Caesars Entertainment and billionaire Tilman Fertitta have moved to a period of exclusive talks over the $18 billion proposal to acquire Caesars. The company has extended the negotiation window, with the deal expected to include $2-3 billion in equity, $4-5 billion in new borrowing against Caesars’ assets, and the operators’ assumed $11 billion debt. Initially,
Caesars Entertainment and billionaire Tilman Fertitta have moved to a period of exclusive talks over the $18 billion proposal to acquire Caesars.
The company has extended the negotiation window, with the deal expected to include $2-3 billion in equity, $4-5 billion in new borrowing against Caesars’ assets, and the operators’ assumed $11 billion debt. Initially, it was expected that Tilman Fertitta would buy Caesars for $7 billion.
Recently, Bloomberg revealed that the negotiations had slowed down after Fertitta’s father, Vic Fertitta, passed away on April 8, 2026. Vic Fertitta managed the Golden Greek and Pier 23, 2 Galveston restaurants, and had investments in Gulf Coast real estate.
As the negotiations now continue to an exclusive phase, Fertitta is expected to buy Caesars for $32 per share, as the company would be merged with Fertitta Entertainment’s current businesses and create a bigger casino entity.
The operator’s shares had been declining by more than 40% since 2025, but after the news of Fertitta’s interest in Caesars started spreading, the shares in the company increased by 2.1% to $27.80 as of April 21, 2026.
Fertitta’s acquisition would beat Icahn Enterprises’ proposal, despite the company having accumulated a 9.78% stake in Caesars during 2019 and later pushing the operator to fully sell.