There have been more developments in the Caesars bankruptcy. First, Caesars Entertainment said it is offering an additional $1.6 billion for junior creditors of Caesars Entertainment Operating Company (CEOC) in the contentious bankruptcy. The stock market reacted favorably to the news Caesars stock went up 21% today.
The underlying issue in the bankruptcy is whether Caesars management deliberately created a “bad” Caesars (CEOC) and a “good” Caesars (everything else). Junior creditors are accusing Caesars of exactly that. Lawsuits on this issue are on hold but unless a court extends an injunction they’ll start moving forward in October.
Earlier this month Judge Benjamin Goldgar ruled that junior creditors are within their rights to have top management at Caesars complete financial disclosure statements. As Bloomberg reported,
Apollo co-founder Marc Rowan, company principal David Sambur and TPG co-founder David Bonderman must provide the information to a committee of dissident creditors who are fighting a reorganization proposal for Caesars, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge A. Benjamin Goldgar ruled. That plan would release the men from any legal liability related to the Las Vegas-based gambling company’s bankruptcy. The bondholders say the men shouldn’t be shielded from lawsuits related to the bankruptcy.
But is $1.6 Billion more enough? Given that an independent examiner said Caesars could be liable for over $5 billion in damages, I suspect junior creditors may be thinking “no.” Caesars management is threatening to put all of Caesars in bankruptcy, with the obvious implication that you might get a lot less if the bankruptcy expands. Perhaps the junior creditors are thinking that this is a sign of desperation; that they’ll get 100% of their debt back by either lawsuits or a full bankruptcy; or that Caesars will increase their offer yet again in the future.
When the bankruptcy began I asked and answered some questions:
How long will the bankruptcy process take? A long time…
Who will profit from the bankruptcy? That’s a question with a sure answer: the lawyers…
Why aren’t all of Caesars’ hotels included in the bankruptcy? If you look at the list, some of the hotels are merely operated by Caesars and won’t be included in the bankruptcy even if the second-tier debtholders win. However, it is definitely possible that the bankruptcy could expand and take in more of Caesars than just CEOC…
Could some of Caesars’ properties be sold? Definitely. If this does not end up being a prepackaged bankruptcy, then each tier of debtors will propose a plan. One plan could be to auction various properties, so it’s definitely possible.
Nothing has caused me to change my opinions on any of these answers. The soap opera, er, bankruptcy began in January 2015; if you placed a bet on it reaching two years without resolution, your bet looks like a winner to me.
So stay tuned soon for the next exciting episode of “As the Caesars Turns.”
Tags: Caesars.Entertainment