Rocky Gap Casino owner announces plans to sell
Aug. 25—CUMBERLAND — Golden Entertainment announced plans Thursday to sell Rocky Gap Casino Resort for $260 million.
The sale to Century Casinos and real estate investor VICI Properties was reportedly announced during a meeting of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission.
According to a news release issued by Golden Entertainment, Century will pay $56.1 million for casino operations and VICI will acquire the land and buildings for $203.9 million.
Allegany Commission President Jake Shade addressed the sale in his comments during Thursday's commission meeting.
"Golden has been great to work with, and I'm sure this new company will be as well," he said. "Rocky Gap Casino continues to generate record revenue — not just as an economic driver, but by putting a tremendous amount of money right back in the community through our opportunity scholarships, volunteer fire departments, our PAYGO and a lot of other good stuff for ACM and Frostburg, and any time we need money for nonprofits. I'm sure that relationship will continue to expand, and we're excited to have them here. Hopefully, they will continue to grow, and we look forward to meeting the new folks."
"Rocky Gap is a truly unique destination resort and I want to thank all of our team members who work hard to consistently deliver a premier gaming and entertainment experience to our guests," said Blake Sartini, chairman and chief executive officer of Golden Entertainment. "Since Golden began operating Rocky Gap seven years ago, we have invested our resources to enhance the property's amenities and our contributions to the State of Maryland. We are confident that Century Casinos will be a terrific operator of Rocky Gap and strong partner to the community going forward."
Rocky Gap, which is situated on 270 acres along Lake Habeeb near Flintstone, features 198 hotel rooms and an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The casino has 626 slot machines and 16 table games, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Commission. The casino includes a 25,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 198-room hotel, as well as five restaurants.
In July, the casino made more than $6.2 million, a decrease of about $88,000 from July 2021.
The deal is expected to close next year, according to Golden Entertainment.
