Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

LEASES

v3.20.2
LEASES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
LEASES  
LEASES

3. LEASES

The Company has no leases in which it is the lessor. As lessee, the Company has one finance lease for a hotel and various operating leases for land, casino and office space, equipment, buildings, and signage. The Company’s lease terms, including extensions, range from one month to approximately 38 years. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants, but the land lease at Silver Slipper does include contingent rent as further discussed below.

Operating Leases

Silver Slipper Casino Land Lease through April 2058 and Options to Purchase. In 2004, the Company’s 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 agreement includes fixed, base monthly payments of $77,500 plus contingent rents of 3% of monthly gross gaming revenue (as defined in the lease) in excess of $3.65 million, with no scheduled base rent increases through the remaining lease term ending in 2058.  

The Company executed a fourth amendment to the original lease with the landlord, effective March 2020, which granted a waiver of base rent for April and May of 2020. Such abatement totaled $155,000 and the value of such abatement will be amortized over the remaining term of the lease. This amendment also restricts the Company’s purchase option period for the leased land, so that the Company cannot exercise its purchase option until April 1, 2022. From such date through October 1, 2027, the Company may buy out the  lease for $15.5 million plus a seller-retained interest in Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel’s operations of 3% of net income (as defined) for 10 years following the purchase date.

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 term includes six renewal options in three-year increments to 2035. Bronco Billy’s exercised its first renewal option through January 2020, and currently pays $30,000 per month in rent. In May 2019, Bronco Billy’s also exercised its second renewal option to extend the lease term through January 31, 2023, which will increase the monthly rent to $32,500 beginning in February 2021. The lease also contains a $7.6 million purchase option exercisable at any time during the lease term, or as extended, and a right of first refusal on any sale of the property.

Christmas Casino / Third Street Corner Building through August 2021 and Option to Purchase. As part of the Bronco Billy’s expansion, the Company leased a nearby closed casino in August 2018. The lease includes a minimum three-year term with annual lease payments of $0.2 million, and can be extended an additional two years with annual lease payments of $0.3 million. The Company also has the right to purchase the casino at any time during the lease term, or as extended. The purchase price is currently $2.7 million if exercised by October 31, 2021 and increases to $2.8 million for purchase dates thereafter.

The Company reopened the closed casino in November 2018, but it did not produce enough incremental revenue to offset the incremental costs, and it was closed in September 2020. The Company is currently evaluating other concepts for the leased space, which is located on a key corner in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Grand Lodge Casino Lease through August 2023.  The Company’s subsidiary, Gaming Entertainment (Nevada), LLC, has a lease with Hyatt Equities, L.L.C. (“Hyatt”) to operate the Grand Lodge Casino. The lease is collateralized by the Company’s interests under the lease and property (as defined in the lease) and is subordinate to the liens of the senior secured notes due 2024 (see Note 5). Hyatt currently has an option to purchase the Company’s 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 twelve-month period preceding the acquisition (or pro-rated if less than twelve months remain on the lease), plus the fair market value of the Grand Lodge Casino’s personal property. The current monthly rent of $166,667 is applicable through the remaining lease term ending in August 2023.

In July 2020, the Company executed a fifth amendment to the Hyatt lease that retroactively reduced rent amounts due during the closure period, specifically a 25% reduction in rent for March 2020 and a 50% reduction in rent for each of April and May of 2020. Such reductions totaled $208,000 and such benefit is being amortized over the remaining life of the lease.

Corporate Office Lease through January 2025.  The Company leases 4,479 square feet of office space in Las Vegas, Nevada. Annual rent is approximately $0.2 million and the term of the office lease expires in January 2025.

