Isle of Capri Casinos

Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. – owner of Bettendorf's Isle of Capri Casino – announced this morning (9/19) it had reached an agreement to be acquired by Eldorado Resorts of Reno, Nevada in a stock and cash transaction valued at $1.7 billion.

Eldorado would acquire all the outstanding Isle stock for $23 per share, or 1.638 shares of Eldorado common stock for each share of Isle stock. The $1.7 billion value includes the assumption of the Isle's $929 million of long-term debt.

Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. – operators of Bettendorf's Isle of Capri Casino – reported improved earnings Tuesday (6/14) for the fourth quarter and fiscal year despite flat revenues for the 12-months ended April 26.

After company officials finished discussing the Isle's lower debt levels and improved profit margins in a conference call with analysts, the firm's stock price jumped nearly $1 per share (6 percent) to $17.32 in early trading.

The company reported fourth quarter net revenue of $265 million compared with $269 million for the same period last year. For the 12-months ended April 24, the Isle had net revenue of $979 million compared with $977 million for fiscal 2015.

The first quarter financial results of Isle of Capri Casino, Inc. drew praise from stock analysts Wednesday (9/2), but its Bettendorf riverboat was noteworthy for just the opposite – falling revenues.

The Isle earned $3.1 million for the first quarter, or 8 cents per share, a turnaround from last year when the gambling firm lost 6 cents per share, or $2.3 million. The St. Louis-based firm also reported a significant increase in net revenues for the period, jumping nearly 5 percent to $260 million, compared to $249.5 million during the same period a year ago.

The Isle of Capri Bettendorf casino is seeking to slash its property tax assessment in half – to $44 million from its current $85 million – prompting the city to hire a casino real estate appraiser to oppose the reduction.