Securities Registration Statement (simplified Form) (s-3)

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 15, 2017

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

GOLDEN ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Minnesota

41-1913991

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

6595 S Jones Boulevard

Las Vegas, Nevada 89118

(702) 893-7777

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Blake L. Sartini

Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

Golden Entertainment, Inc.

6595 S Jones Boulevard

Las Vegas, Nevada 89118

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Barry M. Clarkson, Esq.

Ann C. Buckingham, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

12670 High Bluff Drive

San Diego, California 92130

(858) 523-5400

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public : From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective on filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered	Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price	Amount of Registration Fee
Primary Offering :
Common Stock, $0.01 par value	(1)(2)(3)(4)	(1)	(1)
Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value	(1)(2)(3)(4)	(1)	(1)
Debt Securities	(1)(2)	(1)	(1)
Warrants	(1)(2)	(1)	(1)
Units	(1)(2)	(1)	(1)
Total Primary Offering:			$150,000,000(5)	$18,675(6)
Secondary Offering :(7)
Common Stock, $0.01 par value	4,046,494(3)(4)	(8)	$125,036,665(9)	$15,568(10)
Total Secondary Offering:			$125,036,665(9)	$15,568(10)
Total (Primary and Secondary Offerings)			$275,036,665	$34,243(11)

(1)	Omitted pursuant to Form S-3 General Instruction II.D.

(2)	An unspecified number of securities or aggregate principal amount, as applicable, of each identified class of securities is being registered as may from time to time be offered by the registrant at unspecified prices.

(3)	Includes rights to acquire common stock or preferred stock of the Company under any shareholder rights plan then in effect, if applicable under the terms of any such plan.

(4)	Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement registers such indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock of the Company as may be issued in connection with stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(5)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. With respect to the primary offering, the aggregate maximum offering price of all securities issued by the registrant pursuant to this registration statement will not exceed $150,000,000. No separate consideration will be received for shares of common stock that are issued upon conversion of debt securities or preferred stock or upon exercise of common stock warrants.

(6)	Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(7)	Up to 4,046,494 shares of common stock may from time to time be sold pursuant to this registration statement by the selling securityholders named herein.

(8)

With respect to the secondary offering, the proposed maximum offering price per share of common stock will be determined from time to time by the selling securityholders in connection with, and at the time of, the sale by the selling securityholders of the shares of common stock registered hereunder.

(9)	Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the high and low reported sales prices of our common stock reported on the Nasdaq Global Market on November 10, 2017.

(10)	Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(11)

Pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant is applying filing fees of $15,105 relating to the unsold securities under its Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-212153), originally filed by the registrant on June 21, 2016 and declared effective on August 2, 2016, to partially offset the entire registration fee of $34,243 that would otherwise be due in connection with this registration statement. As a result, $19,138 is being remitted herewith.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated November 15, 2017.

PROSPECTUS

LOGO

Golden Entertainment, Inc.

$150,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

Offered by the Company

4,046,494 Shares of Common Stock

Offered by the Selling Securityholders

We may offer and sell up to $150,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. In addition, the selling securityholders identified in this prospectus may offer and sell an aggregate of up to 4,046,494 shares of our common stock from time to time in one or more offerings. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the selling securityholders.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered by us or the selling securityholders. Each time we or any of the selling securityholders offer and sell securities pursuant to this prospectus, we or the selling securityholders will (to the extent required) provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains more specific information about the offering, as well as the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

The securities offered by us and the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus and any prospectus supplement may be sold to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold pursuant to this prospectus without delivery of this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

The selling securityholders and broker-dealers or other intermediaries through whom such securities are sold may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (which we refer to as the “Securities Act” in this prospectus), with respect to the securities offered hereby, and as such any profits realized or commissions received may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. Each selling securityholder has informed us that at the time of the acquisition of the common stock to be resold, it did not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute such common stock.

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “ RISK FACTORS ” ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “GDEN.” On November 14, 2017, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market was $31.16 per share.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is , 2017.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			2
THE COMPANY			4
RISK FACTORS			5
USE OF PROCEEDS			6
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			7
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			8
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			11
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			19
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			21
GLOBAL SECURITIES			22
SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS			26
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			28
LEGAL MATTERS			31
EXPERTS			31

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000, as described in this prospectus. In addition, the selling securityholders identified in this prospectus may sell an aggregate of up to 4,046,494 shares of our common stock from time to time in one or more offerings, as described in this prospectus. Each time we or any of the selling securityholders offer and sell securities pursuant to this prospectus, we or the selling securityholders will (to the extent required) provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains more specific information about the offering, as well as the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectus), together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

Neither we nor any of the selling securityholders have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the selling securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the selling securityholders will make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

When we refer to “Golden,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Golden Entertainment, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the applicable series of securities.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov .

