VICI DEF 14A
Vici Properties Inc. (VICI)
DEF 14A
2025-03-17
For: 2025-04-29
View Original
Added on
June 12, 2026
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
☐
Preliminary Proxy Statement
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☒
Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12
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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
A LETTER TO OUR STOCKHOLDERS FROM THE CEO
March 17, 2025
535 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, New York 10022 · Telephone (646) 949-4631
Dear Fellow Stockholders,
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of VICI Properties Inc. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, which will be held solely by means of remote communication in a virtual meeting format and conducted via live audio webcast in order to continue to provide greater access and visibility to our stockholders.
The virtual meeting has been designed to provide the same rights to participate as you would have at an in-person meeting. In addition, the virtual format provides the opportunity for participation by a broader group of our stockholders and enables the company to communicate more effectively with its stockholders who are able to participate from around the world. You can attend the Annual Meeting by Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025 by using the 16-digit control number that appears on your proxy card and the voting instruction form that accompanied your proxy materials. During this virtual meeting, you may ask questions and will be able to vote your shares electronically. You may submit a question in advance of the meeting at www.proxyvote.com after logging in with your control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or Notice of Availability. You will also have the ability to submit questions in advance of the Annual Meeting through the meeting website. All questions submitted should be relevant to the matters properly addressed during this meeting. The business that will be conducted at the Annual Meeting is described in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement.
Your Board of Directors is unanimously recommending a highly qualified, experienced, and actively engaged slate of nominees for election to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. Your Board’s nominees are James R. Abrahamson, Diana F. Cantor, Monica H. Douglas, Elizabeth I. Holland, Craig Macnab, Edward B. Pitoniak and Michael D. Rumbolz. Your Board brings executive and financial leadership, a wide range of complementary skills and backgrounds relevant to the company’s industry, strategy and commitment to creating long-term stockholder value.
At the Annual Meeting, you will be asked to:
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Elect the seven members named in the accompanying proxy statement to serve on our Board of Directors
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Ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025
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Approve (on a non-binding, advisory basis) the compensation of our named executive officers
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In addition, you will be asked to transact any such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. The accompanying proxy statement provides a detailed description of these proposals and instructions on how to vote your shares.
Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please vote as soon as possible. Instructions on how to vote are contained in the proxy statement.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and our employees, we thank you for your continued interest in and support of our company.
Sincerely,
Edward B. Pitoniak
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025
10:00 A.M., EASTERN TIME
VIRTUAL MEETING ACCESS:
WWW.VIRTUALSHAREHOLDERMEETING.COM/VICI2025 |
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PROXY VOTING
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Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote your shares now as instructed in the proxy statement.
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To Our Stockholders:
You are cordially invited to attend the virtual 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of VICI Properties Inc., at which stockholders will vote on the following proposals:
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Items of Business
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Board
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1.
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Election of the seven director nominees named in the accompanying proxy statement
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Ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025
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Approval (on a non-binding, advisory basis) of the compensation of our named executive officers
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Other business will be transacted as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.
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Record Date
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Stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 3, 2025 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and at any postponement or adjournment thereof.
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We have endeavored to provide stockholders attending the Annual Meeting with the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would have at an in-person meeting.
This Notice of Annual Meeting and the accompanying proxy statement are first being made available to our stockholders on or about March 17, 2025.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
Samantha Sacks Gallagher
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
New York, New York
March 17, 2025
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
New York, New York
March 17, 2025
VOTING CAN BE COMPLETED IN ONE OF FOUR WAYS:
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BY INTERNET
Go to www.proxyvote.com
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BY TELEPHONE
Use the toll-free number shown on your Proxy Card or Voting Instruction Form
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BY MAIL
Mark, sign, date and return the enclosed Proxy Card and related instructions in the postage-paid envelope
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DURING THE MEETING
Vote through the virtual portal at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025 during the Annual Meeting
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IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL 29, 2025.
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The accompanying proxy statement and our 2024 Annual Report are available at https://investors.viciproperties.com/annual-meeting/. In addition, our stockholders may access this information, as well as submit their voting instructions, at www.proxyvote.com by having their proxy card and related instructions in hand.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INDEX OF FREQUENTLY REQUESTED INFORMATION
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| | Individual Director Skills Matrix | | | | | 4 | | | | Total Stockholder Return Benchmarking | | | | | 50 | | |
| | Director Nominees | | | | | 10 | | | | Peer Group and Benchmarking | | | | | 53 | | |
| | Corporate Governance Matters | | | | | 22 | | | | 2024 STIP Award Opportunities and Results | | | | | 55 | | |
| | Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility | | | | | 32 | | | | 2022 LTIP Performance-Based Award Results | | | | | 58 | | |
| | Human Capital Management | | | | | 37 | | | | Stock Ownership Guidelines | | | | | 61 | | |
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PROXY SUMMARY
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider and you should read the entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting.
2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
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DATE AND TIME
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LOCATION
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RECORD DATE
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025
10:00 a.m., Eastern Time |
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Live webcast accessible at:
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025 |
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March 3, 2025
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How to Vote
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BY INTERNET
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BY TELEPHONE
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BY MAIL
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DURING THE MEETING
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Go to
www.proxyvote.com |
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Use the toll-free number shown
on your Proxy Card or Voting Instruction Form |
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Mark, sign, date and return the
enclosed Proxy Card and related instructions in the postage-paid envelope |
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Vote through the virtual portal at
www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025 during the Annual Meeting |
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Annual Meeting Proposals
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Proposal
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Board Vote
Recommendation |
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Page Reference
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Proposal 1:
Election of Directors
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FOR
each nominee |
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Proposal 2:
Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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Proposal 3:
Non-binding, Advisory Vote to Approve the Compensation of Named Executive Officers
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FOR
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General
VICI Properties Inc. (“VICI,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”) is utilizing the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) rule that allows companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. As a result, we mailed to our stockholders a Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Availability”) instead of a paper copy of the proxy materials (including the proxy card (the “Proxy Card”), this proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “2024 Annual Report”)) on or about March 17, 2025. We also provided access to our proxy materials over the Internet beginning on that date. The Notice of Availability contained instructions on how to access this Proxy Statement and the 2024 Annual Report and how to vote at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), online or by toll-free number. Subsequent to receiving the Notice of Availability, all stockholders have the ability to access the proxy materials over the Internet and request to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. Additionally, stockholders can access a copy of the proxy materials at www.proxyvote.com.
Our board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or “Board”) is soliciting proxies to be voted at the Annual Meeting. The Proxy Statement provides the information stockholders need to know to vote by proxy or in person (virtually) at the Annual Meeting.
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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2024 Business Highlights
Our key 2024 business highlights are set forth below (data presented as of December 31, 2024):
(1)
AFFO per share is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a definition and reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see the Appendix beginning on page 79 of this Proxy Statement.
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Individual Director Skills Matrix
The matrix below represents some of the key qualifications, skills and experience that we have identified as particularly valuable to the effective oversight of the Company and the execution of our strategy, including with respect to each individual director. This matrix highlights the different perspectives and the depth and breadth of the qualifications, skills and experience of our current directors.
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Individual Skills / Qualifications
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James R.
Abrahamson |
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Diana
Cantor |
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Monica H.
Douglas |
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Elizabeth I.
Holland |
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Craig
Macnab |
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Edward B.
Pitoniak |
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Michael D.
Rumbolz |
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Total
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Capital Markets / M&A / Investment Banking experience is valuable in understanding the role that transactional activity, capital markets and financing plays in our business and growth strategy.
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Finance / Accounting experience is helpful in understanding and overseeing our internal controls and financial reporting.
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Government Relations / Legal and Regulatory / Public Policy experience is beneficial in understanding the highly-regulated nature of the gaming industry and policy considerations.
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Risk Oversight and Management is vital to fulfilling the Board’s role with respect to management oversight and risk mitigation.
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Strategic Planning and Leadership is beneficial in providing insights into the future growth and strategy of our Company.
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Other Public Company Board Experience contributes to an understanding of best-practice corporate governance and alternative approaches.
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CEO / Executive Management experience allows for a better understanding of management’s perspective.
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Human Capital Management experience is essential to maintaining our culture and attracting, engaging and retaining employees.
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Executive Compensation experience is valuable in assessing the structure and design of our executive compensation program and practices.
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Environmental Sustainability experience is beneficial to an understanding of our impact on the environment and the impact of climate change on our business and portfolio.
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Social Responsibility experience is valuable in contributing to the advancement of our community engagement and other social initiatives.
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Corporate Governance experience is valuable in contributing to our continuing pursuit of best-in-class corporate governance practices.
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Cybersecurity and Information Technology experience is critical to an understanding of information security and risk management.
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Individual Industry Experience
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Consumer Discretionary Industry experience provides key insights with respect to consumer-facing sectors and related implications for our and our tenants’ businesses.
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Entertainment, Lodging and/ or Hospitality experience provides a meaningful advantage in contributing to our strategic planning and growth.
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Gaming Industry experience is critical to understanding the perspectives of our tenants and considerations with respect to our core assets, as well as the continued evolution of gaming.
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REITs / Real Estate Industry experience is beneficial in understanding the processes and considerations that drive successful outcomes in our business model.
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International experience is beneficial in advising management with respect to expansion into international jurisdictions in alignment with its growth strategy.
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Technology Industry experience provides an advantage in understanding industry disruption and future trends related to the growth and evolution of the experiential sector.
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Corporate Responsibility Highlights
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Corporate Governance
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Stockholder Value Creation — Continue our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance in promoting long-term value creation, transparency, and accountability to our stockholders
Effective Oversight and Risk Management — Maintain effective oversight and risk management as a real estate owner and as appropriate given our status as a triple-net lease lessor
Reporting and Strategic Integration — Enhance our internal framework, processes, and controls to continue progressing our ESG reporting capabilities and integrating ESG considerations into our investment, business, and asset management strategies
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Recent Highlights
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Articulated new Corporate Responsibility commitments, including with respect to biodiversity, human rights, and labor, all of which are available on our website
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Amended our key policies, including our Code of Business Conduct and Corporate Governance Guidelines, to incorporate additional topics, including an updated Director Commitments policy, to maintain responsiveness to areas of stockholder focus
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Developed an expanded third-party risk management framework to govern our vendor/supplier engagement, and implemented a leading technology platform to provide for ongoing monitoring, additional survey and audit capabilities, and oversight
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Environmental Sustainability
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Corporate Sustainability — Strive to improve the environmental performance of our headquarters and golf course operations, including improving energy efficiency, reducing water usage and waste generation, and increasing recycling and waste diversion
Triple-Net Property Sustainability Support — Encourage our tenants’ implementation of environmental sustainability and performance improvement measures to address the sustainability and long-term climate resilience of our portfolio
Participation and Reporting — Improve our ability to address investor and other stakeholder group expectations with respect to our corporate-level environmental sustainability initiatives, including through our tenant engagement efforts, data reporting, and third-party framework participation
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Recent Highlights
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Implemented new sustainable practices at our corporate headquarters, including expanded recycling, reducing single-use plastics, smart lighting and facility management, and low-flow fixtures, and continued to progress sustainability efforts at our golf courses, including projects relating to water conservation, fuel efficiency, energy and emissions reduction, waste reduction and recycling
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Developed an Environmental Management System to govern internal policies and procedures with respect to our operating portfolio and tenant engagement and data collection with respect to our triple-net lease portfolio
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Advanced our tenant engagement efforts through an enhanced asset-level data collection survey to expand the scope and detail of reported triple-net lease portfolio sustainability data
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Furthered our assessment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) alignment with our ESG strategy, as set forth in our 2023-2024 ESG Report
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY
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Executive Compensation Highlights
Executive Compensation Structure
The following is an overview of the highlights of our compensation structure.
2024 Performance-Based Outcomes Summary
(1)
AFFO per share is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a definition and reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see the Appendix beginning on page 79 of this Proxy Statement.
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Introduction
Our Board of Directors currently consists of seven members, all of whom have terms expiring at the Annual Meeting or until his or her earlier death, resignation, removal or a determination by the Board of Directors that such director no longer has the qualifications that are required by the Company’s charter or bylaws. All of our directors will be nominated to serve until the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
At the Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to elect each of the director nominees to serve until the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, removal or a determination by the Board of Directors that such director no longer has the qualifications that were required by the Company’s charter or bylaws. Our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of our Nominating and Governance Committee, has nominated James R. Abrahamson, Diana F. Cantor, Monica H. Douglas, Elizabeth I. Holland, Craig Macnab, Edward B. Pitoniak and Michael D. Rumbolz to serve as directors. Each of the nominated persons currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and has consented to being named in this Proxy Statement and to serve as a director, if elected. If any nominee is unavailable for election or service, the Board of Directors may designate a substitute nominee and the persons designated as proxy holders on the Proxy Card will vote for the substitute nominee recommended by the Board of Directors.
We believe that each of our director nominees has the specific experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills necessary to serve as an effective director on our Board of Directors. A description of our process for identifying and evaluating director nominees, as well as our criteria for membership on our Board of Directors, is set forth under the heading “Corporate Governance Matters — Director Candidate Qualification and Selection Process”.
Vote Required
Under our bylaws, to be elected in an uncontested election, director nominees must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, which means that the number of shares of common stock voted for a nominee must exceed the number of shares of common stock voted against that nominee. For purposes of the election of directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote, although they will be considered present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.
If an incumbent director fails to be re-elected by a majority of votes cast, that director is required under our bylaws to tender his or her resignation to the Board of Directors. Any such resignation will take effect immediately upon its receipt. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider promptly whether to fill the office of the nominee who has tendered a resignation and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors about filling the vacancy. The Board of Directors is required to act on the Nominating and Governance Committee’s recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and its rationale within 90 days after the election results are certified.
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OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR”
EACH DIRECTOR NOMINEE SET FORTH BELOW. |
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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
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Director Nominees
Below is the biographical information about the director nominees, including the specific characteristics that led to our Board of Directors and Nominating and Governance Committee to conclude that each should be nominated to serve as a director. In addition to the Key Skills and Qualifications listed below, please refer to page 4 of this Proxy Statement for the full Director Skills Matrix.
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JAMES R. ABRAHAMSON
Former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Independent
Age: 69
Director Since: October 2017
Board Role:
Chair
Industry Experience:
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Entertainment, Lodging and/or Hospitality
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REITs/Real Estate
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International
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Biographical Information
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Serves as an independent director of BrightView Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BV), the largest provider of commercial landscape design and maintenance services in the United States, since 2015 and served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer from June through September 2023.
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Served as Board Chair of Interstate Hotels & Resorts (“Interstate”), the leading global hotel management company, from October 2016 until the sale of Interstate to Aimbridge Hospitality in October 2019. Previously served as Interstate’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of Interstate’s Board from 2011 to March 2017.
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Served as an independent director of CorePoint Lodging Inc. (NYSE: CPLG), a leading mid-scale REIT, from its launch in 2018 until its sale in 2022; as independent director at LaQuinta Holdings (NYSE: LQ) from 2015 until its sale in 2018; and as an executive director of the Board of Directors of Intercontinental Hotels Group (LON: IHG) in 2010 and 2011.
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Previously held senior leadership positions with InterContinental Hotels Group (LON: IHG), Hyatt Corporation (NYSE: H), Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) and Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) and served as President of the Marriott International National Association owners’ organization in 2017 and 2018; as Board Chair of the American Hotel and Lodging Association in 2015 and 2016; and as Board Chair of the U.S. Travel Association in 2013 and 2014.
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Holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.
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Reason for Nomination
Mr. Abrahamson’s vast experience in, and knowledge of, the hospitality industry provides our Board of Directors with valuable insight into the industry. Skills gained from extensive previous and current board service in public and private companies are also valuable for our Company and our Board of Directors.
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Key Skills/Qualifications
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Capital Markets / M&A /
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Risk Oversight
and Management |
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Strategic Planning
and Leadership |
| |
Other Public Company
Board Experience |
| |
CEO / Executive
Management |
| |||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| |
DIANA F. CANTOR
Partner, Alternative Investment Management, LLC
Independent
Age: 67
Director Since: May 2018
Board Committees:
Audit (Chair) Nominating and Governance
Industry Experience:
•
Consumer Discretionary
•
Entertainment, Lodging and/or Hospitality
•
REITs/Real Estate
•
International
•
Technology
|
| | | | |
Biographical Information
•
Partner and member of the Board of Managers of Alternative Investment Management, LLC, an independent, privately-held investment firm with a focus on private equity and hedge funds since January 2010.
•
Serves on the Board of Directors of Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) since October 2005 and the Board of Directors of Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) since 2012.
•
Serves on the Board of Directors of the VCU Health System Authority (where she chairs the Investment and Debt Committee), Mauser Packaging Solutions and SCP Retirement Services (both private companies), and the Board of Trustees for Dodge & Cox Funds since October 2024.
