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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), as published by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and with the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Financial Statements, including the notes thereto, are unaudited and condense or exclude some of the disclosures and information normally required in audited financial statements.
We believe the disclosures made are adequate to prevent the information presented from being misleading. However, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and as updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC.
All adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair statement of results for the interim period have been included.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.
Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021.
Principles of Consolidation and Non-controlling Interest
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our Operating Partnership, and the subsidiaries in which we or our Operating Partnership has a controlling interest, which includes a single variable interest entity (“VIE”) where we are the primary beneficiary. All intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We consolidate all subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest and VIEs for which we or one of our consolidated subsidiaries is the primary beneficiary.
We present non-controlling interest and classify such interest as a component of consolidated stockholders’ equity, separate from VICI stockholders’ equity. Our non-controlling interest represents a 20% third-party ownership of Harrah’s Joliet LandCo LLC, the entity that owns the Harrah’s Joliet facility and is the lessor under the related Joliet Lease Agreement.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
Cash consists of cash-on-hand and cash-in-bank. Any investments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase are considered cash equivalents and are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we did not have any restricted cash.
Short-Term Investments
Investments with an original maturity of greater than three months and less than one year from the date of purchase are considered short-term investments and are stated at fair value.
We generally invest our excess cash in short-term investment grade commercial paper as well as discount notes issued by government-sponsored enterprises including the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and certain of the Federal Home Loan Banks. These investments generally have original maturities between 91 and 180 days and are accounted for as available-for-sale securities. The related income is recognized as interest income in our Statement of Operations. We had $20.0 million of short-term investments as of December 31, 2020. We did not have any short-term investments as of September 30, 2021.
Investments in Leases - Sales-type, Net
We account for our investments in leases under ASC 842 “Leases” (“ASC 842”). Upon lease inception or lease modification, we assess lease classification to determine whether the lease should be classified as a direct financing, sales-type or operating lease. As required by ASC 842, we separately assess the land and building components of the property to determine the classification of each component. If the lease component is determined to be a direct financing or sales-type lease, we record a net investment in the lease, which is equal to the sum of the lease receivable and the unguaranteed residual asset, discounted at the rate implicit in the lease. Any difference between the fair value of the asset and the net investment in the lease is considered selling profit or loss and is either recognized upon execution of the lease or deferred and recognized over the life of the lease, depending on the classification of the lease. Since we purchase properties and simultaneously enter into new leases directly with the tenants, the net investment in the lease is generally equal to the purchase price of the asset, and, due to the long-term nature of our leases, the land and building components of an investment generally have the same lease classification.
We have determined that the land and building components of the Las Vegas Master Lease Agreement, the Regional Master Lease Agreement (excluding the Harrah’s Original Call Properties (as defined in Note 3 - Property Transactions)), the Joliet Lease Agreement, the Margaritaville Lease Agreement, the Greektown Lease Agreement, the Hard Rock Cincinnati Lease Agreement, the Century Portfolio Lease Agreement and the EBCI Lease Agreement meet the definition of a sales-type lease under ASC 842.
Investments in Leases - Financing Receivables, Net
In accordance with ASC 842, for transactions in which we enter into a contract to acquire an asset and lease it back to the seller under a sales-type lease (i.e., a sale leaseback transaction), control of the asset is not considered to have transferred to us. As a result, we do not recognize the underlying asset but instead recognize a financial asset in accordance with ASC 310 “Receivables” (“ASC 310”). The accounting for the financing receivable under ASC 310 is materially consistent with the accounting for our investments in leases - sales-type under ASC 842. We determined that the land and building components of the JACK Cleveland/Thistledown Lease Agreement meet the definition of a sales-type lease and, since we purchased and leased the assets back to the seller under a sale leaseback transaction, control is not considered to have transferred to us under GAAP. Accordingly, the JACK Cleveland/Thistledown Lease Agreement is accounted for as Investments in leases - financing receivables on our Balance Sheet, net of allowance for credit losses, in accordance with ASC 310.
Upon the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction on July 20, 2020, we reassessed the classification of the Caesars Lease Agreements and determined that the Harrah's Original Call Properties Acquisitions (as defined in Note 3 - Property Transactions) meet the definition of a separate contract under ASC 842. In accordance with this guidance, we are required to separately assess the lease classification apart from the other assets in the Regional Master Lease Agreement. We determined that the land and building components of the Harrah’s Original Call Properties meet the definition of a sales-type lease and, since we purchased and leased the assets back to Caesars, control is not considered to have transferred to us under GAAP. Accordingly, the Harrah’s Original Call Properties are accounted for as Investments in leases - financing receivables on our Balance Sheet, net of allowance for credit losses, in accordance with ASC 310.
