Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

LONG-TERM DEBT

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LONG-TERM DEBT
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Long-Term Debt [Abstract]  
LONG-TERM DEBT
4.           LONG-TERM DEBT
 
At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):
 
   
2014
   
2013
 
Long-term debt, net of current portion:
           
Term loan agreement, $50.0 million on June 29, 2012, funded on October 1, 2012, maturing June 29, 2016, with variable interest as described in the fifth succeeding paragraph. (the average interest rate was 4.75% and 5.4% during the quarter ended March 31, 2014 and year ended December 31, 2013, respectively).
  $        37,500     $        37,500  
Term loan agreement, $20.0 million on October 1, 2012, maturing October 1, 2016, interest rate is fixed at 13.25% per annum.
      20,000         20,000  
Revolving loan agreement, $2.0 million funded on March 24, 2014, maturing June 29, 2016, with variable interest as described in the fifth succeeding paragraph. (the average interest rate was 4.75% during the quarter ended March 31, 2014).
         2,000            --  
Less current portion
    --       --  
    $ 59,500     $ 57,500  
 
First and Second Lien Credit Agreements. On June 29, 2012, we entered into the First Lien Credit Agreement with Capital One, which provided for a term loan in an amount up to $50.0 million and a revolving loan in an amount up to $5.0 million.  On October 1, 2012, we entered into a Second Lien Credit Agreement with ABC Funding, LLC as administrative agent which provided for a term loan in an amount up to $20.0 million. Capital One and ABC Funding, LLC are collectively referred to as our (“Creditors”). We funded the purchase of Silver Slipper Casino with the full amount of the $50.0 million term loan under the First Lien Credit Agreement and the full amount of the Second Lien Credit Agreement. The First and Second Lien Credit Agreements are secured by substantially all of our assets and therefore, our wholly-owned subsidiaries guarantee our obligation under the agreements. The Second Lien Credit Agreement is subject to the lien of the First Lien Credit Agreement.
 
On August 26, 2013, we entered into the First Lien Amendment and the Second Lien Amendment which amended certain provisions of these agreements. The First Lien Amendment modifications included a $10.0 million increase to the term loan portion of the First Lien Credit Agreement to $56.3 million, a 1% lower interest rate and an extended maturity date to June 29, 2016. Also, certain financial ratio covenants were revised under the First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement to accommodate the additional extension of credit under the First Lien Credit Agreement and our capital lease agreement related to the new hotel tower at Rising Star Casino Resort as discussed in Note 7. The $10.0 million term loan under the First Lien Credit Agreement remains undrawn, but subject to covenants and other terms of the First Lien Credit Agreement. 
 
At March 31, 2014 we exceeded the allowable total leverage ratio and the first lien leverage ratios for both of our credit agreements.  We received waivers for compliance with these ratios at March 31, 2014 from our Creditors.  If we are not in compliance with our covenants at June 30, 2014, and we are not able to renegotiate the terms of our First Lien and Second Lien Credit Agreements, we may be prevented from drawing against the $10.0 million term loan.  There can be no assurances that we will be in compliance with our covenants at June 30, 2014 or periods subsequent.  The term loan is needed to complete construction of the $17.7 million six-story, 142-room Silver Slipper Casino Hotel being built between the south side of the casino and the waterfront, with rooms featuring views of the bay. The remaining $7.7 million of the construction cost has been, and is expected to be, funded from available cash.  As of March 31, 2014, we funded cash of $3.6 million in construction and financing costs for the Silver Slipper Casino Hotel, and we anticipate funding an additional $4.1 million in cash before the end of 2014. We are currently scheduled for completion in late 2014 or early 2015.
 
On March 24, 2014 we made a $2.0 million draw on our $5.0 million revolving loan under the First Lien Credit Agreement, subject to the terms and restrictions of the First Lien Credit Agreement, and deposited $1.75 million into escrow related to the Interest Purchase Agreement for the potential purchase of the Fitz Tunica Casino & Hotel, as discussed in Note 8.  We currently have $3.0 million undrawn on the revolving loan.
 
We have elected to pay interest on the First Lien Credit Agreement based on the greater of the elected LIBOR rate, or 1.0%, plus a margin rate as set forth in the agreement. As of March 31, 2014, the interest rate was 4.75% on the balance outstanding on the First Lien Credit Agreement, for both our term loan and revolving loan, based on the 1.0% minimum, plus a 3.75% margin. We pay interest on the Second Lien Credit Agreement at the fixed rate of 13.25% per annum. Under the default provisions of both the First and Second Lien Credit Agreements, we may be subject to increased interest rates of an additional 2.0% per annum.
 
The First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement contain customary negative covenants for transactions of this type, including, but not limited to, restrictions on our ability to: incur indebtedness; grant liens; pay dividends and make other restricted payments; make investments; make fundamental changes; dispose of assets; and change the nature of our business.  The First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement require that we maintain specified financial covenants, including a total leverage ratio, a first lien leverage ratio, and a fixed charge coverage ratio all of which measure Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in the agreements) against outstanding debt and fixed charges (as defined in the agreements). A capital expenditure ratio must also be maintained as set forth in the agreements. The First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus (i) interest expense, net, (ii) provision for taxes  (iii) depreciation and amortization; and further adjusted to eliminate the impact of certain items that are not indicative of ongoing operating performance such as:  (iv) acquisition costs, (v) non-cash stock compensation, (vi) loss on derivatives and debt, (vii) gain on sale of joint venture, (viii) impairment loss, and (ix) certain severance costs.
 
We measure compliance with our covenants on a quarterly basis. As discussed earlier, we were not in compliance with the total leverage ratios and first lien leverage ratios at March 31, 2014 on the First or Second Lien Credit Agreements, however, compliance with these covenants was waived by the Creditors at March 31, 2014. The First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement also include customary events of default, including, among other things: non-payment; breach of covenant; breach of representation or warranty; cross-default under certain other indebtedness or guarantees; commencement of insolvency proceedings; inability to pay debts; entry of certain material judgments against us or our subsidiaries; occurrence of certain ERISA events; re-purchase of our own stock and certain changes of control. A breach of a covenant or other events of default could cause the loans to be immediately due and payable, terminate commitments for additional loan funds, or the lenders could exercise any other remedy available under the First Lien Credit Agreement or Second Lien Credit Agreement or by law.  If a breach of covenants or other events of default occur in future quarters, we will seek modifications to covenants or a temporary waiver or waivers from the First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement lenders. No assurance can be given that we will be successful in obtaining such modifications.
 
As a practice, we consistently prepaid our quarterly payments on the term loan under our First Lien Credit Agreement before the due dates in 2013, and during the year ended December 31, 2013, we prepaid, at our discretion, the sum of $8.8 million in quarterly principal payments, which were due through July 1, 2015.  The next scheduled principal payment on the term loan is due October 1, 2015.   The $2.0 million principal drawn on our revolving loan is due June 29, 2016.
 
We are required to make additional prepayments under the First Lien Credit Agreement, under certain conditions defined in the agreement, in addition to the scheduled principal installments for any fiscal year ending December 31, 2012 and thereafter.  Prepayment penalties will be assessed in the event that prepayments are made on the Second Lien Credit Agreement prior to the discharge of the First Lien Credit Agreement.