Penn National Gaming buys Louisiana’s Margaritaville casino

Regional casino operator Penn National Gaming (PNG) has teamed up with a real estate investment trust to acquire a Louisiana casino.

On Tuesday, PNG announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire the operations of the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. The transaction, which will cost PNG around $115m, is expected to close sometime in H2 pending approval by Louisiana gaming regulators.

At the same time, the VICI Properties Inc real estate investment trust (REIT) has agreed to acquire the land underneath the Margaritaville property. VICI has entered into a triple net lease agreement that will require PNG to pay roughly $23m in annual rent for the initial 15-year term of the agreement, with four five-year renewal options.

The addition of the Margaritaville property will bring PNG’s total property portfolio to 40 venues in 18 jurisdictions. PNG expects the “tuck-in acquisition” will be immediately accretive to PNG’s operating results upon closing.