•
Previously served on the Boards of Directors of Media General Inc., Revlon, Inc., Vistage International, Inc., Knowledge Universe Education LLC, Edelman Financial Services, LLC (previously The Edelman Financial Group Inc. (NASDAQ: EF)), Adore Me, and Service King Body and Paint LLC.
•
Former Chair and served for 10 years as a Trustee of the Virginia Retirement System, where she served on the Audit and Compliance Committee. Served as a Managing Director with New York Private Bank and Trust from January 2008 through the end of 2009; as founding Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia College Savings Plan, the state’s 529 college savings program, from 1996 to 2008; and as Vice President of Richmond Resources, Ltd. from 1990 through 1996, and as Vice President of Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1985 to 1990.
•
Certified Public Accountant. Holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, an MBA from the University of Miami and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida.
|
| | | | |||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Reason for Nomination
Ms. Cantor possesses extensive financial skills and experience and brings to the Board of Directors an important financial perspective. Ms. Cantor also provides valuable consumer product and marketing knowledge, as well as significant public company directorship experience, providing a valuable perspective to our Company and our Board of Directors.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Key Skills/Qualifications
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| | | | |
|
| ||||||
| | | | |
Finance /
Accounting |
| |
Risk Oversight
and Management |
| |
Strategic Planning
and Leadership |
| |
Other Public Company
Board Experience |
| |
Cybersecurity
and IT |
| |||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| |
10
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
|
| | | |
| |
CRAIG MACNAB
Former Chair and CEO,
National Retail Properties, Inc.
Independent
Age: 69
Director Since: October 2017
Board Committees:
Audit Compensation (Chair)
Industry Experience:
•
Entertainment, Lodging and/or Hospitality
•
REITs/Real Estate
•
International
•
Technology
|
| | | | |
Biographical Information
•
Held the position of Chair and Chief Executive Officer of National Retail Properties, Inc. (NYSE: NNN), a real estate investment trust that acquires, owns, invests in and develops properties that are leased primarily to retail tenants, from 2008 (with his service as Chief Executive Officer beginning in 2004) until his retirement in April 2017.
•
Serves as an independent director of Independence Realty Trust (NYSE: IRT) since February 2024 and American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) since 2014.
•
Served as a director of Cadillac Fairview Corporation (a private company) from September 2011 through December 2022 and Forest City Realty Trust (NYSE: FCEA) from 2017 to 2018, Eclipsys Corporation from 2008 to 2014, and DDR Corp. (NYSE: DDR) from 2003 to 2015.
•
Served as Chief Executive Officer and President of JDN Realty, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, from 2000 to 2003.
•
Holds an MBA from Drexel University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand.
|
| | | | |||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Reason for Nomination
Mr. Macnab brings extensive financial, strategic and management experience leading a publicly held REIT in the retail sector, as well as a broad skill set and perspective gained from extensive public and private company board experience.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Key Skills/Qualifications
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |||||||||
| | | | |
Strategic Planning
and Leadership |
| |
Other Public Company
Board Experience |
| |
CEO / Executive
Management |
| |
Human Capital
Management |
| |
Executive
Compensation |
| | | | ||||||
| |
EDWARD B. PITONIAK
Chief Executive Officer,
VICI Properties Inc.
Age: 69
Director Since: October 2017
Board Committees: None
Industry Experience:
•
Consumer Discretionary
•
Entertainment, Lodging and/or Hospitality
•
REITs/Real Estate
•
International
|
| | | | |
Biographical Information
•
Appointed as our Chief Executive Officer on October 6, 2017.
•
Served as Vice Chair of Realterm, a private equity real estate manager based in Annapolis, Maryland, that invests in logistics real estate, from January 2015 to July 2017.
•
Served as an independent director on the board of directors of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA), a global asset management and disposition company from July 2006 to May 2019; and as a director of Regal Lifestyle Communities (TSE: RLC), a Canadian senior housing real estate owner and operator, from 2012 until its sale in 2015.
•
Served as Chair and Trustee of InnVest, a publicly listed REIT, from February 2015 to August 2016, when the REIT was sold and taken private, and served as Managing Director, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of InnVest from April 2014 to February 2015, where he was responsible for recapitalizing the REIT and transitioning its management function from an external, third-party management model to an internal management model.
•
Served as President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of bcIMC Hospitality Group, a hotel property and brand ownership entity (formerly a public income trust called Canadian Hotel Income Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (“CHIP”)), where he was employed from 2004 to his retirement in 2009. As Chief Executive Officer of CHIP, he led the company to four consecutive years of total return leadership among Canadian hotel REITs, and then to a sale in 2007. Mr. Pitoniak was also a member of CHIP’s Board of Trustees before it went private.
•
Prior to joining CHIP, served as a Senior Vice President at Intrawest Corporation, a ski and golf resort operator and developer, for nearly eight years. Before Intrawest, spent nine years with Times Mirror Magazines, where he served as editor-in-chief and associate publisher with Ski Magazine.
•
Holds a B.A. from Amherst College.
|
| | | | |||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Reason for Nomination
Mr. Pitoniak provides our Board of Directors with valuable experience in the hospitality, entertainment and real estate industries and, in particular, with respect to publicly held REITs. Our Company and our Board of Directors also benefit from Mr. Pitoniak’s extensive previous board service. In addition, Mr. Pitoniak’s position as our Chief Executive Officer since our formation allows him to advise our Board of Directors on management’s perspective over a full range of issues affecting the Company.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
Key Skills/Qualifications
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |||||||||
| | | | |
Risk Oversight
and Management |
| |
Strategic Planning
and Leadership |
| |
Other Public Company
Board Experience |
| |
CEO / Executive
Management |
| |
Human Capital
Management |
| | | | ||||||
| |
12
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
|
| | | |
Board and Committee Structure and Meetings
Board Committee Structure and Membership
Our Board of Directors has three standing committees: the Audit Committee; the Compensation Committee; and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Our committees are composed entirely of independent directors as defined under the rules, regulations and listing qualifications of the NYSE. From time to time, our Board of Directors may also create additional committees for such purposes as our Board of Directors may determine. The table below provides information with respect to membership and meetings held for the Board and each of the Board committees as of the date of this Proxy Statement:
| |
Director
|
| |
Board of
Directors |
| |
Audit
Committee |
| |
Compensation
Committee |
| |
Nominating
and Governance Committee |
|
| |
James R. Abrahamson(1)
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
|
| |
Diana F. Cantor*
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
|
| |
Monica H. Douglas(2)
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Elizabeth I. Holland*
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
|
|
| |
Craig Macnab*
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
|
| |
Edward B. Pitoniak(3)
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
| |
—
|
|
| |
Michael D. Rumbolz*(4)
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
—
|
|
| |
Number of Meetings Held in 2024
|
| |
7
|
| |
4
|
| |
5
|
| |
4
|
|
| |
|
| |
Board/Committee Chair
|
| |
|
| |
Board/Committee Member
|
|
(1)
Mr. Abrahamson serves as our independent Chair of the Board of Directors. Whenever possible, he actively participates, but does not vote, in meetings of the committees of the Board of Directors.
(2)
In February 2025, Ms. Douglas joined the Nominating and Governance Committee.
(3)
Mr. Pitoniak also serves as our Chief Executive Officer.
(4)
In February 2025, Mr. Rumbolz joined the Audit Committee and rotated off of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
*
Audit committee financial expert
Leadership Structure of our Board of Directors
At the present time, the Board of Directors believes that a structure that separates the roles of Chair and Chief Executive Officer is most appropriate for the Company and that the Chair should serve in an independent, non-executive role. However, the Board of Directors reserves the right to determine the appropriate leadership structure for the Board of Directors on a case-by-case basis, taking into account at any particular time the Board of Directors’ assessment of its and the Company’s needs, as well as the people and situation involved. If in the future the Board of Directors, after considering relevant facts and circumstances at that time, appoints the Chief Executive Officer as Chair, we will promptly publicly disclose the appointment. The Board of Directors believes that having an independent director serve as the Chair is the appropriate leadership structure for our Company at this time because it allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on executing our Company’s strategic plan and managing our operations and performance, while allowing the Chair to focus on the effectiveness of the Board and provide independent oversight of our senior management team. The Chair of the Board’s responsibilities include, among other things:
•
Serving as chair of our annual meeting of stockholders and calling special meetings of stockholders,
•
Calling meetings of the Board of Directors and acting as chair of such meetings,
•
Participating in informal meetings with stockholders beyond engagement at the annual meeting, and
•
Regularly engaging with the Chief Executive Officer, chairs of committees of the Board of Directors, and other members of the Board of Directors regarding issues related to the structure and operation of the Board of Directors.
As a result of the current separation between the roles of Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (where the current Chair is an independent director) and the composition of our Board of Directors, the Board of Directors has determined that no lead independent director is necessary at this time. In the event that the Chair of our Board of Directors is no longer independent, we expect that our Board of Directors would appoint a lead independent director and further delineate their role and responsibilities in such capacity.
| |
14
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
|
| | | |
Director Independence
Independence Determinations By Our Board of Directors
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of our directors serving on our Board of Directors must be independent as required by the listing standards of the NYSE. We define “independent director” by reference to the rules, regulations and listing qualifications of the NYSE. In general, a director is deemed independent if the director has no material relationships with our Company. Our Board of Directors, after broadly considering all relevant facts and circumstances, including with respect to (i) the past and current relationships, if any, of each director with the Company and (ii) the commercial, industrial, banking, consulting, legal, accounting, charitable and familial relationships of each director, has affirmatively determined that all of the Company’s non-employee directors, Messrs. Abrahamson, Macnab and Rumbolz and Mses. Cantor, Douglas and Holland are independent directors. In making these determinations, the Board of Directors reviewed the non-employee directors’ relationships, if any, with us, as well as the additional criteria set forth above, and determined that there are no material relationships with our Company.
Board Governance and Effectiveness
Our Board believes that improving its effectiveness is an ongoing process that requires thoughtful planning and selection, effective engagement, thorough self-evaluation, and implementation of effective policies to advance the Board’s function. Our Board continues to evolve and adapt in order to drive the Company’s strategic direction. This ongoing process is outlined in five major phases and described in more detail below.
| |
|
| |
Review of Board Composition
|
|
On at least an annual basis, our Nominating and Governance Committee considers the appropriate size, composition and representation on our Board of Directors and its committees and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to such matters. Our Nominating and Governance Committee continues to believe that our current Board of Directors is well suited to support the Company and its strategic objectives. In particular, the Nominating and Governance Committee believes that our current Board of Directors represents an appropriate distribution of backgrounds, skills, qualifications and experience to oversee and advise management with respect to, among other things, the Company’s long-term strategy, transactional opportunities, and enterprise risk management.
| |
16
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
|
| | | |
Director Expectations and Director Commitments. Directors are expected to prepare for, attend regularly and participate actively and constructively at meetings of the Board of Directors and its committees. Directors are expected to review the material that is distributed in advance of any Board of Directors or committee meeting. The Board of Directors will consider other commitments, including board service, in assessing each director’s and potential candidate’s ability to serve on the Board of Directors and fulfill his or her responsibilities. In particular, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board shall evaluate whether simultaneous service on other boards of directors adversely affects the Director’s ability to devote sufficient time and attention to his or her responsibilities and to effectively serve the Company, taking into account the Director’s roles and responsibilities with respect to such other boards of directors, as well as applicable governance and voting standards with respect to service on multiple boards of directors. To that end, without the consent of the Board obtained in each case, a Director may not serve on the boards of directors of more than four public companies (including the Company) or, if the Director is an executive officer of a public company, on the boards of directors of more than two public companies (including the Company). Each director is expected to notify the Chair of the Board of Directors and the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee in advance of accepting an invitation to serve as a member of another public company board of directors.
Recruiting Strategy. We endeavor to have a Board of Directors that represents a broad range of different backgrounds, experiences, expertise, perspective, skills and contacts, and a range of tenures that are appropriate given the Company’s current and anticipated circumstances and that, collectively, enable the Board of Directors to perform its oversight function effectively. While we believe we have assembled a highly qualified board, supported by third-party recognition of their collective qualifications, we continue to monitor the broad pool of potential directors for those candidates who would augment our existing composition and further our commitment to board excellence.
Other Considerations. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider the optimal size and composition of the Board of Directors and identify and screen candidates qualified to serve on the Board of Directors, consistent with the criteria approved by the Board of Directors, including considering suggestions for Board of Directors membership submitted by stockholders in accordance with the notice provisions and procedures set forth in the Company’s bylaws. The Nominating and Governance Committee will also consider the Board’s current distribution of professional backgrounds and industry experience in evaluating potential Director candidates. After completing the identification and evaluation process, the Nominating and Governance Committee will recommend to the Board of Directors the nomination of a number of candidates equal to the number of director vacancies that will exist at the annual meeting of stockholders. The Board of Directors will then select the director nominees for stockholders to consider and vote upon at the annual meeting of stockholders.
Stockholder Recommendations for Board Nominations. Our Nominating and Governance Committee considers properly submitted stockholder recommendations for candidates for membership on our Board of Directors complying with procedural requirements that are set forth in the Company’s bylaws or may be communicated to stockholders from time to time. The recommendation should be addressed to the Secretary, VICI Properties Inc., 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
| |
|
| |
Director Onboarding, Education and Engagement
|
|
Orientation and Onboarding. We provide each new director with a comprehensive set of materials, including our organizational structure, corporate policies and procedures, and additional information on gaming regulatory compliance and other areas pertinent to our operations. We also encourage meaningful in-person engagement with members of the management team and other members of the Board to provide a new director with the opportunity to enhance their familiarity with our business and strategy.
Director Education. Our Director Continuing Education Principles set forth our guiding principles with respect to ensuring that the stockholders of the Company are best served by a Board of Directors comprised of individuals who thoroughly comprehend the role and responsibilities of, and maintain the core competencies necessary for, an effective Board in its oversight of the Company and its ability to drive long-term corporate success. To that end, all members of the Board are encouraged to:
•
engage in such director education programs as they deem appropriate (given their individual backgrounds);
•
remain informed of emerging issues and trends relevant to board governance, service and practices;
•
monitor developments in the industries relevant to the Company; and
•
pursue experience relevant to their contribution to the Board generally, as well as their responsibilities through their specific assignments to committees of the Board.
We have provided our directors with access to educational resources through our membership in a national director membership organization, although directors are encouraged to exercise independent judgement regarding the continuing education opportunities that they elect to pursue. We reimburse directors for the costs of attending and/or engaging in director education programs.
Individual Discussions. Throughout the year and as circumstances warrant, our management team engages with directors individually and in small groups with respect to key emerging issues, areas of focus identified by the director, or areas of director expertise as appropriate. Each of our directors possesses relevant experience in key areas related to our business, including the entertainment, lodging and hospitality sectors, gaming and regulatory engagement, real estate management and development, or international investments and operations, pursuant to which we periodically seek their experience and insight outside of our scheduled
| |
18
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
|
| | | |
| |
|
| |
Director Retirement, Refreshment and Succession Planning
|
|
| |
Committee Rotation
|
|
| |
In February 2025, our Board of Directors determined to refresh its committee membership by expanding the Audit Committee to four members and rotating certain existing committee roles among the directors.
|
|
Led by our Nominating and Governance Committee, our Board of Directors regularly evaluates the needs of the Company with respect to director succession planning and considers the potential for new or additional directors intended to bring fresh perspectives, skill sets and ideas, as well as industry and professional experience, that add value to the current composition and functioning of the Board. Among other aspects of these evaluations, the Nominating and Governance Committee:
•
identifies the collective mix of desired backgrounds, skills, and experience for our Board of Directors, taken as a whole, and identifies potential opportunities for enhancement in light of the needs of our organization, including the Company’s business strategy and long-term goals;
•
considers each current director’s experience, skills, principal occupation, reputation, independence, age, tenure, committee membership and background; and
•
considers the results of our annual Board, Committee and Director self-evaluations, as well as feedback received from interviews of each director performed by our independent Chair of the Board.
As noted above under “Review of Board Composition”, the Board continues to believe that our current Board of Directors is well suited to support the Company and its strategic objectives, representing an appropriate distribution of backgrounds, skills, qualifications and experiences.
| |
20
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Director Compensation Program
Each of our non-employee directors receives the following compensation for their service on the Board of Directors pursuant to our director compensation program.
| |
Compensation Component
|
| |
Amount
|
| ||||||
| |
Annual Retainer
|
| |
$300,000
•
~66.7% ($200,000) payable in restricted common stock(1)
•
~33.3% ($100,000) payable in cash
|
| ||||||
| |
Additional Annual Retainers
|
| | | | | | | | | |
| |
Independent Chair of the Board Annual Retainer
|
| | |
$
|
150,000
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
Audit
Committee |
| |
Compensation
Committee |
| |
Nominating and
Governance Committee |
| |||||||||
| |
Committee Chair Annual Retainer
|
| |
$40,000
|
| | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | 20,000 | | | |||
| |
Committee Member Annual Retainer
|
| |
$20,000
|
| | | $ | 10,000 | | | | | $ | 10,000 | | | |||
Each director may elect, before the year in which such election is to be effective, whether to receive the additional annual retainers for Board and committee service for that year in cash, equity or a combination thereof. In addition, our directors may elect to defer some or all of their compensation pursuant to a deferral plan, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
(1)
The portion of the annual retainer paid in restricted common stock is paid on an annual meeting-to-annual meeting basis in order to align with each director’s term of service.