Our web site address is http://www.goldenent.com . The information on our web site, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

We incorporate by reference our documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus, and all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed below or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including our Compensation Committee report and performance graph or any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

•

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017.

•

The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2017.

•

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2017, August 8, 2017 and November 9, 2017, respectively.

•

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 12, 2017 (with respect to Item 1.01 and related Item 9.01 of Current Report on Form 8-K), June 15, 2017, October 23, 2017 and November 9, 2017 (with respect to Item 5.02 of Current Report on Form 8-K).

•

The description of our Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on October 23, 1998, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Golden Entertainment, Inc.

6595 S Jones Boulevard

Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 893-7777

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement.

THE COMPANY

We are a diversified group of gaming companies that focus on casino and resort operations and distributed gaming (including tavern gaming).

On October 20, 2017, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (which we refer to herein as “American”) from its former equity holders (which we refer to herein as the “American Acquisition”) for aggregate consideration consisting of $781.0 million in cash (subject to certain post-closing adjustments) and the issuance by us of 4,046,494 shares of our common stock to W2007/ACEP Holdings, LLC, a former American equity holder and a selling securityholder hereunder (which we refer to herein as “ACEP Holdings”), pursuant to the membership interest purchase agreement, dated June 10, 2017, by and among Golden Entertainment, Inc., W2007/ACEP Managers Voteco, LLC and ACEP Holdings (which we refer to herein as “Purchase Agreement”).

We conduct our business through two reportable operating segments: Casinos and Distributed Gaming. In our Casinos segment, we own and operate eight casino and resort properties in Nevada and Maryland. Four of our Nevada casino and resort properties were added to our casino portfolio in October 2017 as a result of our acquisition of American. Our Distributed Gaming segment involves the installation, maintenance and operation of gaming and amusement devices in certain strategic, high-traffic, non-casino locations (such as grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, taverns, saloons and liquor stores) in Nevada and Montana, and the operation of traditional, branded taverns targeting local patrons, primarily in the greater Las Vegas, Nevada metropolitan area.

We were incorporated in Minnesota in 1998 under the name of GCI Lakes, Inc., which name was subsequently changed to Lakes Gaming, Inc. in August 1998, to Lakes Entertainment, Inc. in June 2002 and to Golden Entertainment, Inc. in July 2015. Our shares began trading publicly in January 1999. The mailing address of our headquarters is 6595 S Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89118, and our telephone number at that location is (702) 893-7777.

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 and any subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement, before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities being offered by us as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common stock being offered by the selling securityholders.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth the historical ratios of earnings to fixed charges for Golden for the periods indicated.


	Fiscal Year Ended										Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2017
	Dec. 30, 2012		Dec. 29, 2013		Dec. 28, 2014		Dec. 31, 2015(1)		Dec. 31, 2016		Nine Months Ended Sept. 30, 2017
Ratio of earnings (loss) to fixed charges(2)		1.73		15.74		—		5.16		2.45		1.67

(1)	Our consolidated financial statements include the operating results of Sartini Gaming, Inc. from and after August 1, 2015, following the consummation of the acquisition thereof.

(2)

Earnings consist of income from continuing operations before income taxes and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs, and the estimated interest expense portion of rental expense. Our earnings were inadequate to cover fixed charges for the fiscal years ended December 28, 2014 by $24.8 million.

For the periods indicated above, we had no outstanding shares of preferred stock with required dividend payments. Therefore, the ratios of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends are identical to the ratios presented in the tables above.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. This description is summarized from, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our articles of incorporation and bylaws, which have been publicly filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

Our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue 100,000,000 shares of capital stock, par value $0.01 per share, of which 7,500,000 have been designated as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share.

