The Coronavirus outbreak has delayed the $17.3 billion deal between Caesars Entertainment and Eldorado Resorts, but the deal is moving forward. The anticipated closing of the $17.3 billion deal has been pushed from April to June.

The regulators in Indiana, New Jersey and Nevada still need to sign off on the deal but have postponed hearings. The merger also needs the approval of the Federal Trade Commission.

“The board is still investigating. The merger is going like any other merger. It’s just going through the process, which includes a normal investigation,” Nevada Gaming Commission Chair Tony Alamo said.

Eldorado and Caesars had anticipated closing in mid-April, but multiple sources said it now looks more like June. There has been widespread speculation that the Coronavirus pandemic will change the ways regulators view the debt associated with this deal. A highly placed source says both companies have the liquidity to last for well over a year.

Miami residents and businesses– including some founded by Norman Braman–have filed legal action against the back door deal between City officials and a local development group paving the way for casino gambling in Miami.

“The latest filing is a motion to intervene in the federal case in which a bogus lawsuit was ‘settled’ through a sweetheart deal and as an end around the zoning code. The City and West Flagler were on the same side leaving Miami citizens on the outside whose interests were otherwise trampled on by City officials,” Norman Braman, who has opposed gambling and championed voter participation in Miami for over 30 years, said.

The motion filed by Braman and other Miami residents property owners seeking to make certain that the federal court does not enforce any “settlement” while the residents’ state court lawsuit proceeds to invalidate the underlying interpretation of City code on which the federal “settlement” explicitly relies.

“We regret to be forced to file this motion to protect the right of all Miami residents to have a say as to whether Miami should allow gambling. But we have an obligation to preserve our rights. West Flagler’s claimed right to have a jai alai fronton in Edgewater is a 2012 letter issued in secret and obtained without any notice or process. If the City of Miami is going to allow gambling–and I’ve long said it should not–then notice must be given to Miami’s residents so that they can have a meaningful say and hold elected officials responsible,” Norman Braman said.

“It’s unfortunate that the City Attorney and West Flagler entered into this settlement approving a gambling facility in the midst of the ongoing health crisis. But the pandemic will not prevent Miami’s citizens from protecting their quality of life or from ensuring the City’s long-term prosperity. We will take those actions necessary to protect our rights, and we hope the City Attorney and West Flagler refrain from further action towards advancing a gambling facility while the public is focused on more important issues,” Braman added.

Wynn Resorts announced that the Company will extend paying all salaried, hourly and part-time employees through May 15, for a total of 60 days of payroll continuance. The Company decided to take this action as part of its shared responsibility for the health and safety of its employees, their families and the Las Vegas and Greater Boston communities during this pandemic.

Payroll coverage will include more than 15,000 current Wynn and Encore employees. For tipped employees, it includes the average tip compliance rate or distributed tips/tokes since the beginning of the year.
“It is our shared responsibility to follow the direction of health and safety professionals to stay home, and limit social contact,” said Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox. “We owe it to each other, our families and to our community.”
For more information on Wynn’s health and safety measures, please visit www.WynnInfo.com.

About Wynn Resorts:
Wynn Resorts, Limited is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol WYNN and is part of the S&P 500 Index. Wynn Resorts owns and operates Wynn Las Vegas (wynnlasvegas.com), Encore Boston Harbor (encorebostonharbor.com), Wynn Macau (wynnmacau.com), and Wynn Palace, Cotai (wynnpalace.com).
Wynn and Encore Las Vegas feature two luxury hotel towers with a total of 4,748 spacious hotel rooms, suites and villas, approximately 192,000 square feet of casino space, 22 dining experiences featuring signature chefs and 11 bars, two award-winning spas, approximately 290,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, approximately 160,000 square feet of retail space as well as two showrooms; two nightclubs, a beach club and recreation and leisure facilities. Wynn Las Vegas recently unveiled the new Wynn Golf Club and 18-hole, 129-acre championship golf course, and in February 2020 debuted a 430,000-square-foot meeting and convention space expansion powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Encore Boston Harbor is a luxury resort destination featuring a 210,000 square foot casino, 671 hotel rooms, an ultra-premium spa, specialty retail, 15 dining and lounge venues, and more than 50,000 square feet of state-of-the-art ballroom and meeting spaces. Situated on the waterfront along the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts, the resort has created a six-acre public park and Harborwalk along the shoreline. It is the largest private, single-phase development in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Wynn Macau is a luxury hotel and casino resort located in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China with two luxury hotel towers with a total of 1,008 spacious rooms and suites, approximately 273,000 square feet of casino space, casual and fine dining in eight restaurants, approximately 31,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, approximately 59,000 square feet of retail space, and recreation and leisure facilities including two opulent spas, a salon and a rotunda show.

Wynn Palace is a luxury integrated resort in Macau. Designed as a floral-themed destination, it boasts 1,706 exquisite rooms, suites and villas, approximately 424,000 square feet of casino space, 13 food and beverage outlets, approximately 37,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, approximately 106,000 square feet of designer retail, SkyCabs that traverse an eight-acre Performance Lake, an extensive collection of rare art, a lush spa, salon and recreation and leisure facilities.

SOURCE Wynn Resorts