Financial Information for Guarantor Subsidiaries and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries - Additional Information (Details)	Mar. 31, 2016
Financial Information for Guarantor Subsidiaries and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Abstract]
Parent company's percentage ownership of guarantors (as a percent)	100.00%

The parent's direct and indirect ownership percentage of the subsidiaries that are guarantors of the entity's debt.

No definition available.

Name:	sgms_SubsidiaryGuarantorsPercentageOwned
Namespace Prefix:	sgms_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant