WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - The opening of the Casino Club was brimming with glitz and glam Friday night as movie stars and professional athletes swarmed the red carpet to be the first elite ushered inside the renowned resort's newest addition.

The 102,000 square-foot underground high-end entertainment complex built under the front lawn of the majestic resort brought stars from all over who promised to try their hand at a little gambling.

Greenbrier chairman and owner Jim Justice said the opening of the Casino Club speaks volumes about the possibilities for West Virginia.

"I can never thank all the people that work here and make me look a lot better than I do every day," Justice said. "The Greenbrier is on its way to greatness and beyond. Our mission is to be the best of the best and we're gonna get it done."

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin took time before a private Lionel Richie concert to thank all those attending the event and to feel generous.

"This is the gift that keeps on giving," the governor joked. "All of you are West Virginians tonight."

Justice, who took the stage to introduce Richie, called Jessica Simpson up to the stage and had the entire crowd sing "Happy Birthday" to the celebrity, who celebrates her 30th birthday July 10.

"This is a total surprise," she said.

"I know," Justice said. "But I'm more nervous than you, honey. My heart is beating 60,000 miles per minute."

Richie regaled the crowd with numerous songs, including "Just For You," before the large crowd descended to the Casino Club for the grand opening, and some good old-fashioned gambling.

Manchin took the time to thank Justice for rescuing the West Virginia treasure.

"One year ago, we did not know the fate of this wonderful property and we didn't know if the 1,000 West Virginians that worked here would have a job," he said.

But Justice rescued to regal hotel from bankruptcy and has been working tirelessly since last year to restore the once 5-star hotel to its former glory.

"It's amazing that in 10 months, with the help of designer Carleton Varney, we've been able to pull off something this spectacular," he said.

The Casino Club, Justice said, is a combination of James Bond, Monte Carlo and "Gone With The Wind."

"Let the games begin," he said with a smile.

Stars from all over the country came out to celebrate the opening of the Casino Club and enjoy the amenities and high-class atmosphere The Greenbrier is famous for offering.

Actress Jane Seymour said her family has been at The Greenbrier for three days and they have done everything from whitewater rafting to horseback riding. Seymour said one of her favorite pastimes is fly-fishing.

"I love fly-fishing. In fact, I caught some really big trout and bass. I got six fish today and a couple yesterday and 12 on my first day," she said.

Seymour said she has also taken advantage of the golf course and even treated herself to some relaxation at The Greenbrier spa.

"I love everything here. I am beyond impressed. I think this is the ultimate vacation for a family. ... There are just so many things to do," she said.

In fact, Seymour had no idea West Virginia has so much to offer.

"I thought it had coal mines," she said.

Charleston's own Jennifer Garner, who said she visits The Greenbrier every time she comes home, couldn't have been more thrilled to be at the Casino Club opening.

"I am so excited to be here. I feel my heart beating fast. There is nothing like getting your feet in your own soil," she said.

Garner, who is not a big gambler, said her little sister and her husband, actor Ben Affleck, would try their luck at the games.

"It's just so beautiful. I want to walk around and take it in."

Garner said The Greenbrier is a "very important reminder that we are one of the top travel destinations in the country and we have everything to offer.

I've been to a lot of beautiful places in this country of ours, but I haven't been to anything as glamorous or as elegant as this.

"We just need people to see it and they are going to fall in love, they are going to come," she said.

Garner, who said she feels like a de facto ambassador for the state, thinks "West Virginia gets a bum rap. People always hear embarrassing news about us and so I feel the way the underdog does. I want to go out there and fight for our beautiful state and let them know we are so much more than that."

Justice echoed that very sentiment and said he is "a very proud papa. This is the beginning of a dream. This is a real Cinderella story and the ending is a real glass slipper," he said. "And you've got to have a big one to put me in."

Justice, the larger-than-life multibillionaire who bought the resort out of bankruptcy in May of last year for $20.1 million, hopes the casino will help restore profitability to the resort and help it regain the coveted five-star Mobil Travel Guide rating The Greenbrier lost in 2000 and has been fighting for since.

The Casino Club features gaming, restaurants, lounges and retail boutiques. Located beside the casino in the new underground entertainment complex are two new restaurants - In-Fusion and Twelve Oaks.

The casino offers roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps, three-card and Texas hold 'em poker, plus 320 slot machines, including refitted vintage silver-dollar machines. The private Greenbrier Royale room is for high rollers, "for those who wish to raise the stakes," according to resort spokeswoman Lynn Swann.

