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The development marks a significant move by Merkur to expand its footprint within the French regulated gambling market.
On 27 August, Merkur signed a put option agreement with GPG Groupe Philippe Ginestet and DOFA, enabling the purchase of Casigrangi.
Casigrangi is the parent company of the Le Stelsia casino group, which operates seven small to mid-sized casinos across France along with related hospitality, restaurant and entertainment businesses.
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“Publicly traded valuations are a reflection of the current interest rate environment,” Chad Beynon, lead gaming analyst for Macquarie, told iGB. “Whether it’s a long-term financial model on a growth company, you’re going to discount that back at a higher rate, or if it’s just a standard four-wall business, the cash flows in a higher interest rate environment are worth less.”
According to data from Yahoo Finance, the resort and casino sector is -41% over the last five years, and the overall gambling sector, which includes major sportsbooks and online operators, is +7%; the benchmark S&P 500 index, by comparison, is +71% during that span.
Two blockbuster developments in the casino space earlier this year seemed to indicate an increasingly bullish bet on the sector, including Fertitta Entertainment’s acquisition of Caesars Entertainment in May. The other is a subsequent takeover offer of MGM Resorts from its largest shareholder, Barry Diller’s People Inc. But a negative shift in market conditions could affect both deals.
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“The NLRB decision overturned the clear vote of Red Rock team members rejecting the Culinary Union,” Station said in a statement. “The decision prevents any company from granting benefits to its employees if it is aware of union interest in unionising the company’s employees and nullifies the Red Rock team members’ vote to be union-free, all because Station Casinos treated its team members too well.”
The culinary union declined to comment to iGB on Wednesday.
Station and Culinary have been at odds for many years, and this has included everything from back-and-forth barbs in the media to complaints before Nevada regulators and ultimately a number of court challenges. The December 2019 Red Rock election has proved to be perhaps the most significant development in their relationship thus far.
