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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

Note 8 – Income Taxes

The Company’s effective tax rate was -46.4% and 2.5% for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Income tax benefit was $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, which was attributed primarily to a partial release of valuation allowance. Income tax expense was less than $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, which was attributed primarily to tax amortization of indefinite-lived intangibles.

In connection with the Merger, on July 31, 2015, the Company entered into a NOL Preservation Agreement with The Blake L. Sartini and Delise F. Sartini Family Trust (the “Sartini Trust”), Lyle A. Berman (a director and shareholder of the Company), as well as certain other shareholders of the Company affiliated with Mr. Berman or that are trusts for which Neil Sell, a director of the Company, serves as trustee. The NOL Preservation Agreement is intended to help minimize the risk of an “ownership change,” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, that would limit the Company’s ability to utilize its federal net operating loss carryforwards to offset future taxable income.

Deferred tax assets are evaluated by considering historical levels of income, estimates of future taxable income and the impact of tax planning strategies. The Company's financial results include the reversal of a portion of the valuation allowance recorded against the deferred tax assets of the Company. This reversal resulted in the recognition of a $1.7 million income tax benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Company has performed a continuing evaluation of its deferred tax asset valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The Company concluded that, effective December 31, 2016, it is more likely than not that the Company will generate sufficient taxable income within the applicable net operating loss carry-forward periods to realize a portion of its deferred tax assets. This conclusion, and the resulting partial reversal of the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, is based upon consideration of several factors, including the Company's completion of six consecutive quarters of profitability, its demonstrated ability in such quarters to meet or exceed budgets, and its forecast of future profitability.

The Company's income taxes receivable was $0.2 million as of March 31, 2017, and $2.3 million as of December 31, 2016. The decrease in income taxes receivable was primarily due to the collection of a $2.2 million tax refund which was released in connection with the settlement of an IRS audit related to 2012 taxable losses carried back to a prior year.