Blockbuster deal: Caesars Entertainment is being acquired for almost $6 billion by Fertitta, the company that owns Golden Nugget hotel and casino properties in Las Vegas and Lake Charles as well as restaurant chains like Rainforest Cafe and Morton’s. Caesars became an iconic name after the opening of Caesar’s Palace on the Las Vegas Strip in 1966. However, its roots date back to the 1930s in Reno, Nevada. Fertitta Entertainment will pay $5.7 billion and take on close to $12 billion in debt from Caesars, putting the total value of the deal at about $17.6 billion. As part of the agreement, Caesars can seek competing bids through July 11. Caesars investors will get $31 in cash for each share they own, a 49% premium over the share price before chatter about a possible tie-up between the two entertainment companies began in February. Shares of Caesars Entertainment Inc., which are up 15% since merger rumors emerged, rose almost 2% before the opening bell Thursday. Caesars has a hotel and casino in New Orleans on Poydras Street.
Honored: Two researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center have been named 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition, recognizing their significant contributions to nutrition science and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. Those two researchers are John Apolzan, director of the Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Laboratory, and Leanne Redman, an adjunct professor with Pennington who now serves as academic director of the Charles Perkins Centre in Australia. The honor is awarded to nutrition professionals who have demonstrated substantial impact in research, translational science and service to the field. Read the full announcement.
‘Convenience fees’ targeted: Retailers in Louisiana could soon face penalties for adding surcharges—think the “convenience fee” at the bottom of your receipt—to purchases made with debit cards. Senate Bill 254, sponsored by state Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, would prohibit such surcharges and authorize the attorney general’s office to issue penalties of up to $500 per violation. The bill has cleared the Senate and the House. KPLC-TV has the full story.
