Mr. Mike Bandrowski reports

BIG RIDGE GOLD CORP. ANNOUNCES $7.0 MILLION NON-BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT SUPPORTED BY EXISTING STRATEGIC SHAREHOLDERS, WITH MICHAEL GENTILE INCREASING HIS POSITION TO 19.9%

Big Ridge Gold Corp. has initiated a non-brokered private placement of 23,333,333 common share units of the company at a price of 30 cents per unit for gross proceeds of $7-million. Each unit will consist of one common share of the company and one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share at a price of 46 cents for a period of 36 months following the closing of the offering.

The proceeds of the offering will be used for ongoing engineering studies and resource expansion drilling at the Hope Brook gold project.

The closing of the offering is expected to occur in early July and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including acceptance by TSX Venture Exchange.

All securities issued under the offering will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Michael Gentile is an insider of the company and his participation in the offering constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101, Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. The company intends to rely on the exemptions from the formal valuation requirement of Section 5.4 of MI 61-101 (pursuant to Section 5.5(a)) and the minority shareholder approval requirement of Section 5.6 of MI 61-101 (pursuant to Section 5.7(1)(a)), in each case on the basis that neither the fair market value of the securities being issued to the related party, nor the consideration being paid by the related party, exceeds 25 per cent of the company's market capitalization

Michael Bandrowski, president and chief executive officer of the company, commented: "Big Ridge is pleased to receive continued support from existing shareholders, including Mr. Michael Gentile, who nearly doubled his position in Big Ridge Gold Corp. to 19.9 per cent. The company is well financed to complete its ongoing exploration and geotechnical drill programs and continue advancing the project toward the environmental assessment phase."

Mr. Gentile commented: "I am very happy to further increase my investment in Big Ridge Gold, one of the most under the radar names I own in my portfolio. Big Ridge is one of my highest-conviction names and I am happy to increase my ownership to 19.9 per cent. With 100-per-cent ownership of the past-producing Hope Brook mine, an upcoming preliminary economic assessment and an experienced management team, the future looks very bright for BRAU shareholders."

About Big Ridge Gold Corp.

Big Ridge is an exploration and development company managed by a disciplined and experienced team of officers and directors. The company is committed to the development of advanced-stage mining projects using industry best practices combined with strong social licence from local communities. Big Ridge owns a 100-per-cent interest in its flagship Hope Brook gold project, located in Newfoundland and Labrador. Big Ridge also owns a 100-per-cent interest in the highly prospective Oxford gold project, located in Manitoba, and the Destiny gold project in Quebec.

We seek Safe Harbor.