Gambling in the USA
Golden Nugget Online Gaming To Become Public
Landcadia Holdings II, Inc. to Acquire Golden Nugget Online Gaming
Tilman J. Fertitta and Landcadia Holdings II, Inc. announced today that Landcadia II has entered into a Purchase Agreement to acquire Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Inc. (“GNOG”), a US online real money casino owned by Tilman Fertitta, recognized by both its peers and customers alike as the industry leading online casino that brought Live Dealer to the US market place. Landcadia II is a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company co-sponsored by Fertitta Entertainment, Inc. and Jefferies Financial Group Inc.
GNOG will become only the second pure publicly traded online casino company in the US. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. Upon closing, Landcadia II intends to change its name to Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Inc. and its Nasdaq trading symbol to GNOG.
“GNOG is one of the best positioned companies to capitalize on this massive online gaming opportunity in the US,” said Rich Handler, Co-Chairman of Landcadia II and CEO of Jefferies LLC. “We at Jefferies couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Tilman and bring this great opportunity to the public markets.”
Golden Nugget is a household name throughout the United States and its iGaming business is a well-established leader in New Jersey, the largest online gaming market in North America. GNOG has obtained market access, subject to regulatory approval, to Pennsylvania and Michigan and anticipates launching its online casino brand in each of those new markets in early 2021.
GNOG is known among its industry peers as the preeminent operator in the US online gaming market, having won the EGR North America Top Operator Award for three consecutive years. GNOG is known for its innovation, including initiating Live Dealer, Live Casino Floor gambling and a number of exclusive slot machine games to mobile devices, tablets and computers throughout New Jersey, as well as its top-notch 24/7 customer support.
Tilman J. Fertitta will remain GNOG’s Chairman and CEO, and Thomas Winter, who was brought in to develop Golden Nugget’s online gaming business, will continue to serve as GNOG’s President. During the seven years since Thomas Winter started Golden Nugget’s iGaming business in New Jersey, revenues and profitability have grown each year despite facing competition with greater financial resources. According to Mr. Fertitta, “Golden Nugget is one of the most time-honored brands in the gaming business today. When customers hear the name Golden Nugget, they know they are dealing with a trusted online gaming business. Thomas and his team have done a remarkable job, are the best in the industry, and with this transaction, will have access to growth capital to allow for the rapid expansion of the business.”
GNOG Highlights
- Started operation in New Jersey Q4 2013
- Became profitable in 2016
- First online gaming company to launch Live Dealer in the US
- Won Industry award as top operator 3 years in a row
- First to launch Live Casino Floor in US
- Net Income of over $11 million in 2019
Key Transaction Terms
The transaction values the combined company at an anticipated pro forma enterprise value of approximately $745 million, or 6.1x GNOG’s estimated 2021 revenue of $122 million. The consideration payable to the parent entity of GNOG will consist of a combination of cash and rollover equity in Landcadia II. Upon completion of the transaction, Tilman J. Fertitta, Chairman and CEO, will, through the parent entity of GNOG, hold a controlling economic interest (through an Up-C structure described below) and a controlling voting interest in the combined company. The combined company will have a dual-class share structure with super voting rights for Mr. Fertitta.
Landcadia II will be assuming $150 million of GNOG debt of and will pay down at closing an additional $150 million of its debt, plus pay prepayment fees, transaction fees and expenses. Subject to redemptions, there is approximately $321 million currently held in Landcadia II’s trust account. Upon payment of the purchase price, debt repayment and transaction fees and expenses, the combined company will have at least $80 million on its consolidated balance sheet at closing and an anticipated pro forma equity market capitalization of nearly $700 million.
The transaction will be structured as an Up-C where an entity indirectly owned by Mr. Fertitta will retain common units of a partnership managed by the combined company and an equal number of non-economic voting shares in the combined company. The combined company will also enter into a customary tax receivable arrangement with such entity indirectly owned by Mr. Fertitta, which will provide for the sharing of tax benefits relating to certain pre-combination tax attributes, as well as tax attributes generated by the transaction and any subsequent sales or exchanges by the entity indirectly owned by Mr. Fertitta of their equity interests, as those attributes are realized by the combined company.
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Landcadia II, upon the unanimous recommendation of a committee comprised solely of Landcadia II’s disinterested independent directors (the “Committee”). The transaction will require the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of Landcadia II, excluding shares beneficially owned by Tilman J. Fertitta and Jefferies Financial Group, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including certain regulatory approvals. Jefferies LLC is acting as exclusive financial and capital markets advisor to Landcadia II. Haynes and Boone LLP is acting as legal advisor to GNOG. White & Case LLP is acting as legal advisor to Landcadia II. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. is serving as financial advisor to the Committee of Landcadia II.
SOURCE Landcadia Holdings II, Inc.
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Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Duranbah Limited N.V., the operator of MyBookie.ag, based in Curaçao. The site offers a variety of casino-style games, such as slots, poker and live-dealer games like blackjack, roulette and craps. It also allows users to place bets on sporting events and horse races. MyBookie.ag offers numerous payment methods for deposits and the funding of players’ accounts, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, various cryptocurrencies and MoneyGram. However, withdrawals can only be made via Bitcoin or bank wire transfer. The MGCB’s investigation revealed that MyBookie.ag’s operation of online casino-style games for paying customers, without a valid Michigan gambling license, breaches several state laws.
