Blake L. Sartini II, senior vice president of gaming, wins top award

March 21, 2017

LAS VEGAS (March 21, 2017) – Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) is pleased to announce that Blake L. Sartini II, senior vice president of distributed gaming, has been honored by VEGAS INC as one of the top “40 under 40” business leaders in Las Vegas. The annual awards from the local business publication honors Southern Nevada business leaders with outstanding professional achievements who have also made positive contributions to the community.Sartini, 31, oversees the company’s market-leading slot machine route operations in Nevada and Montana, which covers more than 10,000 games at nearly 1,000 locations. Golden Entertainment acquired two slot machine route businesses in Montana last year.Sartini is also responsible Golden Entertainment’s market-leading wholly owned tavern business in Nevada. He helped oversee the opening of five new taverns in Southern Nevada last year and the company plans to open seven new taverns in the Las Vegas Valley in 2017.Like his father, Golden Entertainment Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Blake L. Sartini, the younger Sartini learned all aspects of the business from the ground up. He joined Golden in 2010, where he tended bar at the company’s taverns in the evenings, while during the day, crunched numbers as a financial analyst. He moved into his current position in July 2015, which coincided with the company’s $341 million merger with Lakes Entertainment.“Blake is an invaluable asset within our company. From the outset, he wanted to learn and understand all aspects of the business, which has made him a trusted leader,” said Steve Arcana, chief operating officer of Golden Entertainment. “Blake’s experience and knowledge has been key in our expansion into Montana and growth in Nevada. We are pleased that VEGAS INC has chosen to recognize Blake’s accomplishments.”Sartini holds a bachelor of science in business administration from Chapman University. He is active in supporting the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation and Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development.About Golden Entertainment, Inc. Golden Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates gaming properties across two divisions – distributed gaming and casino operations. Golden Entertainment operates more than 12,000 gaming devices and nearly 30 table games in Nevada, Maryland and Montana. The Company owns four casino properties, more than 50 taverns and operates approximately 980 distributed gaming locations in multiple jurisdictions. Golden Entertainment is focused on leveraging its scale, market leadership and proven management capabilities to maximize profitability of its operations and value for its shareholders.Media Contact: Howard Stutz of Golden Entertainment (702) 495-4490 [email protected] Contact: Joseph Jaffoni, Richard Land, James Leahy of JCIR (212) 835-8500 [email protected]