Business and Operations

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Business and Operations

Business and Operations

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. ("GLPI") is a self-administered and self-managed Pennsylvania real estate investment trust ("REIT"). GLPI (together with its subsidiaries, the "Company") was incorporated on February 13, 2013, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) ("Penn"). On November 1, 2013, Penn contributed to GLPI, through a series of internal corporate restructurings, substantially all of the assets and liabilities associated with Penn’s real property interests and real estate development business, as well as the assets and liabilities of Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge and Hollywood Casino Perryville (which are referred to as the "TRS Properties") and then spun-off GLPI to holders of Penn's common and preferred stock in a tax-free distribution (the "Spin-Off"). The assets and liabilities of GLPI were recorded at their respective historical carrying values at the time of the Spin-Off in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 505-60 - Spinoffs and Reverse Spinoffs ("ASC 505").

The Company elected on its United States ("U.S.") federal income tax return for its taxable year that began on January 1, 2014 to be treated as a REIT and GLPI, together with its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, GLP Holdings, Inc., jointly elected to treat each of GLP Holdings, Inc., Louisiana Casino Cruises, Inc. (d/b/a Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge) and Penn Cecil Maryland, Inc. (d/b/a Hollywood Casino Perryville) as a "taxable REIT subsidiary" ("TRS") effective on the first day of the first taxable year of GLPI as a REIT. In connection with the Spin-Off, Penn allocated its accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) for periods prior to the consummation of the Spin-Off between Penn and GLPI. In connection with its election to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, GLPI declared a special dividend to its shareholders to distribute any accumulated earnings and profits relating to the real property assets and attributable to any pre-REIT years, including any earnings and profits allocated to GLPI in connection with the Spin-Off, to comply with certain REIT qualification requirements. In addition, during 2020, the Company and Tropicana LV, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company which holds the real estate of Tropicana Las Vegas Casino Hotel Resort ("Tropicana Las Vegas"), elected to treat Tropicana LV, LLC as a TRS. Further, as partial consideration for the transactions with The Cordish Companies ("Cordish") described below, the Company's operating partnership (the "OP") issued 7,366,683 newly-issued operating partnership units ("OP Units") to affiliates of Cordish. OP Units are exchangeable for common shares of the Company on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain terms and conditions. As a result of the contribution, the OP became treated as a regarded partnership for income tax purposes, with the REIT being deemed to contribute substantially all of the assets and liabilities of the REIT in exchange for the general partnership and a majority of the limited partnership interests, and a minority limited partnership interest being owned by Cordish (the "UPREIT Transaction"). In advance of the UPREIT Transaction, the Company elected GLP Financing II, Inc. to be treated as a TRS effective December 23, 2021.

On July 1, 2021, the Company sold the operations of Hollywood Casino Perryville to Penn and is leasing the real estate to Penn pursuant to a standalone lease. On December 17, 2021, the Company sold the operations of Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge to Casino Queen and is leasing the real estate to Casino Queen pursuant to the Casino Queen Master Lease as described below. On December 17, 2021, GLPI declared a special dividend to the Company's shareholders to distribute the accumulated earnings and profits attributable to these sales. In 2021, as a result of the sale of the operations of Hollywood Casino Perryville and Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge, GLP Holdings, Inc. was merged into GLP Capital, L.P., a wholly owned subsidiary of GLPI.

GLPI’s primary business consists of acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements. As of June 30, 2022, GLPI’s portfolio consisted of interests in 57 gaming and related facilities, including approximately 35 acres of real estate at Tropicana Las Vegas, the real property associated with 34 gaming and related facilities operated by Penn, the real property associated with 7 gaming and related facilities operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) ("Caesars"), the real property associated with 4 gaming and related facilities operated by Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) ("Boyd"), the real property associated with 6 gaming and related facilities operated by Bally's Corporation (NYSE: BALY) ("Bally's"), the real property associated with 3 gaming and related facilities operated by Cordish and the real property associated with 2 gaming and related facilities operated by Casino Queen Holding Company ("Casino Queen"). These facilities, including our corporate headquarters building, are geographically diversified across 17 states and contain approximately $29.0 million square feet. As of June 30, 2022, the Company's properties were 100% occupied. GLPI expects to continue growing its portfolio by pursuing opportunities to acquire additional gaming facilities to lease to gaming operators under prudent terms.

Penn Master Lease

As a result of the Spin-Off, GLPI owns substantially all of Penn’s former real property assets (as of the consummation of the Spin-Off) and leases back most of those assets to Penn for use by its subsidiaries pursuant to a unitary master lease (the "Penn Master Lease"). The Penn Master Lease is a triple-net operating lease, the current term of which expires October 31, 2033, with no purchase option, followed by three remaining 5-year renewal options (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions. See Note 11 for a discussion regarding such renewal options.