2024 Director Compensation
The following table summarizes all compensation for our non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
| |
Name
|
| |
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash ($) |
| |
Stock Awards(1)
($) |
| |
Total
($) |
| |||||||||
| | James R. Abrahamson | | | | $ | 170,014 | | | | | $ | 270,014 | | | | | $ | 440,028 | | |
| | Diana F. Cantor | | | | $ | 100,000 | | | | | $ | 250,000 | | | | | $ | 350,000 | | |
| | Monica H. Douglas | | | | $ | 104,000 | | | | | $ | 206,000 | | | | | $ | 310,000 | | |
| | Elizabeth I. Holland | | | | $ | 116,000 | | | | | $ | 224,000 | | | | | $ | 340,000 | | |
| | Craig Macnab | | | | $ | 100,000 | | | | | $ | 245,000 | | | | | $ | 345,000 | | |
| | Michael D. Rumbolz | | | | $ | 100,000 | | | | | $ | 220,000 | | | | | $ | 320,000 | | |
(1)
The amounts in the Stock Awards column reflect the aggregate grant fair value in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 13 of the consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report. On April 30, 2024, each director received their annual restricted stock award with a value of $200,000 covering the period from April 30, 2024 (the date of the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders) to April 29, 2025 (the date of the Annual Meeting). The cash component of their annual compensation, as well as the additional annual retainers that each director is entitled to receive for their service on committees and in leadership roles (which they receive in a mix of stock and cash at their election), are paid on a quarterly basis.
| | | | |
|
| |
21
|
|
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
Corporate Governance Profile
Our commitment to corporate governance is integral to our business and reflects not only regulatory requirements, NYSE listing standards and broadly recognized governance practices, but also effective leadership and oversight by our senior management team and Board of Directors. We have structured our corporate governance in a manner that we believe closely aligns our interests with those of our stockholders. Notable features of our corporate governance framework include the following:
| |
WHAT WE DO
|
| | |
WHAT WE DON’T DO
|
| ||||||
| |
|
| |
86% Independent Directors. Six of our seven directors standing for election have been determined by our Board to be “independent” as defined by the NYSE listing standards.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Classified Board. Our directors are elected annually for one-year terms.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Independent Chair and Entirely Independent Committees. Our Chair of the Board is an independent director, which strengthens the role of our independent directors and encourages independent Board leadership. All of the members of our Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Governance Committees are independent.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Poison Pill or Stockholder Rights Plan. We do not have a “poison pill” or stockholder rights plan, and, in the event we determine to adopt such a plan, we will seek stockholder approval prior to, or in certain circumstances within twelve months following, such adoption by our Board of Directors.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Annual Board, Committee and Director Self-Assessments. The Board of Directors and each committee annually conduct a comprehensive self-assessment process and considers engaging an independent evaluator at least every three years (with such independent evaluator most recently engaged in connection with the 2022 annual self-evaluation process).
|
| | |
|
| |
Opted Out of Maryland Anti-Takeover Statutes. We have elected not to be subject to the Maryland Unsolicited Takeover Act (MUTA), Maryland Business Combination Statute and the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Statute, and any change to such elections must be approved by our stockholders.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Majority Voting for Directors. Directors are elected in uncontested elections by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Material Related Party Transactions or Relationships. We do not currently have any material related party transactions. In addition, no immediate family relationships exist among any of our directors or executive officers.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Systemic Risk Oversight by Board and Committees. Our Board has overall responsibility for risk oversight, while each of our Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees monitor and address risks within the scope of their particular expertise or charter.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Selective Disclosure of Information. We have a Corporate Disclosure Policy applicable to directors, officers and employees to ensure timely, transparent, consistent and accurate financial and other information is provided to the investing community on a non-selective basis.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Audit Committee Financial Experts. All of the members of our Audit Committee qualify as “audit committee financial experts” as defined by the SEC.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Option Trading or Short Selling of Our Securities. None of our directors and officers are permitted to trade in options, warrants, puts and calls or similar instruments on Company securities or sell Company securities “short”.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Robust Executive Officer and Director Stock Ownership Guidelines. Our amended stock ownership guidelines require each of our executive officers and directors to accumulate and hold a significant amount of shares and exclude unearned performance-based equity from qualification as ownership.
|
| | |
|
| |
No Hedging or Pledging of Our Securities. Our anti-hedging policy prohibits our directors and officers from engaging in any hedging or monetization transactions involving our securities. In addition, none of our executive officers or directors are permitted to purchase our securities on margin or pledge our securities as collateral for margin or other loans.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Market-Standard Proxy Access. A stockholder, or a group of up to 20 stockholders, that continuously hold 3% or more of our shares for at least three years may nominate up to the greater of two directors and 20% of directors, and such nominees will appear on the same ballot as the nominees recommended by our Board of Directors, subject to applicable requirements set forth in our bylaws.
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| | |
|
| |
No Limits on Stockholder Ability to Amend Bylaws. Our stockholders are empowered to amend, alter or repeal any provision in our bylaws upon the affirmative vote of a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast.
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22
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Corporate Governance Policies and Documents
Our corporate governance framework is a set of principles, guidelines, policies, and practices that support ethical and responsible business practices and long-term value creation for our stockholders.
| |
Corporate Governance Guidelines
|
|
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines set forth a flexible framework within which the Board, assisted by its committees, directs the affairs of the Company and reflect the Board’s commitment to monitoring the effectiveness of decision-making at the Board and management level and ensuring adherence to good corporate governance principles. Topics covered include, among other things:
•
Director and Director Candidate Responsibilities and Qualifications
•
Board Composition and Committee Structure
•
Director Orientation and Continuing Education
•
Executive and Director Stock Ownership Guidelines
•
Interaction with Stockholders and Interested Parties
•
Succession Planning
•
Board, Committee, and Director Self-Evaluations
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines are periodically reviewed by the Nominating and Governance Committee.
| |
Code of Business Conduct
|
|
Our Code of Business Conduct applies to our directors, officers and other employees and is designed to:
•
deter wrongdoing and promote honest and ethical conduct,
•
promote full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in our SEC reports and other public communications,
•
expressly state our commitment to an inclusive workplace and accompanying employment practices and decisions
•
ensure compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;
•
establish an expectation of fair dealing with our competitors, tenants, borrowers, managers of our properties, suppliers and employees; and
•
encourage prompt internal reporting of violations to the appropriate persons and advocate for accountability for adherence to the Code of Business Conduct.
Our Board of Directors periodically reviews the Code of Business Conduct. Only our Board of Directors, or a committee designated by the Board of Directors, is able to approve any waiver of the Code of Business Conduct for our executive officers or directors, and any such waiver shall be promptly disclosed as required by law, stock exchange regulations or the requirements of the SEC. Any substantive amendments to or waivers from any provision of the Code of Business Conduct applicable to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer will be posted under the section “Investors — Corporate Governance” on our website at www.viciproperties.com. During the year ended December 31, 2024, our Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) did not approve any waiver of the Code of Business Conduct.
| |
Whistleblower Policy
|
|
| |
Our Whistleblower Policy establishes procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding improper or questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing and other matters involving the Company with a secure, independent whistleblower hotline and website to ensure the confidential, anonymous submission of such complaints. Since implementation of the Whistleblower Policy, we have received no material complaints or submissions through our whistleblower reporting process.
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| |
Corporate Responsibility
|
|
Our approach to Corporate Responsibility principles are predicated on our core commitment to sustainable business practices that encourage a culture of economic, environmental, and social responsibility through our business activities regardless of geographic location, within the scope of our capabilities, and consistent with applicable laws and regulations, and our Code of Business Conduct and other policies. Our Corporate Responsibility commitments are available on our website and are premised on three core concepts:
| |
Operational Responsibility
|
| |
Environmental Responsibility
|
| |
Social Responsibility
|
|
Our Board of Directors has approved and periodically reviews our Corporate Responsibility statements and policies.
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24
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| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Board Committee Responsibilities
Our Board of Directors includes three committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. The following descriptions reflect each committee’s membership and Chair as of the date of this Proxy Statement.
Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee is “independent” as defined by our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the NYSE listing standards applicable to boards of directors generally and audit and compensation committees in particular, as applicable.
| |
Audit Committee
Fully Independent
Meetings Held in 2024: 4
2024 Committee Member Attendance: 100%
|
| |
Diana F. Cantor
(Chair)† |
| |
Elizabeth I.
Holland† |
| |
Craig
Macnab† |
| |
Michael D.
Rumbolz*† |
|
| |
Key Responsibilities:
|
| ||||||||||||
| |
•
Review the integrity of our financial statements and financial reporting processes, including our internal audit controls;
•
Monitor our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including applicable gaming regulations;
•
Oversee the performance of our internal audit function;
•
Evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of our independent auditor;
•
Review our continued qualification as a REIT;
•
Oversee, in connection with the Board, our enterprise risk assessment and management programs;
•
Review and receive reports regarding our cybersecurity and information technology risk exposures; and
•
Maintain oversight of our independent auditor, including each annual audit and quarterly review.
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| ||||||||||||
| |
* In February 2025, Mr. Rumbolz joined the Audit Committee.
† “Audit Committee Financial Expert” as determined by our Board of Directors in accordance with SEC rules.
|
| ||||||||||||
| |
Compensation Committee
Fully Independent
Meetings Held in 2024: 5
2024 Committee Member Attendance: 100%
|
| |
Craig Macnab
(Chair) |
| |
Monica H.
Douglas |
| |
Michael D.
Rumbolz |
|
| |
Key Responsibilities:
•
Review and approve the compensation and benefits of our executive officers, non-executive employees and directors;
•
Administer and make recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding approval of our incentive compensation and equity-based plans;
•
Produce an annual report on executive compensation and annual compensation committee report;
•
Periodically review our general employee compensation philosophy to ensure it is appropriate and does not incentivize unnecessary risk-taking;
•
Periodically review our human capital management programs, including those relating to employee compensation practices, employee benefits, and employee recruitment and retention;
•
Administer our incentive compensation clawback policy; and
•
Engage external or internal compensation consultants, legal, accounting or other advisors, with sole authority and appropriate funding to retain and oversee such consultants in the performance of its responsibilities.
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26
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| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
RISK OVERSIGHT
| |
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|
| ||||||
| |
The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for risk oversight, including, as part of regular Board of Director and committee meetings, general oversight of executive leadership’s management of risks relevant to the Company, which is informed by regular reports from our management team that are designed to provide visibility into our key risks and our risk mitigation strategies. In this regard, the Board of Directors seeks to identify, understand, analyze and oversee critical business risks.
|
| ||||||
| |
Board Responsibilities
|
| | | | | | |
| |
•
Overall responsibility for risk oversight
•
Development of business strategy
|
| |
•
Leadership of management succession planning
•
Business conduct and regulatory compliance oversight
|
| |
•
Oversight of Enterprise Risk Management matters
•
Board committees report on specific risk oversight responsibilities
|
|
| |
While the full Board of Directors has primary responsibility for risk oversight, its committees, as appropriate, monitor and address risks that may be within the scope of a particular committee’s expertise or charter. Our Board of Directors uses the committees to assist in risk oversight as follows:
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| | | | |
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| |
AUDIT COMMITTEE
KEY RISK RESPONSIBILITIES |
| | | | |
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
KEY RISK RESPONSIBILITIES |
| | | | |
NOMINATING AND
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE KEY RISK RESPONSIBILITIES |
|
| |
•
Integrity of our financial statements and financial reporting process, including the performance of our internal audit function;
•
Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including oversight of policies regarding REIT compliance;
•
Evaluation of the independence of our independent auditors;
•
Oversight, in connection with the Board of Directors, of our Enterprise Risk Management framework;
•
Policies and transactions related to certain swaps and other derivatives transactions; and
•
Cybersecurity and information technology risk exposures.
|
| | | | |
•
Compensation of executive officers, non-executive employees and directors;
•
Incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans;
•
Human capital management programs, including those relating to employee compensation practices, employee benefits, and employee recruitment and retention;
•
Engagement with stockholders and proxy advisory firms on executive compensation matters; and
•
Incentive compensation clawback policy.
|
| | | | |
•
General operations of the Board of Directors;
•
Succession planning;
•
Compliance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and applicable laws and regulations, including applicable rules of the NYSE;
•
Corporate governance-related risk, including review of our corporate governance policies and systems; and
•
ESG policies, goals and initiatives.
|
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| |
MANAGEMENT
|
|
| |
While the Board of Directors and its committees oversee risk management as part of an ongoing process, management is charged with identifying and managing risk (including through the implementation of appropriate risk management strategies). Management periodically reports to the Board of Directors and its committees, as appropriate, on the material risks to the Company, including any major strategic, operational, regulatory and external risks inherent in the Company’s business and the policies and procedures with respect to such risks.
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| |
KEY STRATEGY AND RISK OVERSIGHT AREAS
|
| |||||||||
| |
•
Business Strategy
|
| |
•
Lease Administration and Asset Management
|
| |
•
Consumer / Industry Changes
|
| |
•
Human Capital Management
|
|
| |
•
Capital Allocation
and Investments
|
| |
•
Tax Structuring and REIT Compliance
|
| |
•
Cybersecurity
•
Regulatory Compliance
|
| |
•
ESG / Sustainability
|
|
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28
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Gaming Regulatory Compliance
Our business is subject to extensive regulation as an owner of gaming-entitled, racing-entitled and gaming and racing-related assets. We view comprehensive and responsive engagement with our regulators as a critical part of our governance and corporate social responsibility efforts. We maintain a comprehensive regulatory compliance program through our internal legal and regulatory team overseen by our Audit Committee and our Board of Directors.
•
Each director and officer may be required to be licensed in applicable jurisdictions, all of whom are currently licensed by all applicable gaming regulatory agencies. In addition, the Company and/or certain subsidiaries that own gaming- or racing-entitled real estate may be required to be licensed in applicable jurisdictions.
•
Acquisitions and other specified transactions involving gaming- and racing-related assets may require approval of applicable gaming and racing regulatory agencies.
•
We support our tenants in their gaming regulatory compliance by cooperating with regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over our tenants and their affiliates.
| |
Gaming Regulatory
Oversight |
|
| |
With assets located across 26 states and Alberta, Canada,
we are currently subject to gaming and/or racing regulation by 16 jurisdictions (15 U.S. states and one Canadian province) and required to be licensed or found suitable in 11 jurisdictions. |
|
Under applicable regulations, the Company is generally qualified and licensed as an owner and supplier of real estate (in contrast to the licensure status of our tenants as gaming and racing operators). As a real estate owner and landlord, these regulations strictly limit our ability to participate in any operational decisions at our gaming- and racing-entitled assets.
| |
Responsible Gaming
|
|
| |
Each of our gaming tenants, as licensed operators of gaming assets, have implemented Responsible Gaming initiatives designed to ensure, among other things, that patrons responsibly enjoy casino games as a form of entertainment. These programs generally include elements such as consumer education, employee training, and the establishment of standards to address problem gambling, underage gambling, responsible marketing and advertising, improper use of alcohol and the prevention of unattended minors, as well as other initiatives, such as combating human trafficking in the gaming industry, based on policies and guidelines promulgated by the American Gaming Association. As we do not operate gaming assets or participate in our tenants’ operations at our leased properties, we do not maintain a Responsible Gaming program.
|
|
| |
Cybersecurity and Information Technology
|
| |||
| |
Approach
|
| |||
| |
Our cybersecurity and information technology (“IT”) program uses a risk-based approach and includes a comprehensive set of policies and procedures and related controls which are reviewed and tested on a regular basis. These policies and procedures include:
|
| |||
| |
•
Vulnerability scanning
|
| |
•
Third-party penetration testing
|
|
| |
•
Periodic cybersecurity maturity assessments
|
| |
•
Risk-based third-party service provider oversight
|
|
| |
•
Mandatory employee cybersecurity training
|
| |
•
Cybersecurity risk assessments
|
|
| |
•
Regularly tested incident and disaster recovery response plans
|
| |
•
Integration into ERM framework
|
|
| |
Governance and Reporting
|
| |||
| |
Our cybersecurity and IT framework is characterized by key internal and external resources, including:
|
| |||
| |
•
Highly qualified contracted Chief Information Security Officer
|
| |
•
Additional third-party managed service providers
|
|
| |
•
Frequent reporting and interaction with our VP, Accounting & Administration
|
| |
•
Quarterly reporting to our IT Executive Committee
|
|
| |
•
Semi-annual review and report to Audit Committee
|
| |
•
Prompt incident-based reporting to Audit Committee and Board of Directors
|
|
| |
For additional information on our cybersecurity and IT policies and practices, see the section entitled “Item 1C — Cybersecurity” on pages 34 – 35 of our 2024 Annual Report.
|
| |||
| |
30
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Key Areas of Oversight and Responsibility
The key areas of responsibility regarding certain ESG matters with respect to our Board of Directors and its committees, our executive leadership and our employee-led groups are set forth below:
ESG Committee. Our ESG Committee meets on a regular basis to consider, implement and oversee our ESG strategy and initiatives. Members of our ESG Working Group, a subset of the ESG Committee, engage more frequently to progress these initiatives. In addition, representatives of the ESG Committee report to the Nominating and Governance Committee on a quarterly basis, and more frequently as necessary, on key updates and developments with respect to our ESG initiatives.
