Property and Equipment

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

6.  Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, net, consists of the following:

	September 30,			December 31,
	2014			2013
	(in thousands)
Land and improvements	$	42,350		$	14,714
Building and improvements	171,712			156,443
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment	1,206,020			1,190,252
Leasehold improvements	230,681			24,301
Construction in progress	44,148			25,389
Total property and equipment	1,694,911			1,411,099
Less accumulated depreciation	(949,556		)	(913,642		)
Property and equipment, net	$	745,355		$	497,457

Property and equipment, net increased by $247.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 primarily due to the acquisition of Plainridge Racecourse (see Note 5 to the condensed consolidated financial statements), construction costs for the development of Plainridge Park Casino, the addition of a new hotel at Zia Park Casino and the addition of two new racinos in Ohio, as well as normal capitalized maintenance expenditures, all of which were partially offset by depreciation expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.  The increase also resulted from the relocation fees for the two racinos in Ohio which both opened in the third quarter of 2014.  In June 2013, the Company finalized the terms of its memorandum of understanding with the State of Ohio, which included an agreement by the Company to pay a relocation fee in return for being able to relocate its existing racetracks in Toledo and Grove City to Dayton and Austintown, respectively. Upon opening, the relocation fee for each new racino was recorded at the present value of the contractual obligation, which was calculated to be $75 million based on the 5% discount rate included in the agreement (see Note 8 to the condensed consolidated financial statements for further details on the obligation). Based on relevant authoritative accounting guidance, the Company determined that the relocation fee met the definition of a real estate preacquisition cost and as such was capitalized.

All construction costs funded by Penn are considered an improvement to the real property assets leased from GLPI under the Master Lease and as such are recorded as leasehold improvements. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, certain costs associated with the new hotel at Zia Park Casino and the two new racinos in Ohio, including the relocation fees, all of which opened in the third quarter of 2014, were recorded as leasehold improvements.

Depreciation expense, totaled $39.7 million and $123.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, as compared to $74.9 million and $226.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively. Interest capitalized in connection with major construction projects was $0.3 million and $0.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, as compared to $0.5 million and $0.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively.  Depreciation expense decreased by $35.2 million and $102.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, as compared to the corresponding period in the prior year, primarily due to the contribution of real estate assets to GLPI on November 1, 2013 (see Note 2 to the condensed consolidated financial statements).

During the second quarter of 2014, the Company recorded a pre-tax impairment charge of $4.6 million ($2.8 million, net of taxes) to write-down certain idle assets to their estimated salvage value.