Inside Asian Gaming

IAG SEP 2019年9月 亞博匯 24 COVER STORY is operating and performing optimally, it’s unlikely the combined company will spend any meaningful resources to pursue international opportunities.” Adds Global Market Advisors’ Director of Government Affairs Brendan Bussmann, “This is about taking two of the largest US gaming companies and turning them into one robust operation. Eldorado’s no nonsense approach will be to maximize the existing properties while selling off some assets to bring down the total amount of debt.” “With the merger, leverage levels will be high and appetite to putmuchmoney towork inAsia development will be very low,” Sanford Bernstein Senior Analyst Vitaly Umansky tells Inside Asian Gaming . Internationally, Caesars already owns eight casinos in the UK – the largest with 50 tables and 130 machines – two in Egypt and a 190 room casino hotel in South Africa, plus management contracts on Caesars Windsor in Canada near Detroit, a small casino in the Cairo Hilton and Caesars Dubai, a 570 room non- gaming resort. BUSINESS AS USUAL Caesars has adopted the mantra “business as usual” regarding the merger, and, like Eldorado, gave IAG no comment beyond public statements. The merger, involving 81 properties, more than 60 in the US, needs approval from multiple regulators as well as shareholders. It’s overwhelmingly likely that the deal, already endorsed by Eldorado’s founding Carano family and Caesars’ largest shareholder Carl Icahn, will come to fruition. Chances of consummation rise The sale of Caesars came after billionaire investor Carl Icahn acquired a 28.5% stake in the company earlier this year. 在凱撒出售股權之前，億萬富翁投資商 Carl Icahn曾於今年早些時候購入了該公司28.5％的股權。