Lease Term
We assess the noncancelable lease term under ASC 842, which includes any reasonably assured renewal periods. All of our Lease Agreements provide for an initial term, with multiple tenant renewal options. We have individually assessed all of our Lease Agreements and concluded that the lease term includes all of the periods covered by extension options as it is reasonably certain our tenants will renew the Lease Agreements. We believe our tenants are economically compelled to renew the Lease
Agreements due to the importance of our real estate to the operation of their business, the significant capital they have invested and are required to invest in our properties under the terms of the Lease Agreements and the lack of suitable replacement assets.
Income from Leases and Lease Financing Receivables
We recognize the related income from our sales-type leases, direct financing leases and lease financing receivables on an effective interest basis at a constant rate of return over the terms of the applicable leases. As a result, the cash payments accounted for under sales-type leases, direct financing leases and lease financing receivables will not equal income from our Lease Agreements. Rather, a portion of the cash rent we receive is recorded as Income from sales-type and direct financing leases or Income from lease financing receivables and loans, as applicable, in our Statement of Operations and a portion is recorded as a change to Investments in leases - sales-type, net or Investments in leases - financing receivables, net, as applicable.
Under ASC 840, we determined that the land component of Caesars Palace Las Vegas was greater than 25% of the overall fair value of the combined land and building components. At lease inception, the land was determined to be an operating lease and we recorded the related income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The amount of annual minimum lease payments attributable to the land element after deducting executory costs, including any profit thereon, was determined by applying the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate to the value of the land. Revenue from this lease was recorded as Income from operating leases in our Statement of Operations. Further, upon adoption of ASC 842 on January 1, 2019, we made an accounting policy election to use a package of practical expedients that, among other things, allow us to not reassess prior lease classifications or initial direct costs for leases that existed as of the balance sheet date. Upon the consummation of the Eldorado Transaction on July 20, 2020, the land component of Caesars Palace Las Vegas was reassessed for lease classification and determined to be a sales-type lease. Accordingly, subsequent to July 20, 2020, the income is recognized as Income from sales-type leases and we no longer have any leases classified as operating or direct financing and, as such, there is no longer any income recorded through Income from operating leases.
Initial direct costs incurred in connection with entering into investments classified as sales-type or direct financing leases are included in the balance of the net investment in lease. Such amounts will be recognized as a reduction to Income from investments in leases over the life of the lease using the effective interest method. Costs that would have been incurred regardless of whether the lease was signed, such as legal fees and certain other third-party fees, are expensed as incurred to Transaction and acquisition expenses in our Statement of Operations.
Loan origination fees and costs incurred in connection with entering into investments classified as lease financing receivables are included in the balance of the net investment and such amounts will be recognized as a reduction to Income from investments in loans and lease financing receivables over the life of the lease using the effective interest method.
Investments in Loans, net
Investments in loans are held-for-investment and are carried at historical cost, inclusive of unamortized loan origination costs and fees and allowances for credit losses. Income is recognized on an effective interest basis at a constant rate of return over the life of the related loan.
Allowance for Credit Losses
On January 1, 2020, we adopted ASC 326 “Credit Losses” (“ASC 326”), which requires that we measure and record current expected credit losses (“CECL”) for the majority of our investments, the scope of which includes our Investments in leases - sales-type, Investments in leases - financing receivables and Investments in loans.
We have elected to use a discounted cash flow model to estimate the Allowance for credit losses, or CECL allowance. This model requires us to develop cash flows which project estimated credit losses over the life of the lease or loan and discount these cash flows at the asset’s effective interest rate. We then record a CECL allowance equal to the difference between the amortized cost basis of the asset and the present value of the expected credit loss cash flows.