Common Stock

Each holder of record of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held on every matter properly submitted to the shareholders for their vote. Holders of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights. After satisfaction of the dividend rights of holders of preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled ratably to any dividend declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available for this purpose. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably our net assets available, if any, after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no redemption or conversion rights, no sinking fund provisions and no preemptive right to subscribe for or purchase additional shares of any class of our capital stock. The outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and nonassessable, and any shares of common stock issued in an offering pursuant to this prospectus, when issued, will be fully paid and nonassessable. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Dividends

To date, except for the special dividend described below, we have neither declared nor paid any cash dividends with respect to our common stock and the current policy of our board of directors is to retain all future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and development of our business. In June 2016, pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement governing our 2015 acquisition of Sartini Gaming, Inc., our board of directors authorized and declared a special dividend to eligible shareholders of record on the close of business on June 30, 2016 of cash in the aggregate amount of approximately $23.5 million (or $1.71 per eligible share), which amount represented the proceeds received from the sale of our $60.0 million subordinated promissory note from the Jamul Indian Village, net of related costs, and which dividend was paid in July 2016. The payment of any other cash dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon such factors as our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, our general business condition and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. In addition, the terms of our senior secured credit agreements restrict our ability to declare or pay dividends on our common stock.

Preferred Stock

None of the 7,500,000 shares of our capital stock designated as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock are outstanding or issuable. Our board of directors has the authority, without action by our shareholders, to designate and issue shares of capital stock in one or more class or series. The board of directors may also designate the rights, preferences and privileges of each series or class of capital stock; any or all of which may be greater than

the rights of the common stock. It is not possible to state the actual effect of the issuance of any shares of preferred stock upon the rights of holders of the common stock until the board of directors determines the specific rights of the holders of the preferred stock. However, these effects might include:

•

restricting dividends on the common stock;

•

diluting the voting power of the common stock;

•

impairing the liquidation rights of the common stock; and

•

delaying or preventing a change in control of our company without further action by the shareholders.

Our ability to issue preferred stock, or rights to purchase such shares, could discourage an unsolicited acquisition proposal. For example, we could impede a business combination by issuing a series of preferred stock containing, among other rights and preferences, class voting rights that would enable the holders of such preferred stock to block a business combination transaction. Alternatively, we could facilitate a business combination transaction by issuing a series of preferred stock having sufficient voting rights to provide a required percentage vote of the shareholders. Additionally, under certain circumstances, our issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock. Although our board of directors is required to make any determination to issue any preferred stock based on its judgment as to the best interests of our shareholders, our board of directors could act in a manner that would discourage an acquisition attempt or other transaction that some, or a majority, of our shareholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which shareholders might receive a premium for their stock over prevailing market prices of such stock. Our board of directors does not at present intend to seek shareholder approval prior to any issuance of currently authorized stock, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements.

Certain Rights to Redeem Our Securities

Our articles of incorporation require our shareholders to provide information that is requested by authorities that regulate our current or proposed gaming operations. Our articles of incorporation also permit us to redeem the securities held by persons whose status as a security holder, in the opinion of our board of directors, jeopardizes existing gaming licenses or approvals of Golden or its subsidiaries. The price paid for these securities is, in general, the average closing price for the 30 trading days prior to giving notice of redemption.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Minnesota Law

Certain provisions of Minnesota law described below could have an anti-takeover effect. These provisions are intended to provide management flexibility, to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and in the policies formulated by our board of directors and to discourage an unsolicited takeover if our board of directors determines that such a takeover is not in our best interests or the best interests of our shareholders. However, these provisions could have the effect of discouraging certain attempts to acquire us that could deprive our shareholders of opportunities to sell their shares of our stock at higher values.

Although we have amended our bylaws to provide that Section 302A.671 (Control Share Acquisitions) of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act does not apply to or govern us, we remain subject to Section 302A.673 (Business Combinations) of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act. Section 302A.673 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act generally prohibits any business combination by us, or any of our subsidiaries, with an interested shareholder, which means any shareholder that purchases 10% or more of our voting shares within four years following such interested shareholder’s share acquisition date, unless the business combination is approved by a committee of disinterested members of our board of directors before the interested shareholder’s share acquisition date.

Section 302A.675 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act generally prohibits an offeror from acquiring our shares within two years following the offeror’s last purchase of our shares pursuant to a takeover offer with respect to that class, unless our shareholders are able to sell their shares to the offeror upon substantially equivalent terms as those provided in the earlier takeover offer. This statute will not apply if the acquisition of shares is approved by a committee of disinterested members of our board of directors before the purchase of any shares by the offeror pursuant to the earlier takeover offer.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee named in the prospectus supplement. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

As used in this section only, “Golden,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to Golden Entertainment, Inc. excluding our subsidiaries, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

•

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

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the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

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the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

•

the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

•

the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

•

the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

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any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

•

the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

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the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

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whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

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the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

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the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

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the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

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if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

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the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

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any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

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the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

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any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

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whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees. (Section 2.2)

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see “Global Securities.”