Amended Pinnacle Master Lease, Boyd Master Lease and Belterra Park Lease

In April 2016, the Company acquired substantially all of the real estate assets of Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. ("Pinnacle") for approximately $4.8 billion. GLPI originally leased these assets back to Pinnacle, under a unitary triple-net lease, the term of which expires on April 30, 2031, with no purchase option, followed by four remaining 5-year renewal options (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions (the "Pinnacle Master Lease"). On October 15, 2018, the Company completed its previously announced transactions with Penn, Pinnacle and Boyd to accommodate Penn's acquisition of the majority of Pinnacle's operations, pursuant to a definitive agreement and plan of merger between Penn and Pinnacle, dated December 17, 2017 (the "Penn-Pinnacle Merger"). Concurrent with the Penn-Pinnacle Merger, the Company amended the Pinnacle Master Lease to allow for the sale of the operating assets of Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles and Belterra Casino Resort from Pinnacle to Boyd (the "Amended Pinnacle Master Lease") and entered into a new unitary triple-net master lease agreement with Boyd (the "Boyd Master Lease") for these properties on terms similar to the Company’s Amended Pinnacle Master Lease. The Boyd Master Lease has an initial term of 10 years (from the original April 2016 commencement date of the Pinnacle Master Lease and expiring April 30, 2026), with no purchase option, followed by five 5-year renewal options (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions. The Company also purchased the real estate assets of Plainridge Park Casino ("Plainridge Park") from Penn for $250.0 million, exclusive of transaction fees and taxes, and added this property to the Amended Pinnacle Master Lease. The Amended Pinnacle Master Lease was assumed by Penn at the consummation of the Penn-Pinnacle Merger. The Company also entered into a mortgage loan agreement with Boyd in connection with Boyd's acquisition of Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center ("Belterra Park"), whereby the Company loaned Boyd $57.7 million (the "Belterra Park Loan"). In May 2020, the Company acquired the real estate of Belterra Park in satisfaction of the Belterra Park Loan, subject to a long-term lease (the "Belterra Park Lease") with a Boyd affiliate operating the property. The Belterra Park Lease rent terms are consistent with the Boyd Master Lease. The annual rent is comprised of a fixed component, part of which is subject to an annual escalator of up to 2% if certain rent coverage ratio thresholds are met, and a component that is based on the performance of the facilities which is adjusted, subject to certain floors, every two years to an amount equal to 4% of the average annual net revenues of Belterra Park during the preceding two years in excess of a contractual baseline.

Meadows Lease

The real estate assets of the Meadows Racetrack and Casino are leased to Penn pursuant to a single property triple-net lease (the "Meadows Lease"). The Meadows Lease commenced on September 9, 2016 and has an initial term of 10 years, with no purchase option, and the option to renew for three successive 5-year terms and one 4-year term (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions. The Meadows Lease contains a fixed component, subject to annual escalators, and a component that is based on the performance of the facility, which is reset every two years to an amount determined by multiplying (i) 4% by (ii) the average annual net revenues of the facility for the trailing two-year period. The Meadows Lease contains an annual escalator provision for up to 5% of the base rent, if certain rent coverage ratio thresholds are met, which remains at 5% until the earlier of ten years or the year in which total rent is $31 million, at which point the escalator will be reduced to a maximum of 2% annually thereafter.

Amended and Restated Caesars Master Lease

On October 1, 2018, the Company closed its previously announced transaction to acquire certain real property assets from Tropicana Entertainment Inc. ("Tropicana") and certain of its affiliates pursuant to a Purchase and Sale Agreement dated April 15, 2018 between Tropicana and GLP Capital L.P. ("GLP Capital"), the operating partnership of GLPI, which was subsequently amended on October 1, 2018 (as amended, the "Amended Real Estate Purchase Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the Amended Real Estate Purchase Agreement, the Company acquired the real estate assets of Tropicana Atlantic City, Tropicana Evansville, Tropicana Laughlin, Trop Casino Greenville and the Belle of Baton Rouge (the "GLP Assets") from Tropicana for an aggregate cash purchase price of $964.0 million, exclusive of transaction fees and taxes (the "Tropicana Acquisition"). Concurrent with the Tropicana Acquisition, Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (now doing business as Caesars) acquired the operating assets of these properties from Tropicana pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated April 15, 2018 by and among Tropicana, GLP Capital, Caesars and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caesars and leased the GLP Assets from the

Company pursuant to the terms of a new unitary triple-net master lease with an initial term of 15 years, with no purchase option, followed by four successive 5-year renewal periods (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions (the "Caesars Master Lease").

