Caesars at $31 a Share. MGM at $48.30. Two Strip Giants Go Private in the Same Month.
Fertitta is absorbing $11.9 billion in Caesars debt to pay $5.7 billion in equity; Diller is offering $48.30 per share for the MGM stock he doesn't already own. The per-key math on these deals tells you exactly what each buyer believes about Las Vegas... and one of them is making a very expensive bet on a state that hasn't legalized casino gambling yet.