Description of Business (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Description of Business

Organization

CEC is primarily a holding company with no independent operations of its own. Caesars Entertainment operates the business primarily through its wholly owned subsidiaries CEOC, LLC (“CEOC LLC”) and Caesars Resort Collection, LLC (“CRC”). Caesars Entertainment operates a total of 54 properties in 14 U.S. states and five countries outside of the U.S., including 50 casino properties. Nine casinos are in Las Vegas, which represented 45% of net revenues for each of the three and six months ended June 30, 2019.

We lease certain real property assets from VICI Properties Inc. and/or its subsidiaries (“VICI”).

Proposed Merger of Caesars Entertainment Corporation with Eldorado Resorts, Inc.

On June 24, 2019, Caesars, Eldorado Resorts, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Eldorado”), and Colt Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Eldorado (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into Caesars (the “Merger”), with Caesars surviving the Merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Eldorado. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020. In connection with the Merger, Eldorado will change its name to Caesars Entertainment, Inc., subject to stockholder approval.

On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, the aggregate consideration paid by Eldorado in respect of outstanding shares of common stock of Caesars (“Caesars Common Stock”) will be (a) an amount of cash equal to (i) the sum of (A) $8.40 plus (B) if the applicable closing conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement are not satisfied by March 25, 2020, an amount equal to $0.003333 for each day (subject to certain exceptions described in the Merger Agreement) from March 25, 2020 until the closing date of the Merger (the “Closing Date”), multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Caesars Common Stock outstanding at the effective time of the Merger (the “Aggregate Cash Amount”) and (b) a number of shares of common stock of Eldorado (“Eldorado Common Stock”) equal to 0.0899 multiplied by the number of shares of Caesars Common Stock outstanding at the effective time of the Merger (the “Aggregate Eldorado Share Amount”). Each holder of shares of Caesars Common Stock will be entitled to elect to receive, for each share of Caesars Common Stock held by such holder, either an amount of cash or a number of shares of Eldorado Common Stock with value equal to the Per Share Amount. The “Per Share Amount” is equal to (a) (i) the Aggregate Cash Amount, plus (ii) the product of (A) 0.0899 and (B) the Eldorado Common Stock VWAP and (C) the number of shares of Caesars Common Stock outstanding at the effective time of the Merger, divided by (b) the number of shares of Caesars Common Stock outstanding at the effective time of the Merger. Elections are subject to proration such that the aggregate amount of cash paid in exchange for outstanding shares of Caesars Common Stock in the Merger will not exceed the Aggregate Cash Amount and the aggregate number of shares of Eldorado Common Stock issued in exchange for shares of Caesars Common Stock in the Merger will not exceed the Aggregate Eldorado Share Amount. “Eldorado Common Stock VWAP” means the volume weighted average price of a share of Eldorado Common Stock for a ten trading day period, starting with the opening of trading on the eleventh trading day prior to the anticipated Closing Date to the closing of trading on the second to last trading day prior to the anticipated Closing Date. Following the completion of the Merger, holders of Eldorado Common Stock before the

Merger and former holders of Caesars Common Stock will hold approximately 51% and 49%, respectively, of the combined company's outstanding shares of common stock.

Outstanding options and other equity awards issued under Caesars’ stock plans will be treated in the manner set forth in the Merger Agreement. Upon completion of the Merger, any unexercised, vested, in-the-money stock options that are outstanding will be canceled in exchange for the Per Share Amount (or applicable portion thereof) in cash, reduced by the applicable exercise price. Unvested service-vesting stock options and restricted stock units will be converted into stock options and restricted stock units for Eldorado Common Stock and will retain their original vesting schedules. Performance stock units that are subject to total stockholder return performance-vesting conditions will be converted into performance stock units for Eldorado Common Stock and will continue to vest in accordance with their original terms, except the total stockholder return vesting conditions will be adjusted to be based on Eldorado’s total stockholder return performance. Performance stock units that are tied to earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and EBITDAR performance conditions will vest at closing and be exchanged for the Per Share Amount (or applicable portion thereof) in cash. For EBITDA- and EBITDAR-based performance stock units that are eligible to vest in respect of performance achieved during the year in which the closing occurs, such vesting will be based on performance of applicable goals through the end of the month prior to the close and extrapolated through the remainder of the performance period and for EBITDA- and EBITDAR-based performance stock units that are eligible to vest in respect of a performance period that has not yet commenced as of the Closing Date, such vesting will be based on target-level performance.

The Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties by each of Caesars and Eldorado, and each party has agreed to customary covenants. Each of Eldorado’s and Caesars’ obligation to consummate the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, including among others, the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, the receipt of required regulatory and stockholder approvals, conversion or certain amendments of, or another mutually agreed arrangement with respect to, the CEC Convertible Notes, and other customary closing conditions.

The Merger Agreement also contains termination rights for each of Caesars and Eldorado under certain circumstances. If the Merger Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances relating to changes in the recommendation of the board of directors of Caesars in favor of the Merger, entry by Caesars into an alternative transaction or in certain circumstances following the failure of Caesars’ stockholders to approve the Merger, Caesars will be required to pay Eldorado a termination fee of approximately $418.4 million. If the Merger Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances relating to changes in the recommendation of the board of directors of Eldorado in favor of the issuance of shares of Eldorado common stock in the Merger or in certain circumstances following the failure of Eldorado’s stockholders to approve such issuance, then Eldorado will be required to pay Caesars a termination fee of approximately $154.9 million. In addition, each party will be obligated to reimburse the other party for expenses for an amount not to exceed $50.0 million if the Merger Agreement is terminated because of the obligated party’s failure to obtain the required approval of its stockholders (creditable against any termination fee that may subsequently be paid by such party). The Merger Agreement also provides that Eldorado will be obligated to pay a termination fee of approximately $836.8 million to Caesars if the Merger Agreement is terminated (i) due to a law or order relating to gaming or antitrust laws that prohibits or permanently enjoins the consummation of the transactions, (ii) because the required regulatory approvals were not obtained prior to June 24, 2020 (subject to extension to a date no later than December 24, 2020 pursuant to the Merger Agreement) or (iii) due to Eldorado willfully and materially breaching certain obligations with respect to the actions required to be taken by Eldorado to obtain required antitrust approvals.

Under the terms of the Indenture governing the CEC Convertible Notes, prior to the effective time of the Merger, Caesars will also be required to enter into a supplemental indenture to provide for conversion of the CEC Convertible Notes at and after the effective time of the Merger into the weighted average, per share of Caesars Common Stock, of the types and amounts of the merger consideration received by holders of Caesars Common Stock who affirmatively make a merger consideration election (or, if no holders of Caesars Common Stock make such an election, the types and amounts of merger consideration actually received by such holders of Caesars Common Stock).

On June 24, 2019, VICI entered into a master transaction agreement (the “Master Transaction Agreement”) with Eldorado relating to certain transactions, all of which are conditioned upon completion of the Merger. The Master Transaction Agreement contemplates, among other transactions, VICI’s acquisition of all of the land and real estate assets associated with Harrah’s New Orleans, Harrah’s Laughlin and Harrah’s Atlantic City (or, under certain circumstances, if necessary, certain replacement properties specified in the Master Transaction Agreement). Conditions to VICI’s acquisition of the land and real estate assets associated with Harrah’s New Orleans include, among others, certain amendments to the Harrah’s New Orleans lease and the Harrah’s New Orleans

casino operating contract. On June 7, 2019, the Governor of the State of Louisiana signed into effect legislation that would enable a 30-year extension of the Harrah’s New Orleans casino operating contract to 2054, subject to Caesars’ compliance with certain requirements, including (i) a capital investment of $325 million by 2024 to improve the facility, add new restaurants and construct a new hotel, (ii) one-time “upfront” payments to the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana totaling $25 million, (iii) additional one-time payments to the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana totaling $40 million whether or not VICI exercises its call right to purchase the leasehold interest in Harrah’s New Orleans, (iv) an annual payment to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board of $3.4 million in support of health research, subject to changes in the consumer price index, (v) an annual license payment to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board of $3 million starting in April 2022, (vi) an annual payment to the City of New Orleans of $6 million paid in quarterly installments, subject to changes in the consumer price index, and (vii) an increase in Caesars’ minimum annual state gaming tax payments from $60 million to $65 million starting in April 2022.

Potential Divestitures

We are considering divestiture opportunities of non-strategic assets and properties. If the completion of a sale is more likely than not to occur, we may recognize impairment charges for certain of our properties to the extent current expected proceeds are below our carrying value and such impairments may be material.