Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended			9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2012	May 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Nov. 30, 2012 Subsequent Event [Member] sqft	Oct. 29, 2012 Subsequent Event [Member]	Oct. 05, 2012 Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Credit Facilities Term Loans B6 [Member]	Oct. 29, 2012 Credit Facilities Term Loans B6 [Member] Subsequent Event [Member]	Oct. 05, 2012 Credit Facilities Term Loans B6 [Member] Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Senior notes with maturity of 2020 one [Member]		Oct. 05, 2012 Senior notes with maturity of 2020 one [Member] Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility with Maturity of 2017 [Member]	Oct. 05, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility with Maturity of 2017 [Member] Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Credit Facilities Term Loans B1,B2 and B3 [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Revolving credit facility with maturity of 2014 [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Sales price of Harrah's St. Louis	$ 610,000,000
Senior secured notes issued by Chester Downs							11.25%	5.47%			9.00%		9.00%
Repayments of lines of credit											478,800,000
Convertible Debt, Noncurrent			2,731,400,000	123,500,000			12,200,000			957,500,000
Debt Instruments Maturity Date							Jan. 28, 2014			Jan. 28, 2015				Jan. 28, 2017			Jan. 28, 2014
Extended Debt Instruments Maturity Date							Jan. 28, 2017			Jan. 28, 2018
Conversion of revolver commitments into Extended Term Loans		423,300,000	47,300,000						150,000,000	276,600,000
Debt Instruments Maturity Date								2018			2020	[1]		2017	2017-04-14		2014
Principal amount repaid							478,800,000
Principal amount terminated							144,400,000
Term loan															250,000,000
Repayment of Term Loans						75,000,000
Terminated principal amount of revolving commitments						150,000,000
B-6 Term Loans Outstanding									75,000,000
B-1, B-2 and B-3 term loans outstanding								2,738,900,000								1,026,400,000
Loan maturity date			Jan. 28, 2015
Revolving commitments outstanding with a maturity														31,100,000			607,100,000
Contribution of Maximum capital			78,000,000
Capital contributed for development of Casino			12,000,000
Ownership interest in joint venture			52.00%
Senior secured credit facility					$ 185,000,000
Senior secured credit facility bearing interest					9.75%
Senior secured credit facility bearing interest					1.25%
Construction of square foot rooftop pool and day/night club					65,000
Senior secured credit facility term					7 years

[1] Represents the note offering that occurred in August 2012. Although the notes mature in 2020, they are classified as short-term obligations within our September 30, 2012 balance sheet because the escrow conditions were not met as of that date.