Operator News
US – VICI and Century strike deal to take over three Eldorado casinos
By Phil - 17 June 2019
VICI Properties is joining forces with Century Casinos to buy Isle Casino Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville in Caruthersville, Missouri, and Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in New Cumberland, West Virginia, from Eldorado Resorts for $385m.
Following the deal, VICI Properties will acquire the land and real estate assets of the properties for approximately $278m, and Century will acquire the operating assets of the properties for approximately $107m. VICI will then enter into a triple-net master lease agreement with Century related to the assets.
John Payne, President and Chief Operating Officer of VICI Properties, said: “This transaction demonstrates VICI’s ability to execute accretive acquisitions that bring value to our shareholders, while also diversifying our tenant base and expanding our geographic footprint into a new market, West Virginia. We are excited to partner with Century, as they are expert operators of small to mid-sized regional assets and are beginning their journey of expansion into the US market. Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville and Mountaineer are competitive local assets in stable regional markets and are a great fit for Century’s growing portfolio. The nature of this transaction allows both Century and Eldorado to realize strategic value for their respective shareholders, while also furthering our strategic goals to diversify and grow our portfolio in an accretive manner.”
Isle Casino Cape Girardeau is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, approximately 120 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri, overlooking the Mississippi river. The property opened in 2012 and consists of a dockside casino featuring 41,500 square feet of casino space, 863 gaming machines, 20 table games, three dining venues, a pavilion and an entertainment center. The property also includes a wide variety of non-gaming amenities, including an events center.
Lady Luck Caruthersville is a riverboat casino located along the Mississippi River in Caruthersville, Missouri. The property opened in 1995 and consists of a dockside casino featuring 21,000 square feet of casino space, 507 gaming machines, nine table games, two dining venues and a 40,000 square foot pavilion.
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort is a hotel, casino, entertainment and live thoroughbred horse racing facility located in New Cumberland, West Virginia, one hour from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The property originally opened in 1951 with the casino opening in 1994 and features a 357-room hotel, approximately 1,486 gaming machines, 36 table games, a poker room, a racetrack and five dining venues.
Tom Reeg, Chief Executive Officer of Eldorado, added: “The agreements to divest Mountaineer Casino, Isle Casino Cape Girardeau and Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville are consistent with our continued focus on optimising the results from our regional gaming platform, generating growth through strategic acquisitions and realising value through sales. The sale price for these three properties represents an attractive multiple of their aggregate trailing twelve months cash flows and provides additional capital that we expect to deploy for shareholder value enhancing initiatives. Following the completion of these transactions, Eldorado will continue to benefit from our geographically diverse portfolio of regional gaming assets that we believe have potential for further margin growth and increased cash flow.”
Caption: Isle Casino Cape Girardeau
