Strat operator gets final approval that will take parent company private

The parent company of the Strat, Arizona Charlies and the PT’s chain of neighborhood pubs received regulatory approval Thursday on a series of licensings that will move the company from being publicly traded to a private enterprise.

In a unanimous vote, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s recommendation that ultimately will lead to Golden Entertainment Inc. being deregistered from the Nasdaq exchange.

Chief Executive Blake Sartini told commissioners Thursday that the same personnel operating Golden properties in Nevada now would be retained in the new privately held company. Golden customers are expected to see virtually no change in the operation of the company’s properties.

Golden, in its last days as a public company traded on the Nasdaq exchange, partners with Vici Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust that serves as a landlord on the land beneath the properties and collects rent through a master agreement. Sartini explained that the partnership agreement enables Golden to keep rent payments constant.

The Strat, the centerpiece of Golden’s Southern Nevada properties, is closing in on its 30th anniversary of operations next week.

In other business Thursday, the commission unanimously approved several items as a consent agenda, meaning there was no detailed discussion or debate about licensing decisions.

Among the unanimous approvals from the commission were the approval of two new locations for the fastest growing sportsbook company in Southern Nevada, Boomer’s.

The company received permission to operate a sportsbook at Sierra Sid’s in Sparks and at The Pass at Water Street in Henderson.

Boomer’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Asher said the new locations are the 11th and 12th books under the Boomer’s flag.

Asher said he hopes to have 18 partnerships in place by the start of the next football season.

In another consent item that included no discussion, the commission approved of a one-day gaming license to preserve licensing for the Moulin Rouge.

United Coin Machine, doing business as Century Gaming Technologies, was recommended for licensing for slot machines only at Moulin Rouge at 840 W. Bonanza Road.

Temporary casino set-ups with slot machines within trailers is a common means to preserve a gaming license in the state. Nevada law requires nonrestricted gaming to operate on the site at least one day every two years to maintain its grandfathered gaming license.