<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001071255-21-000104.txt : 20220210
<SEC-HEADER>0001071255-21-000104.hdr.sgml : 20220210
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20211221122325
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001071255-21-000104
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20211221

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			GOLDEN ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001071255
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	SERVICES-MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENT & RECREATION [7990]
		IRS NUMBER:				411913991
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			MN
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		6595 S JONES BLVD
		CITY:			LAS VEGAS
		STATE:			NV
		ZIP:			89118
		BUSINESS PHONE:		7028914284

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		6595 S JONES BLVD
		CITY:			LAS VEGAS
		STATE:			NV
		ZIP:			89118

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	LAKES ENTERTAINMENT INC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	20020806

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	LAKES GAMING INC
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19980929
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.htm
<TEXT>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"><html><head>
<!-- Document created using Wdesk -->
<!-- Copyright 2021 Workiva -->
<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="i53c6dbe48e734e259288c65030d88012_1"></div><div style="min-height:36pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:107%">December 17, 2021</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-top:10pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">VIA EDGAR</font></div><div style="margin-top:10pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Ms. Keira Nakada</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Division of Corporation Finance</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Office of Trade &#38; Services</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Securities and Exchange Commission</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Washington, D.C. 20549</font></div><div style="margin-top:10pt"><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">               Re&#58;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Golden Entertainment, Inc.</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">             &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">       &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Filed March 12, 2021</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">           &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;File No. 000-24993</font></div><div style="text-indent:72pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Form 10-Q for the Fiscal Quarter Ended September 30, 2021</font></div><div style="text-indent:72pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Filed November 5, 2021</font></div><div style="text-indent:72pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Response dated October 22, 2021</font></div><div style="text-indent:72pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">File No. 000-24993</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:115%">Telephone discussion on December 13, 2021</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Dear Ms. Nakada&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Golden Entertainment, Inc. (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Company</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#8221;) would like to provide further clarification of our responses to certain questions raised in the SEC Staff&#8217;s comment letter dated November 9, 2021 (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Letter</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#8221;). For ease of reference, we have set forth the Staff&#8217;s comments included in the Letter in bold font and the Company&#8217;s responses below.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Consolidated Financial Statements</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Revenue Recognition, page 51</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">1.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:10.5pt">Your response to comment 2 states that both you and the third-party business location hold an applicable gaming license under the participation agreements. Please tell us and disclose the specific type of gaming license that each party holds. Also, tell us and disclose the key difference(s) between the participation agreements and space lease agreements with revenue share provisions.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Response&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The number of space lease agreements with revenue share provisions has been and continues to be insignificant to the Company (approximately 25 out of approximately 1,100 locations as of September 30, 2021), nor it is expected to be significant in the future. Under the space lease agreements with revenue share provisions, </font><font style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">we hold the applicable gaming license to conduct gaming at the third-party business location and the business location is required to obtain separate regulatory approval to receive a percentage of the gaming revenue. Such arrangements are </font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">short-term in nature and at times are executed with the third-party locations that may require additional time to obtain a full gaming license. </font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Due to the insignificance of such arrangements to the Company&#8217;s distributed gaming operations, in its future filings the Company will group these arrangements into our general description of participation agreements.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="height:36pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:36pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Note 15 - Segment Information, page 74</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">2.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%;padding-left:10.5pt">We read your responses and revised disclosures related to comments 4 and 5. Please tell us in greater detail how you determined that each of your aggregated operating segments have similar regulatory environments and similar economic characteristics. Refer to ASC 280-10-50-11 and ASC 280-10-55-7A through 55-7C. Please also confirm that you will continue to provide the segment disclosures discussed in ASC 280-10-50-22(c) through (j), as applicable, without presenting a second measure of segment profit in the ASC 280 segment footnote.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Response&#58;</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">We appreciate the time you spent with us to review our current segment disclosures on December 13, 2021. We are still considering how best to address your concerns but will provide you additional detail on our proposed revised segment reporting by December 24</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:6.5pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;position:relative;top:-3.5pt;vertical-align:baseline">th</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Please contact me as needed with any questions to this response. I can be reached at 702-891-4266 or at cprotell&#64;goldenent.com. We appreciate your ongoing dialog with the Company on this matter.</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Regards,</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">&#47;s&#47; Charles H. Protell</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Charles H. Protell</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Golden Entertainment, Inc.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">President and Chief Financial Officer</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Cc&#58;         Ryan H. Cupersmith, Ernst &#38; Young LLP</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">               Steven Stokdyk, Latham &#38; Watkins LLP</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">               Ann Buckingham, Latham &#38; Watkins LLP</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Tom Haas, Golden Entertainment, Inc., Senior Vice President &#38; Chief Accounting Officer</font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="height:36pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:36pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div style="height:36pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
