Great Empire

How to play Great Empire

On 27 August, Merkur signed a put option agreement with GPG Groupe Philippe Ginestet and DOFA, enabling the purchase of Casigrangi.

Casigrangi is the parent company of the Le Stelsia casino group, which operates seven small to mid-sized casinos across France along with related hospitality, restaurant and entertainment businesses. 

Key casino locations include Megève, Granville and Mimizan. Additionally, Casigrangi controls SFC, which itself operates casinos in Châtel-Guyon, Collioure, Gruissan and Port-la-Nouvelle.

How to play Great Empire

In second-quarter results posted last month, Encore Boston Harbor saw $209 million in revenue for the period, which was a 3% drop year-over-year. A 12% YoY drop in table games win led to a 6% decline in overall casino revenue, although Wynn CEO Craig Billings said the property delivered second-quarter records for both hotel revenue and revenue per available room. Demand in Boston “has remained healthy, with slot handle running slightly ahead of last year”, Billings said.

 “When a company refuses to respect the workers who make its profits possible, we shut it down,” Thomas G Mari, president of Local 25, said in a statement. “The teamsters don’t cross picket lines and won’t be intimidated.”

Union deals have been a pressing topic for casino operators in recent years. Workers have pressed for increased benefits and job security provisions in the wake of macroeconomic uncertainty and the advent of potentially disruptive technologies like AI.

How to play Great Empire

Last week a committee made up of MPs from across the Netherlands’ political spectrum also raised concerns around the role of Meta and Google in supporting the black market.

Candidates from the VVD party urged the government to take a “harder stance” against these big tech platforms.

Van Bruggen told the gambling committee that both Meta and Google were open to maintaining a dialogue with the government on this.