Churchill Downs Incorporated Completes Acquisition of Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CHDN) announced the acquisition of Ellis Park Racing & Gaming for $79 million in cash. The deal includes the opportunity to develop a track extension facility with historical racing machines in Owensboro, Kentucky. The acquisition follows approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and was funded through cash and existing credit facilities. CDI aims to enhance racing infrastructure and improve purses, reflecting its strategic growth in the gaming sector.
- Acquisition of Ellis Park improves CDI's market position.
- Potential revenue growth from new historical racing machines in Owensboro.
- Approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission validates the acquisition.
- Transaction cost of $79 million may strain CDI's cash reserves.
- Uncertainties regarding the successful integration and expected synergies from Ellis Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced today that the Company has completed its previously-announced purchase of Ellis Park Racing & Gaming (“Ellis Park”) in Henderson, Kentucky, for cash consideration of
“Our team is already hard at work in both Henderson and Owensboro,” said Bill Carstanjen, Chief Executive Officer of CDI. “In the coming days, we look forward to sharing more about our plans to invest in the racing infrastructure at Ellis Park and to drive significant purse improvement through the Owensboro historical racing opportunity.”
CDI’s purchase of Ellis Park follows approval of the transaction by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The transaction was funded with cash on hand and through the Company’s existing credit facility.
About Ellis Park
Ellis Park, located north of the Ohio River and just south of Evansville, Indiana, celebrated 100 years of racing this year. In addition to being recognized as the historic home of summer Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky, Ellis Park also features a gaming facility venue with approximately 300 historical racing machines.
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event, the Kentucky Derby. We own and operate five gaming entertainment venues with approximately 4,200 historical racing machines in Kentucky. We also own and operate TwinSpires, one of the largest and most profitable online wagering platforms for horse racing in the U.S. and we have eight retail sportsbooks. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming in eight states with approximately 11,800 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 250 table games. www.churchilldownsincorporated.com
This news release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions).
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, among others, that may materially affect actual results or outcomes include the following: the receipt of regulatory approvals on terms desired or anticipated, unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the proposed transaction, including, without limitation, difficulties that result in the failure to realize expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings from the proposed transaction within the expected time period (if at all), our ability to obtain financing on the anticipated terms and schedule, disruptions of our or P2E’s current plans, operations and relationships with customers and suppliers caused by the announcement and pendency of the proposed transaction, our and P2E’s ability to consummate a sale-leaseback transaction with respect to the Hard Rock Sioux City on terms desired or anticipated, the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the emergence of variant strains, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers' confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation the competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and HRM manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; inability to successfully focus on market access and retail operations for our TwinSpires Sports and Casino business and effectively compete; inability to identify and / or complete acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches, or loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of a breach, including customers’ personal information, could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigation; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card and debit card use; work stoppages and labor issues; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; and increase in our insurance costs, or obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events.
We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
| Investor Contact: Nick Zangari | Media Contact: Tonya Abeln |
| (502) 394-1157 | (502) 386-1742 |
| Nick.Zangari@KyDerby.com | Tonya.Abeln@KyDerby.com |
FAQ
What is the significance of Churchill Downs' acquisition of Ellis Park (CHDN)?
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