Refer to our 2023-2024 ESG Report for additional information with respect to our ESG oversight and governance, including the roles of our Board of Directors and committees, executive leadership, our Management Committee, and our employee-led initiatives.
| |
2024 Developments and Highlights
|
|
| |
UN Sustainable Development Goals Alignment. In 2023, we mapped our stakeholder materiality assessment results against the UN SDGs to identify which goals are most relevant to our business and where we can potentially have the greatest impact, including through our tenant engagement efforts. In 2024, our ESG Committee continued to review and refine our ESG strategy and alignment with the UN SDGs, including linking VICI activities to the identified UN SDGs. We expect to continue to refresh this analysis from time to time with the growth of our business, overall ESG program, and future stakeholder feedback.
|
|
| |
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|
| |
External Framework Alignment. We align our ESG disclosure with leading frameworks, including the SASB — Real Estate Standard and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) guidelines. In our 2023-2024 ESG Report, we also further aligned our ESG programs and goals with certain of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (as described above). In 2025, we expect to further align our ESG disclosure with the Global Reporting Index (GRI) framework. We also expect to participate in the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment in 2025 and continue to evaluate the feasibility of participating in various other frameworks, including the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) and CDP.
|
|
| |
Environmental Management System. We have developed an Environmental Management System (“EMS”) in reference to the ISO 14001 framework, which governs our approach to addressing the environmental performance of our operational portfolio and the leased properties outside of our operational control given our triple net-lease structure. The EMS outlines how we aim to identify, document, monitor, evaluate, provide resources for, and communicate our environmental initiatives by focusing on meeting our environmental responsibility commitments.
|
|
| |
32
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Environmental Sustainability Performance Data. Certain resource usage data is presented below with respect to our directly operated assets (which excludes our triple-net leased property portfolio), including our corporate headquarters and four golf courses operated and managed by Cabot-Managed Properties, an affiliate of Cabot.
| |
Metric
|
| |
Unit of
Measurement |
| |
2022
|
| |
2023
|
| |
2024
|
| |||||||||
| | Water Usage(1) | | |
Mgal
|
| | | | 471.9 | | | | | | 417.7 | | | | | | 425.5 | | |
| | Electricity Usage(2) | | |
MWh
|
| | | | 5,105.6 | | | | | | 5,731.7 | | | | | | 5.100.9 | | |
| | Fuel Usage(3) | | |
MWh
|
| | | | 2,825.0 | | | | | | 2,325.5 | | | | | | 2,110.9 | | |
| | Total Energy Usage(4) | | |
MTCO2e
|
| | | | 7,930.6 | | | | | | 8,057.2 | | | | | | 7,221.8 | | |
| | Scope 1 Emissions(5) | | |
MTCO2e
|
| | | | 616.0 | | | | | | 523.9 | | | | | | 477.9 | | |
| | Scope 2 Emissions(6) | | |
MTCO2e
|
| | | | 1,960.7 | | | | | | 2,104 | | | | | | 1,888 | | |
| | Combined Scope 1 & 2 Emissions(7) | | |
MTCO2e
|
| | | | 2,576.7 | | | | | | 2,628 | | | | | | 2,366 | | |
(1)
Represents actual water usage at golf courses, as well as estimated water usage at corporate headquarters based on pro rata square footage of overall building usage. The portion of estimated water usage comprises less than 0.2% of overall reported water usage for each reported year. All water is withdrawn from municipal sources.
(2)
Represents combined actual electricity usage at corporate headquarters and golf courses, all of which is sourced from local grids.
(3)
Represents actual fuel usage at golf courses, including propane, liquid natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil. No direct fuel usage at corporate headquarters.
(4)
Represents the sum of combined actual electricity usage at corporate headquarters and golf courses plus actual fuel usage at golf courses.
(5)
Represents estimated direct Scope 1 GHG emissions impact, as applicable, from available energy usage data, as calculated pursuant to our third-party sustainability data monitoring platform.
(6)
Represents estimated indirect Scope 2 (location-based) GHG emissions impact, as applicable, from available energy usage data, as calculated pursuant to our third-party sustainability monitoring platform.
(7)
Represents estimated combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 (location-based) GHG emissions impact, as applicable, from available energy usage data, as calculated pursuant to our third-party sustainability monitoring platform.
| |
Our Triple-Net Lease Portfolio. Our long-term triple-net leases generally provide that our tenants retain exclusive operational control of the properties and are solely responsible for management and operation of the property and all related expenses. As a real estate owner and triple-net lessor, our tenants at our leased properties independently operate their businesses and serve as long-term stewards of our real estate assets. Under the particular provisions of each of our triple-net leases, our tenants are generally responsible for, among other things:
•
Operating Expenses. All operating expenses with respect to the leased properties, including obtaining and paying for utility services, capital expenditures and capital improvements.
•
Insurance. Obtaining and maintaining insurance coverage with respect to the leased properties, including climate-related risk exposure. In the event of a casualty or condemnation, our tenants are generally responsible for addressing any covered losses, as well as restoring the property to its previous condition.
•
Compliance. Maintaining compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including gaming regulatory compliance as operators of gaming and/or racing-entitled assets (with respect to our gaming tenants), environmental laws, regulations and ordinances, and other applicable requirements.
|
| |
|
|
While the terms of our triple-net leases include conditions and requirements relating to, among other things, operating condition and maintenance, capital expenditures, and reporting, our tenants generally have autonomy in operating their businesses and managing the properties, including with respect to their implementation of any ESG initiatives (including environmental sustainability and climate change-related initiatives). As a result, our tenants make independent decisions regarding their business strategy and operations, including whether and how to pursue ESG initiatives at our leased properties.
Climate Change. As a real estate owner and investor, we recognize the impact of climate change and that as climate change impacts continue to become more severe, chronic trends and acute events as well as longer-term transitional effects may pose a risk to our business model and long-term performance by impacting, among other things, the underlying value of our assets, the viability of our tenants’ businesses at our properties, and the health, safety, growth and prosperity of the communities that surround our properties. In early 2025, with the assistance of a third-party environmental due diligence firm, we refreshed and expanded our previous portfolio-wide climate risk assessment, including utilization of the latest climate model data (CMIP 6) to perform multiple
| |
34
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
Social Responsibility
| |
Key Objectives and Approach
|
| |||
| |
|
| |
Company Culture — Nurture our company culture and focus on the health, safety, wellbeing, and professional development of our employees through recruiting and retention, employee engagement, and strong support and benefits
Community and Corporate Citizenship — Support the communities and charitable organizations where we own properties and demonstrate our commitment through volunteering, regular giving, and taking advantage of unique opportunities as they arise
Ethical and Responsive Engagement — Enhance our commitments to key social responsibility issues such as philanthropy, human rights and other global challenges by implementing and expanding policies and procedures, training, and external engagement
|
|
VICI Values. In early 2024, we completed the process of collectively revising our VICI Values, originally put in place following our formation, to reflect the growth and maturation of our business and our work since then to develop an effective and inclusive company culture. Collecting feedback at every level of our organization, we have developed a set of values that are unique to our Company and articulate how we strive to conduct ourselves individually, build our collective culture, sustain our internal and external relationships, and hold ourselves and each other accountable. Each of these are further expanded into core principles that provide a common set of expectations for everyone in our organization. We expect to advance this effort by further integrating these values into our day-to-day organizational processes by recognizing employees who embody these values and enhancing our performance management and talent engagement efforts.
Team VICI. As of December 31, 2024, Team VICI consisted of 27 employees, all full-time employees in professional or administrative roles. As we continue to grow our business, we strive to nurture our company culture and take advantage of the highly interpersonal, relationship-based nature of our Company. We believe our organizational profile offers a unique opportunity for our employees to contribute to VICI’s growth and success while advancing their own personal and professional development.
| |
|
| |
For 2024-2025, we were certified as a Great Place to Work® by the Great Place to Work® Institute for the sixth year in a row. With 100% participation across our organization, 100% of our employees agreed that “Taking all things into account, this is a great place to work” for the second year in a row.
|
|
Employee Satisfaction and Feedback. Since 2019, we have utilized the Great Place to Work® platform for annual employee engagement surveys to monitor employee satisfaction, obtain qualitative and quantitative feedback, and utilize the results and insights to further improve our company and culture. Results from these surveys are reviewed among executive leadership and the Board of Directors and have been used to direct our ongoing employee engagement efforts and have resulted in several key improvements across our culture, operations, and benefits offerings. In 2024, we began utilizing an additional employee engagement and survey platform to improve our facilitation of periodic pulse surveys and provide greater flexibility in obtaining feedback from our employees.
| |
36
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
| |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
|
| | | |
| |
Compensation
and Benefits |
| |
•
Offer a comprehensive employee benefits package, including a 401(k) plan, medical, dental and vision insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, a parenthood pursuit program, and access to an employee assistance program
•
Seek to provide additional unique benefits, such as our Groundswell charitable engagement benefit (described below) and our Portfolio Experience benefit
|
| |
100%
STIP Participation
96%
LTIP Participation
60%
Portfolio
Experience Benefit Utilization |
| |||
| |
Portfolio Experience Benefit
An annual employee reimbursement towards any VICI-owned property for employees to experience the hospitality and entertainment offered by our partners
|
| |
Additional Support
Additional support offered to employees, including daily lunch, technology, cellular service coverage, and professional certifications
|
| ||||||
| |
Health, Safety
and Wellness |
| |
•
Seek to maintain a safe, welcoming and inclusive office environment, while offering a flexible remote-working policy with programs and support to increase virtual engagement and a flexible paid-time off policy with a two-week minimum, as well as unique opportunities such as the August Work-From-Anywhere Initiative
•
Provide a broad array of mental health and wellness-related benefits through our employee assistance program, which provides, among other things, counseling, mental health and wellness and other support services
Family Formation Support
Our parental leave policy includes 16 weeks of potential leave with ramp-up/ramp-down periods, and our parenthood pursuit benefit includes a significant lifetime reimbursement for fertility, parenting, and childcare-related expenses.
|
| |
77
Employee Net
Promoter Score (eNPS)
Zero
Accidents or Injuries
|
|
| |
Community Involvement
|
| |
•
Endeavor to host opportunities each year to volunteer in-person as a team to contribute to causes and provide opportunities for team building and engagement
•
Offer employees the opportunity to multiply the impact of their charitable activity through our Charitable Contribution Matching Program, with a significant individual dollar-for-dollar matching cap per individual, recognition of in-person volunteer efforts through supporting donations, and access to Groundswell Personal Giving Accounts
Groundswell Giving Platform
Through the Groundswell Giving platform, each employee has access to a Personal Giving Account through which they are able to research charities, make contributions, track their giving activity, and seamlessly facilitate matching contributions pursuant to our program. We offer new employees an initial gift and from time to time provide our employees with funding to encourage and empower them to continue supporting the causes and organizations that matter most to them.
|
| |
60
Employee-Supported Organizations
93%
Groundswell Platform Participation
$2,850
Average Employee Charitable Contributions
|
|
| |
38
|
| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
|
| | | |
PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Introduction
Our Audit Committee has appointed the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Action by stockholders is not required by law, the NYSE or our organizational documents in the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm, but this appointment is submitted by our Board of Directors for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance in order to give our stockholders a voice in the designation of auditors. If the appointment is not ratified by our stockholders, our Board of Directors will further consider its choice of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm and may, but will not be required to, appoint a different independent registered public accounting firm. Deloitte has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since our formation on October 6, 2017 and is considered by our management to be well-qualified. Deloitte has advised us that neither it nor any member thereof has any financial interest, direct or indirect, in our Company or any of our subsidiaries in any capacity.
For additional information regarding our independent registered public accounting firm, see “Principal Accountant Fees and Services” on page 41. A representative of Deloitte will be present at the Annual Meeting. The representative will have an opportunity to make a statement if desired and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
Evaluation of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Prior to selecting Deloitte for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, the Audit Committee evaluated Deloitte’s performance with respect to fiscal year 2024. In conducting this annual evaluation, the Audit Committee considered management’s assessment of Deloitte’s performance in areas such as: (i) independence; (ii) the quality and the efficiency of the services provided, including audit planning and coordination; (iii) the adequacy of information provided on accounting issues, auditing issues and regulatory developments affecting REITs; (iv) the quality and effectiveness of communications with the Audit Committee and management, including the ability to meet deadlines and respond quickly; (v) reports of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and other available data regarding the quality of work performed by Deloitte; and (vi) the geographic reach and expertise of Deloitte in terms of quantity, quality and location of staff.
The Audit Committee also considered Deloitte’s tenure, the relative costs, benefits, challenges, overall advisability and potential impact on the Company of changing auditors and the reasonableness of Deloitte’s historical and proposed billable rates. The Audit Committee is responsible for the audit fee negotiations associated with the retention of Deloitte. In order to assure continuing auditor independence, the Audit Committee periodically considers whether there should be a regular rotation of the independent registered accounting firm. Further, in conjunction with the rotation of the auditing firm’s lead engagement partner every five years (which took place in February 2024 following completion of the audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023), the Audit Committee and its chair advised on the selection of Deloitte’s new lead engagement partner and will continue to be involved in the selection of key Deloitte engagement team members. The members of the Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of Deloitte to serve as our independent external auditor is in the best interests of us and our stockholders.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast is required for approval of the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. As a result, for purposes of the vote on this proposal, abstentions will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote, although they will be considered present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.
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OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2025. |
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40
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The following table lists the fees billed for services rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
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Type of Fees
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2024
|
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2023
|
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| | Audit Fees(1) | | | | $ | 1,786,500 | | | | | $ | 1,529,000 | | |
| | Audit-Related Fees(2) | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 960,255 | | |
| | Tax Fees(3) | | | | $ | 20,100 | | | | | $ | 15,251 | | |
| | All Other Fees | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
| | Total | | | | $ | 1,806,600 | | | | | $ | 2,504,506 | | |
(1)
Audit fees include:
•
the integrated audit of the Company’s annual financial statements, including the audit of VICI Properties L.P., an SEC registrant, and certain other subsidiaries’ financial statements;
•
Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 services;
•
consents and other services related to SEC matters; and
•
related out-of-pocket expenses.
(2)
Audit-related fees for 2023 relate to assistance with the Company’s due diligence review in connection with certain transactions.
(3)
Tax fees for 2024 and 2023 relate to assistance with certain of the Company’s state and local tax filing requirements.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures of Our Audit Committee
Our Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit services and permissible tax and non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm. In the intervals between the scheduled meetings of the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee delegates pre-approval authority of permissible tax and non-audit services to the Chair of the Audit Committee or a subcommittee thereof. The Chair must report any such pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. All services performed by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 were pre-approved in accordance with this policy.
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41
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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The following is a report by the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors regarding the responsibilities and functions of the Audit Committee. This report is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed filed with the SEC, and is not to be incorporated by reference in any of the Company’s filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, respectively, whether made before or after the date of this proxy statement and irrespective of any general incorporation language therein.
Management is responsible for the Company’s internal controls and financial reporting process. Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”), the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), and to issue its reports thereon. The Audit Committee monitors and oversees these processes. The Audit Committee approves the selection and appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and recommends the ratification of such selection and appointment to our Board of Directors.
The Audit Committee serves in an oversight capacity and is not part of the Company’s managerial or operational decision-making process. Management is responsible for the financial reporting process, including the system of internal controls, for the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s independent auditor, Deloitte, is responsible for auditing those financial statements and expressing an opinion as to their conformity with GAAP. We rely, without independent verification, on the information provided to us and on the representations made by management, the internal auditor and the independent auditor.
We reviewed and discussed with management, the internal auditor and Deloitte the audited financial statements. We discussed with Deloitte matters that independent registered public accounting firms must discuss with audit committees under applicable requirements of the PCAOB and the SEC. The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Deloitte required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Deloitte’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and has discussed with Deloitte its independence. We also: (i) reviewed and discussed with management, the Company’s internal auditors and Deloitte the Company’s internal control over financial reporting; and (ii) reviewed and discussed with management and Deloitte their respective assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Based on our review and the discussions and reports discussed above, and subject to the limitations on our role and responsibilities referred to above, we recommended to the Board of Directors that the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for 2024 be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 for filing with the SEC.