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

•

we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than Golden) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

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default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

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default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

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default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or Golden and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

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certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Golden; or

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any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid

interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

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that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

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the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days. (Section 6.7)

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each holder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

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to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

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to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

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to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

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to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

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to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

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to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

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to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

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to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

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to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

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to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

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reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

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reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

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reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

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reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

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waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

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make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

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make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

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waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of

the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance . The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants . The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

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we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

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any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

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depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

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delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt

securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 8.4)

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Shareholders

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or shareholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.10)

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

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the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

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the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants to purchase preferred stock;

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the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

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the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, preferred stock or common stock will be separately transferable;

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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

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the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

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United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

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any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

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to vote, consent or receive dividends;

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receive notice as shareholders with respect to any meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

•

exercise any rights as shareholders of Golden.

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any

other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

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the title of the series of units;

•

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;

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the price or prices at which the units will be issued;

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the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable;

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a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and

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any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

DTC has advised us that it is:

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a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;

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a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;

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a member of the Federal Reserve System;

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a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and

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a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

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DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;

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we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or

•

an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

Euroclear and Clearstream

If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A., which we refer to as “Clearstream,” or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as “Euroclear,” either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers’ securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in such depositaries’ names on DTC’s books.

Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.

Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC’s rules and procedures.

Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.

Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the global securities through DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.

Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.

Other

The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.

SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS

This prospectus also relates to the possible resale by certain of our shareholders, who we refer to in this prospectus as the “selling securityholders,” from time to time of up to an aggregate of 4,046,494 shares of our common stock. When we refer to “selling securityholders” in this prospectus, we mean the shareholders listed in the table below, and any pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the selling securityholders’ interests in our securities other than through a public sale.

ACEP Holdings is party to a registration rights agreement with us, dated October 20, 2017, in which we agreed, among other matters, to register for resale the 4,046,494 shares of our common stock that we issued to ACEP Holdings pursuant to the Purchase Agreement at the closing of the American Acquisition. In accordance with the terms of that registration rights agreement, we are registering such shares held by ACEP Holdings for resale under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In connection with the American Acquisition, we also entered into a stockholders agreement with ACEP Holdings, dated October 20, 2017, pursuant to which, among other matters, we granted ACEP Holdings and its designees certain board observer rights for so long as ACEP Holdings and its affiliates continue to own at least 5% of our issued and outstanding common stock, which rights ACEP Holdings has not exercised, and ACEP Holdings agreed to restrictions on the transfer of its shares of our common stock until January 18, 2018 (subject to certain exceptions, including underwritten public offerings conducted by us and in which ACEP Holdings includes shares in such offering pursuant to the terms of the registration rights agreement).

The following table sets forth, as of the date of this prospectus:

•

the name of the selling securityholders for whom we are registering shares of our common stock for resale to the public;

•

the number of shares of our common stock that the selling securityholders beneficially owned prior to the offering for resale of such shares of common stock under this prospectus;

•

the number of shares of common stock that may be offered for resale for the account of the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus, and

•

the number and percentage of shares of common stock to be beneficially owned by the selling securityholders after completion of the offering of such shares of common stock (assuming that all shares of common stock being registered under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part that are held by the selling securityholders are resold to third parties).

The information set forth below is based upon information obtained from the selling securityholders and upon information in our possession regarding the issuance of shares of common stock to the selling securityholders in connection with private placement transactions. The percentages of shares beneficially owned after completion of the offering are based on 26,371,614 shares of our common stock outstanding as of November 13, 2017, including the shares of common stock covered hereby. Other than as described above and in documents filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, none of the selling securityholders has within the past three years had any position, office or other material relationship with us or any of our subsidiaries other than as a holder of shares of our common stock.

Name of Selling Securityholder

Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned Prior
to the Offering(1)

Number of Shares
Being Offered

Shares Beneficially
Owned After
Offering(2)

Number

Percent

W2007/ACEP Holdings, LLC(3)

4,046,494

—

(1)

“Beneficial ownership” is a term broadly defined by the SEC in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, and includes more than the typical form of stock ownership, that is, stock held in the person’s name. The term also includes what is referred to as “indirect ownership,” meaning ownership of shares as to which a person

has or shares investment power. For purposes of this table, a person or group of persons is deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of any shares that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of November 13, 2017.

