Eldorado Resorts CEO Tom Reeg has called the acquisition of Caesars Entertainment a “home run for all of our stakeholders.” However, that home run may turn into a strikeout if the market doesn’t recover quickly. Financial institutions that have pledged to put up more than $7 billion in loans could find selling the idea to investors difficult, thanks to the coronavirus and what it has done to the global financial markets.

Bloomberg points out that Credit Suisse Group AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Macquarie Group Ltd. have been onboard the acquisition, agreeing in June of last year to provide the necessary financing. As the deal appears to be close to being finalized, with only a couple more regulatory approvals needed, the banks only have a little time left to convince bond and loan buyers that the “highly leveraged” deal makes sense.

Because of the coronavirus, stock trading was temporarily halted this week in order to prevent a further slide into a full-blown recession. Still, trouble remains and the gaming industry, as a whole, is feeling the effects of the coronavirus. Federal relief, in the form of stimulus incentives, may be coming, but it could be too little too late for a rebound in time for the proposed acquisition.

Gene Neavin, a senior investment analyst and portfolio manager at Federated Hermes, explains, “The best comparison might be 9/11, when people were scared to fly. Now people may be scared not only to travel but also to be in a casino with thousands of people.”