CHINESE GROUP TO PAY $ 4.4B FOR ISRAEL’S PLAYTIKA

A Chinese consortium that includes Chinese online game company Giant Interactive and Yunfeng Capital, a private equity firm founded by Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma is paying Caesars Interactive Entertainment $ 4.4 billion for Playtika, an Israelbased developer of popular mobile and social casino games such as Slotomania, House of Fun and Bingo Blitz. Caesars Interactive Entertainment acquired Playtika in 2011 for a reported $ 150 million. The consortium offering the all- cash deal also includes China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co.; China Minsheng Trust Co.; CDHChina HF Holdings Co.; and Hony Capital Fund. Caesars’ World Series of Poker and real- money online gaming businesses are not part of the transaction, they said.