(2)	Assumes that all shares of common stock being registered under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part that are held by the selling securityholders are resold to third parties.

(3)

The following entities affiliated with ACEP Holdings may be deemed to beneficially own indirectly 4,046,494 shares of common stock of the Company held by ACEP Holdings (the “ACEP Shares”): (i) WH Advisors, L.L.C. 2007 (“WH Advisors”); (ii) Whitehall Street Global Real Estate Limited Partnership 2007 (“Whitehall”); and (iii) W2007 Finance Sub, LLC (together with ACEP Holdings, WH Advisors and Whitehall, the “GS Investing Entities”). The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“GS Group”) and its subsidiary Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”) may be deemed to beneficially own all of the ACEP Shares because Goldman Sachs is the investment manager of certain of the GS Investing Entities and affiliates of GS Group and Goldman Sachs are the general partner, managing limited partner, managing partner or managing member of, and share voting power and investment power with, the GS Investing Entities. In addition, GS Group and Goldman Sachs may be deemed to own an additional 3,638 shares of common stock of the Company as of November 10, 2017. GS Group and Goldman Sachs each disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock owned directly or indirectly by the GS Investing Entities, except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein, if any. The address of the principal business office of each of the GS Investing Entities, GS Group and Goldman Sachs is 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282.

The selling securityholders listed in the above table may have sold or transferred, in transactions pursuant to this prospectus or exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, some or all of its shares since the date as of which the information is presented in the above table. Information concerning the selling securityholders may change from time to time and any such changed information will be set forth in supplements to this prospectus or amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part if and when necessary.

We have agreed to pay all costs, expenses and fees relating to registering the shares of our common stock to be sold by the selling securityholders identified in this prospectus. The selling securityholders have agreed to pay any underwriting discounts, selling commissions, stock transfer taxes or similar charges incurred for the sale of such shares of our common stock.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers.

The selling securityholders (which as used herein includes their pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the selling securityholders’ interests in our securities other than through a public sale) may from time to time sell all or a portion of the shares of our common stock beneficially owned by them and offered hereby directly or through one or more underwriters, broker-dealers or agents. If the shares of common stock are sold through underwriters or broker-dealers, the selling securityholder will be responsible for discounts or commissions payable to such underwriters or broker-dealers. The selling securityholders may use any one or more of the following methods (which may involve crosses or block transactions) when selling shares:

•

on any national stock exchange or U.S. interdealer quotation system of a registered national securities association on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale;

•

in the over-the-counter market;

•

underwritten transactions;

•

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;

•

block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

•

purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;

•

an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;

•

privately negotiated transactions;

•

short sales effected after the date the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part is declared effective by the SEC;

•

through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;

•

broker-dealers may agree with the selling stockholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share;

•

a combination of any such methods of sale; and

•

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The selling securityholders may also sell all or a portion of their shares in reliance upon Rule 144 under the Securities Act or Section 4(1) under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus, provided that they meet the criteria and conform to the requirements of those provisions. The selling securityholders may also transfer, devise or gift such shares by other means not described in this prospectus. The selling securityholders are not obligated to, and there is no assurance that the selling securityholders will, sell all or any of the shares of common stock we are registering.

Dispositions of the securities by us or the selling securityholders may be at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.

Each time that we or any of the selling securityholders sell securities pursuant to this prospectus, we or the selling securityholders will (to the extent required) provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us or the selling securityholders, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the selling securityholders, or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We or the selling securityholders may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

The selling securityholders and broker-dealers or other intermediaries through whom such securities are sold may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered hereby, and as such any profits realized or commissions received may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. Each selling securityholder has informed us that at the time of the acquisition of the common stock to be resold, it did not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute such common stock.

We are required to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the registration of the common stock held by the selling securityholders. We have agreed to indemnify certain of the selling securityholders against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

Any common stock will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, but any other securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

We or the selling securityholders may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we or the selling securityholders may enter into hedging or other derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or the selling securityholders or borrowed from us, the selling securityholders or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us or the selling securityholders in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we or the selling securityholders may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the selling securityholders have been advised that they may not use shares registered on this registration statement to cover short sales of our common stock made prior to the date the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, has been declared effective by the SEC.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate proceeds of the offering.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

LEGAL MATTERS

Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A. and Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Golden Entertainment, Inc. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us, the selling securityholders or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule of Golden Entertainment, Inc. and subsidiaries incorporated herein by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Golden Entertainment, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of Piercy Bowler Taylor & Kern, Certified Public Accountants, independent registered public accounting firm, given upon the firm’s authority as an expert in auditing and accounting.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby.


