Eldorado Resorts Inc. ERI, +0.24% and Caesars Entertainment Corp. CZR, -0.98% are in early merger discussions, Reuters reported Sunday. Activist investor Carl Icahn has recently increased his stake in Caesars, and has pushed for a sale. The talks are in their early stages and Eldorado has yet to make an official offer for Caesars, Reuters said, and it's possible no deal will be made. Caesars and Eldorado have market caps of $5.4 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, though both U.S.-based casino operators have hefty debt loads.

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