Gaming and Leisure Properties secures record second quarter
The second quarter marked another quarter of record revenue for Gaming and Leisure Properties with second quarter revenue rising by 3.8 per cent year over year to $394.9m whilst Adjusted EBITDA increased 6.2 per cent per cent.
Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GLPI, commentedOur solid second quarter results reflect GLPI’s recent acquisitions and financing arrangements, contractual escalators and percentage rent adjustments, and our growing base of leading regional gaming operator tenants. These factors contribute to the ongoing predictability of our rental cash flows and dividends, and are expected to drive continued financial growth in the second half of 2025.
“In the second half of 2025, GLPI will benefit from sale-leaseback transactions and financing commitments completed in 2024 as well as our activity in the first quarter of 2025. For example, earlier this year GLPI continued its funding of the landside conversion of Bally’s Belle of Baton Rouge Casino with the hotel now open and the project anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter. The landside conversion is providing the asset with an attractive runway for growth on par with similar recent conversions across the industry. In July 2025, the DraftKings at Casino Queen and The Queen Baton Rouge properties were transferred to Bally’s Master Lease II and the $28.9m of annual rental income will be reallocated to the new lease which includes a guarantee from several Bally’s entities to replace the corporate guarantee for this lease. The Bally’s assets in our portfolio are performing very well resulting in strong four-wall coverage from these properties.
“In addition to the Bally’s Belle funding and lease modification, future results will also benefit from the five-year extension with Boyd Gaming of their Master Lease and the Belterra Park Lease completed earlier in 2025. In addition, we have funded $25.8 million as of June 30, 2025, for the Ione Band of Miwok Indians’ Acorn Ridge Casino development near Sacramento, California, marking a first-of-its-kind financing agreement between a federally recognized tribe and a real estate investment trust. In total, GLPI has committed to Ione a $110 million delayed draw term loan facility which has a 5-year term and an 11% interest rate. GLPI remains active in identifying additional opportunities in tribal gaming where partnerships can benefit from our unique funding structures, similar to the value our leading regional gaming operator tenants derive from our relationships. Near-term, our relationship with PENN Entertainment is expected to result in $130 million of funding for the relocation of Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is scheduled to open on August 11, 2025, for which GLPI will receive a 7.75% cap rate. These fundings and lease extensions reflect our commitment to delivering creative financing solutions and supporting our tenant partners.
“Looking forward, construction of the Bally’s permanent gaming and entertainment destination resort in Chicago continues and the budget remains unchanged. The resort will feature approximately 3,300 slots, 170-plus table games, a 500-room hotel tower, 3,000 seat theater, six restaurants, cafes, a food hall and a two-acre river-side public park. We are proud of our ability to work alongside Bally’s to impart GLPI’s decades of casino construction and development expertise to the project in support of our project financing commitment.
“Elsewhere, earlier this year GLPI agreed to fund, at PENN’s discretion, construction improvements at Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs where GLPI will continue to own the Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs land and, in the event that GLPI funds the construction of the improvements rather than providing a loan, the entire land-based development. Late last month, applications for three available downstate casinos were submitted to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board. GLPI is providing financial support to two projects, one located in Brooklyn’s iconic Coney Island, and the second in the Bronx at Bally’s Links golf course project in Ferry Point. If either project is awarded a license, GLPI agreed to provide funding for certain hard costs. Finally, in Las Vegas, we maintain a valuable land parcel of 35 acres, 26 acres of which will remain for development following the dedication of 9 acres for the site of Major League Baseball’s new Athletic’s stadium. Bally’s is continuing to work with its design professionals to finalize plans for an integrated casino adjacent to the new stadium. We intend to remain disciplined as the integrated resort planning process unfolds and we will then determine how much, if any, additional funding we may provide to support the construction of the integrated resort.
“With our pipeline of announced growth opportunities, disciplined approach to portfolio expansion, the proven long-term resiliency of our tenants’ revenue streams, and comfortable rent coverage ratios, we expect to continue to deliver strong capital returns and yields for our shareholders.”
