issued in exchange therefor pursuant to Section 2.06(f) of the Existing Indenture; and (x) Indebtedness of the Company (in addition to Indebtedness permitted under clauses (i) through (ix) above) in an aggregate principal amount outstanding at any time (together with refinancings thereof) not to exceed $25.0 million. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 4.07, the maximum amount of Indebtedness that the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary may Incur pursuant to this Section 4.07 shall not be deemed to be exceeded, with respect to any outstanding Indebtedness, due solely to the result of fluctuations in the exchange rates of currencies. (c) For purposes of determining any particular amount of Indebtedness under this Section 4.07, (1) Indebtedness incurred under the Credit Facility on or prior to the Closing Date shall be treated as Incurred pursuant to clause (i) of the second paragraph of this Section 4.07, (2) Guarantees, Liens or obligations with respect to letters of credit supporting Indebtedness which is included in the determination of such particular amount shall not be included and (3) any Liens granted pursuant to the equal and ratable provisions referred to in Section 4.14 hereof shall not be treated as Indebtedness. (d) For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.07, in the event that an item of Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the types of Indebtedness described in the above clauses (other than Indebtedness referred to in clause (1) of the preceding sentence), the Company, in its sole discretion, shall classify, and from time to time may reclassify, such item of Indebtedness and only be required to include the amount and type of such Indebtedness in one of such clauses. SECTION 4.08 LIMITATION ON RESTRICTED PAYMENTS The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly: (i) declare or pay any dividend or make any distribution on or with respect to the Company's or any Restricted Subsidiary's Capital Stock (other than dividends or distributions payable solely in shares of its Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) or in options, warrants or other rights to acquire shares of such Capital Stock) held by Persons other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; (ii) purchase, redeem, retire or otherwise acquire for value any shares of Capital Stock of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company (including options, warrants or other rights to acquire such shares of Capital Stock) held by any Person; (iii) make any voluntary or optional principal payment, or voluntary or optional redemption, repurchase, defeasance, or other acquisition or retirement for value, of Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor that is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee, as the case may be; or (iv) make any Investment, other than a Permitted Investment, in any Person (such 31 <Page> payments or any other actions described in clauses (i) through (iv) above being collectively "Restricted Payments"); if, at the time of, and after giving effect to, the proposed Restricted Payment: (A) a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) the Company could not Incur at least $1.00 of Indebtedness under the first paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof or (C) the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments, together with the amount of any Investment that was made pursuant to clause 6 of the definition of "Permitted Investments" (the amount of any Restricted Payment with a Fair Market Value in excess of $1.0 million, if other than in cash, to be determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive and evidenced by a resolution of the Board of Directors), made after the Closing Date shall exceed the sum of: (1) 50% of the aggregate amount of the Adjusted Consolidated Net Income (or, if the Adjusted Consolidated Net Income is a loss, minus 100% of the amount of such loss) (determined by excluding income resulting from transfers of assets by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary to an Unrestricted Subsidiary) accrued on a cumulative basis during the period (taken as one accounting period) beginning on July 1, 1999 and ending on the last day of the last fiscal quarter preceding the Transaction Date for which reports have been filed with the SEC or provided to the Trustee; PLUS (2) the aggregate Net Cash Proceeds received by the Company after June 8, 1999 from the issuance and sale permitted by the Indenture (or in the case of an issuance or sale occurring prior to the date of the Indenture, permitted by the Existing Indenture) of its Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) to a Person who is not a Subsidiary of the Company, including an issuance or sale permitted by the Indenture (or in the case of an issuance or sale occurring prior to the date of the Indenture, permitted by the Existing Indenture) of Indebtedness of the Company for cash after June 8, 1999 upon the conversion of such Indebtedness into Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company, or from the issuance after June 8, 1999 to a Person who is not a Subsidiary of the Company of any options, warrants or other rights to acquire Capital Stock of the Company (in each case, exclusive of any Disqualified Stock or any options, warrants or other rights that are redeemable at the option of the holder, or are required to be redeemed, prior to the Stated Maturity of the Notes); PLUS (3) an amount equal to the net reduction in Investments treated as Restricted Payments under the Indenture or the Existing Indenture in any Person resulting from payments of interest on Indebtedness, dividends, repayments of loans or advances, or other transfers of assets, in each case to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or from the Net Cash Proceeds from the sale of any such Investment (except, in each case, to the extent any such payment or proceeds are included in the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Income and except, in each case, for any such sale that is not included in the definition of "Asset Sales"), or from redesignations after June 8, 1999 of Unrestricted Subsidiaries as Restricted Subsidiaries (valued in each case as provided in the definition of "Investments"), not to exceed, in each case, the amount of Investments previously made by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in such Person or Unrestricted Subsidiary. The foregoing provision shall not be violated by reason of: (i) the payment of any dividend within 60 days after the date of declaration thereof if, at said date of declaration, such payment would comply with the foregoing paragraph; (ii) the redemption, repurchase, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes including premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest, with the proceeds of, or in exchange for, Indebtedness Incurred under clause (iv) of the second paragraph of Section 4.07; (iii) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition of Capital Stock of the Company or an Unrestricted Subsidiary (or options, warrants or other rights to acquire such Capital Stock) in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of a substantially concurrent offering of, shares of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company (or options, warrants or other rights to acquire such Capital Stock); (iv) the making of any principal payment or the repurchase, redemption, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition for value of Indebtedness of the Company which is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, a substantially concurrent offering of, shares of the Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company (or options, warrants or other rights to acquire such Capital Stock); (v) payments or distributions, to dissenting stockholders pursuant to applicable law, pursuant to or in connection with a consolidation, merger or transfer of assets 32 <Page> that complies with the provisions of the Indenture applicable to mergers, consolidations and transfers of all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company; (vi) PRO RATA dividends or distributions on Common Stock of Restricted Subsidiaries held by minority stockholders; (vii) the redemption or repurchase of any debt or equity securities of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary required by, and in accordance with any order of any Gaming Authority, PROVIDED, that the Company has used its reasonable best efforts to effect a disposition of such securities to a third party and has been unable to do so; or (viii) other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $30.0 million PROVIDED that, except in the case of clauses (i) and (iii), no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or occur as a consequence of the actions or payments set forth therein. Each Restricted Payment permitted pursuant to the preceding paragraph (other than the Restricted Payment referred to in clause (ii) thereof, an exchange of Capital Stock for Capital Stock or Indebtedness referred to in clause (iii) or (iv) thereof), the Net Cash Proceeds from any issuance of Capital Stock referred to in clauses (iii) and (iv), and any Investment that is made pursuant to clause 6 of the definition of Permitted Investments shall be included in calculating whether the conditions of clause (C) of the first paragraph of this Section 4.08 have been met with respect to any subsequent Restricted Payments. In the event the proceeds of an issuance of Capital Stock of the Company are used for the redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of the Notes, or Indebtedness that is PARI PASSU with the Notes, then the Net Cash Proceeds of such issuance shall be included in clause (C) of the first paragraph of this Section 4.08 only to the extent such proceeds are not used for such redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of Indebtedness. SECTION 4.09. LIMITATION ON DIVIDEND AND OTHER PAYMENT RESTRICTIONS AFFECTING RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARIES The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction of any kind on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to: (i) pay dividends or make any other distributions permitted by applicable law on any Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary owned by the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary; (ii) pay any Indebtedness owed to the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary; (iii) make loans or advances to the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary; or (iv) transfer any of its property or assets to the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary. The foregoing provisions shall not restrict any encumbrances or restrictions: (i) existing on the Closing Date in the Credit Facility, the Indenture or any other agreements in effect on the Closing Date, and any extensions, refinancings, renewals or replacements of such agreements; PROVIDED that the encumbrances and restrictions in any such extensions, refinancings, renewals or replacements are no less favorable in any material respect to the Holders than those encumbrances or restrictions that are then in effect and that are being extended, refinanced, renewed or replaced; (ii) existing under or by reason of applicable law or by order of any Gaming Authority; (iii) imposed pursuant to the Trust Agreements upon the occurrence of a Trigger Event; (iv) existing with respect to any Person or the property or assets of such Person acquired by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, existing at the time of such acquisition and not incurred in contemplation thereof, which encumbrances or restrictions are not applicable to any Person or the property or assets of any Person other than such Person or the property or assets of such Person so acquired; (v) in the case of clause (iv) of the first paragraph of this Section 4.09, (A) that restrict in a customary manner the subletting, assignment or transfer of any property or asset that is a lease, license, conveyance or contract or similar property or asset, (B) existing by virtue of any transfer of, agreement to transfer, option or right with respect to, or Lien on, any property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary not otherwise prohibited by the Indenture or (C) arising or agreed to in the ordinary course of business, not relating to any Indebtedness, and that do not, individually or in the aggregate, detract from the value of property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in any manner material to the Company or any Restricted 33 <Page> Subsidiary; (vi) with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary and imposed pursuant to an agreement that has been entered into for the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Capital Stock of, or property and assets of, such Restricted Subsidiary; or (vii) contained in the terms of any Indebtedness or any agreement pursuant to which such Indebtedness was issued if (A) the encumbrance or restriction applies only in the event of a payment default or a default with respect to a financial covenant contained in such Indebtedness or agreement, (B) the encumbrance or restriction is not materially more disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes than is customary in comparable financings (as determined by the Company) and (C) the Company determines that any such encumbrance or restriction will not materially affect the Company's ability to make principal or interest payments on the Notes). Nothing contained in this Section 4.09 shall prevent the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary from (1) creating, incurring, assuming or suffering to exist any Liens otherwise permitted in Section 4.14 or (2) restricting the sale or other disposition of property or assets of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that secure Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. SECTION 4.10. LIMITATION ON THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF CAPITAL STOCK OF RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARIES The Company shall not sell, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, to issue or sell, any shares of Capital Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary (including options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares of such Capital Stock) except: (i) to the Company or a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary; (ii) issuances of director's qualifying shares or sales to foreign nationals of shares of Capital Stock of foreign Restricted Subsidiaries, to the extent required by applicable law; or (iii) if, (A) such issuance or sale is of all the Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary and (B) the Net Cash Proceeds of any such issuance or sale are applied in accordance with clause (i)(A) or (i)(B) of Section 4.15. SECTION 4.11. ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEES If (i) a Restricted Subsidiary acquired or created after the date of the Indenture has at any time a Fair Market Value of more than $1.0 million or (ii) any Subsidiary of the Company becomes a borrower or a guarantor under the Credit Facility, then that Subsidiary must execute a Subsidiary Guarantee and deliver an opinion of counsel, in accordance with the terms of the Indenture pursuant to which such Subsidiary will become a Subsidiary Guarantor, on a senior subordinated basis (pursuant to the subordination provisions described below under Article 10 hereof), of the Company's payment obligations under the Notes and the Indenture; PROVIDED that the aggregate Fair Market Value of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company that are not Subsidiary Guarantors will not at any time exceed $5.0 million. SECTION 4.12. DESIGNATION OF RESTRICTED AND UNRESTRICTED SUBSIDIARIES The Board of Directors may designate any Restricted Subsidiary (including any newly acquired or newly formed Subsidiary of the Company) to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary unless such Subsidiary owns any Capital Stock of, or owns or holds any Lien on any property of, the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that: (i) the value of all outstanding Investments owned by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the Restricted Subsidiary being so designated will be deemed to be an Investment made by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary as of the time of such designation; (ii) the Investment referred to in clause (i) of this Section 4.12 would be permitted under Section 4.08 hereof; and (iii) such Restricted Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors may designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that: (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of or 34 <Page> after giving effect to such designation and (ii) all Liens and Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary outstanding immediately after such designation would, if incurred at such time, have been permitted to be Incurred (and shall be deemed to have been Incurred) for all purposes of the Indenture. Any such designation by the Board of Directors shall be evidenced to the Trustee by promptly filing with the Trustee a copy of the resolution of the Board of Directors giving effect to such designation and an Officers' Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the foregoing provisions. SECTION 4.13. LIMITATION ON TRANSACTIONS WITH SHAREHOLDERS AND AFFILIATES The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, enter into, renew or extend any transaction (including, without limitation, the purchase, sale, lease or exchange of property or assets, or the rendering of any service) with any holder (or any Affiliate of such holder) of 10% or more of any class of