At least a half-dozen potential buyers have contacted state casino regulators about purchasing the Tropicana Casino and Resort, and a sale could take place within weeks, the head of the state Casino Control Commission said last week. Linda Kassekert appeared at a news conference at the Tropicana with former state Supreme Court Justice Gary Stein, the interim trustee who’s overseeing the casino until a buyer can be found, and Tropicana President Mark Giannantonio, who will stay on to run its day-to-day operations until the sale.

Providence Equity Partners has looked at buying SkyCity Entertainment. But the US based private equity firm says its tentative interest doesn't meet SkyCity's definition of a potential takeover. A source close to Providence confirmed it had considered SkyCity "as we do with all the deals that are out there". But the level of interest fell short of SkyCity's declaration to the NZX on Friday - a brief note that sent the SkyCity share price soaring and added more than [[NZD]] 400 million to the value of the casino company.