Members of the Audit Committee:
Diana F. Cantor (Chair)
Elizabeth I. Holland
Craig Macnab
Elizabeth I. Holland
Craig Macnab
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42
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND
RELATED TRANSACTIONS
RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Related Party Transactions Policy
We recognize that related party transactions present a heightened risk of actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest and have adopted a written policy regarding the review and approval of any related party transactions. Our Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for the oversight and review of potential conflicts of interest in connection with “related person transactions” between us and any related person pursuant to the written related party transactions policy adopted by our Board of Directors. Under SEC rules, a “related person” is an officer, director, nominee for director or beneficial holder of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities since the beginning of the last year or an immediate family member of any of the foregoing. In the course of its review of a related party transaction, the Nominating and Governance Committee will take into account the material facts of such transaction, including:
•
whether the transaction is fair and reasonable to the Company;
•
whether the transaction was undertaken in the ordinary course of business of the Company;
•
whether the transaction was initiated by the Company, a subsidiary or the related party;
•
whether the transaction with the related party is proposed to be, or was, entered into on terms no less favorable to the Company than terms that could have been reached with an unrelated third party;
•
the purpose of, and the potential benefits to the Company of, the transaction;
•
the approximate dollar value of the amount involved in the transaction, particularly as it relates to the related party;
•
the related party’s interest in the transaction;
•
whether the transaction would impair the independence of a non-management director; and
•
whether the transaction may present an improper conflict of interest for the related party, taking into account the size of the transaction, the overall financial position of the related party, the direct or indirect nature of the related party’s interest in the transaction and the ongoing nature of any proposed relationship.
The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews all relevant information available to it regarding a related party transaction and either approves or disapproves entry into such related party transaction. Pursuant to our policy, the Nominating and Governance Committee may approve a related party transaction only if they determine that the transaction is not inconsistent with the interests of the Company and its stockholders.
Any member of the Nominating and Governance Committee who is a related party or the immediate family of a related party with respect to a transaction under review will not be permitted to vote on the approval or ratification of the transaction. However, such a director may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting in which such transaction is considered.
Certain Relationships
Indemnification Agreements and Insurance
We have entered into an indemnification agreement with each of our directors and executive officers. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) may be permitted to directors or executive officers, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy and is therefore unenforceable. We have purchased and maintain insurance on behalf of all of our directors and executive officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities, whether or not we are required to have the power to indemnify them against the same liability.
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43
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL
OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock, as of March 3, 2025, by (i) each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of any class of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, (ii) each of our directors, (iii) each of our named executive officers listed in the table entitled “2024 Summary Compensation Table” below and (iv) all of our current directors and executive officers as a group. Beneficial ownership of shares is determined under rules of the SEC and generally includes any shares over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power. Except as noted by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe based on the information provided to us that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our common stock shown as beneficially owned by them. Unless otherwise noted below, the address of the persons listed in the table is c/o VICI Properties Inc., 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022. The percentages shown in this table are calculated based on 1,056,702,548 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 3, 2025.
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5% Stockholders, Officers and Directors
|
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Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned |
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Percentage of
Common Stock |
| ||||||
| | Beneficial Owners of 5% or More of Our Common Stock: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | The Vanguard Group(1) | | | | | 146,919,295 | | | | | | 13.9% | | |
| | BlackRock, Inc.(2) | | | | | 104,544,466 | | | | | | 9.9% | | |
| | Capital International Investors(3) | | | | | 63,424,190 | | | | | | 6.0% | | |
| | State Street Corporation(4) | | | | | 54,604,645 | | | | | | 5.2% | | |
| | Capital Research Global Investors(5) | | | | | 53,527,153 | | | | | | 5.1% | | |
| | Directors and Executive Officers: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Edward B. Pitoniak | | | | | 1,263,683 | | | | | | * | | |
| | John W. R. Payne | | | | | 450,045 | | | | | | * | | |
| | David A. Kieske | | | | | 390,635 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Samantha S. Gallagher | | | | | 345,934 | | | | | | * | | |
| | James R. Abrahamson(6) | | | | | 163,358 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Diana F. Cantor | | | | | 50,234 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Monica H. Douglas | | | | | 33,191 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Elizabeth I. Holland | | | | | 51,218 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Craig Macnab | | | | | 66,058 | | | | | | * | | |
| | Michael D. Rumbolz(7) | | | | | 82,332 | | | | | | * | | |
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Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (10 persons)
|
| | | | 2,896,688 | | | | | | * | | |
*
Less than 1%
(1)
Beneficial ownership is based on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2024 by The Vanguard Group. The Schedule 13G/A indicates that the reporting entity is an investment adviser with shared voting power over 2,131,762 shares of our common stock, sole dispositive power over 141,870,005 shares of our common stock and shared dispositive power over 5,049,290 shares of our common stock. The principal address of the reporting entity is 100 Vanguard Boulevard, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
(2)
Beneficial ownership is based on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on April 5, 2024 by BlackRock, Inc. The Schedule 13G/A indicates that the reporting entity is a parent holding company or control person with sole voting power over 95,811,463 shares of our common stock and sole dispositive power over 104,544,466 shares of our common stock. The Schedule 13G/A further indicates that the following subsidiaries of Blackrock, Inc. acquired, and are beneficial owners of, the shares of our common stock reported on the Schedule 13G/A: BlackRock Life Limited, Aperio Group, LLC, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association, BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., BlackRock Japan Co., Ltd., BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock (Luxembourg) S.A., BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited, BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited, Blackrock (Singapore) Limited, and BlackRock Fund Managers Ltd. The principal address of the parties is BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.
(3)
Beneficial ownership is based on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 9, 2024 by Capital International Investors (“CII”). The Schedule 13G/A indicates that the reporting entity is an investment adviser with sole voting power over 63,422,529 shares of our common stock and sole dispositive power over 63,424,190 shares of our common stock. The Schedule 13G/A further indicates that CII is a division of Capital Research and Management Company (“CRMC”), as well as its investment management subsidiaries and affiliates Capital Bank and Trust Company, Capital International, Inc., Capital International Limited, Capital International Sarl, Capital International K.K., Capital Group Private Client Services, Inc., and Capital Group Investment Management Private Limited (together with CRMC, the “CII investment management entities”). CII’s divisions of each of the CII investment management entities collectively provide investment management services under the name “Capital International Investors.” The principal address of the reporting entity is 333 South Hope Street, 55th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90071.
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44
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
No member of the Compensation Committee is or was formerly an officer or an employee of the Company. None of our executive officers serve as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee, nor has such interlocking relationship existed in the past. Accordingly, during 2024 there were no interlocks with other companies within the meaning of the SEC’s proxy rules.
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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
|
|
The following Compensation Committee report to stockholders shall not, in accordance with the rules of the SEC, be incorporated by reference into any of our future filings made under the Exchange Act or under the Securities Act, and shall not be deemed to be soliciting material or to be filed under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis included in this Proxy Statement. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee has recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.
Members of the Compensation Committee:
Craig Macnab (Chair)
Monica H. Douglas
Michael D. Rumbolz
Monica H. Douglas
Michael D. Rumbolz
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46
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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PROPOSAL 3: NON-BINDING, ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Introduction
In accordance with SEC rules, we are asking for stockholder approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, which disclosures include the disclosures under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” the compensation tables and the narrative discussion following the compensation tables. This proposal, commonly known as a “Say-on-Pay” proposal, is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement.
In connection with the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, we held an advisory vote with respect to the frequency with which we solicit “Say-on-Pay” stockholder approval. Pursuant to such proposal, the Board recommended a vote of “one year” with respect to the frequency of holding stockholder advisory votes on executive officer compensation and over 97% of the votes cast were in support of maintaining the Company’s current frequency, whereupon the Board adopted “one year” as the frequency with which we solicit “Say-on-Pay” stockholder approval. Accordingly, the next “Say-on-Pay” advisory vote is expected to occur in connection with our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders.
We believe that the Company has created a compensation program deserving of stockholder support. At the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders and each of our prior annual meetings of stockholders, over 95% of the votes cast have supported our executive compensation program. The Company’s philosophy for compensating executive officers is designed to attract, retain, motivate and reward key executives in the Company’s highly competitive industry. Our compensation arrangements are designed to reward our executives for achieving both short- and long-term performance goals that are aimed at driving increases in our equity value. These arrangements seek to align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders through heavy reliance on short- and long-term performance-oriented incentive plans. Our Compensation Committee reviews and considers this philosophy and makes adjustments as it determines necessary or appropriate.
Please read “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” beginning on page 49 for additional details about our executive compensation program, including information about the 2024 compensation of our named executive officers.
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote in favor of the following resolution:
“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to our named executive officers, as disclosed in the Proxy Statement for our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the ‘Compensation Discussion and Analysis,’ the compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED, on a non-binding, advisory basis.”
Approval of this non-binding, advisory “Say-on-Pay” resolution requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting at which a quorum is present.
The vote on this proposal is non-binding and advisory in nature. Because of this, it will not affect any compensation already paid or awarded to any named executive officer, and it will not be binding on or overrule any decisions by our Board of Directors or our Compensation Committee. Nevertheless, our Board of Directors highly values input from our stockholders, and our Compensation Committee will carefully consider the results of this vote when making future decisions about executive compensation. The vote on this resolution is not intended to address any specific element of compensation; rather, the vote relates to the overall compensation of our named executive officers, as described in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast is required for approval (on a non-binding, advisory basis) of the “Say-on-Pay” proposal. For purposes of the vote on this proposal, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote, although they will be considered present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.
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OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE
ADVISORY APPROVAL OF THE NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION. |
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47
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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
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2024 Named Executive Officers
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Edward B. Pitoniak
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Age: 69
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John W.R. Payne
President and Chief Operating Officer
Age: 56
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David A. Kieske
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Age: 54
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Samantha S. Gallagher
Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary
Age: 48
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|
Set forth below is certain information regarding each of our current executive officers, other than Mr. Pitoniak, whose biographical information is presented under “Proposal 1: Election of Directors — Director Nominees”.
John W.R. Payne has been our President and Chief Operating Officer since October 6, 2017. Mr. Payne previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, Inc. (which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2015), a position he held since 2014. Mr. Payne has more than 25 years of experience in the gaming and hospitality business. Prior to 2014, Mr. Payne served as President of Central Markets and Partnership Development of Caesars from 2013 to 2014, Caesars’ President of Enterprise Shared Services from 2012 to 2013, Caesars’ President of Central Division from 2007 to 2012 and Atlantic City Regional President in 2006. In 2005, Mr. Payne also served as Caesars’ Gulf Coast Regional President. Mr. Payne served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s New Orleans from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Payne is a Board Member of the Audubon Institute, Council for a Better Louisiana and Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans. Mr. Payne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Duke University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University.
David A. Kieske has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since January 1, 2018, and served as Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer from November 27, 2017 until December 31, 2017. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kieske worked at Wells Fargo Securities/Eastdil Secured since 2007, where he most recently served as Managing Director in the Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking Group. In his role, Mr. Kieske was responsible for providing capital raising and financial advisory services to companies in the real estate and lodging industries. Prior to Eastdil, Mr. Kieske worked in the Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking Groups at both Citigroup and Bank of America. Early in Mr. Kieske’s career, he was a senior accountant at Deloitte & Touche LLP and Assistant Vice President & Corporate Controller at TriNet Corporate Realty Trust. Mr. Kieske holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of California Davis and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of California Los Angeles.
Samantha S. Gallagher has been our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since June 12, 2018, and served as Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer upon joining the Company in May 2018. Ms. Gallagher has almost 25 years of experience representing REITs and other real estate companies and financial institutions. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Gallagher served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at First Potomac Realty Trust (NYSE: FPO). In this role, Ms. Gallagher held leadership responsibility for structuring of all transactions (including mergers, acquisitions and dispositions), all corporate governance matters, SEC and NYSE compliance, board relations, enterprise risk management and litigation matters, as well as managing outside counsel. Ms. Gallagher also oversaw the negotiation and documentation pertaining to First Potomac Realty Trust’s merger with Government Properties Income Trust (now Office Properties Income Trust) (NASDAQ: OPI) in October 2017. Previously, Ms. Gallagher was a Partner at Arnold & Porter LLP, Bass, Berry & Sims plc, and Hogan Lovells US LLP. While in private practice, Ms. Gallagher focused on capital markets transactions (including public and private equity and debt offerings), mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, and joint ventures, as well as advising companies in a variety of corporate and securities law matters. She previously served on the Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish® Mid-Atlantic, Inc. from 2013 to 2019, as well as serving as Chair of its Governance Committee. Ms. Gallagher earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, summa cum laude.
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48
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The following Compensation Discussion and Analysis discusses the principles underlying our executive compensation policies and decisions for 2024.
Executive Summary
As we look back on VICI’s seventh full year of existence, following our formation in October 2017 and the completion of our initial public offering in February 2018, we continued to pursue relationships with leading experiential operators, both within and outside of the gaming sector, to further diversify our investment portfolio despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. We have continued to pursue our strategic and growth objectives and to grow and mature as an organization.
•
We supported our tenant operators’ continued investment into our leased properties, including the investment of up to $700 million into The Venetian Resort.
•
We established new relationships with experiential operators, including the secured loan investment into Homefield Kansas City and the related development of a Margaritaville Resort and additional youth sports facilities.
•
We built upon relationships with our experiential partners, including a mezzanine loan investment in Great Wolf Resorts and an investment in the Chelsea Piers One Madison facility.
•
We continued to invest with almost $1.1 billion in committed capital in 2024 and deployed capital in every quarter, achieving 14 consecutive quarters of capital deployment.
The following page sets forth certain highlights of our 2024 financial performance, as well as a presentation of our total stockholder return performance benchmarked against certain comparative groups.
2024 Financial Highlights
The following are some of the highlights of our accomplishments in 2024:
(1)
AFFO per share is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a definition and reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see the Appendix beginning on page 79 of this Proxy Statement.
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49
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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Total Stockholder Return Benchmarking
| | |
48.9% 5-Year Total
Stockholder Return |
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13.6% 3-Year Total
Stockholder Return |
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(3.1)% 1-Year Total
Stockholder Return |
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Challenging macroeconomic environment driving one-year TSR underperformance.
Outperformance in three-year TSR, leading all comparison groups. Significant outperformance in five-year TSR, leading all comparison groups by significant margins. |
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* Refer to page 53 of this Proxy Statement for companies comprising the Peer Group.
† Triple Net REITs include: Agree Realty Corporation, EPR Properties, Essential Properties Realty Trust, Four Corners Property Trust, Inc., Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., National Retail Properties, Inc., Realty Income Corporation, VICI Properties Inc. and W.P. Carey Inc, and does not include triple net REITs that were not publicly traded during the entirety of 2024.
‡ S&P 500 REITs include: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., American Tower Corporation, AvalonBay Communities, Inc., BXP Inc., Camden Property Trust, Crown Castle Inc., Digital Realty Trust, Inc., Equinix, Inc., Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, Inc., Extra Space Storage Inc., Federal Realty Investment Trust, Healthpeak Properties, Inc., Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Invitation Homes, Inc., Iron Mountain, Inc., Kimco Realty Corporation, Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., Prologis, Inc., Public Storage, Realty Income Corporation, Regency Centers Corporation, SBA Communications Corp. (Class A), Simon Property Group, Inc., UDR, Inc., Ventas, Inc., VICI Properties Inc., Vornado Realty Trust, Welltower Inc., and Weyerhaeuser Company.
For comparative purposes, overall S&P 500 index total stockholder return for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2024 were 25.0%, 29.2%, and 96.8% respectively.
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Compensation Program Overview
Compensation Philosophy and Program Objectives
Our compensation program is designed to attract and retain high-performing executives by motivating and rewarding our executives for achieving both short- and long-term performance goals that are aimed at growing stockholder value. The principal objectives of our compensation philosophy and program are to:
•
align the interests of our executives and stockholders through the use of performance-based short-term cash incentive compensation and time- and performance-based long-term equity incentive compensation;
•
attract, motivate, retain and reward the key leadership and managerial talent needed for our Company to achieve its goals and objectives;
•
promote long-term value creation and growth strategies;
•
ensure line-of-sight between key performance measures that are indicative of Company growth and gains in stockholder value and actual results; and
•
encourage stock ownership through executive stock ownership guidelines and by providing long-term incentives that align the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders.
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50
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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Compensation Practices and Policies
The following is an overview of the highlights of our compensation structure, and the fundamental compensation policies and practices we do and do not use.
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WHAT WE DO
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WHAT WE DON’T DO
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Align the interests of our executives and stockholders through the use of performance-based short-term cash incentive compensation and service and performance-based long-term equity incentive compensation.
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No excise tax gross ups upon a change in control.