Capital Stock of the Company or with any Affiliate of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, unless: (i) such Affiliate transaction is on fair and reasonable terms that are no less favorable to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained, at the time of such transaction or, if such transaction is pursuant to a written agreement, at the time of execution of the agreement providing therefor, in a comparable transaction by the Company or such Subsidiary with a Person that is not such a holder or an Affiliate; and (ii) the Company delivers to the Trustee: (a) with respect to any transaction or series of related transactions the aggregate amount of which exceeds $5.0 million in value, a resolution of the Board of Directors set forth in an Officers' Certificate certifying that such Affiliate transaction complies with this covenant and that such Affiliate transaction has been approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors; and (b) with respect to any Affiliate transaction or series of related Affiliate transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $15.0 million, an opinion as to the fairness to the Holders of such Affiliate transaction from a financial point of view issued by an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing The foregoing limitation does not limit, and shall not apply to: (i) any transaction solely between the Company and any of its Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries or solely between Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries; (ii) the payment of reasonable and customary regular fees and indemnities to directors of the Company who are not employees of the Company; (iii) any payments or other transactions pursuant to any tax-sharing agreement between the Company and any other Person with which the Company files a consolidated tax return or with which the Company is part of a consolidated group for tax purposes; (4) any sale of shares of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company; or (5) any Restricted Payments not prohibited by Section 4.08 hereof. SECTION 4.14. LIMITATION ON LIENS The Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien of any kind securing Indebtedness, Attributable Debt or trade payables on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired, except Permitted Liens. SECTION 4.15. LIMITATION ON ASSET SALES The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, consummate any Asset Sale, unless (i) the consideration received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is at least equal to the fair market value of the assets sold or disposed of and (ii) at least 75% of the consideration received consists of cash or Temporary Cash Investments or the assumption of Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than Indebtedness to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary), PROVIDED that 35 <Page> the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is irrevocably and unconditionally released from all liability under such Indebtedness. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries will be permitted to consummate a Permitted Asset Swap without complying with such paragraph if (i) immediately after giving effect to such Permitted Asset Swap, the Company could Incur least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to Section 4.07 hereof and (ii) the Company or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, receives assets at the time of such Permitted Asset Swap of a value at least equal to the fair market value of the assets or other property sold or otherwise disposed of (as evidenced by a resolution of the Company's Board of Directors set forth in an Officers' Certificate delivered to the Trustee, or, in the event that the fair market value of such Permitted Asset Swap exceeds $100.0 million, such fair market value has been determined by a written opinion of an investment banking firm of national standing or other recognized independent expert with experience appraising the terms and conditions of the type of transaction contemplated thereby). Within twelve months after the receipt of any Net Cash Proceeds from one or more Asset Sales occurring on or after the Closing Date, the Company shall or shall cause the relevant Restricted Subsidiary to: (i) (A) apply an amount equal to such Net Cash Proceeds to permanently repay Senior Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor or Indebtedness of any other Restricted Subsidiary, in each case owing to a Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or (B) invest an equal amount, or the amount not so applied pursuant to clause (A) (or enter into a definitive agreement committing to so invest within 12 months after the date of such agreement), in property or assets (other than current assets) of a nature or type or that are used in a business (or in a company having property and assets of a nature or type, or engaged in a business) similar or related to the nature or type of the property and assets of, or the business of, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries existing on the date of such investment and (ii) apply (no later than the end of the 12-month period referred to in clause (i)(B)) such excess Net Cash Proceeds (to the extent not applied pursuant to clause (i)) as provided in the following paragraph of this Section 4.15. The amount of such excess Net Cash Proceeds required to be applied (or to be committed to be applied) during such 12-month period as set forth in clause (i) of the preceding sentence and not applied as so required by the end of such period shall constitute "Excess Proceeds." If, as of the first day of any calendar month, the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds not theretofore subject to an Offer to Purchase pursuant to this Section 4.15 totals at least $10.0 million (or at least $25.0 million in the event that at such time there is no Indebtedness of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding that is PARI PASSU with or subordinated in right of payment to the Notes with a comparable limitation of less than $25.0 million), the Company must commence, not later than the fifteenth Business Day of such month, and consummate an Offer to Purchase from the Holders (and if required by the terms of any Indebtedness that is PARI PASSU with the Notes ("Pari Passu Indebtedness"), from the holders of such Pari Passu Indebtedness) on a PRO RATA basis an aggregate principal amount of Notes (and Pari Passu Indebtedness) equal to the Excess Proceeds on such date, at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus, in each case, accrued interest and Additional or Special Interest, if any, to the Payment Date. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes and any such Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered by holders thereof exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds, the Notes and Pari Passu Indebtedness shall be purchased on a PRO RATA basis. Upon the completion of any such Offers to Purchase, regardless of the amount of Notes validly tendered, the amount of Excess Proceeds shall be reset to zero. 36 <Page> SECTION 4.16. LIMITATION ON SALE-LEASEBACK TRANSACTIONS The Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, enter into any sale and leaseback transaction; PROVIDED that the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary may enter into a sale and leaseback transaction if: (i) the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, could have incurred Indebtedness in an amount equal to the Attributable Debt relating to such sale and leaseback transaction under (i) the Interest Coverage Ratio test in the first paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof or (ii) clause (ix) of the second paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof; (ii) the gross cash proceeds of that sale and leaseback transaction are at least equal to the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors and set forth in an Officers' Certificate delivered to the Trustee, of the property that is the subject of that sale and leaseback transaction; and (iii) the transfer of assets in that sale and leaseback transaction is permitted by, and the Company applies the proceeds of such transaction in compliance with Section 4.15. SECTION 4.17. LIMITATION ON SENIOR SUBORDINATED INDEBTEDNESS The Company shall not Incur any Indebtedness that is subordinate in right of payment to any Senior Indebtedness unless such Indebtedness is PARI PASSU with, or subordinated in right of payment to, the Notes; PROVIDED that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to distinctions between categories of Senior Indebtedness of the Company that exist by reason of any Liens or Guarantees arising or created in respect of some but not all such Senior Indebtedness. SECTION 4.18. LIMITATION ON BUSINESS ACTIVITIES The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, engage in any business other than the gaming, resort or hotel businesses and such business activities as related, ancillary or complementary to, supportive of, connected with or arising out of the gaming, resort or hotel businesses (including, without limitation, developing and operating dining, amusement, sports or entertainment facilities, transportation services or other related activities or enterprises and any additions or improvements thereto), except to such extent as would not be material to the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole. SECTION 4.19. LIMITATION ON STATUS AS INVESTMENT COMPANY The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to take any action that may require either the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor to register as an "investment company" (as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) or from otherwise becoming subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act. SECTION 4.20. PAYMENTS FOR CONSENT The Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration to or for the benefit of any Holder of Notes for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of the terms or provisions of the Indenture or the Notes unless such consideration is offered to be paid and is paid to all Holders of the Notes that consent, waive or agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents relating to such consent, waiver or agreement. 37 <Page> SECTION 4.21. OFFER TO REPURCHASE UPON CHANGE OF CONTROL. Within 30 days of the occurrence of a Change of Control, the Company shall commence and consummate an Offer to Purchase all Notes then outstanding, at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest to the Payment Date. SECTION 4.22. CORPORATE EXISTENCE. Subject to Article 5 hereof, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect (i) its corporate existence, and the corporate, partnership or other existence of each of its Subsidiaries, in accordance with the respective organizational documents (as the same may be amended from time to time) of the Company or any such Subsidiary and (ii) the rights (charter and statutory), licenses and franchises of the Company and its Subsidiaries; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall not be required to preserve any such right, license or franchise, or the corporate, partnership or other existence of any of its Subsidiaries, if the Board of Directors shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and that the loss thereof is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders of the Notes. ARTICLE 5 SUCCESSORS SECTION 5.01. MERGER, CONSOLIDATION, OR SALE OF ASSETS. The Company will not consolidate with, merge with or into, or sell, convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its property and assets (as an entirety or substantially an entirety in one transaction or a series of related transactions) to any Person or permit any Person to merge with or into the Company unless: (i) the Company shall be the continuing Person, or the Person (if other than the Company) formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or that acquired or leased such property and assets of the Company shall be a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of the United States of America or any jurisdiction thereof and shall expressly assume, by a supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, all of the obligations of the Company on all of the Notes and under the Indenture; (ii) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; (iii) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a PRO FORMA basis the Company, or any Person becoming the successor obligor of the Notes, as the case may be, could Incur at least $1.00 of Indebtedness under the first paragraph of Section 4.07; PROVIDED that this clause (iii) shall not apply to a consolidation, merger or sale of all (but not less than all) of the assets of the Company if all Liens and Indebtedness of the Company or any Person becoming the successor obligor on the Notes, as the case may be, and its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding immediately after such transaction would have been permitted (and all such Liens and Indebtedness, other than Liens and Indebtedness of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding immediately prior to the transaction, shall be deemed to have been Incurred) for all purposes of the Indenture; and (iv) the Company delivers to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate (attaching the arithmetic computations to demonstrate compliance with clause (iii)) and opinion of counsel, in each case stating that such consolidation, merger or transfer and such supplemental indenture complies with this provision and that all conditions precedent provided for herein relating to such transaction have been compiled with; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that clause (iii) above will not apply if, in the good faith determination of the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be evidenced by a resolution of the Board of Directors, the principal purpose of 38 <Page> such transaction is to change the state of incorporation of the Company and any such transaction shall not have as one of its purposes the evasion of the foregoing limitations. In addition, the Company may not, directly or indirectly, lease all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to any other Person. This Section 5.01 shall not apply to a sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of assets between or among the Company and any of the Subsidiary Guarantors. SECTION 5.02. SUCCESSOR CORPORATION SUBSTITUTED. Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.01 hereof, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such consolidation, merger, sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition, the provisions of this Indenture referring to the "Company" shall refer instead to the successor corporation and not to the Company), and may exercise every right and power of the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Company herein; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the predecessor Company shall not be relieved from the obligation to pay the principal of and interest on the Notes except in the case of a sale of all of the Company's assets that meets the requirements of Section 5.01 hereof. ARTICLE 6 DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES SECTION 6.01. EVENTS OF DEFAULT Each of the following constitutes an Event of Default: (a) default in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, on any Note when the same becomes due and payable at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise whether or not such payment is prohibited by Article 10; (b) default in the payment of interest on any Note when the same becomes due and payable, or Additional or Special Interest, if any, and such default continues for a period of 30 days whether or not such payment is prohibited by Article 10; (c) failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to comply with any of the provisions of Sections 4.21 or 5.01 hereof of the failure to make or consummate an Offer to Purchase in accordance with the terms of Section 4.15 hereof; (d) failure by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to observe or perform any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or the Notes (other than a default under clause (a), (b), or (c) of this Section 6.01) for 30 days after notice to the Company by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes (including Additional Notes, if any) then outstanding voting as a single class; (e) the occurrence with respect to any issue or issues of Indebtedness of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary having an outstanding principal amount of $20.0 million or more in the aggregate 39 <Page> for all such issues of all such Persons, whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, (i) an event of default that has caused the holder thereof to declare such Indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its Stated Maturity and such Indebtedness has not been discharged in full or such acceleration has not been rescinded or annulled within 30 days of such acceleration and/or (ii) the failure to make a principal payment at the final (but not any interim) fixed maturity and such defaulted payment shall not have been made, waived or extended within 30 days of such payment default; (f) any final judgment or order (not covered by insurance) for the payment of money in excess of $20.0 million in the aggregate for all such final judgments or orders against all such Persons (treating any deductibles, self-insurance or retention as not so covered) shall be rendered against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and shall not be paid or discharged, and there shall be any period of 60 consecutive days following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the aggregate amount for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and not paid or discharged against all such Persons to exceed $20.0 million during which a stay of enforcement of such final judgment or order, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, shall not be in effect; (g) a court having jurisdiction in the premises enters a decree or order for (A) relief in respect of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, (B) appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) the winding up or liquidation of the affairs of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and, in each case, such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 30 consecutive days; (h) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary (A) commences a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or consents to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, (B) consents to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) effects any general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (i) except as permitted by the Indenture, any Subsidiary Guarantee shall be held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or shall cease for any reason to be in full force and effect or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, shall deny or disaffirm its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee; (j) the revocation, termination, suspension or other cessation of effectiveness for a period or more than 90 consecutive days of any Gaming License that results in the cessation or suspension of gaming operations at any Material Casino; PROVIDED that any voluntary relinquishment of or failure to renew after revocation a Gaming License of a Material Casino if such relinquishment or failure to renew is, in the reasonable, good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, evidenced by a resolution of such Board, both desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and not disadvantageous in any material respect to the holders of the Notes shall not constitute an Event of Default; (k) there occurs with respect to any issue or issues of Indebtedness of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary having an outstanding principal amount of $20.0 million or more in the aggregate for all such issues of all such Persons, whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, an event of default that arises out of or is related to the occurrence of a Trigger Event; or 40 <Page> (l) after the occurrence of a Trigger Event, the revocation, termination, suspension or other cessation of effectiveness of the gaming license with respect to the Empress Casino Joliet pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreements. SECTION 6.02. ACCELERATION If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 6.01 that occurs with respect to the Company) occurs and is continuing under the Indenture, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, then outstanding, by written notice to the Company (and to the Trustee if such notice is given by the Holders), may, and the Trustee at the request of such Holders shall, declare the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes to be immediately due and payable. Upon a declaration of acceleration, such principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest shall be immediately due and payable. In the event of a declaration of acceleration because an Event of Default set forth in clause (e) of Section 6.01 has occurred and is continuing, such declaration of acceleration shall be automatically rescinded and annulled if the event of default triggering such Event of Default pursuant to clause (e) of Section 6.01 shall be remedied or cured by the Company or the relevant Significant Subsidiary or waived by the holders of the relevant Indebtedness within 60 days after the declaration of acceleration with respect thereto. If an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) of Section 6.01 occurs with respect to the Company, the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes then outstanding shall IPSO FACTO become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder. The Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all past defaults and rescind and annul a declaration of acceleration and its consequences if (i) all existing Events of Default, other than the nonpayment of the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes that have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived and (ii) the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction. SECTION 6.03. OTHER REMEDIES. If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy to collect the payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Notes or this Indenture. The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder of a Note in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. All remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law. SECTION 6.04. WAIVER OF PAST DEFAULTS. Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by notice to the Trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive an existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences hereunder, except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium, or interest on, the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase) (PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, 41 <Page> and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon. SECTION 6.05. CONTROL BY MAJORITY. Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on it. However, the Trustee may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture that the Trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of other Holders of Notes or that may involve the Trustee in personal liability. SECTION 6.06. LIMITATION ON SUITS. A Holder of a Note may pursue a remedy with respect to this Indenture or the Notes only if: (a) the Holder of a Note gives to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default; (b) the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes make a written request to the Trustee to pursue the remedy; (c) such Holder of a Note or Holders of Notes offer and, if requested, provide to the Trustee indemnity satisfactory to the Trustee against any loss, liability or expense; (d) the Trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer and, if requested, the provision of indemnity; and (e) during such 60-day period the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request. A Holder of a Note may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another Holder of a Note or to obtain a preference or priority over another Holder of a Note. SECTION 6.07. RIGHTS OF HOLDERS OF NOTES TO RECEIVE PAYMENT. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, but subject to Article 10 hereof, the right of any Holder of a Note to receive payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Note, on or after the respective due dates expressed in the Note (including in connection with an offer to purchase), or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder. SECTION 6.08. COLLECTION SUIT BY TRUSTEE. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(a) or (b) occurs and is continuing, the Trustee is authorized to recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Company for the whole amount of principal of, premium, if any, and interest remaining unpaid on the Notes and interest on overdue principal and, to the extent lawful, interest and such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel. 42 <Page> SECTION 6.09. TRUSTEE MAY FILE PROOFS OF CLAIM. The Trustee is authorized to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and the Holders of the Notes allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Company (or any other obligor upon the Notes), its creditors or its property and shall be entitled and empowered to collect, receive and distribute any money or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and any custodian in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof. To the extent that the payment of any such compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof out of the estate in any such proceeding, shall be denied for any reason, payment of the same shall be secured by a Lien on, and shall be paid out of, any and all distributions, dividends, money, securities and other properties that the Holders may be entitled to receive in such proceeding whether in liquidation or under any plan of reorganization or arrangement or otherwise. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Notes or the rights of any Holder, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding. SECTION 6.10. PRIORITIES. If the Trustee collects any money pursuant to this Article, it shall pay out the money in the following order: First: to the Trustee, its agents and attorneys for amounts due under Sections 6.08 and 7.07 hereof, including payment of all compensation, expense and liabilities incurred, and all advances made, by the Trustee and the costs and expenses of collection; Second: to Holders of Notes for amounts due and unpaid on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on the Notes for principal, premium, if any and interest, respectively; and Third: to the Company or to such party as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct. The Trustee may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Holders of Notes pursuant to this Section 6.10. SECTION 6.11. UNDERTAKING FOR COSTS. In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as a Trustee, a court in its discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder of a Note pursuant to 43 <Page> Section 6.07 hereof, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes. ARTICLE 7 TRUSTEE SECTION 7.01. DUTIES OF TRUSTEE. (a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person's own affairs. (b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default: (i) the duties of the Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture and the Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and (ii) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture. However, the Trustee shall examine the certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they appear on their face to conform to the requirements of this Indenture. (c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liabilities for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that: (i) this paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section; (ii) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and (iii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Section 6.05 hereof. (d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this Section. (e) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or incur any liability. The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights and powers under this Indenture at the request of any Holders, unless such Holder shall have offered to the Trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. (f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. 44 <Page> SECTION 7.02. RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE. (a) The Trustee may conclusively rely upon any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document. (b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officers' Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officers' Certificate or Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee may consult with counsel and the written advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon. (c) The Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. (d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith that it believes to be authorized or within the rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture. (e) Unless otherwise specifically provided in this Indenture, any demand, request, direction or notice from the Company shall be sufficient if signed by an Officer of the Company. (f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction. SECTION 7.03. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE. The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Notes and may otherwise deal with the Company or any Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. However, in the event that the Trustee has or acquires any conflicting interest within the meaning of the TIA and the Notes are in default, it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days if the default to which such conflicting interest relates has not been cured or duly waived or otherwise eliminated before the end of such 90-day period, apply to the SEC for permission to continue as trustee or resign. Any Agent may do the same with like rights and duties. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof. SECTION 7.04. TRUSTEE'S DISCLAIMER. The Trustee shall not be responsible for and makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Notes, it shall not be accountable for the Company's use of the proceeds from the Notes or any money paid to the Company or upon the Company's direction under any provision of this Indenture, it shall not be responsible for the use or application of any money received by any Paying Agent other than the Trustee, and it shall not be responsible for any statement or recital herein or any statement in the Notes or any other document in connection with the sale of the Notes or pursuant to this Indenture other than its certificate of authentication. 45 <Page> SECTION 7.05. NOTICE OF DEFAULTS. If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if it is known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to Holders of Notes and the agent bank under the Credit Facility (the "Agent Bank"), a notice of the Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Notes. The name and address of the Agent Bank for purposes of this Section 7.05 is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., One East First Street, Reno, Nevada 89501, Attention: Casey Potter. Any change in the identity or address of the Agent Bank shall be effective only if the Trustee receives written notice of the change, specifically providing that the change is effective for any notices to the Agent Bank under the Indenture. If payment of the Notes is accelerated because of an Event of Default, the Trustee shall promptly notify the Agent Bank in accordance with this Section of such acceleration. SECTION 7.06. REPORTS BY TRUSTEE TO HOLDERS OF THE NOTES. Within 60 days after each May 15 beginning with the May 15 following the date of this Indenture, and for so long as Notes remain outstanding, the Trustee shall mail to the Holders of the Notes a brief report dated as of such reporting date that complies with TIA Section 313(a) (but if no event described in TIA Section 313(a) has occurred within the twelve months preceding the reporting date, no report need be transmitted). The Trustee also shall comply with TIA Section 313(b)(2). The Trustee shall also transmit by mail all reports as required by TIA Section 313(c). A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to the Holders of Notes shall be mailed to the Company and filed with the SEC and each stock exchange on which the Notes are listed in accordance with TIA Section 313(d). The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee when the Notes are listed on any stock exchange. SECTION 7.07. COMPENSATION AND INDEMNITY. The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for its acceptance of this Indenture and services hereunder or as agreed to in writing from time to time. The Trustee's compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee promptly upon request for all reasonable disbursements, advances and expenses incurred or made by it in addition to the compensation for its services. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation for ordinary and extraordinary services, disbursements and expenses of the Trustee's agents and counsel. The Company shall indemnify the Trustee against any and all losses, liabilities or expenses incurred by it arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of its duties under this Indenture, including the costs and expenses of enforcing this Indenture against the Company (including this Section 7.07) and defending itself against any claim (whether asserted by the Company or any Holder or any other person) or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent any such loss, liability or expense may be attributable to its negligence or bad faith. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent; 46 <Page> PROVIDED that the Company will not be required to pay such fees and expenses if it assumes the Trustee's defense and there is no conflict of interest between the Company and the Trustee in connection with such defense. The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify any loss or liability to the extent incurred by the Trustee through its gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct. The obligations of the Company under this Section 7.07 shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture. To secure the Company's payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a Lien prior to the Notes on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal and interest on particular Notes. Such Lien shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture. When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(g) or (h) hereof occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services (including the fees and expenses of its agents and counsel) are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law. The Trustee shall comply with the provisions of TIA Section 313(b)(2) to the extent applicable. SECTION 7.08. REPLACEMENT OF TRUSTEE. A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee's acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section. The Trustee may resign in writing at any time and be discharged from the trust hereby created by so notifying the Company. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may remove the Trustee by so notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing. The Company may remove the Trustee if: (a) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof; (b) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law; (c) a custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or (d) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting. If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If a successor Trustee does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company, or the Holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee. 47 <Page> If the Trustee, after written request by any Holder who has been a Holder for at least six months, fails to comply with Section 7.10, such Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee. A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Thereupon, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. The successor Trustee shall mail a notice of its succession to Holders. The retiring Trustee shall promptly transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee, PROVIDED all sums owing to the Trustee hereunder have been paid and subject to the Lien provided for in Section 7.07 hereof. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.08, the Company's obligations under Section 7.07 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee. SECTION 7.09. SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE BY MERGER, ETC. If the Trustee consolidates, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee. SECTION 7.10. ELIGIBILITY; DISQUALIFICATION. There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder that is a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or of any state thereof that is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trustee power, that is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities and that has a combined capital and surplus of at least $100 million as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA Section 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee is subject to TIA Section 310(b). SECTION 7.11. PREFERENTIAL COLLECTION OF CLAIMS AGAINST COMPANY. The Trustee is subject to TIA Section 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA Section 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA Section 311(a) to the extent indicated therein. ARTICLE 8 LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE SECTION 8.01. OPTION TO EFFECT LEGAL DEFEASANCE OR COVENANT DEFEASANCE. The Company may, at the option of its Board of Directors evidenced by a resolution set forth in an Officers' Certificate, at any time, elect to have either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof be applied to all outstanding Notes upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article 8. SECTION 8.02. LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND DISCHARGE. Upon the Company's exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.02, the Company shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to all outstanding Notes on the date the 48 <Page> conditions set forth below are satisfied (hereinafter, "Legal Defeasance"). For this purpose, Legal Defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the outstanding Notes, which shall thereafter be deemed to be "outstanding" only for the purposes of Section 8.05 hereof and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in (a) and (b) below, and to have satisfied all its other obligations under such Notes and this Indenture (and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following provisions which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (a) the rights of Holders of outstanding Notes to receive solely from the trust fund described in Section 8.04 hereof, and as more fully set forth in such Section, payments in respect of the principal of, interest and premium, if any, on such Notes when such payments are due, (b) the Company's obligations with respect to such Notes under Article 2 and Section 4.02 hereof, (c) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company's and the Subsidiary Guarantors' obligations in connection therewith and (d) this Article 8. Subject to compliance with this Article 8, the Company may exercise its option under this Section 8.02 notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 8.03 hereof. SECTION 8.03. COVENANT DEFEASANCE. Upon the Company's exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, the Company shall, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be released from its obligations under the covenants contained in Sections 4.03(a), 4.04, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20 and 4.21 hereof and clause (iii) of Section 5.01 hereof with respect to the outstanding Notes on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 are satisfied (hereinafter, "Covenant Defeasance"), and the Notes shall thereafter be deemed not "outstanding" for the purposes of any direction, amendment, waiver, consent or declaration or act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but shall continue to be deemed "outstanding" for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Notes shall not be deemed outstanding for accounting purposes). For this purpose, Covenant Defeasance means that, with respect to the outstanding Notes, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 6.01 hereof, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Notes shall be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Company's exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03 hereof, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, Sections 6.01(c) through 6.01(f) hereof shall not constitute Events of Default. SECTION 8.04. CONDITIONS TO LEGAL OR COVENANT DEFEASANCE. The following shall be the conditions to the application of either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof to the outstanding Notes: In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance: (a) the Company must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders, cash in United States dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the outstanding Notes on the stated date for payment thereof or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be; 49 <Page> (b) in the case of an election under Section 8.02 hereof, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel in the United States reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that (A) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (B) since the date of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred; (c) in the case of an election under Section 8.03 hereof, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel in the United States reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred; (d) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the incurrence of Indebtedness all or a portion of the proceeds of which will be used to defease the Notes pursuant to this Article 8 concurrently with such incurrence) or insofar as Sections 6.01(g) or 6.01(h) hereof is concerned, at any time in the period ending on the 91st day after the date of deposit; (e) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture) to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound; (f) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that, assuming no intervening bankruptcy of the Company or any Subsidiary between the date of deposit and the 91st day following the deposit and assuming that no Holder is an "insider" of the Company under applicable bankruptcy law, after the 91st day following the deposit, the trust funds will not be subject to the effect of any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally; (g) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of preferring the Holders over any other creditors of the Company or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company or others; and (h) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for or relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with. SECTION 8.05. DEPOSITED MONEY AND GOVERNMENT SECURITIES TO BE HELD IN TRUST; OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. Subject to Section 8.06 hereof, all money and non-callable Government Securities (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 8.05, the "Trustee") pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof in respect of the outstanding Notes shall be 50 <Page> held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Notes of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, premium, if any, and interest, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the cash or non-callable Government Securities deposited pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Notes. Anything in this Article 8 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon the request of the Company any money or non-callable Government Securities held by it as provided in Section 8.04 hereof which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee (which may be the opinion delivered under Section 8.04(a) hereof), are in excess of the amount thereof that would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance. SECTION 8.06. REPAYMENT TO COMPANY. Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal, and premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on its request or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Note shall thereafter look only to the Company for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (national edition), notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such notification or publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company. SECTION 8.07. REINSTATEMENT. If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any United States dollars or non-callable Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be, by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, then the Company's obligations under this Indenture and the Notes shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, if the Company makes any payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Note following the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money held by the Trustee or Paying Agent. 51 <Page> ARTICLE 9 AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER SECTION 9.01. WITHOUT CONSENT OF HOLDERS OF NOTES. Notwithstanding Section 9.02 of this Indenture, the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture, the Subsidiary Guarantees or the Notes without the consent of any Holder of a Note to: (a) cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the Indenture; PROVIDED that such amendments do not adversely affect the interests of the Holders in any material respect; (b) comply with the provisions of Article 5 hereof; (c) comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; (d) evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor Trustee; (e) make any change that, in the good faith opinion of the Board of Directors, does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any Holder; (f) provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes or to alter the provisions of Article 2 hereof (including the related definitions) in a manner that does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any Holder; (g) provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in this Indenture as of the date hereof; or (h) allow any Subsidiary Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture and/or a Subsidiary Guarantee with respect to the Notes. Upon the request of the Company accompanied by a resolution of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental Indenture, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 7.02 hereof, the Trustee shall join with the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors in the execution of any amended or supplemental Indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Indenture and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into such amended or supplemental Indenture that affects its own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise. SECTION 9.02. WITH CONSENT OF HOLDERS OF NOTES. Except as provided below in this Section 9.02, the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture (including Section 4.15 and 4.21 hereof), the Subsidiary Guarantees and the Notes with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding voting as a single class (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, or purchase of, the Notes), and, subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, any existing Default or Event of Default (other than a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes, except a payment default resulting from an acceleration that has been rescinded) or compliance with any provision of this Indenture, the Subsidiary 52 <Page> Guarantees or the Notes may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes voting as a single class (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, or purchase of, the Notes). Section 2.08 hereof shall determine which Notes are considered to be "outstanding" for purposes of this Section 9.02. Upon the request of the Company accompanied by a resolution of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental Indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence satisfactory to the Trustee of the consent of the Holders of Notes as aforesaid, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 7.02 hereof, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such amended or supplemental Indenture unless such amended or supplemental Indenture directly affects the Trustee's own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such amended or supplemental Indenture. It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Notes under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section becomes effective, the Company shall mail to the Holders of Notes affected thereby a notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. Any failure of the Company to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such amended or supplemental Indenture or waiver. Subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding voting as a single class may waive compliance in a particular instance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Notes. However, without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver under this Section 9.02 may not (with respect to any Notes held by a non-consenting Holder): (a) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any installment of interest on, any Note; (b) reduce the principal amount of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any Note; (c) change the place or currency of payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any Note; (d) impair Holders' right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or after the Stated Maturity (or, in the case of a redemption, on or after the Redemption Date) of any Note; (e) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of or premium, interest or Additional or Special Interest, if any, on the Notes (except a rescission of acceleration of the Notes by the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including Additional Notes, if any) and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration); (f) modify Article 10 in any manner adverse to the Holders; or (g) reduce the principal amount or percentage of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver hereunder. 53 <Page> SECTION 9.03. COMPLIANCE WITH TRUST INDENTURE ACT. Every amendment or supplement to this Indenture or the Notes shall be set forth in a amended or supplemental Indenture that complies with the TIA as then in effect. SECTION 9.04. REVOCATION AND EFFECT OF CONSENTS. Until an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Note is a continuing consent by the Holder of a Note and every subsequent Holder of a Note or portion of a Note that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder's Note, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Note. However, any such Holder of a Note or subsequent Holder of a Note may revoke the consent as to its Note if the Trustee receives written notice of revocation before the date the waiver, supplement or amendment becomes effective. An amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective in accordance with its terms and thereafter binds every Holder. SECTION 9.05. NOTATION ON OR EXCHANGE OF NOTES. The Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment, supplement or waiver on any Note thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for all Notes may issue and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, authenticate new Notes that reflect the amendment, supplement or waiver. Failure to make the appropriate notation or issue a new Note shall not affect the validity and effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver. SECTION 9.06. TRUSTEE TO SIGN AMENDMENTS, ETC. The Trustee shall sign any amended or supplemental Indenture authorized pursuant to this Article Nine if the amendment or supplement does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or immunities of the Trustee. The Company may not sign an amendment or supplemental Indenture until the Board of Directors approves it. In executing any amended or supplemental indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive and (subject to Section 7.01 hereof) shall be fully protected in relying upon, in addition to the documents required by Section 12.04 hereof, an Officer's Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. ARTICLE 10 SUBORDINATION SECTION 10.01. AGREEMENT TO SUBORDINATE. The Company agrees, and each Holder by accepting a Note agrees, that the payment of the Senior Subordinated Obligations will, to the extent set forth herein, be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full, in cash or cash equivalents, of all Obligations due in respect of existing and future Senior Indebtedness (whether outstanding on the date hereof or hereafter created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed), and that the subordination is for the benefit of the holders of Senior Indebtedness. 54 <Page> SECTION 10.02. LIQUIDATION; DISSOLUTION; BANKRUPTCY. Upon any distribution to creditors of the Company in a liquidation or dissolution of the Company or in a bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, receivership or similar proceeding relating to the Company or its property, in an assignment for the benefit of creditors or any marshaling of the Company's assets and liabilities: (i) holders of Senior Indebtedness will be entitled to receive payment in full in cash or cash equivalents of all Obligations due in respect of Senior Indebtedness (including, with respect to Designated Senior Indebtedness, any interest accruing after the commencement of any proceeding described below at the rate specified in the applicable Designated Senior Indebtedness whether or not interest is an allowed claim enforceable against the Company in such proceeding) before the Holders of Notes will be entitled to receive any payment on account of Senior Subordinated Obligations or any payment to acquire any of the Notes for cash, property or securities, or any distribution with respect to the Notes of any cash, property or securities (except that Holders of Notes may receive and retain (A) Permitted Junior Securities and (B) payments made from the trust described in Article 8 hereof), in the event of any distribution to creditors of the Company: (1) in a liquidation or dissolution of the Company; (2) in a bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, receivership or similar proceeding relating to the Company or its property; (3) in an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or (4) in any marshaling of the Company's assets and liabilities. (ii) until all Obligations due with respect to Senior Indebtedness (including, with respect to Designated Senior Indebtedness, any interest accruing after the commencement of any proceeding described before at the rate specified in the applicable Designated Senior Indebtedness whether or not interest is an allowed claim enforceable against the Company in such proceeding) are paid in full in cash or cash equivalents, any such distribution to which Holders would be entitled shall be made to the holders of Senior Indebtedness (except that Holders may receive and retain (A) Permitted Junior Securities and (B) payments made from the trust described in Article 8 hereof). SECTION 10.03. DEFAULT ON DESIGNATED SENIOR INDEBTEDNESS. (a) The Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors may not make any payment in respect of any Senior Subordinated Obligations (except in (A) Permitted Junior Securities or (B) from the trust described in Article 8 hereof) nor may any amounts be set aside or deposited pursuant to Article 8 if: (i) a payment default on Designated Senior Indebtedness occurs and is continuing beyond any applicable grace period; or (ii) any other default occurs and is continuing on any series of Designated Senior Indebtedness that permits holders of that series of Designated Senior Indebtedness to accelerate its maturity and the Trustee receives a notice of such default (a "Payment Blockage Notice") from the trustee or other representative for the holders of any Designated Senior Indebtedness, or the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding principal amount of such Designated Senior Indebtedness. No new Payment Blockage Notice may be delivered unless and until: (A) 360 days have elapsed since the delivery of the immediately prior Payment Blockage Notice; and (B) all scheduled payments of principal, interest and premium and Additional or Special Interest, if any, on the Notes that have come due have been paid in full in cash. No nonpayment 55 <Page> default that existed or was continuing on the date of delivery of any Payment Blockage Notice to the Trustee shall be, or be made, the basis for a subsequent Payment Blockage Notice. (b) Payments on the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees may and shall be resumed: (i) in the case of a payment default, upon the date on which such default is cured or waived; and (ii) in case of a nonpayment default, the earlier of the date on which such nonpayment default is cured or waived or 179 days after the date on which the applicable Payment Blockage Notice is received. (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will be permitted to redeem any Notes to the extent required to do so by any Gaming Authority as described in Section 3.08 hereof. SECTION 10.04. ACCELERATION OF NOTES. If payment of the Notes is accelerated because of an Event of Default, the Company shall promptly notify holders of Senior Indebtedness of the acceleration. SECTION 10.05. WHEN DISTRIBUTION MUST BE PAID OVER. In the event that the Trustee or any Holder receives any payment of any Senior Subordinated Obligations with respect to the Notes at a time when the Trustee or such Holder, as applicable, has actual knowledge that such payment is prohibited by Section 10.03 hereof, such payment shall be held by the Trustee or such Holder, in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid forthwith over and delivered, upon written request, to, the holders of Senior Indebtedness as their interests may appear or their Representative under the indenture or other agreement (if any) pursuant to which Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, for application to the payment of all Obligations with respect to Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay such Obligations in full in accordance with their terms, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of Senior Indebtedness. With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, the Trustee undertakes to perform only such obligations on the part of the Trustee as are specifically set forth in this Article 10, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and shall not be liable to any such holders if the Trustee shall pay over or distribute to or on behalf of Holders or the Company or any other Person money or assets to which any holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article 10, except if such payment is made as a result of the willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Trustee. SECTION 10.06. NOTICE BY COMPANY. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee, holders of Senior Indebtedness and the Paying Agent of any facts known to the Company that would cause a payment of any Senior Subordinated Obligations with respect to the Notes to violate this Article 10, but failure to give such notice shall not affect the subordination of the Notes to the Senior Indebtedness as provided in this Article 10. 56 <Page> SECTION 10.07. SUBROGATION. Subject to the payment in full, in cash or cash equivalents, of all Senior Indebtedness, the Holders of Notes shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of assets of the Company applicable to the Senior Indebtedness until all amounts owing on the Notes shall be paid in full, in cash or cash equivalents, and for the purpose of such subrogation no payments or distributions to the holders of Senior Indebtedness by or on behalf of the Holders by virtue of this Article 10, which otherwise would have been made to the Holders, shall, as between the Company and the Holders, be deemed to be payment by the Company to holders or on account of the Senior Indebtedness, it being understood that the provisions of this Article 10 are and are intended solely for the purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders, on the one hand, and the holders of Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand. If any payment or distribution to which the Holders would otherwise have been entitled but for the provisions of this Article 10 shall have been applied, pursuant to the provisions of this Article 10, to the payment of all amounts payable under the Senior Indebtedness, then the Holders shall be entitled to receive from the holders of such Senior Indebtedness any payments or distributions received by such holders of Senior Indebtedness in excess of the amount sufficient to pay all amounts payable under or in respect of the Senior Indebtedness in full, in cash or cash equivalents. SECTION 10.08. RELATIVE RIGHTS. This Article 10 defines the relative rights of Holders of Notes and holders of Senior Indebtedness. Nothing in this Indenture shall: (i) impair, as between the Company and Holders of Notes, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay principal of and interest on the Notes in accordance with their terms; (ii) affect the relative rights of Holders of Notes and creditors of the Company other than their rights in relation to holders of Senior Indebtedness; or (iii) prevent the Trustee or any Holder of Notes from exercising its available remedies upon a Default or Event of Default, subject to the rights of holders and owners of Senior Indebtedness to receive distributions and payments otherwise payable to Holders of Notes. If the Company fails because of this Article 10 to pay principal of or interest on a Note on the due date, the failure is still a Default or Event of Default. SECTION 10.09. SUBORDINATION MAY NOT BE IMPAIRED BY COMPANY. No right of any holder of Senior Indebtedness to enforce the subordination of the Indebtedness evidenced by the Notes shall be impaired by any act or failure to act by the Company or any Holder or by the failure of the Company or any Holder to comply with this Indenture. SECTION 10.10. DISTRIBUTION OR NOTICE TO REPRESENTATIVE. Whenever a distribution is to be made or a notice given to holders of Senior Indebtedness, the distribution may be made and the notice given to their Representative. 57 <Page> Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article 10, the Trustee and the Holders of Notes shall be entitled to rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction or upon any certificate of such Representative or of the liquidating trustee or agent or other Person making any distribution to the Trustee or to the Holders of Notes for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of the Senior Indebtedness and other Indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article 10. SECTION 10.11. RIGHTS OF TRUSTEE AND PAYING AGENT. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article 10 or any other provision of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment or distribution by the Trustee, and the Trustee and the Paying Agent may continue to make payments on the Notes, unless the Trustee shall have received at its Corporate Trust Office at least two Business Days prior to the date of such payment written notice of facts that would cause the payment of any Senior Subordinated Obligations with respect to the Notes to violate this Article 10. Only the Company or a Representative may give the notice. Nothing in this Article 10 shall impair the claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 7.07 hereof. The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may hold Senior Indebtedness with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. SECTION 10.12. AUTHORIZATION TO EFFECT SUBORDINATION. Each Holder of Notes, by the Holder's acceptance thereof, authorizes and directs the Trustee on such Holder's behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination as provided in this Article 10, and appoints the Trustee to act as such Holder's attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes. If the Trustee does not file a proper proof of claim or proof of debt in the form required in any proceeding referred to in Section 6.09 hereof at least 30 days before the expiration of the time to file such claim, the Representatives are hereby authorized to file an appropriate claim for and on behalf of the Holders of the Notes. SECTION 10.13. AMENDMENTS. The provisions of this Article 10 shall not be amended or modified without the written consent of the holders of all Senior Indebtedness. ARTICLE 11 SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEES SECTION 11.01. SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE. Subject to this Article 11, each of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereby, jointly and severally, unconditionally guarantees to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of this Indenture, the Notes or the obligations of the Company hereunder or thereunder, that: (a) the principal of and interest on the Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of and interest on the Notes, if any, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Company to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder 58 <Page> will be promptly paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and (b) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed or any performance so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Subsidiary Guarantors shall be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that this is a guarantee of payment and not a guarantee of collection. The Subsidiary Guarantors hereby agree that their obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Notes with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Company, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a Subsidiary Guarantor. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenant that this Subsidiary Guarantee shall not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Notes and this Indenture. If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Company or the Subsidiary Guarantors, any amount paid by either to the Trustee or such Holder, this Subsidiary Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect. Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that it shall not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that, as between the Subsidiary Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 hereof for the purposes of this Subsidiary Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 hereof, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Subsidiary Guarantors for the purpose of this Subsidiary Guarantee. The Subsidiary Guarantors shall have the right to seek contribution from any non-paying Subsidiary Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under the Guarantee. SECTION 11.02. SUBORDINATION OF SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE. The Obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee pursuant to this Article 11 shall be junior and subordinated to the Senior Indebtedness of such Subsidiary Guarantor on the same basis as the Notes are junior and subordinated to Senior Indebtedness of the Company, as if and to the same extent the same provisions were set out in this Article 11. For the purposes of the foregoing sentence, but without limiting the generality thereof, the Trustee and the Holders shall have the right to receive and/or retain payments by any of the Subsidiary Guarantors only at such times as they may receive and/or retain payments in respect of the Notes pursuant to this Indenture, including Article 10 hereof, and are subject to the same turnover provisions. 59 <Page> SECTION 11.03. LIMITATION ON SUBSIDIARY GUARANTOR LIABILITY. Each Subsidiary Guarantor, and by its acceptance of Notes, each Holder, hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that the Subsidiary Guarantee of such Subsidiary Guarantor not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of Bankruptcy Law, the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or any similar federal or state law to the extent applicable to any Subsidiary Guarantee. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Trustee, the Holders and the Subsidiary Guarantors hereby irrevocably agree that the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor will, after giving effect to such maximum amount and all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor that are relevant under such laws, and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Subsidiary Guarantor under this Article 11, result in the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent transfer or conveyance. SECTION 11.04. EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE. To evidence its Subsidiary Guarantee set forth in Section 11.01, each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby agrees that a notation of such Subsidiary Guarantee substantially in the form included in Exhibit B shall be endorsed by an Officer of such Subsidiary Guarantor on each Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and that this Indenture shall be executed on behalf of such Subsidiary Guarantor by an Officer thereof. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby agrees that its Subsidiary Guarantee set forth in Section 11.01 shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any failure to endorse on each Note a notation of such Subsidiary Guarantee. If an Officer whose signature is on this Indenture or on the Subsidiary Guarantee no longer holds that office at the time the Trustee authenticates the Note on which a Subsidiary Guarantee is endorsed, the Subsidiary Guarantee shall be valid nevertheless. The delivery of any Note by the Trustee, after the authentication thereof hereunder, shall constitute due delivery of the Subsidiary Guarantee set forth in this Indenture on behalf of the Subsidiary Guarantors. In the event that the Company creates or acquires any new Subsidiaries subsequent to the date of this Indenture, if required by Section 4.11 hereof, the Company shall cause such Subsidiaries to execute supplemental indentures to this Indenture and Subsidiary Guarantees in accordance with Section 4.11 hereof and this Article 11, to the extent applicable. SECTION 11.05. SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS MAY CONSOLIDATE, ETC., ON CERTAIN TERMS. Except as otherwise provided in Section 11.06, no Subsidiary Guarantor may consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving Person) another Person whether or not affiliated with such Subsidiary Guarantor unless: (a) subject to Section 11.06 hereof, the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than a Subsidiary Guarantor or the Company) unconditionally assumes all the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor, pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form and 60 <Page> substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, under the Notes, the Indenture and the Subsidiary Guarantee on the terms set forth herein or therein; and (b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists. In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance and upon the assumption by the successor Person, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the Subsidiary Guarantee endorsed upon the Notes and the due and punctual performance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Subsidiary Guarantor, such successor Person shall succeed to and be substituted for the Subsidiary Guarantor with the same effect as if it had been named herein as a Subsidiary Guarantor. Such successor Person thereupon may cause to be signed any or all of the Subsidiary Guarantees to be endorsed upon all of the Notes issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee. All the Subsidiary Guarantees so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Subsidiary Guarantees theretofore and thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Subsidiary Guarantees had been issued at the date of the execution hereof. Except as set forth in Articles 4 and 5 hereof, and notwithstanding clauses (a) and (b) above, nothing contained in this Indenture or in any of the Notes shall prevent any consolidation or merger of a Subsidiary Guarantor with or into the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor, or shall prevent any sale or conveyance of the property of a Subsidiary Guarantor as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor. SECTION 11.06. RELEASES FOLLOWING SALE OF ASSETS. In the event of a sale or other disposition of all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, or a sale or other disposition of all to the capital stock of any Subsidiary Guarantor, in each case to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transactions) a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, then such Subsidiary Guarantor (in the event of a sale or other disposition, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, of all of the capital stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor) or the corporation acquiring the property (in the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor) will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee; PROVIDED that the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.15 hereof. Upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such sale or other disposition was made by the Company in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.15 hereof, the Trustee shall execute any documents reasonably required in order to evidence the release of any Subsidiary Guarantor from its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Subsidiary Guarantee of Empress Casino Corporation will not be released upon the occurrence of a Trigger Event. Any Subsidiary Guarantor not released from its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee shall remain liable for the full amount of principal of and interest on the Notes and for the other obligations of any Subsidiary Guarantor under this Indenture as provided in this Article 11. 61 <Page> ARTICLE 12 MISCELLANEOUS SECTION 12.01. TRUST INDENTURE ACT CONTROLS. If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by TIA Section 318(c), the imposed duties shall control. SECTION 12.02. NOTICES. Any notice or communication by the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or the Trustee to the others is duly given if in writing and delivered in Person or mailed by first class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), telex, telecopier or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others' address: If to the Company and/or any Subsidiary Guarantor: Argosy Gaming Company 219 Piasa Street Alton, IL 62002-6232 Telecopier No.: (618) 474-7420 Attention: General Counsel With a copy to: Winston & Strawn 35 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60601 Telecopier No.: (312) 558-5700 Attention: Joseph A. Walsh, Jr. If to the Trustee: Bank One Trust Company, National Association 1 Bank One Plaza Mail Suite, ILI-0823 Chicago, IL 60670-0823 Telecopier No.: (312) 336-8840 Attention: Global Corporate Trust Services, Joseph Morand The Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or the Trustee, by notice to the others may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications. All notices and communications (other than those sent to Holders) shall be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when answered back, if telexed; when receipt acknowledged, if telecopied; and the next Business Day after timely delivery to the courier, if sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery. 62 <Page> Any notice or communication to a Holder shall be mailed by first class mail, certified or registered, return receipt requested, or by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery to its address shown on the register kept by the Registrar. Any notice or communication shall also be so mailed to any Person described in TIA Section 313(c), to the extent required by the TIA. Failure to mail a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders. If a notice or communication is mailed in the manner provided above within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it. If the Company mails a notice or communication to Holders, it shall mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time. SECTION 12.03. COMMUNICATION BY HOLDERS OF NOTES WITH OTHER HOLDERS OF NOTES. Holders may communicate pursuant to TIA Section 312(b) with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Notes. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA Section 312(c). SECTION 12.04. CERTIFICATE AND OPINION AS TO CONDITIONS PRECEDENT. Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee: (a) an Officers' Certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent and covenants, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been satisfied; and (b) an Opinion of Counsel in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent and covenants have been satisfied. SECTION 12.05. STATEMENTS REQUIRED IN CERTIFICATE OR OPINION. Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA Section 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA Section 314(e) and shall include: (a) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (c) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been satisfied; and (d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been satisfied. 63 <Page> SECTION 12.06. RULES BY TRUSTEE AND AGENTS. The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or at a meeting of Holders. The Registrar or Paying Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions. SECTION 12.07. NO PERSONAL LIABILITY OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND STOCKHOLDERS. No past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor, as such, shall have any liability for any obligations of the Company or such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Notes, the Subsidiary Guarantees, this Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. SECTION 12.08. GOVERNING LAW. THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY. SECTION 12.09. NO ADVERSE INTERPRETATION OF OTHER AGREEMENTS. This Indenture may not be used to interpret any other indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or its Subsidiaries or of any other Person. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture. SECTION 12.10. SUCCESSORS. All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Notes shall bind its successors. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successors. All agreements of each Subsidiary Guarantor in this Indenture shall bind its successors, except as otherwise provided in Section 11.05. SECTION 12.12. SEVERABILITY. In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Notes shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. SECTION 12.12. COUNTERPART ORIGINALS. The parties may sign any number of copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. 64 <Page> SECTION 12.13. TABLE OF CONTENTS, HEADINGS, ETC. The Table of Contents, Cross-Reference Table and Headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part of this Indenture and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof. [Signatures on following page] 65 <Page> SIGNATURES Dated as of July 31, 2001 ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ALTON GAMING COMPANY ARGOSY OF IOWA, INC. ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC. THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY IOWA GAMING COMPANY JAZZ ENTERPRISES, INC. THE MISSOURI GAMING COMPANY By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer BELLE OF SIOUX CITY, L.P. By: IOWA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer CATFISH QUEEN PARTNERSHIP IN COMMENDAM By: ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC., its General Partner By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------ Dale R. Black Treasurer S-1 <Page> CENTROPLEX CENTRE CONVENTION HOTEL, L.L.C. By: ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY, its Manager By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------ Dale R. Black Treasurer INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, L.P. By: THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------ Dale R. Black Treasurer INDIANA GAMING II, L.P. By: INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY, its General Partner By: /s/ Dale R. Black ------------------------------------------ Dale R. Black Treasurer BANK ONE TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION By: /s/ David Knox ----------------------------------------- -------------- -------------- S-2 <Page> EXHIBIT A [Face of Note] - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUSIP/CINS 0 40228 AJ 7 9% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 No. ___ $ ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY promises to pay to _____________________________________________________________ or registered assigns, the principal sum of ___________________________________________________________ Dollars on September 1, 2011. Interest Payment Dates: March 1 and September 1 Record Dates: February 15 and August 15 Dated: July 31, 2001 ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY By: -------------------------------------- Name: Title: This is one of the Global Notes referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture: BANK ONE TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION as Trustee By: -------------------------------- Authorized Signatory - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A-1 <Page> [Back of Note] 9% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 [THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (I) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.07 OF THE INDENTURE, (II) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (III) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (IV) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY.](1) Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture referred to below unless otherwise indicated. 1. INTEREST. Argosy Gaming Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Note at 9% per annum from July 31, 2001 until maturity. The Company will pay interest semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, or if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (each an "Interest Payment Date"). Interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from the date of issuance; PROVIDED that if there is no existing Default in the payment of interest, and if this Note is authenticated between a record date referred to on the face hereof and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from such next succeeding Interest Payment Date; PROVIDED, FURTHER, that the first Interest Payment Date shall be March 1, 2002. The Company shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal and premium, if any, from time to time on demand at a rate that is equal to the rate then in effect; it shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest and Additional or Special Interest, if any, (without regard to any applicable grace periods) from time to time on demand at the same rate to the extent lawful. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. 2. METHOD OF PAYMENT. The Company will pay interest on the Notes (except defaulted interest) to the Persons who are registered Holders of Notes at the close of business on the February 15 or August 15 next preceding the Interest Payment Date, even if such Notes are canceled after such record date and on or before such Interest Payment Date, except as provided in Section 2.12 of the Indenture with respect to defaulted interest. The Notes will be payable as to principal, premium, if any, and interest at the office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose within or without the City and State of New York, or, at the option of the Company, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the Holders at their addresses set forth in the register of Holders, and PROVIDED that payment by wire transfer of immediately available funds will be required with respect to principal of and interest, premium on, all Global Notes and all other Notes the Holders of which shall have provided wire transfer instructions to the Company or the Paying Agent. Such payment shall be in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. - ---------- (1) This legend should be included on the Global Notes and omitted from Definitive Notes. A-2 <Page> 3. PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR. Initially, Bank One Trust Company, National Association, the Trustee under the Indenture, will act as Paying Agent and Registrar. The Company may change any Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Company or any of its Subsidiaries may act in any such capacity. 4. INDENTURE. The Company issued the Notes under an Indenture dated as of July 31, 2001 ("Indenture") between the Company and the Trustee. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (15 U.S. Code Sections 77aaa-77bbbb). The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and such Act for a statement of such terms. To the extent any provision of this Note conflicts with the express provisions of the Indenture, the provisions of the indenture shall govern and be controlling. The Initial Notes are obligations of the Company limited to $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount. 5. OPTIONAL REDEMPTION. (a) Except as set forth in subparagraph (b) of this paragraph 5, the Company shall not have the option to redeem the Notes pursuant to this paragraph 5 prior to September 1, 2006. Thereafter, the Company shall have the option to redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest and Additional or Special Interest thereon, if any, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on September 1 of the years indicated below: <Table> <Caption> YEAR PERCENTAGE ---- ---------- 2006.............................................. 104.500% 2007.............................................. 103.000% 2008.............................................. 101.500% 2009 and thereafter............................... 100.000% </Table> (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (a) of this paragraph 5,at any time prior to September 1, 2004, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes with the net proceeds of a Public Equity Offering at a redemption price equal to 109% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid Additional or Special Interest thereon, if any; PROVIDED that at least 65% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes originally issued remain outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption and that such redemption occurs within 60 days of the date of the closing of such Public Equity Offering. (c) Any redemption pursuant to this paragraph 5 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 of the Indenture. 