Blackstone’s $8b Crown takeover bid faces hurdles, like whether James Packer will want a higher price

Crown Resorts has confirmed an $8 billion takeover offer from US private equity giant Blackstone.

Crown said its board had not yet formed a view on the merits of the proposal and would start a process to assess it.

But the proposed takeover bid faces a number of hurdles, and regulatory risks abound.

These include several inquiries into the Casino giant by state-based regulators, including two royal commissions, looming class actions and financial regulator AUSTRAC investigating Crown for potential breaches of Australia’s anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws.

What is Blackstone and why is it interested in Crown?