Construction cost for the casino escalated to $80 million - four times initial project estimates. Justice said that increase in cost is linked to the size of the facility expanding from 50,000 square feet to more than double that by the time the project was completed.

Justice said the new Casino Club and the upcoming PGA tour stop at The Greenbrier are doing great things for the state.

"I run on passion and I think it's contagious," he said. "There is a lot going on and there is a lot of adrenalin running. It's a huge summer."

Above all, Justice said, he is hoping to be an inspiration to fellow West Virginians. "If you do something good - good nationally, good for the county, good for The Greenbrier - it's good for the state, and that is what is really important.

"We live in the greatest place in the world," he said. "I think our only competition at The Greenbrier is ourselves, because I think there is only one Greenbrier. And today, we are trying to put energy back into what we are doing."

Although numerous stars flew across the country for the event, they were not the only people at The Greenbrier who traveled a long distance.

Dr. Mark C. Bates, a native of West Virginia and former Charleston resident, and his wife, Angela Bates, said they flew all the way from San Diego for the event.

"We really believe in what Jim Justice is doing," he said. "We really believe in West Virginia and this is one of the most exciting things that's happened to this state."

Angela Bates said the couple "wouldn't have missed this. This is going to put a spotlight on all the great things we're doing."

Mark Bates said the main reason they came back was to support Justice.

"He is a visionary, a futurist. He's just a great guy," he said.

Manchin, who escorted first lady Gayle Manchin and Garner down the red carpet, said the casino is going to be a staple for the state and was happy with the turnout.

"I'm thrilled with all of the out-of-state money that is going to be coming in tonight," he said with a smile.

The first lady said she was excited for the casino, but she was a little star struck with all the celebrities gracing the walls of one of West Virginia's most renowned destinations.

"Look at all these people here," she said. "It's great and they know they are in West Virginia."

Barbara Eden, best known for her starring role in "I Dream of Jeannie," has been to The Greenbrier twice before Friday night's star studded event.

"I peeked at the casino," she said with a laugh. "It's beautiful."

Eden said her husband planned on gambling, but tomorrow she was going to try her hand at shooting clay pigeons on The Greenbrier grounds.

Actress Debbie Reynolds said although she isn't a big gambler, she might try a few games because "they gave me some free money."

Reynolds said that she loves The Greenbrier because green is her favorite color and the casino, complete with green crystal and decorations, is "perfect."

And the gambling had a color appeal, too. "It's green money."

Basketball great Shaquille O'Neal said he might be doing a bit of gambling himself and that so far, he was enjoying his first trip to the Mountain State.

"It's great," he said. "Lives up to 'Wild and Wonderful.'"

Charles Barkley, an avid gambler, said he was  looking forward to seeing the inside of the casino during his weekend stay.

"This is a magnificent place. I was thinking about when I was flying in today that I've never been here before," Barkley said. "This resort looks like it's fantastic."

Actress Raquel Welch said her first visit to West Virginia, and The Greenbrier, has been "amazing. The hotel is spectacular."

Golfer Lee Trevino said The Greenbrier casino and subsequent PGA Tour at the end of the month is going to put the "resort on the worldwide map."

Trevino brings his golf clients to the course every year, but said it isn't the well-tended greens that bring him back.

"It's the atmosphere. Golf courses are golf courses. They are the same anywhere. ... But I like the atmosphere. I like the set up and the people. I like the clubhouse and the beauty with all the trees," Trevino said.

Actor Elliot Gould said he hasn't been back to West Virginia since he was made an honorary citizen in 1976. Gould worked at a campsite for asthmatic children in the 1970s and said the state holds the same feel as it did all those years ago.

"The nature seems great. I like Daniel Boone, I'm friends with Jerry West and I like the Mountaineers," Gould said.

Retailers like Bagdley Mishka and Dianne Von Furstenberg have secured spots along the haute "Greenbrier Avenue" flanking the casino, and the Greenbrier Waltz, a original composition written for the hotel, will play every night at the stroke of 10 p.m., complete with three twirling couples.

The Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark that has hosted presidents, kings and luxury travelers from around the world since 1778. The 721-room resort includes 96 guest and estate houses, as well as three championship golf courses and a 40,000-square-foot spa.

Reach Kathryn Gregory at kathr...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5119.