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Litigation | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Litigation | Litigation The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including those discussed below. We record an accrual for legal contingencies when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount or range of the loss can be reasonably estimated (although, as discussed below, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the accrued liability). We evaluate our accruals for legal contingencies at least quarterly and, as appropriate, establish new accruals or adjust existing accruals to reflect (1) the facts and circumstances known to us at the time, including information regarding negotiations, settlements, rulings and other relevant events and developments, (2) the advice and analyses of counsel and (3) the assumptions and judgment of management. Legal costs associated with our legal proceedings are expensed as incurred. We had accrued liabilities of $8.2 million and $16.4 million for all of our legal matters that were contingencies as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Substantially all of our legal contingencies are subject to significant uncertainties and, therefore, determining the likelihood of a loss and/or the measurement of any loss involves a series of complex judgments about future events. Consequently, the ultimate outcomes of our legal contingencies could result in losses in excess of amounts we have accrued. We may be unable to estimate a range of possible losses for some matters pending against the Company or its subsidiaries, even when the amount of damages claimed against the Company or its subsidiaries is stated because, among other things: (1) the claimed amount may be exaggerated or unsupported; (2) the claim may be based on a novel legal theory or involve a large number of parties; (3) there may be uncertainty as to the likelihood of a class being certified or the ultimate size of the class; (4) there may be uncertainty as to the outcome of pending appeals or motions; (5) the matter may not have progressed sufficiently through discovery or there may be significant factual or legal issues to be resolved or developed; and/or (6) there may be uncertainty as to the enforceability of legal judgments and outcomes in certain jurisdictions. Other matters have progressed sufficiently that we are able to estimate a range of possible loss. For those legal contingencies disclosed below, as well as those related to the previously disclosed settlement agreement entered into in February 2015 with SNAI S.p.a., as to which a loss is reasonably possible, whether in excess of a related accrued liability or where there is no accrued liability, and for which we are able to estimate a range of possible loss, the current estimated range is up to approximately $13.5 million in excess of the accrued liabilities (if any) related to those legal contingencies. This aggregate range represents management's estimate of additional possible loss in excess of the accrued liabilities (if any) with respect to these matters based on currently available information, including any damages claimed by the plaintiffs, and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions and inherent uncertainties. For example, at the time of making an estimate, management may have only preliminary, incomplete, or inaccurate information about the facts underlying a claim; its assumptions about the future rulings of the court or other tribunal on significant issues, or the behavior and incentives of adverse parties, regulators, indemnitors or co‑defendants, may prove to be wrong; and the outcomes it is attempting to predict are often not amenable to the use of statistical or other quantitative analytical tools. In addition, from time to time an outcome may occur that management had not accounted for in its estimate because it had considered that outcome to be remote. Furthermore, as noted above, the aggregate range does not include any matters for which the Company is not able to estimate a range of possible loss. Accordingly, the estimated aggregate range of possible loss does not represent our maximum loss exposure. Any such losses could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. The legal proceedings underlying the estimated range will change from time to time and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. Colombia Litigation Our subsidiary, SGI, owned a minority interest in Wintech de Colombia S.A., or Wintech (now liquidated), which formerly operated the Colombian national lottery under a contract with Empresa Colombiana de Recursos para la Salud, S.A. (together with its successors, "Ecosalud"), an agency of the Colombian government. The contract provided for a penalty against Wintech, SGI and the other shareholders of Wintech of up to $5.0 million if certain levels of lottery sales were not achieved. In addition, SGI delivered to Ecosalud a $4.0 million surety bond as a further guarantee of performance under the contract. Wintech started the instant lottery in Colombia but, due to difficulties beyond its control, including, among other factors, social and political unrest in Colombia, frequently interrupted telephone service and power outages, and competition from another lottery being operated in a province of Colombia that we believe was in violation of Wintech's exclusive license from Ecosalud, the projected sales level was not met for the year ended June 30, 1993. In 1993, Ecosalud issued a resolution declaring that the contract was in default. In 1994, Ecosalud issued a liquidation resolution asserting claims for compensation and damages against Wintech, SGI and other shareholders of Wintech for, among other things, realization of the full amount of the penalty, plus interest, and the amount of the bond. SGI filed separate actions opposing each resolution with the Tribunal Contencioso of Cundinamarca in Colombia (the "Tribunal"), which upheld both resolutions. SGI appealed each decision to the Council of State. In May 2012, the Council of State upheld the contract default resolution, which decision was notified to us in August 2012. In October 2013, the Council of State upheld the liquidation resolution, which decision was notified to us in December 2013. In July 1996, Ecosalud filed a lawsuit against SGI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia asserting many of the same claims asserted in the Colombia proceedings, including breach of contract, and seeking damages. In March 1997, the District Court dismissed Ecosalud's claims. Ecosalud appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's decision in 1998. In June 1999, Ecosalud filed a collection proceeding against SGI to enforce the liquidation resolution and recover the claimed damages. In May 2013, the Tribunal denied SGI's merit defenses to the collection proceeding and issued an order of payment of approximately 90 billion Colombian pesos (or approximately $30.6 million), plus default interest potentially accrued since 1994 at a 12% statutory interest rate. SGI has filed an appeal to the Council of State, which appeal has stayed the payment order. SGI believes it has various defenses, including on the merits, against Ecosalud's claims. Although we believe these claims will not result in a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows or financial position, it is not feasible to predict the final outcome and there can be no assurance that these claims will not ultimately be resolved adversely to us or result in material liability. Oregon State Lottery Matter On December 31, 2014, a representative of a purported class of persons alleged to have been financially harmed by relying on the "auto hold" feature of various manufacturers' video lottery terminals played in Oregon, filed suit in the Circuit Court of Multnomah County, Oregon, against the Oregon State Lottery and various manufacturers, including WMS Gaming Inc. The suit alleges that the auto hold feature of video poker games is perceived by players as providing the best possible playing strategy that will maximize the odds of the player winning, when such auto hold feature does not maximize the players' odds of winning. The plaintiffs are seeking in excess of $134.0 million in monetary damages. In April 2015, the court granted the Oregon State Lottery's motion to dismiss, stating the plaintiffs had not satisfied the Oregon Tort Claims Act. As a result of the dismissal, the court indicated that all claims against WMS Gaming Inc. were moot. In June 2015, plaintiffs filed an appeal. We intend to vigorously defend against the claims asserted in the lawsuit. Shuffle Tech Matter In April 2015, Shuffle Tech International, LLC, Aces Up Gaming, Inc. and Poydras-Talrick Holdings LLC brought a civil action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company, Bally and Bally Gaming, Inc., alleging monopolization of the market for card shufflers in violation of federal antitrust laws, fraudulent procurement of patents on card shufflers, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants utilized certain shuffler patents in a predatory manner to create and maintain a monopoly in the relevant shuffler market. The plaintiffs seek no less than $100.0 million in compensatory damages, treble damages and injunctive and declaratory relief. In June 2015, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss. In October 2015, the court dismissed all of the plaintiffs' claims against Bally and Bally Gaming, Inc. with prejudice, except for the claims of violation of antitrust laws related to the fraudulent procurement of patents on card shufflers. We intend to vigorously defend against the claims asserted in the lawsuit.

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