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Double-Trigger Change in Control Payments — a “change in control” by itself is not sufficient to trigger payments, it must also be accompanied by a qualifying termination.
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No pledging, hedging or short sale activities by our executives and directors.
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Clawback Policy — an accounting restatement will trigger the mandatory clawback of any erroneously awarded or vested compensation, i.e., incentive compensation that exceeds the amount of such compensation due after taking into account the accounting restatement.
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We do not maintain any defined benefit or supplemental retirement plans.
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LTIP Award Governor — Payouts under our Relative TSR PSUs are capped at “target” in the event that our Absolute TSR performance is negative in a given period.
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No perquisites or other personal benefits to executive officers that are not available to all employees.
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Maintain robust director and executive officer stock ownership guidelines, with only earned performance-based equity included in determining if the ownership threshold is satisfied.
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We do not pay dividends on equity awards until, and only to the extent, those awards vest.
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Engage an independent compensation consultant to review and provide recommendations regarding our executive compensation program.
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We do not allow for repricing or buyouts of underwater options or stock appreciation rights without stockholder approval.
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Require a one-year minimum vesting period on all equity grants (not limited to grants to our named executive officers), subject to a 5% carve-out for certain equity grants.
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No plan design features that encourage excessive or imprudent risk taking.
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Compensation Process
In developing the Company’s executive compensation philosophy and implementing its programs and policies, our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors recognizes the importance of aligning the Company’s executive compensation programs with stockholder interests and continually reviews the Company’s executive compensation practices. A broad overview of the Compensation Committee’s annual process, including the roles of the independent compensation consultant and executive management, is set forth below.
Role of the Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee regularly reviews, approves and oversees our executive compensation programs and practices, and evaluates and determines the appropriate executive compensation philosophy and objectives for VICI, the process for establishing executive compensation, the appropriate design of our executive compensation program and compensation arrangements, and the annual compensation of our executive officers. In determining compensation for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers, among other things, the factors set forth herein and the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer (for our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer). The Compensation Committee consists entirely of independent directors and is supported in its work by an independent compensation consultant, as described below, although it is solely responsible for making the final decisions on executive compensation.
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Individual Factors
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•
Position and Associated Responsibilities
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•
Recruitment / Retention
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•
Individual History
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•
Industry Considerations
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•
Peer Comparisons
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•
Compensation Philosophy
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52
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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| | | |
| |
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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| | | |
The independent compensation consultant’s benchmarking analysis compared the compensation of our executive officers based on each element of compensation and total target compensation with that of executive officers of similar titles and job roles across the peer group. The Compensation Committee considers the amount and mix of base and variable compensation by referencing, for each executive officer position, the prevalence of each element and the level of compensation that is provided in the market based on the benchmarking analysis. The Compensation Committee typically uses the median levels of compensation within the peer group in setting pay; however, actual compensation paid may fluctuate above/below the median of the peer group based on the Company’s performance and achievement of the goals established by the Compensation Committee for the executive officers. In connection with setting 2024 compensation, the Compensation Committee reviewed total target compensation for executive officers in similar roles at our 2024 peer group companies based on market data, which indicated that the median compensation of such peer group executive officers generally exceeded each of our executive officers’ 2023 total target compensation for their respective positions, with the compensation of our executive officers falling between the 25th and 50th percentiles (with variability by position) against the peer group data. In particular, the comparative analysis performed in the first quarter of 2024 indicated that our Chief Executive Officer’s total target compensation registered at the 30th percentile of the 2024 peer group companies’ CEO total target compensation and was approximately 17% below the median of the 2024 peer group companies’ CEO total target compensation.
Changes to Peer Group for 2025
In the third quarter of 2024, the Compensation Committee approved an updated peer group for the 2025 executive compensation program, taking into consideration the same factors noted above under “Peer Group Factors”, as well as the overall relevance of the companies in the current peer group (including size, scope, and industry/sector). The 2025 peer group approved by the Compensation Committee reflected the replacement of two companies in the 2024 peer group with two new companies, as set forth herein.
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2025 PEER GROUP CHANGES
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+
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Equinix, Inc.
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+
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Wynn Resorts, Limited
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-
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Las Vegas Sands Corp.
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-
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Vail Resorts, Inc.
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2024 Executive Compensation
Base Salary
The 2023 and 2024 base salaries for each of our named executive officers are set forth in the table below. Base salaries for our named executive officers were reviewed by the Compensation Committee in February 2024, who determined that our named executive officers current base salaries appropriately aligned with compensation levels of similar executive officers of the 2024 peer companies. Accordingly, the 2024 base salaries for each of our named executive officers remained the same as 2023 base salary levels.
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Named Executive Officer
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2023
Base Salary |
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2024
Base Salary |
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Percent Increase
from 2023 |
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| | Edward B. Pitoniak | | | | $ | 1,000,000 | | | | | $ | 1,000,000 | | | | | | — | | |
| | John W.R. Payne | | | | $ | 1,200,000 | | | | | $ | 1,200,000 | | | | | | — | | |
| | David A. Kieske | | | | $ | 625,000 | | | | | $ | 625,000 | | | | | | — | | |
| | Samantha S. Gallagher | | | | $ | 585,000 | | | | | $ | 585,000 | | | | | | — | | |
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54
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| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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2024 Long-Term Incentive Program
Our long-term incentive program provides for equity awards under the VICI Properties Inc. 2017 Stock Incentive Plan. The illustration below sets forth the general structure of our 2024 LTIP:
•
Time-Based Portion of LTIP Award: The time-based portion of the LTIP Award (the “Time-Based Awards”) is in the form of shares of restricted stock, which vest ratably, annually over three years. There are no performance conditions attached to the 2024 Time-Based Awards; the only requirement for vesting is continued service (except as otherwise provided in the participant’s employment agreement in specific instances, such as terminations without “cause” or for “good reason,” including following a “change in control”). Dividends on the shares of restricted stock are held by the Company and deemed invested in the shares of common stock and are payable in cash only if and to the extent that the underlying shares of restricted stock vest. As such, no dividends will be paid on shares of restricted stock that do not vest.
•
Performance-Based Portion of LTIP Award: The performance-based portion of the LTIP Award (the “Performance-Based Awards”) is in the form of performance-based restricted stock units (“PSUs”). 50% of the 2024 Performance-Based Awards vests on the basis of the Company’s Absolute TSR and 50% of the 2024 Performance-Based Awards vests on the basis of the Company’s Relative TSR versus the constituent companies of the MSCI US REIT Index, or RMZ (in each case based on actual results, as measured over a three-year performance period). The Compensation Committee may select different performance conditions for future awards. With respect to the Performance-Based Awards, dividends accumulate in cash and are payable only if and to the extent that the PSUs vest. As such, no dividends will be paid on PSUs that do not vest. If the Company’s performance is below the threshold of one performance metric, no PSUs are earned for such portion of the award; however, failure to achieve threshold of one performance metric (i.e., failure to achieve threshold for Absolute TSR or failure to achieve threshold for Relative TSR) will not result in the forfeiture of the PSUs subject to the performance metric that is achieved. If the Company’s performance is between two levels of performance (i.e., between threshold and target or between target and superior), the actual amount of the award that is earned (and the number of PSUs that will vest) will be determined based on linear interpolation between the two performance levels. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Company’s Absolute TSR for the performance period is negative, the number of PSUs that vest based on Relative TSR shall not exceed the target number of PSUs for the Relative TSR performance metric, even if the Company’s Relative TSR exceeds Relative TSR target performance.
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56
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
|
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Status of Outstanding LTIP Performance-Based Awards (PSUs)
The Compensation Committee believes that the long-term incentive compensation awards issued to the named executive officers pursuant to the LTIP appropriately align our named executive officers’ focus on achieving the Company’s strategic objectives with the absolute and relative stockholder return expectations of our stockholders. The following table shows the status of the PSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2024, in each case measured as of such date.
(1)
Percentage shown measures performance as of December 31, 2024, although no PSUs will be earned until after the conclusion of the three-year performance period. The actual number of PSUs that will vest will be determined following the end of the applicable three-year performance period.
(2)
The three-year performance period for the 2022 PSUs concluded on December 31, 2024. See “2022 LTIP Performance-Based Award Results (2022 – 2024 Performance Period)” below for additional detail on the level of achievement with respect to the performance conditions for the 2022 PSUs.
2022 LTIP Performance-Based Award Results (2022 – 2024 Performance Period)
The following table summarizes the actual performance award payouts for the named executive officers under the PSUs granted in 2022 for the three-year performance period ending on December 31, 2024.
(1)
Reflects a 4.3% annualized Absolute TSR performance over the three-year performance period (13.6% for the performance period).
(2)
Reflects Relative TSR performance at the 75th percentile over the three-year performance period.
During the first quarter of 2025, the Company’s performance results were determined against the corporate performance metrics under the 2022 LTIP PSUs and the “target” level of performance was achieved based on the aggregate of the Absolute TSR (below “threshold”) and Relative TSR (above “superior”) performance outcomes. Despite continuing macroeconomic uncertainty throughout the three-year performance period, including a heightened interest rate environment and significant market volatility, we continued to focus on pursuing accretive transactions and generating long-term value for stockholders. We increased our quarterly dividend each year of the performance period and, factoring in market and sector-specific headwinds driving performance below our 2022 LTIP performance targets on an absolute basis, while still outperforming our Peer Group on a relative basis, as well as other comparison groups, including select triple-net REIT peers, the S&P 500 REITs, and the RMZ. Refer to “Total Stockholder Return Benchmarking” on page 50 for additional information.
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58
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| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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Treatment of Equity Upon Retirement
In February 2024, the Compensation Committee approved amendments to the Company’s forms of equity award agreements, as filed with the SEC on February 22, 2024, to incorporate certain provisions regarding the treatment of outstanding equity awards upon a “qualified retirement” (as defined in such agreements) (the “Qualified Retirement Equity Treatment”) beginning with the 2024 compensation year. The Qualified Retirement Equity Treatment applies on the same terms to our named executive officers as all other employees of the Company and is intended to recognize long-tenured individuals who have contributed to the growth and success of the Company.
In order to qualify for the Qualified Retirement Equity Treatment, an individual must (i) voluntarily retire from service as an employee of the Company at a time when they are (a) at least 55 years old, and (b) have a combined age plus total years of service with the Company of at least 70 years, and (ii) provide at least six months advance written notice of expected retirement. The Qualified Retirement Equity Treatment provides (i) with respect to outstanding Time-Based Awards, for immediate full accelerated vesting of any unvested awards, and (ii) with respect to outstanding PSUs, that a pro rata portion (based on the number of days elapsed between the start of the performance period and the date of the qualified retirement) of the outstanding PSUs will remain outstanding for the duration of the performance period, following which the PSUs shall vest and be settled following conclusion of the performance period based on actual performance outcomes for the full period.
Perquisites and Other Benefits
We maintain medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, and accidental death and disability insurance and other benefits for all of our full-time employees. Executives are eligible to participate in the same welfare benefit plans as our other full-time employees and are covered by the same vacation, leave of absence and similar policies. As of December 31, 2024, we did not offer any perquisites or other benefits to our executive officers that are not generally available to our other employees.
Severance Benefits
In order to achieve our compensation objective of attracting, retaining and motivating high-performing executives, we believe that we need to provide our named executive officers with severance protection. We are party to employment agreements with each of our named executive officers. Pursuant to the employment agreements, each of our named executive officers is entitled to certain severance benefits based on the nature of their termination. See “— Compensation Tables and Arrangements — Employment Agreements with Executive Officers” and “— Compensation Tables and Arrangements — Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below for further information regarding severance benefits payable to the named executive officers upon termination or change in control.
Insider Trading Policy; No Pledging and No Hedging Policies
The Company has implemented processes that we believe are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules, and regulations, and has adopted an Inside Information and Securities Trading Policy and Procedures (the “Insider Trading Policy”), filed as an exhibit to the 2024 Annual Report, which governs all transactions involving the Company’s securities, including the purchase, sale and/or other disposition of the Company’s securities by, among others, directors, officers and employees and is reasonably designed to promote compliance with applicable insider trading laws, rules and regulations, as well as the listing standards of the NYSE. In particular, the Insider Trading Policy sets forth our corporate-wide policies, rules, guidelines and procedures with respect to inside information (as defined in the Insider Trading Policy), including procedures and limitations on buying and selling securities. The Insider Trading Policy applies to every Company officer, director and employee, and to consultants to and contractors of the Company who have access to MNPI in the course of their duties.
We believe that equity ownership fosters an atmosphere where directors and officers “think like owners” and are motivated to increase the long-term value of the Company by aligning their interests with those of the Company’s stockholders. Accordingly, our Insider Trading Policy includes a robust policy prohibiting each of our directors, executive officers and other employees from purchasing any Company securities on margin, holding any Company securities in a margin account or pledging Company securities as collateral for a loan. In addition, our Insider Trading Policy specifically prohibits our directors, executive officers and other employees from (i) engaging in hedging or monetization transactions involving our securities, including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, and exchange funds; (ii) trading in options, puts, calls or other similar instruments involving our securities; and (iii) engaging in short sales of our securities.
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60
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| |
VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
|
| | | |
COMPENSATION TABLES AND ARRANGEMENTS
2024 Summary Compensation Table
This Summary Compensation Table summarizes the total compensation paid or earned by each of our named executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
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Name
|
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Year
|
| |
Salary ($)
|
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Bonus ($)
|
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Stock
Awards ($)(1) |
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Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(2) |
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All Other
Compensation ($)(3) |
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Total
($) |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |
Edward B. Pitoniak
Chief Executive Officer |
| | | | 2024 | | | | | | 1,000,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 7,272,427 | | | | | | 4,500,000 | | | | | | 28,318 | | | | | | 12,800,745 | | |
| | | | 2023 | | | | | | 1,000,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 6,250,000 | | | | | | 4,000,000 | | | | | | 27,678 | | | | | | 11,277,678 | | | |||
| | | | 2022 | | | | | | 1,000,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 6,500,000 | | | | | | 4,000,000 | | | | | | 13,494 | | | | | | 11,513,494 | | | |||
| |
John W.R. Payne
President and Chief Operating Officer |
| | | | 2024 | | | | | | 1,200,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 1,914,311 | | | | | | 2,520,000 | | | | | | 18,715 | | | | | | 5,653,026 | | |
| | | | 2023 | | | | | | 1,200,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 1,920,000 | | | | | | 2,280,000 | | | | | | 18,102 | | | | | | 5,418,102 | | | |||
| | | | 2022 | | | | | | 1,200,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,680,000 | | | | | | 2,040,000 | | | | | | 13,494 | | | | | | 5,933,494 | | | |||
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David A. Kieske
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
| | | | 2024 | | | | | | 625,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,199,325 | | | | | | 1,812,500 | | | | | | 16,429 | | | | | | 4,653,254 | | |
| | | | 2023 | | | | | | 625,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,125,000 | | | | | | 1,687,500 | | | | | | 15,822 | | | | | | 4,453,322 | | | |||
| | | | 2022 | | | | | | 575,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,782,500 | | | | | | 1,437,500 | | | | | | 13,494 | | | | | | 4,808,494 | | | |||
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Samantha S. Gallagher
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
| | | | 2024 | | | | | | 585,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 1,509,634 | | | | | | 1,521,000 | | | | | | 15,515 | | | | | | 3,631,149 | | |
| | | | 2023 | | | | | | 585,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 1,462,500 | | | | | | 1,404,000 | | | | | | 14,910 | | | | | | 3,466,410 | | | |||
| | | | 2022 | | | | | | 525,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,260,000 | | | | | | 1,050,000 | | | | | | 13,494 | | | | | | 3,848,494 | | | |||
(1)
The amounts in the Stock Awards column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of time-based restricted stock and performance-based restricted stock units, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in Note 13 to the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. The amounts disclosed in this column for 2024 reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of time-based restricted stock awards granted under the LTIP for the 2024 plan year, which vest over a three-year period, and PSUs granted under the LTIP, which will be earned, if at all, on the basis of Absolute TSR and Relative TSR measured over the three-year performance period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026. For a discussion of the LTIP and the long-term incentive awards granted to our named executive officers in 2024, see “— Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Elements of Executive Compensation — Long-Term Incentive Program”. The following table discloses the grant date fair value of each 2024 LTIP award granted to the applicable named executive officer, which are unvested and remain subject to the applicable performance conditions:
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Name
|
| |
Year
|
| |
2024
LTIP Award (Time-Based) |
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2024
LTIP Award (Performance-Based)(a) |
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Edward B. Pitoniak
|
| | | | 2024 | | | | | $ | 3,100,000 | | | | | $ | 4,172,427 | | |
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John W.R. Payne
|
| | | | 2024 | | | | | $ | 816,000 | | | | | $ | 1,098,311 | | |
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David A. Kieske
|
| | | | 2024 | | | | | $ | 937,500 | | | | | $ | 1,261,825 | | |
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Samantha S. Gallagher
|
| | | | 2024 | | | | | $ | 643,500 | | | | | $ | 866,134 | | |
(a)
If the maximum level of performance was achieved, the grant date fair value of the 2024 PSUs would be $8,344,854 for Mr. Pitoniak, $2,196,622 for Mr. Payne, $2,523,650 for Mr. Kieske and $1,732,268 for Ms. Gallagher.
