COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Operating Leases
In addition to the following significant leases, we have operating leases for certain office and warehouse facilities, office equipment, signage and land.
Silver Slipper Casino Land Lease through April 2058 and Options to Purchase. In 2004, our subsidiary, Silver Slipper Casino Venture, LLC, entered into a land lease with Cure Land Company, LLC for approximately 31 acres of marshlands and a seven-acre parcel on which the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel is situated. The land lease includes base monthly payments of $77,500 plus contingent rents of 3% of gross gaming revenue (as defined) in excess of $3.65 million in any given month. We recognized $1.3 million of rent expense, including $0.3 million of contingent rents, during 2016, and $1.2 million of rent expense, including $0.2 million of contingent rents, during 2015.
The land lease also includes an exclusive option to purchase the leased land (“Purchase Option”) after February 26, 2019 through October 1, 2027, for $15.5 million plus a retained interest in Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel’s operations of 3% of net income (as defined), for 10 years from the purchase date. In the event that Full House sells or transfers (i) substantially all of the assets of Silver Slipper Casino Venture, LLC, or (ii) its membership interests in Silver Slipper Casino Venture, LLC in its entirety, the purchase price will increase to $17.1 million plus the retained interest for 10 years mentioned above. In either case, we also have an option to purchase only a four-acre portion of the leased land for $2 million, which may be exercised at any time in conjunction with the development of a hotel and which accordingly reduces the purchase price of the remaining land by $2 million.
Bronco Billy's Lease through January 2035 and Option to Purchase. Bronco Billy's leases certain parking lots and buildings, including a portion of the hotel and casino, under a long-term lease. The lease terms include an initial expiration date of January 2017, current rents of $18,500 per month, and six renewal options in three-year increments to 2035. Bronco Billy's exercised its first renewal option through January 2020, which increases the monthly rents to $25,000 for the first two years of the renewal period and $30,000 for the third year. The lease also contains a requirement for Bronco Billy's to pay the property taxes and certain other costs associated with the leased property, a $7.6 million purchase option exercisable at any time during the lease and a right of first refusal.
Grand Lodge Casino Lease through August 2023. Our subsidiary, Gaming Entertainment (Nevada), LLC, has a lease with Hyatt Equities, L.L.C. ("Hyatt") to operate the Grand Lodge Casino. The lease is secured by the Company’s interests under the lease and property as defined and is subordinate to the liens in the First and Second Lien Credit Facilities. Hyatt has an option, beginning January 1, 2019, to purchase our leasehold interest and related operating assets of the Grand Lodge Casino subject to assumption of applicable liabilities. The option price is an amount equal to the Grand Lodge Casino’s positive working capital, plus Grand Lodge Casino’s earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) for the 12-month period preceding the acquisition (or pro-rated if less than 12 months remain on the lease), plus the fair market value of the Grand Lodge Casino’s personal property. Monthly rent will increase from $125,000 to (i) $145,833 commencing on January 1, 2017 (or the date which Hyatt's renovations are completed as described below, whichever is later), and (ii) $166,667 commencing on January 1, 2018. As a condition of the lease, the Company is required to purchase new gaming devices and equipment or make other capital expenditures at its sole cost and expense of approximately $1.5 million and Hyatt is required to renovate the casino at its sole cost and expense of approximately $3.5 million, with both parties completing these renovations by June 30, 2017. We recognized $1.9 million and $1.5 million of rent expense related to this lease during 2016 and 2015, respectively.
We also have an agreement with Hyatt to rent a villa for use by our designated casino guests which commenced on June 1, 2016. The villa is a free-standing building and consists of two, two-bedroom suites. The agreement includes monthly payments of $41,667, a six-month termination notification clause which may be exercised by either party, and a maturity date of August 31, 2023, or earlier as set forth therein.
Corporate Office Lease. In August 2016, the Company executed a lease for 4,479 square feet of office space in Las Vegas, Nevada, replacing our existing office space lease which matures in May 2018. The lease terms include a maturity date of 7.6 years and approximately $0.2 million of annual rents. The lease also includes a tenant improvement allowance of $0.2 million. We anticipate occupying the new offices during 2017.
Rent expense for all operating leases for the years ended December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 was $3.6 million and $3.1 million, respectively.
The Company was obligated under non-cancellable operating leases to make future minimum lease payments as follows (in thousands):
Litigation
In 2013 and 2014, we expended approximately $1.6 million to repair defects to the parking garage at the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel. The parking garage was originally built in 2007, and we acquired the property in 2012. We hired outside legal counsel to pursue the reimbursement of such costs from the contractor and architect, who neglected to install certain structural elements required by the building codes. During the third quarter of 2015, the case was dismissed in favor of the defendants, as the statutes of repose had expired. We filed an appeal on November 2, 2015 on the basis that there were elements in the case that would have extended our right to seek reimbursement of the remedial costs. On November 25, 2015, we entered into a settlement and release agreement with the architect, and on January 12, 2016, we filed an appellate brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ("Fifth Circuit") with respect to our litigation with the contractor. On August 31, 2016, oral arguments were heard in the Fifth Circuit and on January 6, 2017, the Fifth Circuit reversed the District Court’s grant of summary judgment and remanded the case back to the District Court for trial. On January 20, 2017, the contractor filed a petition for rehearing in the Fifth Circuit, which was denied on February 7, 2017. The Company expects a trial to be set during the third or fourth quarter of 2017. During March 2017, the Company filed a lawsuit against the contractor's insurance company.
We are party to a number of pending legal proceedings which occurred in the normal course of business. Management does not expect that the outcome of such proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material effect on our financial position, cash flows or results of operations.
Employment Agreements
The Company has entered into employment agreements with certain of its key employees. The agreements may provide the employee with a base salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, stock options and other customary benefits. Certain agreements also provide for severance in the event the employee resigns with “good reason,” or the employee is terminated without “cause” or due to a “change of control,” as defined in the agreements. The severance amounts vary with the terms of the agreements and may include the acceleration and vesting of certain unvested shares and stock-based awards upon a change of control, along with continuation of insurance costs and certain other benefits.
Defined Contribution Pension Plan
We sponsor a defined contribution pension plan for all eligible employees providing for voluntary contributions by eligible employees and matching contributions made by us. Matching contributions made by us were $0.3 million for each of 2016 and 2015, excluding nominal administrative expenses assumed. For 2016 and 2015, the Company's employer contribution rate was 50% up to 4% of compensation.
Liquidity, Concentrations and Economic Risks and Uncertainties
We are economically dependent upon relatively few investments in the gaming industry. Future operations could be affected by adverse economic conditions and increased competition, particularly in those areas and their key feeder markets in neighboring states. The effects and duration of these conditions and related risks and uncertainties on our future operations and cash flows, including our access to capital or credit financing, cannot be estimated at this time, but may be significant.
The Company carries cash on deposit with financial institutions that may be in excess of federally-insured limits. The extent of any loss that might be incurred as a result of uninsured deposits in the event of a future failure of a bank or other financial institution, if any, is not subject to estimation at this time.
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