Want Safe Dividend Income in 2026 and Beyond? Invest in this Ultra-High-Yield Stock.

Who wants to make their life more stressful? We've all already got a lot on our plates; nobody wants to add more. And while no investment is stress-free, you can take a lot off your plate by investing in dividend stocks.

Lots of stocks pay dividends. For many of them it's a nice bonus to whatever returns you might get from price growth and little more. But some companies focus on their dividend as the main way of generating shareholder returns.

They focus on growing their dividend year after year and some even hit the status of Dividend King after 50 straight years of dividend growth. You buy shares in these companies, set up a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) and then let your wealth compound without a second thought.

And with one particular high-yield dividend payer, you don't need to take on a high risk to generate a high return.

Which is very unlike what you might do in one of its establishments.

Image source: Getty Images.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but these returns won't

Vici Properties (NYSE: VICI), is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the casino, hospitality, and nightlife markets. Its symbol is likely a nod to its most famous property, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

But it also owns the MGM Grand and Venetian Resort along with 90 other assets across the United States and Canada, amounting to 127 million square feet of gaming anh hospitality space.

In all it owns 54 casinos, 39 non-casino properties, over 500 restaurants, bars, clubs, and sportsbooks, 500 retail outlets, over 60,000 hotel rooms, and four championship golf courses.

Per the company's latest reported quarter (the third quarter of 2025), revenue for the first nine months of 2025 totaled $2.8 billion, up 4% over the first nine months of 2024. Total operating expenses over the first nine months fell 2.8% to $159 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) grew 3.5% over the same period.

It's also worth noting that, while the gambling industry might be volatile, owning and renting out properties to companies in the gambling industry (primarily to Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International) isn't and it is very profitable in Vici's case. Vici Properties runs a gross profit margin of 99.3%, an operating margin of 92.6%, and a net margin of 71.2%. So it seems there's a lot of truth behind the old adage "the house always wins." Or, in this case, the house's owner always wins.

That paints the picture of a very profitable, slow and steady growth stock, which is usually what the best dividend-paying companies are. Moving on to the dividend story itself though, Vici Properties is looking very good.

The best way to make money with Vici Properties isn't by betting it all on black and letting it ride, it's by owning shares of the house that always wins.

Render unto Caesar the dividends which are Caesar's

Its status as a REIT means that Vici Properties is required to pay out 90% of its taxable income as dividends. REITs usually have a solid yield and Vici is no different.

At current prices, Vici Properties' $1.77-per-share dividend has a trailing yield of just over 6%. That's already about 3 times the yield of the S&P 500's average dividend but Vici Properties is growing that dividend rapidly. In Q3 2025 it announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share, which is a 40% increase year over year.

The company has grown its dividend in each of the last seven years, which is a pretty solid track record despite its short history -- Vici Properties only had its initial public offering (IPO) in February 2018.

Despite its already high yield and its consistent growth, Vici Properties has a payout ratio of 66.44%, which means it has plenty of runway to keep raising its dividend. It also has shown an ability to keep raising its dividend while reducing its payout ratio. The ratio was 118% for 2022 but dropped to a historic low of 65.18% the next year.

At roughly $30 per share right now, Vici Properties is also pretty affordable to get into. But, compare Vici Properties to competitors like Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ: GLPI), another REIT with a focus on gambling properties and it looks even better. Gaming and Leisure Properties has funds from operations (FFO) of $339 million in its most recent reported quarter (Q4 2025) to Vici's $732 million in its latest reported quarter with only a slightly higher dividend yield of 6.68%.

Unlike when you play the slot machine or the roulette wheel, with Vici Properties you don't need to take on a lot of risk to generate a large return. You might not be able to beat the house, but you can certainly join it and reap the benefits.

With this REIT, you'll find neither fear nor loathing in Las Vegas, only profit.

James Hires has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Gaming And Leisure Properties and Vici Properties. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.