Big Bam Book

What is Big Bam Book?

According to data from Yahoo Finance, the resort and casino sector is -41% over the last five years, and the overall gambling sector, which includes major sportsbooks and online operators, is +7%; the benchmark S&P 500 index, by comparison, is +71% during that span.

Two blockbuster developments in the casino space earlier this year seemed to indicate an increasingly bullish bet on the sector, including Fertitta Entertainment’s acquisition of Caesars Entertainment in May. The other is a subsequent takeover offer of MGM Resorts from its largest shareholder, Barry Diller’s People Inc. But a negative shift in market conditions could affect both deals.

In July, Fertitta’s General Counsel Steven Scheinthal told the Nevada Gaming Control Board that the company had a letter of intent from banks to finance the transaction but was waiting for better borrowing conditions. Fertitta is assuming nearly $12 billion in Caesars’ debt and is committed to a $6.6 billion financing package.

What is Big Bam Book?

Bengtsson said the split between casino and sports betting for SunBet was roughly 90% to 10% in favour of casino, with Sun International “under-indexing on sportsbook”.

But Sun International views that as an opportunity, with Bengtsson stating: “We think the market overall is probably somewhere around 35%-40% sportsbook.

“So that is the delta we have to close by delivering a better product and better operational intensity in our sports business.”

How to play Big Bam Book

Angelozzi observed particular opportunity in Spain, where he estimated Cirsa holds 6% of the online market, suggesting it’s more fragmented and less developed than in Italy.

“These two markets have been growing and will continue to grow very nicely [for] online, Spain even more than Italy,” he commented.

“Cirsa has incredible knowledge of the market, the consumers in general, also of the business. You will see a company with a huge understanding of the market, of the consumers, with an incredible retail platform, which can be leveraged for online.