The HERO Campaign® announces that
Dover Downs Hotel & Casino adopts designated driver program

Somers Point, N.J., October 16, 2006- Dover Downs Hotel & Casino announced today that it will adopt the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers® to help prevent drunk driving.  The program is inspired by a young Navy Ensign, John Elliott, who was killed by a drunken driver.  

All of the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino bars and restaurants have adopted the HERO Campaign.  This effort is sponsored in house by Pepsi and Anheuser Busch.  The hotel and casino will post signage that states: “When you visit any of our restaurants and bars at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, please let us know that you are a designated driver and we will give you a wristband that says ‘Be a Hero.’  Please show this wristband to your server or bartender and your Pepsi soft drinks and coffee will be free of charge.”

“We fully support the HERO Campaign at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino because we recognize that it’s the right thing to do,” said Ed Sutor, chief operating officer.  “We believe this program will remind and encourage our customers to make responsible choices when they choose to consume alcohol here.  We also want to recognize and to thank designated drivers for doing their part to make our roadways safer.  We are honored to support this program and strongly believe that it makes a difference in combating alcohol impaired driving.”

In addition to Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, several other casino hotels in Atlantic City participate.  The HERO Campaign has received widespread support from taverns, restaurants, colleges and schools throughout New Jersey.  The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Giants and Jets have adopted the program, and HERO Campaign signs have been displayed at Garden State Parkway toll booths in the past few summers. The New Jersey State Police also display HERO decals on their troop cars, and Wawa in New Jersey has become a corporate sponsor.

The HERO Campaign was created by the family of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott, a recent graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who was killed in a collision with a drunken driver in July, 2000. He was preparing to enter naval flight officer school, and was driving home from Annapolis to Egg Harbor Township, N.J., for his mother’s birthday celebration at the time of his death.

In addition to the HERO Campaign, the Elliott family has lobbied for tougher laws to prevent drunk drivers from resuming driving while under the influence following their arrest. Ensign Elliott was killed when a DUI suspect who had been arrested by the New Jersey State Police resumed driving after release, with tragic consequences.

John’s Law, passed in New Jersey and Boston, now requires police to impound the cars of drunk driving suspects for up to 12 hours. A federal version providing grant incentives for states who adopt car impoundment has been signed by President Bush.

For more information call 1-866-700-HERO (4376).