2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation. As permitted by the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2019 annual consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The interim consolidated financial statements of the Company included herein reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of annualized results for an entire year.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Full House and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Liquidity, Going Concern and Management Plans. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis of accounting, assuming the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Company’s casinos are its primary sources of income and operating cash flows and they are relied upon to remain in compliance with debt covenants and meet the Company’s obligations when due. As described in Note 5, the Senior Secured Notes agreement requires the Company to maintain a total leverage ratio covenant, which measures Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the indenture) against outstanding debt. As detailed in Notes 2 and 14 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company temporarily suspended operations at its casinos and hotels in March 2020 pursuant to orders from governmental authorities as a precautionary measure against the ongoing spread of a highly contagious coronavirus that was declared a pandemic (“COVID-19”) by the World Health Organization. The Company’s properties began reopening when permitted by local authorities, beginning with the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel on May 21, 2020, Grand Lodge Casino and Stockman’s Casino on June 4, 2020, and Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel and Rising Star Casino Resort on June 15, 2020. The Company believes it has sufficient resources to fund its operations through the generation of cash by its reopened properties (including in the third quarter of 2020), its current cash balances and the continued management of labor, marketing expenses, and capital expenditures. However, management does not control and is not qualified to predict the ongoing effects of the continuing pandemic.

As described in Notes 2 and 14 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, a significant period, or periods, of closure or significant declines in business volumes could negatively impact our ability to remain in compliance with our debt covenants. In the event that the Company would fail to meet its debt covenants in the next twelve months from the issuance of the consolidated financial statements, the Company would either seek covenant waivers or attempt to amend its covenants, though there is no certainty that the Company would be successful in such efforts. For example, the Company’s lenders agreed to amend our leverage covenant (which compares Adjusted EBITDA for the latest twelve months to debt levels, as defined in the loan agreement) for the periods ended September 30, June 30, and March 31, 2020. Even though results in the recent quarter generally exceeded those of the prior-year quarter, the closure period in early 2020 will continue to affect the leverage ratio for the next few quarters. The parties continue to discuss amending covenants for future quarters in case such amendments are needed. Accounting Standards Codification 205-40 (“ASC 205-40”), “Going Concern,” calls for management to evaluate whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within twelve months after the date that the financial statements are issued. Because of the length of this look-forward period and the substantial items that are outside of the Company’s control, and despite its intent and best efforts to overcome the challenges in the current environment, management concluded that there is substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company is attempting to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the Company through the plans described above. The consolidated financial statements do not include adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Fair Value and the Fair Value Input Hierarchy. Fair value measurements affect the Company’s accounting for net assets acquired in acquisition transactions and certain financial assets and liabilities, such as its interest rate cap agreement and common stock warrant liability. Fair value measurements are also used in the Company’s periodic assessments of long-lived tangible and intangible assets for possible impairment, including for property and equipment, goodwill, and other intangible assets. Fair value is defined as the expected price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

GAAP categorizes the inputs used for fair value into a three-level hierarchy:

The Company utilizes Level 2 inputs when measuring the fair value of its interest rate cap.

The Company utilizes Level 3 inputs when measuring the fair value of net assets acquired in business combination transactions, subsequent assessments for impairment, and most financial instruments, including but not limited to the estimated fair value of common stock warrants at issuance and for recurring changes in the related warrant liability (see Note 6).

Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash.  Cash equivalents include cash involved in operations and cash in excess of daily requirements that is invested in highly liquid, short-term investments with initial maturities of three months or less when purchased.

Restricted cash balances were funds received from certain sports wagering agreements that had not commenced and were contractually required to be separated from the Company’s operating cash. In March 2020, such cash was no longer categorized as restricted, as the Company was approved for its “master license” for sports betting by the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission on March 19, 2020.

Revenue Recognition of Accrued Club Points and Deferred Revenues

Accrued Club Points: Operating Revenues and Related Costs and Expenses. The Company’s revenues consist primarily of casino gaming, food and beverage, hotel, and other revenues (such as entertainment). The majority of the Company’s revenues are derived from casino gaming, principally slot machines.

Gaming revenue is the difference between gaming wins and losses, not the total amount wagered. The Company accounts for its gaming transactions on a portfolio basis as such wagers have similar characteristics and it would not be practical to view each wager on an individual basis.

The Company sometimes provides discretionary complimentary goods and services (“discretionary comps”). For these types of transactions, the Company allocates revenue to the department providing the complimentary goods or services based upon its estimated standalone selling price, offset by a reduction in casino revenues.

Many of the Company’s customers choose to earn points under its customer loyalty programs. As points are accrued, the Company defers a portion of its gaming revenue based on the estimated standalone value of loyalty points being earned by the customer. The standalone value of loyalty points is derived from the retail value of food, beverages, hotel rooms, and other goods or services for which such points may be redeemed. A liability related to these customer loyalty points is recorded, net of estimated breakage and other factors, until the customer redeems these points, primarily for “free casino play,” complimentary dining, or hotel stays. Such liabilities were approximately $1.0 million for September 30, 2020 and $1.4 million for December 31, 2019. Upon redemption, the related revenue is recognized at retail value within the department providing the goods or services.

Revenue for food and beverage, hotel, and other revenue transactions is typically the net amount collected from customers for such goods and services, plus the retail value of (i) discretionary comps and (ii) comps provided in return for redemption of loyalty points. The Company records such revenue as the good or service is transferred to the customer. Additionally, the Company may collect deposits in advance for future hotel reservations or entertainment, among other services, which represent obligations to the Company until the service is provided to the customer.

Deferred Revenues: Market Access Fees from Sports Wagering Agreements. The Company entered into several agreements with various unaffiliated companies allowing for online/mobile sports wagering within Indiana and Colorado, as well as on-site sports wagering at Rising Star Casino Resort and at Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel (the “Sports Agreements”). As part of these long-term Sports Agreements, the Company received one-time market access fees in cash, which were recorded as a long-term liability in the same amount and will be recognized as revenue ratably over the initial term length of 10 years, beginning with the commencement of operations. The current and noncurrent portions of the deferred revenues balance totaling $5.88 million for September 30, 2020 is included with “Other accrued expenses and other” and “Contract liabilities, net of current portion” on the consolidated balance sheets, respectively. Of the Company’s Sports Agreements, on-site sports wagering commenced at Rising Star in the fourth quarter of 2019, as did one of the Company’s three contracted mobile sports wagering websites in Indiana. In the second quarter of 2020, one of the Company’s three contracted mobile sports wagering websites in Colorado also commenced operations. In September 2020, on-site sports wagering commenced at Bronco Billy’s.

Income Taxes. For interim income tax reporting for the three- and nine-months ended September 30, 2020, the Company estimates its annual effective tax rate and applies it to its year-to-date pretax income or loss.

Reclassifications. The Company made certain minor financial statement presentation reclassifications to prior-period amounts to conform to the current-period presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on the previously reported results of operations or financial position.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share. Earnings (loss) per share is net income (loss) applicable to common stock divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects additional dilutive effects for all potentially-dilutive securities, including common stock options and warrants, using the treasury stock method.

Leases. The Company determines if a contract is or contains a lease at inception or modification of the agreement. A contract is or contains a lease if there are identified assets and the right to control the use of an identified asset is conveyed for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Control over the use of the identified asset means that the lessee has both the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the asset and the right to direct the use of the asset. Accounting Standards Codification 842 (“ASC 842”) requires a dual approach for lessee accounting under which a lessee would classify and account for leases as either finance leases or operating leases, both of which result in the lessee recognizing a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet, as measured on a discounted basis for leases with terms greater than a year. For finance leases, the lessee will recognize interest expense associated with the lease liability and depreciation expense associated with the ROU asset; for operating leases, the lessee will recognize straight-line rent expense.

The Company does not recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less. However, costs related to short-term leases with terms greater than one month, which the Company deems material, are disclosed as a component of lease expenses when applicable. Additionally, the Company accounts for new and existing leases containing both lease and non-lease components (“embedded leases”) together as a single lease component by asset class for gaming-related equipment; therefore, the Company does not allocate contract consideration to the separate lease and non-lease components based on their relative standalone prices.

Finance and operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized based on the present value of future minimum lease payments over the expected lease term at commencement. As the implicit rate is not determinable in most of the Company’s leases, management uses the Company’s incremental borrowing rate as estimated by third-party valuation specialists in determining the present value of future payments. The expected lease terms include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

 

Income Taxes. In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2019-12,  “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASU 2019-12”). This standard simplifies the accounting for income taxes and includes removal of certain exceptions to the general principles of ASC 740, Income Taxes, and updates and simplifies certain areas of the codification. ASU 2019-12 is effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact ASU 2019-12 will have on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures and whether it intends to early adopt the new standard.

 

The Company believes that there are no other recently-issued accounting standards not yet effective that are currently likely to have a material impact on its financial statements.