(2)
The amounts shown in the Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation column reflect the cash award that each named executive officer earned in the respective year pursuant to the Company’s STIP, each of which were paid in February of the subsequent year. For a discussion of the annual incentive program, see “— Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Elements of Executive Compensation — Short-Term Incentive Plan — 2024 STIP Awards”.
(3)
The amounts shown in the All Other Compensation column for the year ended December 31, 2024 consist of:
(a)
group life insurance premiums for each of Mr. Pitoniak, Mr. Kieske, Mr. Payne and Ms. Gallagher; and
(b)
company matching contributions under our 401(k) plan of $13,800 for each of Mr. Pitoniak, Mr. Kieske, Mr. Payne and Ms. Gallagher.
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62
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
|
| | | |
Outstanding Equity Awards at Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding outstanding equity awards for each of our named executive officers as of December 31, 2024.
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Name
|
| |
Grant
Date |
| |
Number of Shares
or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) |
| |
Market Value of
Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(1) (#) |
| |
Equity Incentive Plan
Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested(2) (#) |
| |
Equity Incentive Plan
Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested(3) ($) |
| |||||||||||||||
| |
Edward B. Pitoniak
|
| | | | 2/16/2022 | | | | | | 30,522(4) | | | | | | 891,548 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | 48,638(5) | | | | | | 1,420,716 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(6) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | 105,046(7) | | | | | | 3,068,394 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(8) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| |
John W.R. Payne
|
| | | | 2/16/2022 | | | | | | 12,585(4) | | | | | | 367,608 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | 14,942(5) | | | | | | 436,456 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(6) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | 27,651(7) | | | | | | 807,686 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(8) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| |
David A. Kieske
|
| | | | 2/16/2022 | | | | | | 13,066(4) | | | | | | 381,658 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | 16,538(5) | | | | | | 483,075 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(6) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | 31,768(7) | | | | | | 927,943 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(8) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| |
Samantha S. Gallagher
|
| | | | 2/16/2022 | | | | | | 10,613(4) | | | | | | 310,006 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | 11,382(5) | | | | | | 332,468 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2023 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(6) | | | | | | — | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | 21,806(7) | | | | | | 636,953 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| | | | 2/22/2024 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | —(8) | | | | | | — | | | |||
(1)
Value is determined by multiplying the number of unvested shares of restricted common stock by $29.21, the closing price for our common stock on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the year.
(2)
The actual number of PSUs that will vest for each three-year performance period will be determined at the end of the applicable three-year performance period. With respect to each award, no discount has been taken to reflect risk of forfeiture or restrictions on transferability. In addition, these amounts exclude the PSU awards comprising a part of the 2022 LTIP award granted on February 16, 2022 that vested on February 20, 2025 based on the Company’s performance through December 31, 2024, which are reported in the “2024 Options Exercised and Stock Vested” table.
(3)
Reflects the number of unearned/unvested PSUs calculated pursuant to footnote (2) above and multiplied by $29.21, the closing price for our common stock on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the year.
(4)
Represents the time-based restricted stock portion of the 2022 LTIP award granted to each named executive officer, which vests ratably over three years with 33.33% of the award having vested on February 16, 2023, 33.33% having vested on February 16, 2024 and the remaining 33.34% vesting on February 16, 2025.
(5)
Represents the time-based restricted stock portion of the 2023 LTIP award granted to each named executive officer, which vests ratably over three years with 33.33% of the award having vested on February 22, 2024, and the remaining 66.67% vesting ratably on February 22, 2025 and 2026.
(6)
Represents the PSU portion of the 2023 LTIP award granted to each named executive officer, which vests, if at all, on the basis of Absolute TSR and Relative TSR goals measured over the three-year performance period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. Assuming the performance period had terminated and been valued as of December 31, 2024, these PSUs would have been earned and vested below “threshold” (resulting in a 0% payout) and, accordingly, are disclosed above in accordance with SEC rules based on achieving performance goals at such level.
(7)
Represents the time-based portion of the 2024 LTIP award granted to each named executive officer, which vests ratably over three years on February 22, 2025, 2026 and 2027.
(8)
Represents the PSU portion of the 2024 LTIP award granted to each named executive officer, which vests, if at all, on the basis of Absolute TSR and Relative TSR goals measured over the three-year performance period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026. Assuming the performance period had terminated and been valued as of December 31, 2024, these PSUs would have been earned and vested below “threshold” (resulting in a 0% payout) and, accordingly, are disclosed above in accordance with SEC rules based on achieving performance goals at such level.
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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favorable than other similarly situated executives (or with respect to Mr. Kieske and Ms. Gallagher, other Executive Vice Presidents) of the Company but such executive officer will not be entitled to any cash severance.
Certain key terms of each employment agreement in accordance with the above summary (in each case, as may be subsequently increased from time to time as disclosed herein) are set forth below:
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Pitoniak’s employment agreement provided for an initial annual base salary of $765,000, with initial annual incentive compensation comprised of a cash bonus with a target value of 125% of his base salary and a maximum value of 250% of his base salary, and equity awards with a target value of at least 375% of Mr. Pitoniak’s base salary (in each case, as subsequently increased from time to time as disclosed herein). With respect to Mr. Pitoniak’s severance benefits, he is entitled to cash severance equal to the sum of 150% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination, paid over 12 months and a cash payment in the amount of $40,000. If the termination is in connection with a change in control (as defined in the employment agreement), Mr. Pitoniak is entitled to increased cash severance equal to the sum of 200% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination. Mr. Pitoniak’s employment agreement provides for customary non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply for one year after termination of employment, except that if a termination of employment results from Mr. Pitoniak giving a notice of non-renewal, the non-competition period applies for three months after the date of termination, and if a termination of employment results from the Company’s decision not to renew the applicable employment agreement, the non-competition period ends on the date of termination.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Payne’s employment agreement provided for an initial annual base salary of $1,200,000, with initial annual incentive compensation comprised of a cash bonus with a target value of 75% of his base salary and a maximum value of 150% of his base salary, and, commencing in 2020, equity awards with a target value of at least 125% of Mr. Payne’s base salary (in each case, as subsequently increased from time to time as disclosed herein). With respect to Mr. Payne’s severance benefits, he is entitled to cash severance equal to the sum of 125% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination, paid over 12 months, and a cash payment in the amount of $27,500. If the termination is in connection with a change in control (as defined in the employment agreement), Mr. Payne is entitled to increased cash severance equal to the sum of 175% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination and an increased cash payment of $40,000. Mr. Payne’s employment agreement provides for customary non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply for one year after termination of employment, except that if a termination of employment results from Mr. Payne giving a notice of non-renewal, the non-competition period applies for three months after the date of termination, and if a termination of employment results from the Company’s decision not to renew the applicable employment agreement, the non-competition period ends on the date of termination.
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Mr. Kieske’s employment agreement provided for an initial annual base salary of $475,000, with initial annual incentive compensation comprised of a cash bonus with a target value of 95% of his base salary and a maximum value of 190% of his base salary, and equity awards with a target value of at least 200% of Mr. Kieske’s base salary (in each case, as subsequently increased from time to time as disclosed herein). With respect to Mr. Kieske’s severance benefits, he is entitled to cash severance equal to the sum of 100% of his base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination, paid over 12 months, and a cash payment in the amount of $27,500. If the termination is in connection with a change in control (as defined in the employment agreement), Mr. Kieske is entitled to increased cash severance equal to the sum of 150% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination and an increased cash payment of $40,000. Mr. Kieske’s employment agreement provides for customary non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply for one year after his termination of employment. If Mr. Kieske’s employment is terminated because he elects not to renew the term of his employment agreement, all transfer restrictions on vested equity awards for Mr. Kieske will lapse, but he will not be entitled to any other severance.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Ms. Gallagher’s employment agreement provided for an initial annual base salary of $405,000, with initial annual incentive compensation comprised of a cash bonus with a target value of 90% of her base salary and a maximum value of 180% of her base salary, and equity awards with a target value of at least 175% of her base salary (in each case, as subsequently increased from time to time as disclosed herein). With respect to Ms. Gallagher’s severance benefits, she is entitled to cash severance equal to the sum of 100% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination, paid over 12 months, and a cash payment in the amount of $27,500. If the termination is in connection with a change in control (as defined in the employment agreement), Ms. Gallagher is entitled to increased cash severance equal to the sum of 150% of base salary and the target bonus for the year of termination and an increased cash payment of $40,000. Ms. Gallagher’s employment agreement provides for customary non-competition (with an exception for the practice of law) and non-solicitation covenants that apply for one year after her termination of employment. If Ms. Gallagher’s employment is terminated because she elects not to renew the term of her employment agreement, all transfer restrictions on vested equity awards for Ms. Gallagher will lapse, but she will not be entitled to any other severance.
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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(1)
Represents the aggregate value of the acceleration of vesting of the named executive officer’s outstanding restricted stock awards assuming the acceleration occurred on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the year, and based on the closing price for our common stock on such date ($29.21 per share).
(2)
Represents the aggregate value of the acceleration of vesting of the named executive officer’s outstanding PSU awards assuming the acceleration occurred on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the year, and based on the closing price for our common stock on such date ($29.21 per share). Assuming a termination or change in control occurred on December 31, 2024, the calculations regarding the accelerated vesting are based on the number of PSUs that (i) actually vested on February 22, 2025 with respect to the 2022-2024 performance period, (ii) would vest assuming a level of performance of 0% of target with respect to the 2023-2025 performance period and (iii) would vest assuming a level of performance of 0% of target with respect to the 2024-2026 performance period in accordance with the terms of the employment agreements, based on the Company’s current performance with respect to each outstanding performance period as of December 31, 2024. Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreements and applicable award agreements:
•
For Non-Renewal by the Company, Termination without Cause or for Good Reason (no Change in Control), and Death or Disability, a pro-rata portion (determined based on the number of days elapsed between the start of the performance period through the date of termination) of the PSUs shall remain outstanding during the performance period and shall vest and be settled, if and to the extent, the applicable performance conditions are achieved at the end of the performance period.
•
For Termination in connection with a Change in Control, the PSUs shall become vested and settled as of the date of consummation of the change in control based on the greater of target or actual performance through the date immediately prior to the consummation of the change in control (and will not be pro-rated based on actual days worked during the performance period).
•
For qualified retirement (assuming applicable conditions are met), a pro-rata portion of the PSUs (determined based on the number of days elapsed between the start of the performance period through the date of such qualified retirement) shall remain outstanding during the performance period and shall vest and be settled, if and to the extent that the applicable performance conditions are achieved at the end of the performance period. Refer to “Other Compensation Program Elements and Policies—Treatment of Equity Upon Retirement” on page 60 of this Proxy Statement for additional information.
CEO Pay Ratio
As required by Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following estimate of the ratio of the annual total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer to the annual total compensation of our median employee (excluding our Chief Executive Officer).
To identify our median employee, we calculated the total annual compensation for each employee by using W-2 taxable income for the twelve-month period that ended on December 31, 2024. Total compensation for these purposes included base salary, cash bonus for the 2023 compensation year (paid in the first quarter of 2024), the value of restricted shares that vested during 2024, dividends paid upon the vesting of restricted shares and certain reimbursement benefits and was calculated using internal payroll/tax records. In addition, for employees who commenced employment during 2024, we utilized their base annual salary and sign-on bonus (if any), and included the expected cash bonus for 2024 pursuant to our short-term incentive program. We did not make any other assumptions, adjustments or estimates, nor did we apply any cost-of-living adjustments as part of the calculation.
We selected the median employee as an average of two employees based on the 26 full-time employees (excluding our Chief Executive Officer) who were employed as of December 31, 2024. We have no part-time, temporary or seasonal workers and no non-U.S. employees. After identifying the median employee, we calculated annual total compensation for such employee using the same methodology we use for our named executive officers as set forth in the Summary Compensation Table. The 2024 annual total compensation of our median employee was $465,476. The 2024 annual total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, as reported in our Summary Compensation Table, was $12,800,745. Based on the foregoing, our estimate of the ratio of the annual total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer to the median of the annual total compensation of all other employees was 28 to 1. We believe this pay ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K.
Given the various methodologies that public companies are permitted to use to determine an estimate of their pay ratios, the estimated ratio reported above should not be used as a basis for comparison between companies.
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
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(5)
(6)
AFFO per share is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a definition and reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see the Appendix beginning on page 79 of this Proxy Statement.
Financial Performance Measures
The most important financial performance measures used by the Company to link compensation actually paid to performance for the most recently completed fiscal year are listed herein. We utilize performance-based short-term cash incentive compensation to motivate our executive officers to achieve short-term company performance goals that will inure to the benefit of our Company and stockholders and to align executive officers’ interests with those of the stockholders. We utilize time- and performance-based long-term equity incentive compensation to align our executive officers’ focus on achieving the Company’s strategic objectives with the absolute and relative stockholder return expectations of our stockholders. The manner in which these measures are utilized to calculate the amounts of incentive compensation paid to our NEOs is described in more detail in “2024 Executive Compensation” beginning on page 54 of this Proxy Statement.
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Pay vs. Performance Analysis
The following graphs illustrate the relationship, during the period beginning January 1, 2020 and ending December 31, 2024, of the CAP to our CEO (“CEO CAP”) and the average CAP to our Other NEOs (“Other NEO Average CAP”) to:
•
our cumulative TSR and the cumulative TSR of the constituent companies in the RMZ,
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our net income, and
•
our AFFO per share growth (in each case as set forth in the table above).
For additional information on these metrics for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, please refer to our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and definitive proxy statements on DEF 14A filed with the SEC for each respective year.
Compensation Actually Paid (CAP) vs. Cumulative TSR
The year-over-year changes in our CEO CAP and Other NEO Average CAP over the presented periods were driven primarily by (i) changes in the fair value of unvested equity awards as of the last day of the respective reporting year, and (ii) the difference in the fair value of unvested equity awards as of the prior year end compared to the respective reporting year. The changes in Cumulative TSR over the presented periods reflect our track record of quarterly dividend payments (including consecutive increases announced in the third quarter of each presented year), offset by changes in our stock price in each respective reporting year from the end of the prior year.
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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table summarizes information as of December 31, 2024, relating to equity compensation plans of the Company pursuant to which shares of our common stock are authorized for issuance:
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Plan Category
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Number of Securities to be
Issued upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights(1) |
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Weighted Average
Exercise Price of Outstanding Options Warrants and Rights |
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Number of Securities
Remaining Available for Future Issuance under Equity Compensation Plan |
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| | Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | | | | | 332,932 | | | | | | N/A | | | | | | 9,552,597(2) | | |
| | Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
| | Total | | | | | 332,932 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 9,552,597 | | |
(1)
Represents shares of common stock that may be issued upon settlement of PSUs. The number of shares to be issued in respect of PSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2024 has been calculated based on the assumption that the applicable performance period for each outstanding award had terminated and been valued as of December 31, 2024, resulting in the assumed achievement of the current levels of performance with respect to such PSUs set forth in “Executive Compensation Summary — Status of Outstanding LTIP Performance-Based Awards (PSUs)” on page 58 of this Proxy Statement. We have no outstanding options, warrants or rights.
(2)
Represents shares of our common stock available for issuance under our 2017 Stock Incentive Plan.
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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ABOUT THE MEETING: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
WHY AM I RECEIVING THIS PROXY STATEMENT?
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies for use at the Annual Meeting to be held for the purposes stated in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. This solicitation is made by VICI on behalf of our Board of Directors. This Proxy Statement, the enclosed Proxy Card and our 2024 Annual Report are first being mailed to stockholders beginning on or about March 17, 2025.
WHAT AM I BEING ASKED TO VOTE ON, AND WHAT ARE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ VOTING RECOMMENDATIONS?
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Proposal 1:
Election of Directors |
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The election of seven directors to our Board of Directors, each for a term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified
“FOR”
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Proposal 2:
Ratification of Appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP |
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The ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025
“FOR”
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Proposal 3:
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation |
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The approval (on a non-binding, advisory basis) of the compensation of our named executive officers
“FOR”
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WILL ANY OTHER MATTERS BE VOTED ON?
The proposals set forth in this Proxy Statement constitute the only business that the Board of Directors intends to present at the Annual Meeting. The proxy does, however, confer discretionary authority upon the persons designated as proxy holders on the Proxy Card, or their substitutes, to vote on any other business that may properly come before the meeting.
WHO IS ENTITLED TO VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING?
Only holders of record of our common stock, or their duly appointed proxies, as of the close of business on March 3, 2025, the record date for the Annual Meeting, are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and all postponements or adjournments thereof. Our common stock constitutes the only class of securities entitled to vote at the meeting.
