Shareholders of Golden Entertainment Inc. on Tuesday approved a previously announced deal that will take the Las Vegas-based casino and restaurant operator private through a deal with company founder Blake Sartini and real estate investment trust Vici Properties Inc.
The vote, which was completed at a special shareholder meeting, removes a major obstacle to completing the transaction first announced in February. The company said closing is expected in the second quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Once that’s done, Golden will be delisted from Nasdaq and no longer traded on the exchange.
Under terms this year, Sartini will acquire the company’s operating business, while Vici will buy the properties behind several Golden properties, including The Strat, two Arizona Charlie’s casinos, Aquarius and Edgewater in Laughlin, and the Pahrump Nugget, in a deal valued at about $1.16 billion.
Vici will lease these properties back to Sartini’s operating company through a long-term triple network agreement. According to previously disclosed details, Sartini will lease these properties from Vici for an initial rental payment totaling $87 million per year, based on the terms of a 30-year master lease. The rent will increase by 2 percent annually beginning in the third year of the lease.
Golden also operates more than 70 PT’s-branded taverns in the Las Vegas Valley, the largest network of distributed gaming taverns in Nevada.
In an announcement Wednesday, the company emphasized that the deal remains subject to review by Nevada gaming regulators. It also warned of risks typical of transactions of this size, including potential delays, litigation, disruptions or termination fees if the deal is not completed.
If the sale closes, Golden’s public shareholders will no longer hold equity in the company or participate in future profits, according to the filing.
According to the Form 8-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, investors voted 20,430,245 to 208,131, with 20,158 abstentions, to adopt the master transaction agreement describing the sale. No broker non-votes were recorded. The figure represents nearly 78 percent of the company’s outstanding shares, which easily exceeds the approval threshold.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