6. GAMING REDEMPTION (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, if any Gaming Authority: (i) requests or requires a holder or beneficial owner of Notes to appear before, submit to the jurisdiction of or provide information to, such Gaming Authority and such holder or beneficial owner either refuses to do so or otherwise fails to comply with such request or requirement within a reasonable period of time; or (ii) determines that any holder or beneficial owner of Notes is not suitable or qualified with respect to beneficial ownership of the Notes, then the Company may: (1) require that such holder or beneficial owner dispose of its Notes within 30 days (or such earlier date as required by the Gaming Authority) of (A) termination of the 30-day period described above for the holder or beneficial owner to apply for a A-3 <Page> license, qualification or finding of suitability or (B) the receipt of the notice from the Gaming Authority that the holder or beneficial owner will not be licensed, qualified or found suitable; or (2) redeem the Notes of such holder or beneficial owner at a price equal to the lesser of (A) the price at which such holder or beneficial owner acquired such Notes or (B) the Fair Market Value of such Notes or, if the Notes are listed on a national securities exchange, the last reported sale price on the date the Company notifies such holder or beneficial owner of the redemption. (b) Immediately upon a determination that a holder or beneficial owner will not be licensed, qualified or found suitable, the holder or beneficial owner will have no further rights (i) to exercise any right conferred by the Notes, directly or indirectly, through any trustee, nominee or any other Person or entity, or (ii) to receive any interest or other distribution or payment with respect to the Notes or any remuneration in any form from the Company for services rendered or otherwise, except the redemption price of the Notes. The holder or beneficial owner applying for a licenses, qualification or finding of suitability must pay all costs of the licensure or investigation for such qualification or finding of suitability. 7. MANDATORY REDEMPTION. Except as set forth in paragraph 8 below, the Company shall not be required to make mandatory redemption payments with respect to the Notes. 8. OFFERS TO PURCHASE. (a) CHANGE OF CONTROL. Within 30 days of the occurrence of a Change of Control, the Company shall commence and consummate an Offer to Purchase for all Notes then outstanding, at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest to the Payment Date. (b) ASSET SALE. The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, consummate any Asset Sale, unless (i) the consideration received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is at least equal to the fair market value of the assets sold or disposed of and (ii) at least 75% of the consideration received consists of cash or Temporary Cash Investments or the assumption of Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than Indebtedness to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary), PROVIDED that the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is irrevocably and unconditionally released from all liability under such Indebtedness. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding paragraph, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries will be permitted to consummate a Permitted Asset Swap without complying with such paragraph if (i) immediately after giving effect to such Permitted Asset Swap, the Company could Incur least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant Section 4.07 of the Indenture and (ii) the Company or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, receives assets at the time of such Permitted Asset Swap of a value at least equal to the fair market value of the assets or other property sold or otherwise disposed of (as evidenced by a resolution of the Company's Board of Directors set forth in an Officers' Certificate delivered to the Trustee, or, in the event that the fair market value of such Permitted Asset Swap exceeds $100.0 million, such fair market value has been determined by a written opinion of an investment banking firm of national standing or other recognized independent expert with experience appraising the terms and conditions of the type of transaction contemplated thereby). Within twelve months after the receipt of any Net Cash Proceeds from one or more Asset Sales occurring on or after the Closing Date, the Company shall or shall cause the relevant Restricted Subsidiary to: (i) (A) apply an amount equal to such Net Cash Proceeds to permanently repay Senior A-4 <Page> Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor or Indebtedness of any other Restricted Subsidiary, in each case owing to a Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or (B) invest an equal amount, or the amount not so applied pursuant to clause (A) (or enter into a definitive agreement committing to so invest within 12 months after the date of such agreement), in property or assets (other than current assets) of a nature or type or that are used in a business (or in a company having property and assets of a nature or type, or engaged in a business) similar or related to the nature or type of the property and assets of, or the business of, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries existing on the date of such investment and (ii) apply (no later than the end of the 12-month period referred to in clause (i)(B)) such excess Net Cash Proceeds (to the extent not applied pursuant to clause (i)) as provided in the following paragraph of this paragraph 8(b). The amount of such excess Net Cash Proceeds required to be applied (or to be committed to be applied) during such 12-month period as set forth in clause (i) of the preceding sentence and not applied as so required by the end of such period shall constitute "Excess Proceeds." If, as of the first day of any calendar month, the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds not theretofore subject to an Offer to Purchase pursuant to this paragraph 8(b) totals at least $10.0 million (or at least $25 million in the event that at such time there is no Indebtedness of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding that is PARI PASSU with or subordinated in right of payment to the Notes with a comparable limitation of less than $25 million), the Company must commence, not later than the fifteenth Business Day of such month, and consummate an Offer to Purchase from the Holders (and if required by the terms of any Pari Passu Indebtedness, from the holders of such Pari Passu Indebtedness) on a PRO RATA basis an aggregate principal amount of Notes (and Pari Passu Indebtedness) equal to the Excess Proceeds on such date, at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, PLUS, in each case, accrued interest and Additional or Special Interest, if any, to the Payment Date. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes and any such Pari Passu Indebtedness tendered by holders thereof exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds, the Notes and Pari Passu Indebtedness shall be purchased on a PRO RATA basis. Upon the completion of any such Offers to Purchase, regardless of the amount of Notes validly tendered, the amount of Excess Proceeds shall be reset to zero. 9. NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. Notice of redemption will be mailed at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address. Notes in denominations larger than $1,000 may be redeemed in part but only in whole multiples of $1,000, unless all of the Notes held by a Holder are to be redeemed. On and after the redemption date interest ceases to accrue on Notes or portions thereof called for redemption. 10. DENOMINATIONS, TRANSFER, EXCHANGE. The Notes are in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Registrar and the Trustee may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Company may require a Holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Company need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part. Also, the Company need not exchange or register the transfer of any Notes for a period of 15 days before a selection of Notes to be redeemed or during the period between a record date and the corresponding Interest Payment Date. 11. PERSONS DEEMED OWNERS. The registered Holder of a Note may be treated as its owner for all purposes. A-5 <Page> 12. AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER. Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture, the Subsidiary Guarantees or the Notes may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes and Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class, and any existing default or compliance with any provision of the Indenture, the Subsidiary Guarantees or the Notes may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes and Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class. Without the consent of any Holder of a Note, the Indenture, the Subsidiary Guarantees or the Notes may be amended or supplemented to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes, to provide for the assumption of the Company's or Subsidiary Guarantor's obligations to Holders of the Notes in case of a merger or consolidation, to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the Indenture of any such Holder, to comply with the requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act, to provide for the Issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in the Indenture, or to allow any Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture to the Indenture and/or a Subsidiary Guarantee with respect to the Notes. 13. DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES. Each of the following constitutes an Event of Default: (a) default in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, on any Note when the same becomes due and payable at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise whether or not such payment is prohibited by Article 10 of the Indenture; (b) default in the payment of interest on any Note when the same becomes due and payable, or Additional or Special Interest, if any, and such default continues for a period of 30 days whether or not such payment is prohibited by Article 10 of the Indenture; (c) failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to comply with any of the provisions of Sections 4.21 or 5.01 of the Indenture or the failure to make or consummate an Offer to Purchase in accordance with the terms of Section 4.15 of the Indenture; (d) failure by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to observe or perform any covenant or agreement in the Indenture or this Note (other than a default under clause (a), (b), or (c) of this paragraph 14) for 30 days after notice to the Company by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes (including Additional Notes, if any) then outstanding voting as a single class; (e) the occurrence with respect to any issue or issues of Indebtedness of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary having an outstanding principal amount of $20.0 million or more in the aggregate for all such issues of all such Persons, whether such Indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, (i) an event of default that has caused the holder thereof to declare such Indebtedness to be due and payable prior to its Stated Maturity and such Indebtedness has not been discharged in full or such acceleration has not been rescinded or annulled within 30 days of such acceleration and/or (ii) the failure to make a principal payment at the final (but not any interim) fixed maturity and such defaulted payment shall not have been made, waived or extended within 30 days of such payment default; (f) any final judgment or order (not covered by insurance) for the payment of money in excess of $20.0 million in the aggregate for all such final judgments or orders against all such Persons (treating any deductibles, self-insurance or retention as not so covered) shall be rendered against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and shall not be paid or discharged, and there shall be any period of 60 consecutive days following entry of the final judgment or order that causes the aggregate amount for all such final judgments or orders outstanding and not paid or discharged against all such Persons to exceed $20.0 million during which a stay of enforcement of such final judgment or order, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, shall not be in effect; (g) a court having jurisdiction in the premises enters a decree or order for (A) relief in respect of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, (B) appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) the winding up or liquidation of the affairs of A-6 <Page> the Company or any Significant Subsidiary and, in each case, such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 30 consecutive days; (h) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary (A) commences a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or consents to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, (B) consents to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (C) effects any general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (i) except as permitted by the Indenture, any Subsidiary Guarantee shall be held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or shall cease for any reason to be in full force and effect or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, shall deny or disaffirm its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee; or (j) the revocation, termination, suspension or other cessation of effectiveness for a period or more than 90 consecutive days of any Gaming License that results in the cessation or suspension of gaming operations at any Material Casino; PROVIDED that any voluntary relinquishment of or failure to renew after revocation a Gaming License of a Material Casino if such relinquishment or failure to renew is, in the reasonable, good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, evidenced by a resolution of such Board, both desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and not disadvantageous in any material respect to the holders of the Notes shall not constitute an Event of Default. If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) above that occurs with respect to the Company) occurs and is continuing under the Indenture, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, then outstanding, by written notice to the Company (and to the Trustee if such notice is given by the Holders), may, and the Trustee at the request of such Holders shall, declare the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, on the Notes to be immediately due and payable. Upon a declaration of acceleration, such principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest shall be immediately due and payable. In the event of a declaration of acceleration because an Event of Default set forth in clause (e) above has occurred and is continuing, such declaration of acceleration shall be automatically rescinded and annulled if the event of default triggering such Event of Default pursuant to clause (e) above shall be remedied or cured by the Company or the relevant Significant Subsidiary or waived by the holders of the relevant Indebtedness within 60 days after the declaration of acceleration with respect thereto. If an Event of Default specified in clause (g) or (h) above occurs with respect to the Company, the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes then outstanding shall IPSO FACTO become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder. The Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all past defaults and rescind and annul a declaration of acceleration and its consequences if (i) all existing Events of Default, other than the nonpayment of the principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest on the Notes that have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived and (ii) the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction. If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy to collect the payment of principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes or to enforce the performance of any provision of this Note or the Indenture. The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder of a Note in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. All remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law. 14. TRUSTEE DEALINGS WITH COMPANY. The Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may make loans to, accept deposits from, and perform services for the Company or its Affiliates, and may otherwise deal with the Company or its Affiliates, as if it were not the Trustee. A-7 <Page> 15. NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. A director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder, of the Company, as such, shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Notes or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of the Notes. 16. AUTHENTICATION. This Note shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. 17. ABBREVIATIONS. Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act). 18. CUSIP NUMBERS. Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Company has caused CUSIP numbers to be printed on the Notes and the Trustee may use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers placed thereon. The Company will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Indenture and/or the Registration Rights Agreement. Requests may be made to: Argosy Gaming Company 219 Piasa Street Alton, IL 62002-6232 Attention: Director of Investor Relations A-8 <Page> SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE For value received, each Subsidiary Guarantor (which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture) has irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed (i) the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the 9% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the "Notes") of Argosy Gaming Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, the due and punctual payment of interest on the overdue principal and premium, if any, and (to the extent permitted by law) interest on any interest on the Notes, and the due and punctual performance of all other obligations of the Company, to the Holders or the Trustee all in accordance with the terms set forth in Article 11 of the Indenture and (ii) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any such other obligations, that the same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor to the Holders and to the Trustee pursuant to this Subsidiary Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly set forth in Article 11 of the Indenture and reference is hereby made to such Indenture for the precise terms of this Subsidiary Guarantee. The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor to the Holders and to the Trustee pursuant to this Subsidiary Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly subordinated to Senior Indebtedness of the Subsidiary Guarantors as set forth in Section 11.2 and Article 10 of the Indenture and reference is hereby made to such Section and Article for the precise terms of such subordination. No stockholder, employee, officer, director or incorporator, as such, past, present or future of each Subsidiary Guarantor shall have any liability under this Subsidiary Guarantee by reason of his or its status as such stockholder, employee, officer, director or incorporator. This is a continuing Subsidiary Guarantee and shall remain in full force and effect and shall be binding upon each Subsidiary Guarantor and its successors and assigns until full and final payment of all of the Company's obligations under the Notes and Indenture or until released or has no further force or effect in accordance with the Indenture and shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Trustee and the Holders, and, in the event of any transfer or assignment of rights by any Holder or the Trustee, the rights and privileges herein conferred upon that party shall automatically extend to and be vested in such transferee or assignee, all subject to the terms and conditions hereof. This is a Subsidiary Guarantee of payment and not of collectibility. This Subsidiary Guarantee shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication on the Note upon which this Subsidiary Guarantee is noted shall have been executed by the Trustee under the Indenture by the manual signature of one of its authorized officers. The Obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee shall be limited to the extent necessary to insure that it does not constitute a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. THE TERMS OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE INDENTURE ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. This Subsidiary Guarantee shall be governed by the laws of the state of New York. Capitalized terms used herein have the same meanings given in the Indenture unless otherwise indicated. A-9 <Page> Dated as of July 31, 2001 ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ALTON GAMING COMPANY ARGOSY OF IOWA, INC. ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC. THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY IOWA GAMING COMPANY JAZZ ENTERPRISES, INC. THE MISSOURI GAMING COMPANY By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer BELLE OF SIOUX CITY, L.P. By: IOWA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer CATFISH QUEEN PARTNERSHIP IN COMMENDAM By: ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC., its General Partner By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer A-10 <Page> CENTROPLEX CENTRE CONVENTION HOTEL, L.L.C. By: ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY, its Manager By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, L.P. By: THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer INDIANA GAMING II, L.P. By: INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY, its General Partner By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer A-11 <Page> ASSIGNMENT FORM To assign this Note, fill in the form below: (I) or (we) assign and transfer this Note to: ----------------------------------- (Insert assignee's legal name) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Insert assignee's soc. sec. or tax I.D. no.) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Print or type assignee's name, address and zip code) and irrevocably appoint --------------------------------------------------------- to transfer this Note on the books of the Company. The agent may substitute another to act for him. Date: -------------------------- Your Signature: ----------------------------------------- (Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note) Signature Guarantee*: ------------------------------ * Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee). A-12 <Page> OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE If you want to elect to have this Note purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.15 or 4.21 of the Indenture, check the appropriate box below: / / Section 4.15 / / Section 4.21 If you want to elect to have only part of the Note purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.15 or Section 4.21 of the Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased: $ ----------------------- Date: -------------------------- Your Signature: ---------------------------------------- (Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note) Tax Identification No.: -------------------------------- Signature Guarantee*: --------------------------------- * Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee). A-13 <Page> SCHEDULE OF EXCHANGES OF INTERESTS IN THE GLOBAL NOTE The following exchanges of a part of this Global Note for an interest in another Global Note or for a Definitive Note, or exchanges of a part of another Global Note or Definitive Note for an interest in this Global Note, have been made: <Table> <Caption> Principal Amount Signature of Amount of decrease in Amount of increase in of this Global Note authorized officer of Principal Amount Principal Amount following such decrease Trustee or Note Date of Exchange of this Global Note of this Global Note (or increase) Custodian ---------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------- --------- </Table> A-14 <Page> EXHIBIT B FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT GUARANTORS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (this "Supplemental Indenture"), dated as of ________________, among __________________ (the "Guaranteeing Subsidiary"), a subsidiary of Argosy Gaming Company (or its permitted successor), a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), the Company, the other Subsidiary Guarantors (as defined in the Indenture referred to herein) and Bank One Trust Company, National Association, as trustee under the indenture referred to below (the "Trustee"). WITNESSETH WHEREAS, the Company has heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an indenture (the "Indenture"), dated as of July 31, 2001 providing for the issuance of an initial aggregate principal amount of $200,000,000 of 9% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the "Notes"); WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee all of the Company's Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein (the "Subsidiary Guarantee"); and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Trustee is authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture. NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the Guaranteeing Subsidiary and the Trustee mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Notes as follows: 1. CAPITALIZED TERMS. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture. 2. AGREEMENT TO GUARANTEE. The Guaranteeing Subsidiary hereby agrees as follows: (a) Along with all Subsidiary Guarantors named in the Indenture, to jointly and severally Guarantee to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, the Notes or the obligations of the Company hereunder or thereunder, that: (i) the principal of and interest on the Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of and interest on the Notes, if any, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Company to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder will be promptly paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and (ii) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed or any performance so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Subsidiary Guarantors shall be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. B-1 <Page> (b) The obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or the Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Notes with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Company, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor. (c) The following is hereby waived: diligence presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever. (d) This Subsidiary Guarantee shall not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Notes and the Indenture, and the Guaranteeing Subsidiary accepts all obligations of a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Indenture. (e) If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors, or any Custodian, Trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Company or the Subsidiary Guarantors, any amount paid by either to the Trustee or such Holder, this Subsidiary Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect. (f) The Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. (g) As between the Subsidiary Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 of the Indenture for the purposes of this Subsidiary Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 of the Indenture, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Subsidiary Guarantors for the purpose of this Subsidiary Guarantee. (h) The Subsidiary Guarantors shall have the right to seek contribution from any non-paying Subsidiary Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under the Guarantee. (i) Pursuant to Section 11.03 of the Indenture, after giving effect to any maximum amount and any other contingent and fixed liabilities that are relevant under any applicable Bankruptcy Law or fraudulent conveyance laws, and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Subsidiary Guarantor under Article 11 of the Indenture, this new Subsidiary Guarantee shall be limited to the maximum amount permissible such that the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under this Subsidiary Guarantee will not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance. (j) Pursuant to Section 11.02 of the Indenture, the Obligations of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary under the Subsidiary Guarantee shall be junior and subordinated to the Senior Indebtedness of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary on the same basis as the Notes are junior and B-2 <Page> subordinated to Senior Indebtedness of the Company, as if and to the same extent the same provisions were set out in this Section 2. 3. EXECUTION AND DELIVERY. Each Guaranteeing Subsidiary agrees that the Subsidiary Guarantees shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any failure to endorse on each Note a notation of such Subsidiary Guarantee. 4. GUARANTEEING SUBSIDIARY MAY CONSOLIDATE, ETC. ON CERTAIN TERMS. (a) The Guaranteeing Subsidiary may not consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving Person) another corporation, Person or entity whether or not affiliated with such Subsidiary Guarantor unless: (i) subject to Sections 11.05 and 11.06 of the Indenture, the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than a Subsidiary Guarantor or the Company) unconditionally assumes all the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor, pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, under the Notes, the Indenture and the Subsidiary Guarantee on the terms set forth herein or therein; and (ii) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists. (b) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance and upon the assumption by the successor corporation, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the Subsidiary Guarantee endorsed upon the Notes and the due and punctual performance of all of the covenants and conditions of the Indenture to be performed by the Subsidiary Guarantor, such successor corporation shall succeed to and be substituted for the Subsidiary Guarantor with the same effect as if it had been named herein as a Subsidiary Guarantor. Such successor corporation thereupon may cause to be signed any or all of the Subsidiary Guarantees to be endorsed upon all of the Notes issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee. All the Subsidiary Guarantees so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under the Indenture as the Subsidiary Guarantees theretofore and thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of the Indenture as though all of such Subsidiary Guarantees had been issued at the date of the execution hereof. (c) Except as set forth in Articles 4 and 5 and Section 11.05 of Article 11 of the Indenture, and notwithstanding clauses (a) and (b) above, nothing contained in the Indenture or in any of the Notes shall prevent any consolidation or merger of a Subsidiary Guarantor with or into the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor, or shall prevent any sale or conveyance of the property of a Subsidiary Guarantor as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor. 5. RELEASES. (a) In the event of a sale or other disposition of all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, or a sale or other disposition of all to the capital stock of any Subsidiary Guarantor, in each case to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, then such Subsidiary Guarantor (in the event of a sale or other disposition, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, of all of the capital stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor) or the corporation acquiring the property (in the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor) will be released and B-3 <Page> relieved of any obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee; PROVIDED that the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.15 of the Indenture. Upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of an Officers' Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such sale or other disposition was made by the Company in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.15 of the Indenture, the Trustee shall execute any documents reasonably required in order to evidence the release of any Subsidiary Guarantor from its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee. (b) Any Subsidiary Guarantor not released from its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee shall remain liable for the full amount of principal of and interest on the Notes and for the other obligations of any Subsidiary Guarantor under the Indenture as provided in Article 11 of the Indenture. 6. NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. No past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, stockholder or agent of the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, as such, shall have any liability for any obligations of the Company or any Guaranteeing Subsidiary under the Notes, any Subsidiary Guarantees, the Indenture or this Supplemental Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of the Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. Such waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy. 7. NEW YORK LAW TO GOVERN. THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE BUT WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY. 8. COUNTERPARTS The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. 9. EFFECT OF HEADINGS. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. 10. THE TRUSTEE. The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary and the Company. B-4 <Page> IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed and attested, all as of the date first above written. Dated: _______________, ____ [GUARANTEEING SUBSIDIARY] By: -------------------------------------- Name: Title: ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY By: -------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ALTON GAMING COMPANY ARGOSY OF IOWA, INC. ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC. THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY IOWA GAMING COMPANY JAZZ ENTERPRISES, INC. THE MISSOURI GAMING COMPANY By: ------------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer BELLE OF SIOUX CITY, L.P. By: IOWA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: ------------------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer B-5 <Page> CATFISH QUEEN PARTNERSHIP IN COMMENDAM By: ARGOSY OF LOUISIANA, INC., its General Partner By: ------------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer CENTROPLEX CENTRE CONVENTION HOTEL, L.L.C. By: ARGOSY GAMING COMPANY, its Manager By: ------------------------------ Dale R. Black Treasurer B-6 <Page> INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, L.P. By: THE INDIANA GAMING COMPANY, its General Partner By: ---------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer INDIANA GAMING II, L.P. By: INDIANA GAMING HOLDING COMPANY, its General Partner By: ---------------------------- Dale R. Black Treasurer BANK ONE TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION By: ---------------------------- ----------------- ----------------- B-7 <Page> SCHEDULE I SCHEDULE OF SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS The following schedule lists each Subsidiary Guarantor under the Indenture as of the Issue Date: Alton Gaming Company, an Illinois corporation Argosy of Iowa, Inc., an Iowa corporation Argosy of Louisiana, Inc., a Louisiana corporation Catfish Queen Partnership in Commendam, a Louisiana limited partnership Centroplex Centre Convention Hotel, L.L.C., a Louisiana limited liability company The Indiana Gaming Company, an Indiana corporation Indiana Gaming Holding Company, an Indiana corporation Indiana Gaming Company, L.P., an Indiana limited partnership Indiana Gaming II, L.P., an Indiana limited partnership Iowa Gaming Company, an Iowa corporation Bell of Sioux City, L.P., an Iowa limited partnership Jazz Enterprises, Inc., a Louisiana corporation The Missouri Gaming Company, a Missouri corporation B-8