SEC registration fee	$	34,243
FINRA filing fee	$	(1)
Printing expenses	$	(1)
Legal fees and expenses	$	(1)
Accounting fees and expenses	$	(1)
Blue Sky, qualification fees and expenses	$	(1)
Transfer agent fees and expenses	$	(1)
Trustee fees and expenses	$	(1)
Warrant agent fees and expenses	$	(1)
Miscellaneous	$	(1)

Total	$	(1)

(1)	These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time.

Item 15.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

We are subject to the Minnesota Business Corporation Act (the “MBCA”). Section 302A.521 of the MBCA provides that we shall indemnify a person made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of the former or present official capacity of such person against judgments, penalties, fines, including, without limitation, excise taxes assessed against such person with respect to any employee benefit plan, settlements and reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements, incurred by such person in connection with the proceeding, if, with respect to the acts or omissions of such person complained of in the proceeding, such person:

•

has not been indemnified by another organization or employee benefit plan for the same judgments, penalties, fines, including, without limitation, excise taxes assessed against the person with respect to an employee benefit plan, settlements, and reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements, incurred by the person in connection with the proceeding with respect to the same acts or omissions;

•

acted in good faith;

•

received no improper personal benefit and Section 302A.255 of the MBCA, if applicable, has been satisfied;

•

in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful; and

•

in the case of acts or omissions occurring in such person’s performance in an official capacity, such person must have acted in a manner such person reasonably believed was in our best interests, or, in certain limited circumstances, not opposed to our best interests.

Article 6 of our articles of incorporation further provides that our directors shall not be personally liable to us or our shareholders for breaches of fiduciary duty. In addition, Article 6 of our bylaws provides that we shall indemnify our officers, directors, employees and agents to the full extent permitted by the laws of the State of Minnesota.

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We also maintain a director and officer insurance policy to cover ourselves, our directors and our officers against certain liabilities.

Item 16.

Exhibits

(a) Exhibits


Exhibit Number		Description

1.1*		Form of Underwriting Agreement.

3.1		Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Golden Entertainment, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 4, 2015).

3.2		Fifth Amended and Restated Bylaws of Golden Entertainment, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 4, 2015).

4.1		Form of Specimen Certificate Representing Common Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed with the SEC on June 21, 2016).

4.2		Form of Indenture (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed with the SEC on June 21, 2016).

4.3*		Form of Note.

4.4*		Form of Warrant.

4.5*		Form of Warrant Agreement.

4.6*		Form of Unit Agreement.

5.1		Opinion of Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A.

5.2		Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP.

12.1		Statement Regarding the Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

23.1		Consent of Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A. (included in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2		Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2).

23.3		Consent of Piercy Bowler Taylor & Kern, independent registered public accounting firm.

24.1		Powers of Attorney (incorporated by reference to the signature page hereto).

25.1*		Statement of Eligibility of Trustee on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

*	To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities.

Item 17.

Undertakings

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in

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the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement ; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided , however , that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided , however , that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(6) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities:

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the

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following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communications that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(j) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (the “Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Las Vegas, Nevada, on the 15th day of November, 2017.


Golden Entertainment, Inc.

By:		/s/ Blake L. Sartini
		Blake L. Sartini
		Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Blake L. Sartini and Charles H. Protell, or either of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments and any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective under Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act, to this registration statement, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


SIGNATURE	TITLE	DATE

/s/ Blake L. Sartini Blake L. Sartini	Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)	November 15, 2017

/s/ Charles H. Protell Charles H. Protell	Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)	November 15, 2017

/s/ Gary A. Vecchiarelli Gary A. Vecchiarelli	Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting (Principal Accounting Officer)	November 15, 2017

/s/ Lyle A. Berman Lyle A. Berman	Director	November 15, 2017

/s/ Timothy J. Cope Timothy J. Cope	Director	November 15, 2017

/s/ Mark A. Lipparelli Mark A. Lipparelli	Director	November 15, 2017

/s/ Robert L. Miodunski Robert L. Miodunski	Director	November 15, 2017

/s/ Neil I. Sell Neil I. Sell	Director	November 15, 2017

/s/ Terrence L. Wright Terrence L. Wright	Director	November 15, 2017