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Organization and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Basis of Presentation Organization and Basis of Presentation
Organization
The Company is a geographically diversified gaming and hospitality company that was founded in 1973 by the Carano family with the opening of the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada. Beginning in 2005, grew through a series of acquisitions, including the acquisition of MTR Gaming Group, Inc. in 2014, Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. (“Isle” or “Isle of Capri”) in 2017 and Tropicana Entertainment, Inc. in 2018. On July 20, 2020, the Company completed the merger with Caesars Entertainment Corporation (“Former Caesars”) pursuant to which Former Caesars became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”) and the Company changed the Company’s ticker symbol on the NASDAQ Stock Market from “ERI” to “CZR”.
On April 22, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of William Hill PLC for £2.9 billion, or approximately $3.9 billion (the “William Hill Acquisition”). See below for further discussion of the William Hill Acquisition.
The Company owns, leases, brands or manages an aggregate of 52 domestic properties in 16 states with approximately 55,700 slot machines, video lottery terminals and e-tables, approximately 2,900 table games and approximately 47,700 hotel rooms as of December 31, 2021. The Company operates and conducts sports wagering across 21 states and domestic jurisdictions, 14 of which are mobile for sports betting, and operates regulated online real money gaming businesses in five states. In addition, we have other domestic and international properties that are authorized to use the brands and marks of Caesars Entertainment, Inc., as well as other non-gaming properties. The Company’s primary source of revenue is generated by our casino properties’ gaming operations, retail and online sports betting, as well as online gaming, and the Company utilizes its hotels, restaurants, bars, entertainment, racing, retail shops and other services to attract customers to its properties.
The Company’s operations for retail and mobile sports betting, online casino, and online poker are included under the Caesars Digital segment. The Company has made significant investments into the interactive business with the completion of the Merger and the William Hill Acquisition. The Company has launched a significant marketing campaign with distinguished actors, athletes and media personalities promoting the launch of the Caesars Sportsbook app. The app offers numerous pre-match and live markets, extensive odds and flexible limits, player props, and same-game parlays. Caesars Sportsbook has partnerships with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB while being the exclusive odds provider for ESPN and CBS Sports. The Company also expects to continue to create new partnerships among collegiate and professional sports teams and recently entered into the exclusive naming-rights partnership that rebranded the Caesars Superdome. The Company expects to continue to expand its operations in the Caesars Digital segment as new jurisdictions legalize retail and online sports betting.
The Company has divested certain properties and other assets, including non-core properties and divestitures required by regulatory agencies. See Note 4 for a discussion of properties recently sold or currently held for sale and Note 19 for segment information.
William Hill Acquisition
On September 30, 2020, the Company announced that it had reached an agreement with William Hill PLC on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition pursuant to which the Company would acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital (other than shares owned by the Company or held in treasury) of William Hill PLC, in an all-cash transaction. On April 22, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of William Hill PLC for £2.9 billion, or approximately $3.9 billion. See Note 3.
In connection with the William Hill Acquisition, on April 22, 2021, a newly formed subsidiary of the Company (the “Bridge Facility Borrower”) entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Bridge Credit Agreement”) with certain lenders party thereto and Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, pursuant to which the lenders party thereto provided the Debt Financing (as defined below). The Bridge Credit Agreement provides for (a) a 540-day £1.0 billion asset sale bridge facility, (b) a 60-day £503 million cash confirmation bridge facility and (c) a 540-day £116 million revolving credit
facility (collectively, the “Debt Financing”). The proceeds of the bridge loan facilities provided under the Bridge Credit Agreement were used (i) to pay a portion of the cash consideration for the acquisition and (ii) to pay fees and expenses related to the acquisition and related transactions. The proceeds of the revolving credit facility under the Bridge Credit Agreement may be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The £1.5 billion Interim Facilities Agreement (the “Interim Facilities Agreement”) entered into on October 6, 2020 with Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and amended on December 11, 2020, was terminated upon the execution of the Bridge Credit Agreement. On May 12, 2021, we repaid the £503 million cash confirmation bridge facility. On June 14, 2021, the Company drew down the full £116 million from the revolving credit facility and the proceeds, in addition to excess Company cash, were used to make a partial repayment of the asset sale bridge facility in the amount of £700 million. Outstanding borrowings under the Bridge Credit Agreement are expected to be repaid upon the sale of William Hill’s non-U.S. operations including the UK and international online divisions and the retail betting shops (collectively, “William Hill International”), all of which are held for sale as of the date of the closing of the William Hill Acquisition and reflected within discontinued operations. See Note 4. Certain investments acquired have been excluded from the held for sale asset group. See Note 8 for investments in which the Company elected to apply the fair value option.
