Debt Instrument, Amortization Percentage

No definition available.

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

- Definition

Debt Instrument, Collateral as a Percentage of Capital

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sgms_DebtInstrumentCollateralasaPercentageofCapital
Namespace Prefix:	sgms_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line of Credit Facility, Unused Capacity, Commitment Fee, Step-down Percentage

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sgms_LineofCreditFacilityUnusedCapacityCommitmentFeeStepdownPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	sgms_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19(b),22(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The fee, expressed as a percentage of the line of credit facility, for available but unused credit capacity under the credit facility.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityUnusedCapacityCommitmentFeePercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredCreditFacilitiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=sgms_DirectandIndirectWhollyOwnedDomesticSubsidiariesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=sgms_ForeignSubsidiariesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredRevolverMaturing2018Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis=us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredCreditFacilityTermLoanB1Maturing2020Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=sgms_TermLoanFacilityMember
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Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredCreditFacilityTermLoanB2Maturing2021Member
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredCreditFacilityTermLoansB1AndB2Member
Namespace Prefix:
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Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=sgms_SeniorSecuredCreditFacilityTermLoanB3Maturing2021Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=sgms_BallyTechnologiesInc.Member
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Long-Term and Other Debt - Credit Facilities (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 12, 2015	Feb. 11, 2015	Oct. 01, 2014	Oct. 18, 2013
Senior secured credit facilities
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments					$ 2,600,000,000.0
Senior secured credit facilities \| Direct and Indirect Wholly Owned Domestic Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Collateral as a percentage of capital	100.00%
Senior secured credit facilities \| Foreign Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Collateral as a percentage of capital	65.00%
Senior Secured Revolver, maturing 2018 \| Revolver
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments		$ 592,600,000.0	$ 25,000,000.0		300,000,000.0
Unused capacity, commitment fee percentage	0.50%
Unused capacity, commitment fee, step-down percentage	0.375%
Senior Secured Revolver, maturing 2018 \| Revolver \| Letter of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments			$ 350,000,000
Senior Secured Term Loan B-1, maturing 2020 \| Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments					$ 2,300,000,000.0
Senior Secured Term Loan B-2, maturing 2021 \| Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments				$ 2,000,000,000.0
Senior Secured Term Loans B-1 And B-2 \| Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization percentage	1.00%
Senior Secured Term Loan B-3, maturing 2021 \| Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization percentage	1.00%
Bally Technologies Inc. \| Senior Secured Revolver, maturing 2018 \| Revolver \| Letter of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum revolving commitments				$ 267,600,000.0