Finance Lease

Rising Star Casino Hotel Lease through October 2027 and Option to Purchase. The Company’s Indiana subsidiary, Gaming Entertainment (Indiana) LLC, leases a 104‑room hotel at Rising Star Casino Resort. At any time during the lease term, the Company has the option to purchase the hotel at a price based upon the hotel’s original cost of $7.7 million (see Note 4), reduced by the cumulative principal payments made by the Company during the lease term. At September 30, 2020, such net amount was $3.9 million. Upon expiration of the lease term in October 2027, (i) the landlord has the right to sell the hotel to the Company, and (ii) the Company has the option to purchase the hotel. In either case, the purchase price is $1 plus closing costs.

Leases recorded on the balance sheet consist of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

December 31, 

Leases

    

Balance Sheet Classification

    

2020

 

2019

Assets

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Operating lease assets

   

Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets, Net

   

$

18,097

 

$

19,171

Finance lease assets

 

Property and Equipment, Net(1)

 

 

4,918

 

 

5,037

Total lease assets

 

  

 

$

23,015

 

$

24,208

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Current

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Operating

 

Current Portion of Operating Lease Obligations

 

$

3,263

 

$

2,707

Finance

 

Current Portion of Finance Lease Obligation

 

 

486

 

 

448

Noncurrent

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating

 

Operating Lease Obligations, Net of Current Portion

 

 

15,723

 

 

16,706

Finance

 

Finance Lease Obligation, Net of Current Portion

 

 

3,422

 

 

3,829

Total lease liabilities

 

  

 

$

22,894

 

$

23,690

 

(1)Finance lease assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $2.8 million as of September 30, 2020.

 

 

The components of lease expense are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

    

 

    

Three Months Ended

    

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30, 

 

September 30, 

Lease Costs

 

Statement of Operations Classification

 

2020

 

2019

 

2020

 

2019

Operating leases:

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Fixed/base rent

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

 

$

1,156

 

$

959

 

$

3,478

 

$

2,877

Variable payments

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

 

 

219

 

 

146

 

 

442

 

 

501

Finance lease:

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Amortization of leased assets

 

Depreciation and Amortization

 

 

39

 

 

40

 

 

118

 

 

119

Interest on lease liabilities

 

Interest Expense, Net

 

 

45

 

 

51

 

 

139

 

 

157

Total lease costs

 

 

 

$

1,459

 

$

1,196

 

$

4,177

 

$

3,654

 

Maturities of lease liabilities as of September 30, 2020 are summarized as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Operating

    

Financing

Years Ending December 31, 

 

Leases

 

Lease(1)

2020 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2020)

 

$

1,212

 

$

108

2021

 

 

4,792

 

 

652

2022

 

 

4,576

 

 

652

2023

 

 

2,984

 

 

652

2024

 

 

1,243

 

 

652

Thereafter

 

 

31,116

 

 

1,847

Total future minimum lease payments

 

 

45,923

 

 

4,563

Less: Amount representing interest

 

 

(26,937)

 

 

(655)

Present value of lease liabilities

 

 

18,986

 

 

3,908

Less: Current lease obligations

 

 

(3,263)

 

 

(486)

Long-term lease obligations

 

$

15,723

 

$

3,422

 

(1)The Company’s only material finance lease is at Rising Star Casino Resort for a 104‑room hotel.

 

Other information related to lease term and discount rate is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lease Term and Discount Rate

    

September 30, 2020

 

December 31, 2019

Weighted-average remaining lease term

 

  

 

 

  

 

Operating leases

 

19.9

years

 

20.2

years

Finance lease

 

7.0

years

 

7.8

years

Weighted-average discount rate

 

  

 

 

  

 

Operating leases(1)

 

9.38

%

 

9.40

%

Finance lease

 

4.50

%

 

4.50

%

 

(1)Upon adoption of the new lease standard, discount rates used for existing operating leases were established on January 1, 2019.

 

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

    

Nine Months Ended

 

 

September 30, 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:

 

2020

 

2019

Operating cash flows for operating leases

 

$

3,250

 

$

2,881

Operating cash flows for finance lease

 

$

139

 

$

157

Financing cash flows for finance lease

 

$

369

 

$

403