Altenar has increased its focus on the North American iGaming market with the appointment of Matthew Ferrara as Sales Manager. Based in Miami, Ferrara has previously spent two years working in Croatia as a live trader on US sports for Superbet before returning to the United States to join micro-betting provider Kero Sports as Business Development Manager, specialising in outbound sales and strategic partnerships. He now strengthens Altenar’s sales team and will focus primarily on the North American market as the sportsbook provider looks to expand its operation.
SUZOHAPP has announced the appointment of Jim Kirner as its new Sales Director for North America. With over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, Jim brings a wealth of expertise to his role and will be pivotal in driving SUZOHAPP’s sales and product strategies across the region. Throughout his career, Jim has been instrumental in driving transformational changes in the gaming sector, helping companies innovate and enhance the player experience. Prior to joining SUZOHAPP, Jim held key leadership positions at IGT, DiTRONICS, Interblock and Aruze Gaming Global.
Partnerships
The National Football League has announced a partnership with the Responsible Gambling Council to develop and implement a comprehensive responsible gambling training programme specifically designed for university and college student-athletes. The RGC and NFL have identified student athletes as an important audience for targeted responsible gambling and problem gambling prevention initiatives, as previous research has shown their susceptibility to risky gambling behaviour. The programme will launch with a pilot phase at eight universities and colleges across Canada in the upcoming 2025 spring semester. Insights and feedback from this phase will be used to refine and improve the programme before its broader rollout to 30 university and college institutions in the 2025–26 school year.
The PGA TOUR, PENN Entertainment and ESPN are launching a live betting stream on PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+. The ESPN BET branded stream will provide key data, insights and live betting analysis during coverage of six marquee FedExCup events across the 2025 PGA TOUR season. ESPN BET on PGA TOUR LIVE, set to premiere at the WM Phoenix Open on ESPN+ starting Thursday, Feb. 6, is made possible by a new multi-year agreement between the PGA TOUR and PENN Entertainment, the operator of ESPN BET. The deal designates ESPN BET as an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – January 27-February 2 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Great Canadian Entertainment and Petroglyph Development Group announced that PDG has closed the previously announced acquisitions of Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria from Great Canadian, in historic transactions for both parties. PDG is a wholly owned corporation of Snuneymuxw First Nation (the “Nation”) and is dedicated to realizing the economic potential of the Nation. The transactions, originally announced on June 24, 2024, for Casino Nanaimo and September 10, 2024, for Elements Casino Victoria, have received all required approvals from the regulatory authorities.
BetConstruct, a global pioneer in iGaming and sports betting solutions, has announced a significant milestone in the gaming industry. Through its affiliate entity, BetConstruct has become the first iGaming company authorized to facilitate the issuance of both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) licenses. This remarkable achievement was made possible by obtaining a direct license authorization from the Tobique First Nation in Canada. The Tobique First Nation, renowned for its innovative and forward-thinking regulatory approach, has entrusted BetConstruct’s affiliate entity with the authority to oversee applications and facilitate the issuance of licenses from its jurisdiction. This partnership underscores shared values of innovation, transparency and a commitment to responsible gaming practices.
Partnerships
With the global social casino market projected to surpass $11 billion in 2028, MFC Games is seizing the moment with a groundbreaking partnership. Teaming up with TinyRex Games, MFC Games is combining innovation and expertise to redefine the social casino experience. This collaboration will bring TinyRex’s games to MFC Games’ highly innovative and anticipated 2025 multiplayer-first social casino platform, Clash Casino. Clash Casino is poised to set a new standard in iGaming by blending the thrill of competitive multiplayer gameplay with the thrill of reimagined classic casino experiences. Featuring real-time, multiplayer competition and social media, user network-driven mechanics, Clash Casino is designed to captivate a new generation of players and set the stage for the future of social casinos.
Global esports and gaming organisation Gen.G announced that it has established an official partnership with Logitech G, a specialist in advanced gaming gear, who will collaborate with Gen.G across the organisation to develop the optimal gaming environment for its professional players, academy students and fans. Logitech G will provide its latest innovative products like the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2 DEX wireless gaming mouse and introduce customized solutions tailored to each team. Gen.G’s esports roster includes its highly successful League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) team along with Rocket League and VALORANT.
Hard Rock Bet, Florida’s only legal sportsbook, is bringing jai-alai fans closer to the fronton as the World Jai Alai League (WJAL) opens its 2025 Battle Court Winter season. Through Hard Rock Bet, WJAL fans across the state of Florida will have access to an extensive range of betting options and be able to watch each match live on the app’s streaming hub for a dynamic wagering-viewing experience. Jai-Alai is among the over 20 sports available for Florida players on Hard Rock Bet’s top-rated and easy-to-use mobile app, which offers fast deposits and withdrawals, daily promotions and a free online Loyalty Rewards programme.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – January 20-26 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The post Gila River Resorts & Casinos hosts $5.9 million Big Game prop play contest appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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