WHAT ARE THE VOTING RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERS?
Each share of common stock outstanding on the record date entitles its holder to cast one vote on each matter to be voted on at the Annual Meeting.
HOW CAN I ATTEND AND VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING?
As the Annual Meeting will be held virtually, you will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. You are entitled to participate in the Annual Meeting if you were a stockholder as of the close of business on March 3, 2025, the record date for the Annual Meeting.
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ABOUT THE MEETING: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
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Attending the Annual Meeting: To attend the Annual Meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025. You will be asked to enter the 16-digit control number found on the Proxy Card and the voting instruction form that accompanied your proxy materials.
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Voting During the Annual Meeting: If you are a stockholder as of the record date, you may vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions available on the meeting website during the meeting.
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Technical Support for the Annual Meeting: If you have difficulty accessing the virtual Annual Meeting, technicians will be available to assist you via the toll-free phone number listed at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025.
Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote and submit your proxy in advance of the meeting. For information on how to vote prior to the Annual Meeting, see “How Do I Vote Without Attending the Annual Meeting?”
HOW DO I VOTE WITHOUT ATTENDING THE ANNUAL MEETING?
Stockholders do not need to attend the Annual Meeting in order to vote. If, at the close of business on March 3, 2025, you were a stockholder of record or held shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, you are entitled to vote. For stockholders of record, you may vote your shares by proxy via the Internet, by telephone or by mail. For shares held through a broker, bank or other nominee, you may vote by submitting voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee. Please refer to information from your broker, bank or other nominee on how to submit voting instructions.
Voting by Proxy for Shares Registered Directly in the Name of the Stockholder. If you are a stockholder of record, you may instruct the proxy holders named in the Proxy Card how to vote your shares of common stock in one of the following ways:
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Vote by Internet. In order to vote on the Internet, you must go to www.proxyvote.com, have your Notice of Availability, Proxy Card or voting instruction form in hand and follow the instructions. If you vote via the Internet, you do not need to return your Proxy Card.
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Vote by Phone. In order to vote by telephone, you must call the toll-free number listed on your Notice of Availability and/or Proxy Card, have your Notice of Availability, Proxy Card or voting instruction form in hand and follow the instructions. If you vote by telephone, you do not need to return your Proxy Card.
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Vote by Mail. To vote by mail, if you have not already received one, you may request a Proxy Card from us as instructed in the Notice of Availability and sign, date and mail the Proxy Card in the postage-paid envelope provided. Properly signed and returned proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions contained therein.
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Voting by Proxy for Shares Held in Street Name. If you are the beneficial owner of shares of common stock held in “street name” (that is, through a bank, broker or other nominee), then you should follow the instructions provided to you by your broker, bank or other nominee.
WILL I BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN AN IN-PERSON ANNUAL MEETING?
Yes. We have taken steps to ensure that the format of the virtual Annual Meeting affords stockholders the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would at an in-person meeting, as well as further enhancements to stockholder access, participation and communication by providing stockholders the ability to submit questions in advance of the meeting.
You may submit a question in advance of the meeting at www.proxyvote.com after logging in with your control number found on your Proxy Card, voting instruction form or Notice of Availability. Questions may also be submitted during the Annual Meeting through www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025. All questions submitted should be relevant to the matters properly addressed during this meeting. Questions specific to the proposals to be presented for a vote will, if appropriate, be reviewed and responded to prior to voting. Other appropriate questions relevant to the matters addressed at the Annual Meeting will also be answered at that time. The Company will respond to as many appropriate questions as time allows, although questions may be limited on a per stockholder basis due to time constraints. Any question submitted that is not relevant to the matters properly addressed during the meeting or otherwise appropriate, including off-topic, personal or other inappropriate questions, will not be answered during the Annual Meeting.
A replay of the meeting, as well as any appropriate questions pertinent to meeting matters and management’s answers that could not be answered during the meeting due to time constraints, if any, will be made publicly available through our investor relations website promptly after the Annual Meeting.
WHAT WILL CONSTITUTE A QUORUM AT THE ANNUAL MEETING?
The presence in person (virtually) or by proxy of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on any matter at the Annual Meeting as of March 3, 2025 will constitute a quorum, permitting the stockholders to conduct business at the Annual Meeting. As of the March 3, 2025 record date, there were 1,056,702,548 shares of common stock outstanding. If you have
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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ABOUT THE MEETING: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
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if you are a stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive more than one Notice of Availability. Please authorize your proxy in accordance with the instructions of each Notice of Availability separately, since each one represents different shares that you own.
You should rely only on the information provided in this Proxy Statement. No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representation not contained in this Proxy Statement and, if given or made, you should not rely on that information or representation as having been authorized by us. You should not assume that the information in this Proxy Statement is accurate as of any date other than the date of this Proxy Statement or, where information relates to another date set forth in this Proxy Statement, then as of that date.
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OTHER MATTERS
ANNUAL REPORT
The Company’s 2024 Annual Report is being made available to stockholders concurrently with this Proxy Statement and does not form part of the proxy solicitation material.
CHANGING THE WAY YOU RECEIVE PROXY MATERIALS IN THE FUTURE
Instead of receiving a Notice of Availability in the mail for future meetings, stockholders may elect to receive links to proxy materials by e-mail or to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials and a paper Proxy Card by mail. If you elect to receive proxy materials by e-mail, you will not receive a Notice of Availability in the mail. Instead, you will receive an e-mail with links to proxy materials and online voting. In addition, if you elect to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials, or if applicable rules or regulations require paper delivery of the proxy materials, you will not receive a Notice of Availability in the mail. If you received a paper copy of the proxy materials or the Notice of Availability in the mail, you can eliminate all such paper mailings in the future by electing to receive an e-mail that will provide Internet links to these documents. Opting to receive all future proxy materials online will save us the cost of producing and mailing such documents to you and help us conserve natural resources. You can change your election by directing your request in writing to Investor Relations at VICI Properties Inc., 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, by sending a blank e-mail with the 16-digit control number on your Notice of Availability to [email protected], by Internet at www.proxyvote.com, or by telephone at 1-800-579-1639. Your election will remain in effect until you change it.
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
Registered and “street-name” stockholders who reside at a single address receive only one annual report and proxy statement at that address unless a stockholder provides contrary instructions. This practice is known as “householding” and is designed to reduce duplicate printing and postage costs. However, if a stockholder wishes in the future to receive a separate annual report or proxy statement, such stockholder may contact Broadridge Financial Solutions at 1-866-540-7095, or in writing at Broadridge Financial Solutions, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. In any event, if you did not receive an individual copy of this Proxy Statement or our 2024 Annual Report, we will send a copy to you promptly if you address your written request to the Secretary, VICI Properties Inc., 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, or emailing [email protected]. Stockholders can request householding if they receive multiple copies of the annual report and proxy statement by contacting Broadridge Financial Solutions at the address above.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 2026 ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholder Proposals Pursuant to Rule 14a-8
Stockholder proposals intended to be presented at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders must be received by our Secretary no later than November 17, 2025 in order to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement relating to the 2026 meeting pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act. Such proposals must also comply with the requirements as to form and substance established by the SEC if such proposals are to be included in the proxy statement and form of proxy. Any such proposal should be mailed to: Secretary, VICI Properties Inc., 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
Other Stockholder Proposals
For any nomination or other business to be properly presented by a stockholder at the 2026 annual meeting, other than a stockholder proposal included in the proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8, the stockholder must give timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company and any such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by the stockholders. To be timely under our current bylaws, the notice must be delivered to our Secretary, along with the appropriate supporting documentation, as applicable, at our principal executive office not earlier than the 150th day (October 18, 2025) nor later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 120th day (November 17, 2025) prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting. Under our bylaws, stockholders must follow certain procedures to nominate a person for election as a director at an annual meeting of stockholders, or to introduce an item of business at such meeting. A stockholder must notify our Secretary in writing of the director nominee or the other business.
In addition to satisfying the foregoing advance notice requirements under our bylaws, to comply with the universal proxy rules under the Exchange Act stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act.
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OTHER MATTERS
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PROXY ACCESS DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
A stockholder (or group of up to 20 stockholders) who has owned at least 3% of our voting stock continuously for at least three years and has complied with the other requirements in our bylaws may nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials director nominees constituting up to the greater of two directors and 20% of our Board of Directors. Notice of a proxy access nomination for consideration at our 2026 annual meeting of stockholders must be received no later than November 17, 2025 and no earlier than October 18, 2025. Other specifics regarding the foregoing proxy access right, including the required content of the notice and certain other eligibility and procedural requirements, can be found in Section 14 of Article II of our bylaws.
OTHER MATTERS TO COME BEFORE THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING
Our Board of Directors does not know of any matters other than those described in this Proxy Statement that will be presented for action at the Annual Meeting. If other matters are presented, proxies will be voted in accordance with the discretion of the proxy holders.
* * * * *
By Order of the Board of Directors,
Samantha Sacks Gallagher
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
March 17, 2025
New York, New York
New York, New York
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APPENDIX
Definitions of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We present VICI’s Funds From Operations (“FFO”), FFO per share, Adjusted Funds From Operations (“AFFO”), AFFO per share, and Adjusted EBITDA, which are not required by, or presented in accordance with, generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). These are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be construed as alternatives to net income or as an indicator of operating performance (as determined in accordance with GAAP). We believe FFO, FFO per share, AFFO, AFFO per share and Adjusted EBITDA provide a meaningful perspective of the underlying operating performance of VICI’s business.
FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that is considered a supplemental measure for the real estate industry and a supplement to GAAP measures. Consistent with the definition used by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), we define FFO as VICI’s net income (or loss) attributable to common stockholders (computed in accordance with GAAP) excluding (i) gains (or losses) from sales of certain real estate assets, (ii) depreciation and amortization related to real estate, (iii) gains and losses from change in control, (iv) impairment write-downs of certain real estate assets and investments in entities when the impairment is directly attributable to decreases in the value of depreciable real estate held by the entity and (v) our proportionate share of such adjustments from our investment in unconsolidated affiliate.
AFFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that we use as a supplemental operating measure to evaluate VICI’s performance. We calculate VICI’s AFFO by adding or subtracting from FFO non-cash leasing and financing adjustments, non-cash change in allowance for credit losses, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, transaction costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of real estate investments, amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount, other non-cash interest expense, non-real estate depreciation (which is comprised of the depreciation related to our golf course operations), capital expenditures (which are comprised of additions to property, plant and equipment related to our golf course operations), impairment charges related to non-depreciable real estate, gains (or losses) on debt extinguishment and interest rate swap settlements, other gains, deferred income tax benefits and expenses, other non-recurring non-cash transactions, our proportionate share of non-cash adjustments from our investment in unconsolidated affiliate (including the amortization of any basis differences) with respect to certain of the foregoing and non-cash adjustments attributable to non-controlling interest with respect to certain of the foregoing.
We calculate VICI’s Adjusted EBITDA by adding or subtracting from AFFO contractual interest expense (including the impact of the forward-starting interest rate swaps and treasury locks) and interest income (collectively, interest expense, net), current income tax expense and our proportionate share of such adjustments from our investment in unconsolidated affiliate.
These non-GAAP financial measures: (i) do not represent VICI’s cash flow from operations as defined by GAAP; (ii) should not be considered as an alternative to VICI’s net income as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities; and (iii) are not alternatives to VICI’s cash flow as a measure of liquidity. In addition, these measures should not be viewed as measures of liquidity, nor do they measure our ability to fund all of our cash needs, including our ability to make cash distributions to our stockholders, to fund capital improvements, or to make interest payments on our indebtedness. Investors are also cautioned that FFO, FFO per share, AFFO, AFFO per share and Adjusted EBITDA, as presented, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other real estate companies, including REITs, due to the fact that not all real estate companies use the same definitions. Our presentation of these measures does not replace the presentation of VICI’s financial results in accordance with GAAP.
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APPENDIX
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Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
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Year Ended December 31,
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(In thousands, except share data and per share data)
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2024
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2023
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| | Net income attributable to common stockholders | | | | $ | 2,678,810 | | | | | $ | 2,513,540 | | |
| | Real estate depreciation | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
| | Joint venture depreciation and non-controlling interest adjustments | | | | | — | | | | | | 1,426 | | |
| | FFO attributable to common stockholders | | | | | 2,678,810 | | | | | | 2,514,966 | | |
| | Non-cash leasing and financing adjustments | | | | | (537,708) | | | | | | (515,488) | | |
| | Non-cash change in allowance for credit losses | | | | | 126,720 | | | | | | 102,824 | | |
| | Non-cash stock-based compensation | | | | | 17,511 | | | | | | 15,536 | | |
| | Transaction and acquisition expenses | | | | | 4,567 | | | | | | 8,017 | | |
| | Amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount | | | | | 71,592 | | | | | | 70,452 | | |
| | Other depreciation | | | | | 3,428 | | | | | | 3,741 | | |
| | Capital expenditures | | | | | (3,007) | | | | | | (2,842) | | |
| | Other gains(1) | | | | | (581) | | | | | | (4,456) | | |
| | Deferred income tax provision (benefit) | | | | | 5,439 | | | | | | (10,426) | | |
| | Joint venture non-cash adjustments and non-controlling interest adjustments | | | | | 4,022 | | | | | | 4,716 | | |
| | AFFO attributable to common stockholders | | | | | 2,370,793 | | | | | | 2,187,040 | | |
| | Interest expense, net | | | | | 738,410 | | | | | | 723,634 | | |
| | Current income tax expense | | | | | 4,265 | | | | | | 4,285 | | |
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Joint venture interest expense and non-controlling interest
adjustments |
| | | | (8,551) | | | | | | (5,287) | | |
| | Adjusted EBITDA attributable to common stockholders | | | | $ | 3,104,917 | | | | | $ | 2,909,672 | | |
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| | Net income per common share | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Basic
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| | | $ | 2.56 | | | | | $ | 2.48 | | |
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Diluted
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| | | $ | 2.56 | | | | | $ | 2.47 | | |
| | FFO per common share | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Basic
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| | | $ | 2.56 | | | | | $ | 2.48 | | |
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Diluted
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| | | $ | 2.56 | | | | | $ | 2.48 | | |
| | AFFO per common share | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Basic
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| | | $ | 2.26 | | | | | $ | 2.16 | | |
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Diluted
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| | | $ | 2.26 | | | | | $ | 2.15 | | |
| | Weighted average number of shares of common shares outstanding | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Basic
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| | | | 1,046,739,537 | | | | | | 1,014,513,195 | | |
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Diluted
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| | | | 1,047,675,111 | | | | | | 1,015,776,697 | | |
(1)
Represents non-cash foreign currency remeasurement adjustments and gain on sale of land.
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80
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VICI PROPERTIES INC. — 2025 PROXY STATEMENT
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VICI PROPERTIES INC.535 MADISON AVENUENEW YORK, NY 10022 VOTE BY INTERNETBefore The Meeting - Go to www.proxyvote.com or scan the QR Barcode aboveUse the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information.Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET on April 28, 2025. Have your proxy card in hand when you accessthe website and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronicvoting instruction form.During The Meeting - Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025You may attend the meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Have the informationthat is printed in the box marked by the arrow available and follow the instructions.VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET onApril 28, 2025. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.VOTE BY MAILMark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope wehave provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way,Edgewood, NY 11717. TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDSTHIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLYV61751-P25485 VICI PROPERTIES INC. The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR each of the following director nominees: 1. Election of Directors.Nominees: For Against Abstain 1b. Diana F. Cantor1a. James R. Abrahamson1e. Craig Macnab1c. Monica H. Douglas1d. Elizabeth I. Holland1f. Edward B. Pitoniak1g. Michael D. Rumbolz The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR proposals 2 and 3. For Against Abstain 2. To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP asour independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. 3. To approve (on a non-binding, advisory basis) thecompensation of our named executive officers. NOTE: The proxies are authorized to vote, in their discretion,upon such other business as may properly come before theannual meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor,administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each signpersonally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporateor partnership name by authorized officer. Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com. V61752-P25485 VICI PROPERTIES INC.Annual Meeting of StockholdersApril 29, 2025 10:00 AM ETThis proxy is solicited by the Board of DirectorsThe stockholder(s) hereby appoint(s) David A. Kieske and Samantha S. Gallagher and each of them, as proxies, each with thepower to appoint such person's substitute, and hereby authorize(s) them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverseside, all of the shares of common stock of VICI PROPERTIES INC. that the stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote at the AnnualMeeting of Stockholders to be held at 10:00 AM ET on April 29, 2025, solely by means of remote communication in a virtualmeeting format and conducted via live audio webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VICI2025, and any adjournmentor postponement thereof.This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, thisproxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors' recommendations, with respect to proposals 1 through 3,and in the discretion of the proxies with respect to any other business that may properly come before the meetingand any adjournment or postponement thereof.Continued and to be signed on reverse side