Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)
☒			ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020

or

☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Transition Period From ________ to _________

Commission file number: 000-55791

________________________________________________

VICI PROPERTIES INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

________________________________________________

Maryland						81-4177147
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

535 Madison Avenue, 20th Floor New York, New York 10022

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (646) 949-4631

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

Title of each class						Trading Symbol						Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par value						VICI						New York Stock Exchange

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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.

Large accelerated filer			☒			Accelerated filer			☐
Non-accelerated filer			☐			Smaller reporting company			☐
						Emerging growth company			☐

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2020 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $10.8 billion, based on the closing price of the common stock as reported on the NYSE on that date.

As of February 16, 2021, the registrant had 536,663,115 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Company’s definitive proxy statement relating to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the calendar year to which this report relates, are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10-14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K as indicated herein.

			TABLE OF CONTENTS			Page
Part I
			Item 1 – Business			6
			Item 1A – Risk Factors			23
			Item 1B – Unresolved Staff Comments			48
			Item 2 – Properties			48
			Item 3 – Legal Proceedings			48
			Item 4 – Mine Safety Disclosures			48
Part II
			Item 5 – Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities			49
			Item 6 – Selected Financial Data			50
			Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			51
			Item 7A – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk			71
			Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data			71
			Item 9 – Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure			71
			Item 9A – Controls and Procedures			72
			Item 9B – Other Information			72
Part III
			Item 10 – Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance			73
			Item 11 – Executive Compensation			73
			Item 12 – Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters			73
			Item 13 – Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence			73
			Item 14 – Principal Accounting Fees and Services			73
Part IV
			Item 15 – Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule			74
			Item 16 – Form 10-K Summary			77
Signatures						78
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule						F - 1

PART I

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the words “VICI,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to VICI Properties Inc. and its subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, unless otherwise stated or the context requires otherwise.

We refer to (i) our Consolidated Financial Statements as our “Financial Statements,” (ii) our Consolidated Balance Sheets as our “Balance Sheet,” (iii) our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income as our “Statement of Operations,” and (iv) our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as our “Statement of Cash Flows.” References to numbered “Notes” refer to the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

“2025 Notes” refers to $750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 3.500% senior unsecured notes due 2025 issued by the Operating Partnership and VICI Note Co. Inc., as Co-Issuer, in February 2020.

“2026 Notes” refers to $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.250% senior unsecured notes due 2026 issued by the Operating Partnership and VICI Note Co. Inc., as Co-Issuer, in November 2019.

“2027 Notes” refers to $750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 3.750% senior unsecured notes due 2027 issued by the Operating Partnership and VICI Note Co. Inc., as Co-Issuer, in February 2020.

“2029 Notes” refers to $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.625% senior unsecured notes due 2029 issued by the Operating Partnership and VICI Note Co. Inc., as Co-Issuer, in November 2019.

“2030 Notes” refers to $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.125% senior unsecured notes due 2030 issued by the Operating Partnership and VICI Note Co. Inc., as Co-Issuer, in February 2020.

“Caesars” refers to Caesars Entertainment, Inc., a Delaware corporation, formerly Eldorado, following the consummation of the Eldorado/Caesars Merger on July 20, 2020 and Eldorado’s conversion to a Delaware corporation.

“Caesars Forum Convention Center” refers to the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the approximately 28 acres of land upon which the Caesars Forum Convention Center is built and/or otherwise used in connection with or necessary for the operation of the Caesars Forum Convention Center.

“Caesars Lease Agreements” refer collectively to (i) prior to the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction, the CPLV Lease Agreement, the Non-CPLV Lease Agreement, the Joliet Lease Agreement and the HLV Lease Agreement, and (ii) from and after the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction, the Las Vegas Master Lease Agreement, the Regional Master Lease Agreement and the Joliet Lease Agreement, in each case, unless the context otherwise requires.

“Century Casinos” refers to Century Casinos, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and, as the context requires, its subsidiaries.

“Century Portfolio” refers to the real estate assets associated with the (i) Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort located in New Cumberland, West Virginia, (ii) Century Casino Caruthersville located in Caruthersville, Missouri and (iii) Century Casino Cape Girardeau located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, which we purchased on December 6, 2019.

“Century Portfolio Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for the Century Portfolio, as amended from time to time.

“CEOC” refers to Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries, prior to the Formation Date, and following the Formation Date, CEOC, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and, as the context requires, its subsidiaries. CEOC was a subsidiary of Pre-Merger Caesars, and following the consummation of the Eldorado/Caesars Merger, is a subsidiary of Caesars.

“Co-Issuer” refers to VICI Note Co. Inc., a Delaware corporation, and co-issuer of the Senior Unsecured Notes.