On September 8, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement to sell William Hill International to 888 Holdings Plc for approximately £2.2 billion. After repayment of the outstanding debt under the Bridge Credit Agreement, described above, the Company expects to receive approximately £835 million, or $1.2 billion, subject to any permitted leakage, which is customary for sale transactions in the UK. In order to manage the risk of changes in the GBP denominated sales price and expected proceeds, the Company has entered into foreign exchange forward contracts. See Note 8. The sale is subject to satisfaction of customary conditions, including receipt of the approval of shareholders of 888 Holdings Plc and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
Consolidation of Horseshoe Baltimore
On August 26, 2021, the Company increased its ownership interest in CBAC Borrower, LLC (“Horseshoe Baltimore”), a property which it also manages, to approximately 75.8%. Caesars was subsequently determined to have a controlling financial interest in Horseshoe Baltimore and we began to consolidate the results of operations of the property following our change in ownership. See Note 3. Our previously held investment was remeasured as of the date of the change in ownership and the Company recognized a gain of $40 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. Management fees received prior to the consolidation event have been presented within the Managed and Branded segment. Following the increase in ownership, the operations of Horseshoe Baltimore are presented within the Regional segment.
Basis of Presentation
Our Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management believes the accounting estimates are appropriate and reasonably determined. Actual amounts could differ from those estimates.
The William Hill Acquisition and rebranding of our interactive business (formerly, Caesars Interactive Entertainment “CIE” and now, inclusive of William Hill US, “Caesars Digital”) expanded our access to conduct sports wagering and iGaming operations. As a result, the Company has made a change to the composition of its reportable segments. The Las Vegas and Regional segments are substantially unchanged, while the former Managed, International and CIE reportable segment has been recast for all periods presented into two segments: Caesars Digital and Managed and Branded. As a result of the sale of Caesars Entertainment UK, including the interest in Emerald Resort & Casino (together, “Caesars UK Group”) and the announced sale of William Hill International, international operations of our non-managed properties are classified as discontinued operations. See Note 19 for a listing of properties included in each segment and the determination of our segments.
The presentation of financial information herein for the periods after the Company’s acquisitions of Former Caesars on July 20, 2020, William Hill on April 22, 2021 and the acquisition of an additional interest in Horseshoe Baltimore on August 26, 2021 is not fully comparable to the periods prior to the respective acquisitions. In addition, the presentation of financial information herein for the periods after the Company’s sales of various properties is not fully comparable to the periods prior to their respective sale dates. See Note 3 for further discussion of the acquisitions and related transactions and Note 4 for properties recently sold or currently held for sale.
Consolidation of Subsidiaries and Variable Interest Entities
Our Financial Statements include the accounts of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries after elimination of all intercompany accounts and transactions.
We consolidate all subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which we or one of our consolidated subsidiaries is the primary beneficiary. Control generally equates to ownership percentage, whereby (i) affiliates that are more than 50% owned are consolidated; (ii) investments in affiliates of 50% or less but greater than 20% are generally accounted for using the equity method where we have determined that we have significant influence over the entities; and (iii) investments in affiliates of 20% or less are generally accounted for as investments in equity securities.
We consider ourselves the primary beneficiary of a VIE when we have both the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the results of the VIE and the right to receive benefits or the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could be potentially significant to the VIE. We review our investments for VIE consideration if a reconsideration event occurs to determine if the investment continues to qualify as a VIE. If we determine an investment no longer qualifies as a VIE, there may be a material effect to our financial statements.
Consolidation of Korea Joint Venture
The Company was a member in a joint venture to acquire, develop, own, and operate a casino resort project in Incheon, South Korea (the “Korea JV”). We previously determined that the Korea JV was a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary, and therefore, we previously consolidated the Korea JV into our financial statements. As of December 31, 2020, the assets and liabilities of the Korea JV were classified as held for sale and consisted of $130 million of Property and equipment and Other assets and $130 million of current and other long-term liabilities. We sold our interest in the Korea JV on January 21, 2021 and derecognized its assets and liabilities from our Balance Sheets. There was no gain or loss associated with the sale.
Developments Related to COVID-19
In January 2020, an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) was identified and spread throughout much of the world, including the U.S. All of the Company’s casino properties were temporarily closed for the period from mid-March 2020 through mid-May 2020 due to orders issued by various government agencies and tribal bodies as part of certain precautionary measures intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19. During the year ended December 31, 2021, most of our properties experienced positive trends as restrictions on maximum capacities and amenities available were eased.
Following temporary furloughs and salary reductions during 2020, the Company has emphasized a focus on labor efficiencies as operations resumed. As properties began to reopen during the year ended December 31, 2020, certain capacity restrictions, mask mandates, sanitation guidelines, and the federal COVID-19 vaccine and testing emergency temporary standard were adhered to as required by governmental or tribal orders, directives, and guidelines.
The Company experienced positive operating trends in 2021, with a continued focus on operational efficiencies. Although the Company has experienced a decline in net income, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margins for the year ended December 31, 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels experienced in 2019 within our Las Vegas and Regional segments. However, certain revenue streams, such as convention and entertainment revenues, continued to be negatively impacted due to capacity restrictions in the first half of 2021. Future effects of COVID-19 from further outbreaks, including new variants, mask mandates or other restrictions are uncertain and could result in additional closures such as the temporary closure of Caesars Windsor from January 5, 2022 through January 31, 2022. Extensive closure periods impacting many of our properties would have a material adverse effect on future results of operations.