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Description of the Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation | Basis of presentation and principles of consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SGC and its wholly owned subsidiaries, and those subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest. Investments in other entities in which we do not have a controlling financial interest but we exert significant influence are accounted for in our consolidated financial statements using the equity method of accounting. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates | Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash | Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include all cash balances and highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less. We place our temporary cash investments with high credit quality financial institutions. At times, such investments in U.S. accounts may be in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit. Restricted cash We are required by gaming regulations to maintain sufficient reserves in restricted cash accounts to be used for the purpose of funding payments to WAP jackpot winners. Restricted cash balances are based primarily on the jackpot meters displayed to slot players or for previously won jackpots and vary by jurisdiction. Compliance with maintaining adequate restricted cash balances and complying with appropriate investment guidelines for jackpot funding is periodically reported to gaming authorities.
Minimum Guarantees | Minimum guarantees We enter into long-term license agreements with third parties in which we are obligated to pay a minimum guaranteed amount of royalties, typically periodically over the life of the contract. These license agreements provide us with access to a portfolio of major brands to be used across our business segments in building our strong brand presence across multiple channels of distributions. We account for the minimum guaranteed obligations within accrued and other long-term liabilities at the onset of the license arrangement and record a corresponding licensed asset within intangible assets, net. The licensed intangible assets related to the minimum guaranteed obligations are amortized over the term of the license agreement with the amortization expense recorded in D&A. The long-term liability related to the minimum guaranteed obligations is reduced as royalty payments are made as required under the license agreement. We assess the recoverability of license agreements whenever events arise or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value of the licensed asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the licensed asset and the amount of impairment, if any, are determined using our policy for intangible assets with finite useful lives.
Other Assets | Other assets We capitalize debt issuance costs associated with long-term line-of-credit arrangements and amortize such amounts ratably over the term of the arrangement as an adjustment to interest expense. We assess the recoverability of our other long-term assets whenever events arise or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable.
Advertising Costs | Advertising costs The cost of advertising is expensed as incurred and totaled $125 million, $102 million and $83 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
R&D | R&D R&D relates primarily to software product development costs and is expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established. Employee related costs associated with product development are included in R&D.
Foreign Currency Translation | Foreign currency translation We have significant operations where the local currency is the functional currency, including our operations in the U.K., Europe, Australia and Canada. Assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated at period-end rates of exchange and results of operations are translated at the average rates of exchange for the period. Gains or losses resulting from translating the foreign currency financial statements are accumulated as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ deficit. Gains or losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in other (expense) income, net.
Comprehensive Loss | Comprehensive loss We include and classify in comprehensive loss unrealized gains and losses from our foreign currency translation adjustments, certain gains or losses associated with pension or other post-retirement benefits, including prior service costs or credits and transition assets or obligations, the effective portion of derivative financial instruments designated as hedging instruments, and net investment non-derivative hedge of our investments in certain of our international subsidiaries.
New Accounting Guidance | New Accounting Guidance - Recently Adopted The FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) in 2016. ASU 2016-02 combined with all subsequent amendments (collectively, “ASC 842”) requires balance sheet recognition for all leases with a lease term greater than one year to be recorded as a lease liability (on a discounted basis) with a corresponding right-of-use asset. This guidance also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures for lease arrangements and gives rise to other changes impacting certain aspects of lessee and lessor accounting. We adopted ASC 842 as of January 1, 2019 using the optional transition method provided by ASU 2018-11, and applied both the lessee package of practical expedients and the available lessor practical expedients. See Note 14 for our lease accounting policy and the adoption impact of ASC 842 on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The standard allows companies to make an election to reclassify from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI) to retained earnings the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this updated guidance should be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. corporate federal income tax rate in the Tax Act is recognized. We adopted this standard effective January 1, 2019. We elected not to reclassify the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from AOCI to retained earnings. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. New Accounting Guidance - Not Yet Adopted The FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) in 2016. The new guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. For trade and other receivables, loans and other financial instruments, we will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. The new guidance is effective for us beginning January 1, 2020. Application of the amendments is through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the effective date. We do not expect a material impact on our consolidated financial statements from the adoption of this guidance. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The new guidance amends the disclosure requirements for recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements by removing, modifying, and adding certain disclosures on fair value measurements in ASC 820. The amendments on changes in unrealized gains and losses, the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements, and the narrative description of measurement uncertainty should be applied prospectively for only the most recent interim or annual period presented in the initial fiscal year of adoption. All other amendments should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented upon their effective date. The new guidance is effective for us beginning January 1, 2020. We do not expect a material impact on our consolidated financial statements from the adoption of this guidance. We do not expect that any other recently issued accounting guidance will have a significant effect on our consolidated financial statements.

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- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for advertising costs. For those costs that cannot be capitalized, discloses whether such costs are expensed as incurred or the first period in which the advertising takes place. For direct response advertising costs that are capitalized, describes those assets and the accounting policy used, including a description of the qualifying activity, the types of costs capitalized and the related amortization period. An entity also may disclose its accounting policy for cooperative advertising arrangements. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 340 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159346&loc=d3e8275-108329 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84158767&loc=d3e18780-107790 Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 340 -SubTopic 20 -Section 55 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68054294&loc=d3e8384-108330 + Details
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