Financial Information for Guarantor Subsidiaries and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	$ (30,200,000)	$ (62,600,000)	$ (12,600,000)
Depreciation and amortization	203,000,000	173,400,000	118,600,000
Change in deferred income taxes	(107,800,000)	7,900,000	(100,000)
Equity in income of subsidiaries	0	0	0
Non-cash interest expense	8,700,000	7,800,000	8,100,000
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		10,000,000	5,800,000
Earnings from equity investments	(1,500,000)	(28,100,000)	(29,400,000)
Distributed earnings from equity investments	29,500,000	38,100,000	35,200,000
Stock-based compensation	22,300,000	24,200,000	21,500,000
Early extinguishment of debt	5,900,000	15,500,000	4,200,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts	7,900,000	5,900,000	2,900,000
Changes in working capital and other	33,400,000	(25,300,000)	22,700,000
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	171,200,000	156,800,000	171,100,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	(165,800,000)	(111,400,000)	(91,800,000)
Investments in subsidiaries	0	0	0
Equity method investments	(65,400,000)	24,900,000	(19,400,000)
Restricted cash	30,100,000	(29,400,000)	(800,000)
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	10,000,000	0	0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(1,472,900,000)	(24,800,000)	(52,900,000)
Other assets and investments	(700,000)	(1,200,000)	3,000,000
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	0	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,664,700,000)	(141,900,000)	(161,100,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	1,623,300,000	76,700,000	(7,800,000)
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	900,000	400,000	100,000
Payments of financing fees	(82,600,000)	(14,000,000)	(14,600,000)
Net proceeds from stock issue	(2,100,000)	(4,700,000)	(2,400,000)
Purchase of treasury stock	(800,000)	(68,500,000)	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	0	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,538,700,000	(10,100,000)	(24,700,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(500,000)	(200,000)	(5,200,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	44,700,000	4,600,000	(19,900,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	109,000,000	104,400,000	124,300,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	153,700,000	109,000,000	104,400,000
Parent Company
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	(30,200,000)	(62,600,000)	(12,600,000)
Depreciation and amortization	1,200,000	600,000	500,000
Change in deferred income taxes	1,000,000	(46,400,000)	4,000,000
Equity in income of subsidiaries	66,400,000	60,500,000	(55,300,000)
Non-cash interest expense	700,000	700,000	700,000
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		0	0
Earnings from equity investments	0
Distributed earnings from equity investments	0
Stock-based compensation	21,700,000	24,200,000	21,500,000
Early extinguishment of debt	0	0	0
Allowance for doubtful accounts	0	0	0
Changes in working capital and other	(400,000)	2,500,000	10,100,000
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	60,400,000	(20,500,000)	(31,100,000)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	(6,900,000)	(2,800,000)	(2,100,000)
Investments in subsidiaries	(1,485,900,000)	0	0
Equity method investments	0	0	0
Restricted cash	0	0
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	10,000,000		0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	0	0
Other assets and investments	0	(500,000)	2,600,000
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	79,700,000	100,100,000	(4,900,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,403,100,000)	96,800,000	(4,400,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	0	0	0
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	0	0	0
Payments of financing fees	0	0	(100,000)
Net proceeds from stock issue	(2,100,000)	(4,700,000)	(2,400,000)
Purchase of treasury stock	(800,000)	(68,500,000)	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	1,374,400,000	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,371,500,000	(73,200,000)	(2,500,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0	(600,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	28,800,000	3,100,000	(38,600,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	27,100,000	24,000,000	62,600,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	55,900,000	27,100,000	24,000,000
SGI
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	(80,800,000)	(95,800,000)	(18,600,000)
Depreciation and amortization	46,100,000	36,700,000	29,900,000
Change in deferred income taxes	9,600,000	61,700,000	4,300,000
Equity in income of subsidiaries	(29,400,000)	(40,000,000)	(64,700,000)
Non-cash interest expense	8,000,000	7,100,000	7,400,000
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		2,600,000	22,900,000
Earnings from equity investments	4,600,000
Distributed earnings from equity investments	1,000,000
Stock-based compensation	100,000	0	0
Early extinguishment of debt	5,900,000	15,500,000	4,200,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts	900,000	(300,000)	100,000
Changes in working capital and other	(9,300,000)	(9,400,000)	27,100,000
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(43,300,000)	(21,900,000)	12,600,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	(30,300,000)	(30,200,000)	(37,100,000)
Investments in subsidiaries	35,900,000	(37,100,000)	13,600,000
Equity method investments	(40,300,000)	1,000,000	(11,100,000)
Restricted cash	0	0
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	0		0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	(1,000,000)	0
Other assets and investments	0	(100,000)	0
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	(1,430,100,000)		0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,464,800,000)	(67,400,000)	(34,600,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	1,728,700,000	93,700,000	(6,300,000)
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	0	0	0
Payments of financing fees	(82,600,000)	(14,000,000)	(14,500,000)
Net proceeds from stock issue	0	0	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	(138,500,000)	9,900,000	44,300,000
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,507,600,000	89,600,000	23,500,000
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	300,000	0	(1,600,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(200,000)	300,000	(100,000)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	400,000	100,000	200,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	200,000	400,000	100,000
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	29,500,000	40,600,000	63,900,000
Depreciation and amortization	61,400,000	24,000,000	19,000,000
Change in deferred income taxes	(116,500,000)	(9,300,000)	(9,400,000)
Equity in income of subsidiaries	0	0	0
Non-cash interest expense	0	0	0
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		5,200,000	1,600,000
Earnings from equity investments	(3,200,000)
Distributed earnings from equity investments	3,200,000
Stock-based compensation	0	0	0
Early extinguishment of debt	0	0	0
Allowance for doubtful accounts	6,500,000	0	0
Changes in working capital and other	40,400,000	6,500,000	(7,800,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	21,300,000	67,000,000	67,300,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	(49,800,000)	(17,100,000)	(13,600,000)
Investments in subsidiaries	0	0	0
Equity method investments	0	200,000	(1,100,000)
Restricted cash	(700,000)	0
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	0		0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(1,489,100,000)	0	0
Other assets and investments	(300,000)	0	200,000
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	166,500,000	(50,100,000)	(52,700,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,373,400,000)	(67,000,000)	(67,200,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	(100,000,000)	0	0
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	0	0	0
Payments of financing fees	0	0	0
Net proceeds from stock issue	1,476,500,000	0	0
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	0	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,376,500,000	0	0
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	24,400,000	0	100,000
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	2,400,000	2,400,000	2,300,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	26,800,000	2,400,000	2,400,000
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	14,300,000	34,700,000	74,800,000
Depreciation and amortization	94,300,000	112,100,000	69,200,000
Change in deferred income taxes	(1,900,000)	1,900,000	1,000,000
Equity in income of subsidiaries	0	0	0
Non-cash interest expense	0	0	0
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		(2,200,000)	(21,800,000)
Earnings from equity investments	(2,900,000)
Distributed earnings from equity investments	25,300,000
Stock-based compensation	500,000	0	0
Early extinguishment of debt	0	0	0
Allowance for doubtful accounts	500,000	6,200,000	2,800,000
Changes in working capital and other	2,700,000	(20,500,000)	(3,600,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	132,800,000	132,200,000	122,400,000
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	(78,800,000)	(61,300,000)	(39,000,000)
Investments in subsidiaries	28,500,000	85,300,000	(473,300,000)
Equity method investments	(25,100,000)	23,700,000	(7,200,000)
Restricted cash	30,800,000	(29,400,000)
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	0		0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	16,200,000	(23,800,000)	(52,900,000)
Other assets and investments	(400,000)	(600,000)	200,000
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	0		0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(28,800,000)	(6,100,000)	(572,200,000)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	(5,400,000)	(17,000,000)	(1,500,000)
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	900,000	400,000	100,000
Payments of financing fees	0	0	0
Net proceeds from stock issue	(55,000,000)	(48,200,000)	459,400,000
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	(53,200,000)	(59,900,000)	13,200,000
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(112,700,000)	(124,700,000)	471,200,000
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(800,000)	(200,000)	(2,700,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(9,500,000)	1,200,000	18,700,000
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	79,100,000	77,900,000	59,200,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	69,600,000	79,100,000	77,900,000
Eliminating Entries
Condensed Financial Statements
Net loss	37,000,000	20,500,000	(120,100,000)
Depreciation and amortization	0	0	0
Change in deferred income taxes	0	0	0
Equity in income of subsidiaries	(37,000,000)	(20,500,000)	120,000,000
Non-cash interest expense	0	0	0
Undistributed earnings from equity investments		4,400,000	3,100,000
Earnings from equity investments	0
Distributed earnings from equity investments	0
Stock-based compensation	0	0	0
Early extinguishment of debt	0	0	0
Allowance for doubtful accounts	0	0	0
Changes in working capital and other	0	(4,400,000)	(3,100,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	0	0	(100,000)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital and wagering systems expenditures	0	0	0
Investments in subsidiaries	1,421,500,000	(48,200,000)	459,700,000
Equity method investments	0	0	0
Restricted cash	0	0
Proceeds from sale of Racing Business	0		0
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	0	0
Other assets and investments	0	0	0
Other, principally change in intercompany investing activities	1,183,900,000	(50,000,000)	57,600,000
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	2,605,400,000	(98,200,000)	517,300,000
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds/payments on long-term debt	0	0	0
Excess tax effect from stock-based compensation plans	0	0	0
Payments of financing fees	0	0	0
Net proceeds from stock issue	(1,421,500,000)	48,200,000	(459,400,000)
Purchase of treasury stock	0	0	0
Other, principally change in intercompany financing activities	(1,182,700,000)	50,000,000	(57,500,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(2,604,200,000)	98,200,000	(516,900,000)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	0	0	(300,000)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	1,200,000	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	$ 1,200,000	$ 0	$ 0