On June 15, 2020, the Company amended and restated the Caesars Master Lease (as amended, the "Amended and Restated Caesars Master Lease") to, (i) extend the initial term of 15 years to 20 years, with renewals of up to an additional 20 years at the option of Caesars, (ii) remove the variable rent component in its entirety commencing with the third lease year, (iii) in the third lease year, increase annual land base rent to approximately $23.6 million and annual building base rent to approximately $62.1 million, (iv) provide fixed escalation percentages that delay the escalation of building base rent until the commencement of the fifth lease year with building base rent increasing annually by 1.25% in the fifth and sixth lease years, 1.75% in the seventh and eighth lease years and 2% in the ninth lease year and each lease year thereafter, (v) subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, permit Caesars to elect to replace the Tropicana Evansville and/or Tropicana Greenville properties under the Amended and Restated Caesars Master Lease with one or more of Caesars Gaming Scioto Downs, The Row in Reno, Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park, Isle Casino Hotel – Black Hawk, Lady Luck Casino – Black Hawk, Isle Casino Waterloo ("Waterloo"), Isle Casino Bettendorf ("Bettendorf") or Isle of Capri Casino Boonville, provided that the aggregate value of such new property, individually or collectively, is at least equal to the value of Tropicana Evansville or Tropicana Greenville, as applicable, (vi) permit Caesars to elect to sell its interest in Belle of Baton Rouge and sever it from the Amended and Restated Caesars Master Lease (with no change to the rent obligation to the Company), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, and (vii) provide certain relief under the operating, capital expenditure and financial covenants thereunder in the event of facility closures due to pandemics, governmental restrictions and certain other instances of unavoidable delay. The effectiveness of the Amended and Restated Caesars Master Lease was subject to the review and approval of certain gaming regulatory agencies and the expiration of applicable gaming regulatory advance notice periods which were received on July 23, 2020. On December 18, 2020, the Company and Caesars completed an Exchange Agreement (the "Exchange Agreement") with subsidiaries of Caesars in which Caesars transferred to the Company the real estate assets of Waterloo and Bettendorf in exchange for the transfer by the Company to Caesars of the real property assets of Tropicana Evansville, plus a cash payment of $5.7 million. In connection with the Exchange Agreement, the annual building base rent was increased to $62.5 million and the annual land component was increased to $23.7 million.

Lumière Place Lease

On October 1, 2018, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Caesars in connection with Caesars’s acquisition of Lumière Place Casino ("Lumière Place"), whereby the Company loaned Caesars $246.0 million (the "CZR loan"). The CZR loan bore interest at a rate equal to (i) 9.09% until October 1, 2019 and (ii) 9.27% until its maturity. On the one-year anniversary of the CZR loan, the mortgage evidenced by a deed of trust on the Lumière Place property terminated and the loan became unsecured. On June 24, 2020, the Company received approval from the Missouri Gaming Commission to own the Lumière Place property in satisfaction of the CZR loan. On September 29, 2020, the transaction closed and we entered into a new triple net lease with Caesars (the "Lumière Place Lease") the initial term of which expires on October 31, 2033, with four separate renewal options of five years each, exercisable at the tenant's option. The Lumière Place Lease's rent was adjusted on December 1, 2021 such that the annual escalator is now fixed at 1.25% for the second through fifth lease years, increasing to 1.75% for the sixth and seventh lease years and thereafter increasing by 2.0% for the remainder of the lease.

Bally's Master Lease

On June 3, 2021, the Company completed its previously announced transaction pursuant to which a subsidiary of Bally's acquired 100% of the equity interests in the Caesars subsidiary that currently operates Tropicana Evansville and the Company reacquired the real property assets of Tropicana Evansville from Caesars for a cash purchase price of approximately $340.0 million. In addition, the Company purchased the real estate assets of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino from Bally's for a cash purchase price of approximately $144.0 million. The real estate assets of these two facilities were added to a new triple net master lease (the "Bally's Master Lease") which has an initial term of 15 years, with no purchase option, followed by four 5-year renewal options (exercisable by the tenant) on the same terms and conditions.

On April 1, 2022, the Company completed the previously announced acquisition from Bally's of the land and real estate assets of Bally's three Black Hawk Casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado and Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel in Rock Island, Illinois for $150 million in total consideration. These properties were added to the existing Bally's Master Lease and the initial rent for the lease was increased by $12.0 million on an annual basis, subject to the escalation clauses described above.

On June 28, 2022, the Company announced that it entered into a binding term sheet with Bally's to acquire the real property assets of Bally's Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort ("Lincoln") and Bally's Tiverton Casino & Hotel ("Tiverton"), subject to customary regulatory approvals with Lincoln also subject to lender consent. Pursuant to the terms of the transaction,

Bally’s would immediately lease back both properties and continue to own, control, and manage all the gaming operations of the facilities on an uninterrupted basis. Total consideration for the acquisition is $1.0 billion and GLPI intends to fund the transaction through a mix of debt, equity, and OP Units. Both properties are expected to be added to the existing Bally’s Master Lease with incremental rent of $76.3 million.