“CPLV CMBS Debt” refers to $1.55 billion of asset-level real estate mortgage financing of Caesars Palace Las Vegas, incurred by a subsidiary of the Operating Partnership on October 6, 2017 and repaid in full on November 26, 2019.

“CPLV Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for Caesars Palace Las Vegas, as amended from time to time, which was combined with the HLV Lease Agreement into the Las Vegas Master Lease Agreement upon the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction.

“Eldorado” refers to Eldorado Resorts, Inc., a Nevada corporation, and, as the context requires, its subsidiaries. Following the consummation of the Eldorado/Caesars Merger on July 20, 2020, Eldorado converted to a Delaware corporation and changed its name to Caesars Entertainment, Inc.

“Eldorado Transaction” refers to a series of transactions between us and Eldorado in connection with the Eldorado/Caesars Merger, including the acquisition of the Harrah’s New Orleans, Harrah’s Atlantic City and Harrah’s Laughlin properties, modifications to the Caesars Lease Agreements, and rights of first refusal.

“Eldorado/Caesars Merger” refers to the merger consummated on July 20, 2020 under an Agreement and Plan of Merger pursuant to which a subsidiary of Eldorado merged with and into Pre-Merger Caesars, with Pre-Merger Caesars surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Caesars (which changed its name from Eldorado in connection with the closing of the Eldorado/Caesars Merger).

“February 2020 Senior Unsecured Notes” refers collectively to the 2025 Notes, the 2027 Notes and the 2030 Notes.

“Formation Date” refers to October 6, 2017.

“Greektown” refers to the real estate assets associated with the Greektown Casino-Hotel, located in Detroit, Michigan, which we purchased on May 23, 2019.

“Greektown Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for Greektown, as amended from time to time.

“Hard Rock” means Hard Rock International, and, as the context requires, its subsidiary and affiliate entities.

“Hard Rock Cincinnati” refers to the casino-entitled land and real estate and related assets associated with the Hard Rock Cincinnati Casino, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, which we purchased on September 20, 2019.

“Hard Rock Cincinnati Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for Hard Rock Cincinnati, as amended from time to time.

“HLV Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for the Harrah’s Las Vegas facilities, as amended from time to time, which was combined with the CPLV Lease Agreement into the Las Vegas Master Lease Agreement upon the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction.

“JACK Entertainment” refers to JACK Ohio LLC, and, as the context requires, its subsidiary and affiliate entities.

“JACK Cleveland/Thistledown” refers to the casino-entitled land and real estate and related assets associated with the JACK Cleveland Casino located in Cleveland, Ohio, and the video lottery gaming and pari-mutuel wagering authorized land and real estate and related assets of JACK Thistledown Racino located in North Randall, Ohio, which we purchased on January 24, 2020.

“JACK Cleveland/Thistledown Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for JACK Cleveland/Thistledown, as amended from time to time.

“Joliet Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for the facility in Joliet, Illinois, as amended from time to time.

“Las Vegas Master Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for Caesars Palace Las Vegas and the Harrah’s Las Vegas facilities, as amended from time to time, from and after the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction.

“Lease Agreements” refer collectively to the Caesars Lease Agreements, the Penn National Lease Agreements, the Hard Rock Cincinnati Lease Agreement, the Century Portfolio Lease Agreement and the JACK Cleveland/Thistledown Lease Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires.

“Margaritaville” refers to the real estate of Margaritaville Resort Casino, located in Bossier City, Louisiana, which we purchased on January 2, 2019.

“Margaritaville Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for Margaritaville, as amended from time to time.

“Master Transaction Agreement” or “MTA” refers to the master transaction agreement with Eldorado relating to the Eldorado Transaction.

“Non-CPLV Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for regional properties (other than the facility in Joliet, Illinois) leased to Pre-Merger Caesars prior to the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction, as amended from time to time, which was replaced by the Regional Master Lease Agreement upon the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction.

“November 2019 Senior Unsecured Notes” refers collectively to the 2026 Notes and the 2029 Notes.

“Operating Partnership” refers to VICI Properties L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and a wholly owned subsidiary of VICI.

“Penn National” refers to Penn National Gaming, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, and, as the context requires, its subsidiaries.

“Penn National Lease Agreements” refer collectively to the Margaritaville Lease Agreement and the Greektown Lease Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires.

“Pre-Merger Caesars” refers to Caesars Entertainment Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and, as the context requires, its subsidiaries. Following the consummation of the Eldorado/Caesars Merger on July 20, 2020, Pre-Merger Caesars became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caesars.

