The Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved Caesars Entertainment’s agreement to acquire William Hill in the United States and the license for a casino in Henderson.
Caesars’ $ 3.7 billion contract for William Hill USA was first announced in April and approved by shareholders of both companies. The deal is scheduled to close on Tuesday.
The Pass at Water Street, formerly known as Eldorado Casino in Henderson, obtained licensing approval and will reopen on April 1 after being closed for more than a year.
The commissioners also approved licenses that register Bally’s as a publicly traded company in the state, operating the Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe.
A subsidiary of William Hill Plc based in the United Kingdom, William Hill US has more than 120 betting sites and kiosks in Nevada and is the third largest operator in the United States. While Caesars holds a 20% stake in William Hill.
Caesars CEO Tom Reeg said the transaction changed the course of the partnership for Caesars, making William Hill the core of its sports betting system. “We wanted to be in control ourselves. We are basically going from a position of 20% to 100% ”, he said.
William Hill manages online betting operations through access to the Caesars market in each state and retail sports betting operations on Caesars properties, as well as other casino operators in the United States.
In addition, Caesars owns and operates 54 properties in 16 states. The company’s resorts operate under the Caesars, Harrah’s, Horseshoe and Eldorado brands.
Caesars plans to divest William Hill operations with overseas business
However, Caesars plans to sell any William Hill operations with connections outside the United States. Reeg said the company noted some resistance from casinos not affiliated with Caesars concerned about the company’s entry into its buildings.
Reeg promised not to use the Caesars brand in William Hill’s operations on non-Caesars properties. The CEO still hopes that sports betting will help drive traffic to other parts of the casino.
Joe DeSimone, the sole owner of The Pass, acquired Eldorado Casino for an undisclosed price from Boyd Gaming Corp in December. The property will have more than 350 slot machines and Circa Sports will manage the casino’s sports betting. A license for Circa at The Pass is expected to be granted by regulators in the coming weeks.
DeSimone Gaming also owns the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino in Henderson, near Boulder City. A circular bus will operate between the two casinos seven days a week, and customers at both properties will have access to a players’ club.
As for Bally’s, the group acquired Montbleu in a package of two properties for $ 155 million as part of the Eldorado Resorts offering. The deal is expected to close in early April.
In addition, the company plans to boost its recently announced partnership with the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates 21 sports networks and 188 television stations in the United States.