Expected losses within our cash flows are determined by estimating the probability of default (“PD”) and loss given default (“LGD”) of our tenants and their parent guarantors over the life of each individual lease or financial asset. We have engaged a nationally recognized data analytics firm to assist us with estimating both the PD and LGD of our tenants and their parent guarantors. The PD and LGD are estimated during a reasonable and supportable period for which we believe we are able to estimate future economic conditions (the “R&S Period”) and a long-term period for which we revert to long-term historical
averages (the “Long-Term Period”). The PD and LGD estimates for the R&S Period are developed using the current financial condition of the tenant and the parent guarantor and applied to a projection of economic conditions over a two-year term. The PD and LGD for the Long-Term Period are estimated using the average historical default rates and historical loss rates, respectively, of public companies over the past 35 years that have similar credit profiles or characteristics to our tenants and their parent guarantors. We are unable to use our historical data to estimate losses as we have no loss history to date.
The CECL allowance is recorded as a reduction to our net Investments in leases - sales-type, Investments in leases - financing receivables and Investments in loans on our Balance Sheet. We are required to update our CECL allowance on a quarterly basis with the resulting change being recorded in the Statement of Operations for the relevant period. Finally, each time we make a new investment in an asset subject to ASC 326, we are required to record an initial CECL allowance for such asset, which will result in a non-cash charge to the Statement of Operations for the relevant period.
We are required to estimate a CECL allowance related to contractual commitments to extend credit, such as future funding commitments under a revolving credit facility, delayed draw term loan or construction loan. We estimate the amount that we will fund for each contractual commitment based on (i) discussions with our borrowers, (ii) our borrowers' business plans and financial condition and (iii) other relevant factors. Based on these considerations, we apply a CECL allowance to the estimated amount of credit we expect to extend. The CECL allowance for unfunded commitments is calculated using the same methodology as the allowance for all of our other investments subject to the CECL model. The CECL allowance related to these future commitments is recorded as a component of Other liabilities on our Balance Sheet.
Charge-offs are deducted from the allowance in the period in which they are deemed uncollectible. Recoveries previously written off are recorded when received. There were no charge-offs or recoveries for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Refer to Note 5 - Allowance for Credit Losses for further information.
Other income and Other expenses
Other income primarily represents sub-lease income related to certain ground and use leases. Under the Lease Agreements, the tenants are required to pay all costs associated with such ground and use leases and provides for their direct payment to the landlord. This income and the related expense are recorded on a gross basis in our Statement of Operations as required under GAAP as we are the primary obligor under the ground and use leases.
Fair Value Measurements
We measure the fair value of financial instruments based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, a fair value hierarchy distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions. In accordance with the fair value hierarchy, Level 1 assets/liabilities are valued based on quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets, Level 2 assets/liabilities are valued based on quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, on quoted prices in less active or inactive markets or on other “observable” market inputs, and Level 3 assets/liabilities are valued based significantly on “unobservable” market inputs.
Refer to Note 9 - Fair Value for further information.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We record our derivative financial instruments as either Other assets or Other liabilities on our Balance Sheet at fair value.
The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether we elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows are considered cash flow hedges. We formally document our hedge relationships and designation at the contract’s inception. This documentation includes the identification of the hedging instruments and the hedged items, its risk management objectives, strategy for undertaking the hedge transaction and our evaluation of the effectiveness of its hedged transaction.
On a quarterly basis, we also assess whether the derivative we designated in each hedging relationship is expected to be, and has been, highly effective in offsetting changes in the value or cash flows of the hedged items. If it is determined that a
derivative is not highly effective at hedging the designated exposure, hedge accounting is discontinued and the changes in fair value of the instrument are included in Net income prospectively. If the hedge relationship is terminated, then the value of the derivative is recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income and recognized in earnings when the cash flows that were hedged affect earnings. Changes in the fair value of our derivative instruments that qualify as hedges are reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss on our Balance Sheet with a corresponding change in Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flows hedges within Other comprehensive income on our Statement of Operations.
We use derivative instruments to mitigate the effects of interest rate volatility inherent in our variable rate debt, which could unfavorably impact our future earnings and forecasted cash flows. We do not use derivative instruments for speculative or trading purposes.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Caesars is the guarantor of all the lease payment obligations of the tenants under the respective leases of the properties that it leases from us. Revenue from the Caesars Lease Agreements represented 85% and 86% of our lease revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and 85% and 83% of our lease revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. Additionally, our properties on the Las Vegas Strip generated approximately 32% of our lease revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, and 31% and 27% of our lease revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. Other than having a single tenant from which we derive and will continue to derive a substantial portion of our revenue and our concentration in the Las Vegas market, we do not believe there are any other significant concentrations of credit risk.