“Regional Master Lease Agreement” refers to the lease agreement for the regional properties (other than the facility in Joliet, Illinois) leased to Caesars, as amended from time to time, from and after the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction.

“Revolving Credit Facility” refers to the five-year first lien revolving credit facility entered into by VICI PropCo, as amended from time to time.

“Senior Unsecured Notes” refers collectively to the November 2019 Senior Unsecured Notes and the February 2020 Senior Unsecured Notes.

“Second Lien Notes” refers to $766.9 million aggregate principal amount of 8.0% second priority senior secured notes due 2023 issued by a subsidiary of the Operating Partnership in October 2017, the remaining $498.5 million aggregate principal amount outstanding as of December 31, 2019 of which was redeemed in full on February 20, 2020.

“Seminole Hard Rock” means Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc.

“Term Loan B Facility” refers to the seven-year senior secured first lien term loan B facility entered into by VICI PropCo in December 2017, as amended from time to time.

“VICI Golf” refers to VICI Golf LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that is the owner and operator of our golf segment business.

“VICI PropCo” refers to VICI Properties 1 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of VICI.

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business is subject to a number of risks, including risks that may prevent us from achieving our business objectives or may adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects. These risks are discussed more fully in Item 1A. Risk Factors. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

• The COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate and long-term effects, including its effect on our tenants and the gaming industry, could materially and adversely impact us, including by affecting our tenants and the gaming industry, upon which we are dependent;

• We are and will always be significantly dependent on our tenants for our revenues, and unless or until we substantially diversify our portfolio an event that has a material adverse effect on any of our tenants’ businesses, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or prospects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects;

• Caesars is required to pay a significant portion of their cash flow from operations to us pursuant to the Caesars Lease Agreements and the Forum Convention Center Mortgage Loan which could adversely affect Caesars’ ability to satisfy its obligations to us;

• Caesars’ indebtedness and the fact that a significant portion of its cash flow is used to make interest payments could adversely affect its ability to satisfy its obligations to us;

• We and our tenants face extensive regulation from gaming and other regulatory authorities;

• Required regulatory approvals can delay or prohibit transfers of our gaming properties or the consummation of other pending transactions, which could result in periods in which we are unable to receive rent for such properties or otherwise realize the benefits of such transactions;

• Tenants may choose not to renew the Lease Agreements;

• Net leases may not result in fair market lease rates over time, which could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows and reduce the amount of funds available to make distributions to stockholders;

• If Caesars declares bankruptcy and, as a result, a lease is re-characterized as a disguised financing transaction, we could be materially and adversely affected;

• We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, and may incur additional indebtedness in the future, that exposes us to the risk of default under our debt obligations, limits our operating flexibility, increases the risks associated with a downturn in our business or in the businesses of our tenants and requires us to use a substantial portion of our cash to service our debt obligations;

• Our ability to refinance our indebtedness as it becomes due depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control;

• We may not be able to purchase the properties subject to the A&R Convention Center Put-Call Agreement, the Centaur Properties Put-Call Agreement, the Las Vegas Strip Assets ROFR or the Horseshoe Baltimore ROFR and we may be forced to dispose of Harrah’s Las Vegas on disadvantageous terms;

• The bankruptcy or insolvency of any tenant or guarantor could result in the termination of the Lease Agreements and the related guarantees and material losses to us;

• Our pursuit of investments in, and acquisitions of, additional properties may be unsuccessful or fail to meet our expectations;

• We may sell or divest different properties or assets after an evaluation of our portfolio of businesses. Such sales or divestitures would affect our costs, revenues, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity;

• Our properties are subject to risks from natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, severe weather, including as a result of climate change, and terrorism;

• We face risks associated with security breaches through cyber-attacks, cyber-intrusions or otherwise, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology (IT) networks and related systems;

• The possibility that our separation from CEOC fails to qualify as a tax-free spin-off, which could subject CEOC to significant tax liabilities and for which we could be required to indemnify CEOC;

Risks Related to our Status as a REIT

• We may not qualify or maintain our qualification as a REIT;

• Qualification to be taxed as a REIT involves highly technical and complex provisions of the Code, and violations of these provisions could jeopardize our REIT qualification;

• The cash available for distribution to stockholders may not be sufficient to pay dividends at expected levels, nor can we assure you of our ability to make distributions in the future. We may use borrowed funds to make distributions;

Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure

• Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent an acquisition of our common stock or a change in control;

• Certain provisions of Maryland law may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of us;

General Risks

• Future incurrences of debt and/or issuance of preferred equity securities could adversely affect the market price of our common stock; and

• The market price and trading volume of shares of our common stock may be volatile; the number of shares available for future sale and our earnings and cash distributions could adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock.