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. 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:

Methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments are affected by the duration of the instruments and other factors used by market participants to estimate value. The carrying amounts for cash and equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate their estimated fair value because of the short durations of the instruments and inconsequential rates of interest.

Accounts Receivable. Accounts receivable consist primarily of casino, hotel and other receivables, are typically non-interest bearing, and are carried net of an appropriate reserve to approximate fair value. Reserves are estimated based on specific review of customer accounts including the customers’ willingness and ability to pay and nature of collateral, if any, as well as historical collection experience and current economic and business conditions. Accounts are written off when management deems the account to be uncollectible and recoveries of accounts previously written off are recorded when received. Management believes that, as of March 31, 2023, no significant concentrations of credit risk existed for which a reserve had not already been recorded.

In March 2023, Rising Star sold its available “free play” for $2.1 million. We expect to receive all of such amount by July 2023. Because Indiana has a progressive gaming tax system and Rising Star is one of the smaller casinos in the state, the property has consistently sold its ability to deduct “free play” in computing gaming taxes to operators in higher tax tiers. It sold such “free play” in the second quarter of 2022 for a similar amount.

Revenue Recognition:

Accrued Club Points and Customer Loyalty Programs: 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 sports wagering, golf, RV park operations, and entertainment). The majority of the Company’s revenues are derived from casino gaming, principally slot machines.

The transaction price for a casino wager is the difference between gaming wins and losses, not the total amount wagered. As such wagers have similar characteristics, the Company accounts for its gaming transactions on a portfolio basis by recognizing net win per gaming day versus 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 casino customers choose to earn points under its customer loyalty programs. As points are accrued, the Company defers a portion of its casino 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 under loyalty programs by property for various benefits, primarily for “free casino play,” complimentary dining, or hotel stays, among others, depending on each property’s specific offers. Upon redemption, the related revenue is recognized at retail value within the department providing the goods or services. Unredeemed points are forfeited if the customer becomes and remains inactive for a specified period of time. Such liabilities were approximately $0.8 million for March 31, 2023 and $0.7 million for December 31, 2022, and these amounts are included in “other accrued liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheets.

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 of 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 sports wagering within Indiana, Colorado and Illinois, as well as on-site sports wagering at The Temporary/American Place (the “Sports Agreements”). As part of these long-term Sports Agreements, the Company received one-time “market access” fees, which were recorded as long-term liabilities and are being recognized as revenue ratably over the initial contract terms (or as accelerated due to early termination), beginning with the commencement of operations.

Indiana. The Company’s three Sports Agreements commenced operations in December 2019, April 2021 and December 2021. One of these Sports Agreements ceased operations in May 2022. Under the Company’s two active Sports Agreements in Indiana, we receive a percentage of revenues (as defined), subject to annual minimums totaling $2.0 million. For its idle skin, the Company continues to evaluate whether to utilize the remaining skin itself or utilize a replacement operator for such skin. There is no certainty that the Company will be able to enter into an agreement with a replacement operator or successfully operate the skin itself.

Colorado. The Company’s three Sports Agreements commenced operations in June 2020, December 2020 and April 2021. One of these Sports Agreements ceased operations in May 2022. In December 2022, the Company signed a Sports Agreement with a new third party for this available skin, which upfront fee was capitalized and is being amortized over the 10-year term of the agreement that contractually commenced in March 2023, even though the operator is still pending the receipt of customary regulatory approvals. Under the Company’s three active Sports Agreements in Colorado, we receive a percentage of revenues (as defined), subject to annual minimums totaling $3.0 million.

Illinois. In May 2022, the Company signed a Sports Agreement for its sole Illinois sports skin and received an upfront fee of $5.0 million, which was capitalized and will be amortized over the eight-year term of the agreement that is expected to commence by August 2023, pending the receipt of customary regulatory approvals. The Company will also receive a percentage of revenues (as defined), subject to a minimum of $5.0 million per year.

In addition to the “market access” fees, deferred revenue includes quarterly and annual prepayments of contracted revenue, as required in three of the Sports Agreements. As of March 31, 2023, $0.7 million of such deferred revenue has been recognized during the year.

Deferred revenues consisted of the following, as discussed above:

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Other Revenues. The transaction price of rooms, food and beverage, and retail contracts is the net amount collected from the customer for such goods and services. The transaction price for such contracts is recorded as revenue when the good or service is transferred to the customer over their stay at the hotel or when the delivery is made for the food, beverage, retail and other contracts. Sales and usage-based taxes are excluded from revenues.

Revenue by Source. The Company presents earned revenue as disaggregated by the type or nature of the good or service (casino, food and beverage, hotel, and other operations comprised mainly of retail, golf, entertainment, and contracted sports wagering) and by relevant geographic region within Note 9.

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.

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.

For material leases with terms greater than a year, the Company records right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet, as measured on a discounted basis. For finance leases, the Company recognizes interest expense associated with the lease liability, as well as depreciation (or amortization) expense associated with the ROU asset, depending on whether those ROU assets are expected to transfer to the Company upon lease expiration. If ownership of a finance lease ROU asset is expected to transfer to the Company upon lease expiration, then it is included with the Company’s property and equipment; other qualifying finance lease ROU assets, based on other classifying criteria under Accounting Standards Codification 842 (“ASC 842”), are disclosed separately as “Finance Lease Right-of-Use Assets, Net.” For operating leases, the Company recognizes 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, plus any qualifying initial direct costs paid prior to commencement for ROU assets. 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 based on the information available at the commencement date and/or modification date. 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 for operating leases. For finance leases, the ROU asset depreciates/amortizes on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the lease term or useful life of the ROU asset as applicable, and the lease liability accretes interest based on the interest method using the discount rate determined at lease commencement.

Debt Issuance Costs and Debt Discounts/Premiums. Debt issuance costs and debt discounts/premiums incurred in connection with the issuance of debt have been included as a component of the carrying amount of debt, and are amortized over the contractual term of the debt to interest expense, using the straight-line method, which approximates the effective interest method. When its existing debt agreements are determined to have been modified, the Company amortizes such costs to interest expense using the effective interest method over the terms of the modified debt agreement.