Operator News
US – Caesars hoping table gaming will boost its new Indiana casinos
By Phil - 19 July 2018
Caesars Entertainment has now completed its purchase of Centaur Holdings for $1.7bn, boosting its presence in the central Indiana region with Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson and Indiana Grand Racing in Shelbyville.
Its long-term aim is to bring table gaming to the two properties to boost their revenues.
With the completion of the transaction, Centaur guests will now be able to join Caesars Entertainment’s Total Rewards loyalty program and transfer their points between Centaur’s loyalty program and Total Rewards. With more than 55 million members, Total Rewards is one of the world’s largest loyalty programs and acts as a tourism driver for the cities and destinations where Caesars operates.
“The Centaur acquisition expands our footprint to the attractive central Indiana region with exciting new destinations that are profitable, well-capitalized and highly complementary to our existing portfolio,” said Mark Frissora, President and CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “This project is an important part of our growth strategy, which expands our brands, increases revenue and facilitates broad distribution of the Total Rewards program.”
Caesars Entertainment is investing $50m in various property improvements and IT upgrades to further enhance the guest experience. The introduction of Total Rewards and our centralized cost structure is expected to reduce the purchase price multiple to 8.3x in less than two years. The company anticipates introducing table games to these properties, subject to any necessary approvals. Assuming the introduction of table games and certain synergies, the effective purchase price multiple would be less than 7x at that time.
Both Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand offer live and simulcast horse racing, multiple dining outlets, entertainment and feature approximately 2,000 of the latest slots and electronic table games. The properties welcome more than 6.5 million guests combined each year and serve more than 1.1 million members as part of its loyalty program.
Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand, which serve the Indianapolis and central Indiana areas, will add to the Caesars network in Indiana, which already includes Horseshoe Hammond and Horseshoe Southern Indiana. Horseshoe Hammond serves northern Indiana and the Chicagoland area while Horseshoe Southern Indiana serves southern Indiana and the Louisville area.