If all third-party consents and approvals for the acquisition of Lincoln are not timely received, then GLPI would instead acquire the real property assets of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi in Mississippi along with Tiverton, for $635 million with total rent of $48.5 million. In that event, GLPI would also have the option, subject to receipt of required consents, to acquire the real property assets of Lincoln prior to December 31, 2024 for a purchase price of $771 million and additional rent of $58.8 million.

In connection with GLPI’s commitment to consummate the Bally’s acquisitions, it also agreed to pre-fund, at Bally’s election, a deposit of up to $200.0 million, which will be credited or repaid to GLPI at the earlier of closing and December 31, 2023, in either case along with a $9.0 million transaction fee to be credited against the purchase price at closing.

Tropicana Las Vegas

On April 16, 2020, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries closed on its previously announced transaction to acquire the real property associated with the Tropicana Las Vegas from Penn in exchange for $307.5 million of rent credits which were applied against future rent obligations due under the parties' existing leases during 2020. An affiliate of Penn continues to operate the casino and hotel business of Tropicana Las Vegas pursuant to a triple net lease with GLPI for nominal rent for the earlier of two years or until the Tropicana Las Vegas is sold. See Note 16 for the anticipated sale of the building and sale-lease back of the land for this asset.

Morgantown Lease

On October 1, 2020, the Company and Penn closed on their previously announced transaction whereby GLPI acquired the land under Penn's gaming facility under construction in Morgantown, Pennsylvania in exchange for $30.0 million in rent credits which were fully utilized by Penn in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company is leasing the land back to an affiliate of Penn for an initial term of 20 years, followed by six 5-year renewal options exercisable by the tenant (the "Morgantown Lease").

Casino Queen Master Lease

On November 25, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell the operations of our Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge to Casino Queen for $28.2 million (the "HCBR transaction"). The HCBR transaction closed on December 17, 2021. The Company retained ownership of all real estate assets at Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge and simultaneously entered into a triple net master lease with Casino Queen, which includes the Casino Queen property in East St. Louis that is currently leased by the Company to Casino Queen and the Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge facility ("Casino Queen Master Lease"). The initial annual cash rent is approximately $21.4 million and the lease has an initial term of 15 years with four 5-year renewal options exercisable by the tenant. This rental amount will be increased annually by 0.5% for the first six years. Beginning with the seventh lease year through the remainder of the lease term, if the Consumer Price Index ("CPI") increases by at least 0.25% for any lease year then annual rent shall be increased by 1.25%, and if the CPI increase is less than 0.25% then rent will remain unchanged for such lease year. Additionally, the Company will complete the current landside development project that is in process and the rent under the Casino Queen Master Lease will be adjusted upon delivery to reflect a yield of 8.25% on GLPI's project costs. The Company will also have a right of first refusal with Casino Queen for other sale leaseback transactions up to $50 million over the next 2 years.

Perryville Lease

On December 15, 2020, the Company announced that Penn exercised its option to purchase from the Company the operations of our Hollywood Casino Perryville, located in Perryville, Maryland, for $31.1 million. The transaction closed on July 1, 2021 and the real estate assets of the Hollywood Casino Perryville are being leased to Penn on a triple net basis (the "Perryville Lease").

Maryland Live! Lease and Pennsylvania Live! LeaseOn December 6, 2021, the Company announced that it had agreed to acquire the real property assets of Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, and Live! Casino Pittsburgh, including applicable long-term ground leases, from affiliates of Cordish for aggregate consideration of approximately $1.81 billion, excluding transaction costs at deal announcement. The transaction also includes a binding partnership on future Cordish casino developments, as well as potential financing partnerships between the Company and Cordish in other areas of Cordish's portfolio of real estate and operating businesses. On December 29, 2021, the Company completed its acquisition of the real property assets of Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and entered into a single asset lease for Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland (the "Maryland Live Lease") that has an initial lease terms of 39 years, with a maximum term of 60 years inclusive of tenant renewal options. On March 1, 2022, the Company completed its acquisition of the real estate assets of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and Live! Casino Pittsburgh for $689 million and leased back the real estate to Cordish pursuant to a new triple net master lease with Cordish (the "Pennsylvania Live! Master Lease"). The annual rent for the Maryland Live! Lease is $75.0 million and the Pennsylvania Live! Master Lease is $50.0 million, both of which have a 1.75% fixed yearly escalator on the entirety of rent commencing on the leases' second anniversary.