Tillman Fertitta — the billionaire owner of the Houston Rockets — invited Caesars Entertainment earlier this month to merge with his own gaming empire, which includes the Golden Nugget casino chain. But Caesars’ board — which includes reps from billionaire Leon Black’s Apollo Management and David Bonderman’s TPG — is expected to unanimously reject Fertitta’s deal as soon as this week, believing it would saddle the casino giant with too much debt, the <em>New York Post</em>. News of Fertitta’s overture last week sent Caesars’ shares soaring 18 percent over two days, leading it to close at $10.20 Friday, giving Caesars a market cap of $6.8 billion. That looks like a big bite for the Texas tycoon, whose net worth is estimated at just $4.5 billion. Caesars still has $9 billion in debt after emerging from bankruptcy a year ago, and Fertitta’s deal would add to that load, sources said.
