J&J Venture Gaming to acquire Leisure Gaming’s slot-only casinos in northern Nevada

Illinois-based J&J Venture Gaming is set to expand its footprint in Nevada with the acquisition of 10 slot-only casinos operated by Reno-based Leisure Gaming, pending final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission later this month.

Through its Golden Route Operations affiliate, J&J Gaming will take over Leisure Gaming’s operations in northern Nevada, adding 10 locations primarily along the I-80 corridor. The deal, expected to be finalized on November 21, was recommended for approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“This acquisition is a natural extension of our existing business,” said Jamal Goodrich, legal counsel for J&J, who confirmed that Leisure Gaming’s 70 employees would be retained as part of the integration into Golden Route Operations.

Leisure Gaming launched in 1993 with its Pilot Casino in Fernley and has since grown to operate nine additional properties across Nevada, amassing over 640 slot machines. The casinos included in the acquisition also include Winnemucca Pilot and Roadhouse, Carlin Pilot, Elko Roadhouse, Wendover Pilot, Lucky’s in Ely, Wells, and Fernley’s, and USA Parkway Lucky’s on I-80 inside the One9 Travel Center.

Ryan Albright, Leisure Gaming’s vice president of operations, said: “This pending transaction is bittersweet. We feel that we’re leaving the company in good hands. They’re keeping our employees, and that was tremendously important to me.”

J&J Gaming has established itself as a significant player in the route gaming industry, operating in venues ranging from restaurants to truck stops across several states. Together with its affiliates, J&J manages over 11,600 gaming terminals across more than 1,000 locations, serving around 3,600 venues nationwide.

This acquisition is the latest in a series of strategic moves by J&J. In January, it acquired Golden Entertainment’s Nevada distributed gaming operations for $213.5 million in cash and $37.5 million in cash. The company also acquired Golden Entertainment’s Montana gaming operations for $109 million in September.

J&J Gaming is privately held, with Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management as its majority owner. Oaktree has expanded its own interests in Nevada, acquiring the Casablanca Resort and Virgin River Hotel & Casino in Mesquite in late 2023.

Kirk Hendrick, Chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, commended Leisure Gaming as “another great American success story,” while board member George Assad likened the company’s journey to "raising a child from birth and nurturing them before going to college and setting them free.”