Golden Entertainment (GDEN) 10-Q 9 Aug 18 2018 Q2 Quarterly report Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Aug. 06, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	GOLDEN ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	1,071,255
Trading Symbol	gden
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		27,511,996
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Un

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 140,330	$ 90,579
Accounts receivable, net	13,297	14,692
Prepaid expenses	16,836	19,397
Inventories	6,867	5,594
Other	2,284	2,817
Total current assets	179,614	133,079
Property and equipment, net	884,493	895,241
Goodwill	158,134	158,134
Intangible assets, net	148,912	157,692
Deferred income taxes	7,680	7,787
Other assets	18,071	13,242
Total assets	1,396,904	1,365,175
Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt	9,038	9,759
Accounts payable	21,364	19,470
Accrued taxes, other than income taxes	6,704	6,664
Accrued payroll and related	17,970	22,570
Accrued liabilities	20,447	20,373
Total current liabilities	75,523	78,836
Long-term debt, net	961,343	963,200
Other long-term obligations	3,251	3,226
Total liabilities	1,040,117	1,045,262
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Shareholders' equity
Common stock, $.01 par value; authorized 100,000 shares; 27,430 and 26,413 common shares issued and outstanding, respectively	274	264
Additional paid-in capital	428,850	399,510
Accumulated deficit	(72,337)	(79,861)
Total shareholders' equity	356,787	319,913
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 1,396,904	$ 1,365,175

Consolidated Balance Sheets (U3

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	27,430,000	26,413,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	27,430,000	26,413,000

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 216,543	$ 109,885	$ 431,332	$ 215,768
Expenses
Other operating	3,655	3,518	7,651	6,794
Selling, general and administrative	43,986	18,913	88,379	36,895
Depreciation and amortization	22,854	7,408	48,091	13,960
Acquisition expenses	194	2,066	1,306	2,066
Preopening expenses	389	574	837	846
Loss on disposal of property and equipment	218		295
Total expenses	197,448	107,307	395,556	207,872
Operating income	19,095	2,578	35,776	7,896
Non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense, net	(16,066)	(2,000)	(30,809)	(3,683)
Change in fair value of derivative	1,462		4,673
Total non-operating expense, net	(14,604)	(2,000)	(26,136)	(3,683)
Income before income tax benefit (provision)	4,491	578	9,640	4,213
Income tax benefit (provision)	(897)	1,135	(2,116)	2,842
Net income	$ 3,594	$ 1,713	$ 7,524	$ 7,055
Weighted-average common shares outstanding
Basic	27,406	22,265	27,278	22,258
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted stock units	2,258	1,023	2,250	799
Diluted	29,664	23,288	29,528	23,057
Net income per share
Basic	$ 0.13	$ 0.08	$ 0.28	$ 0.32
Diluted	$ 0.12	$ 0.07	$ 0.25	$ 0.31
Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 132,546	$ 89,257	$ 266,409	$ 175,436
Expenses
Cost of goods and services sold	78,510	61,166	156,198	120,163
Food and beverage [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	43,422	15,021	86,025	29,893
Expenses
Cost of goods and services sold	35,351	13,163	68,943	26,176
Rooms [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	27,568	1,920	53,633	3,408
Expenses
Cost of goods and services sold	12,291	499	23,856	972
Other [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 13,007	$ 3,687	$ 25,265	$ 7,031

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$ 7,524	$ 7,055
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	48,091	13,960
Amortization of debt issuance costs and discounts on debt	2,551	378
Share-based compensation	4,562	3,749
Loss on disposal of property and equipment	295
Change in fair value of derivative	(4,673)
Deferred income taxes	107	(2,851)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable	1,395	270
Income taxes	2,008	2,146
Prepaid expenses	2,547	4,756
Inventories and other current assets	(959)	(687)
Other assets	(157)	(999)
Accounts payable and other accrued expenses	(6,165)	872
Accrued taxes, other than income taxes	41	(1,878)
Other liabilities	24	174
Net cash provided by operating activities	57,191	26,945
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property and equipment	(27,448)	(11,082)
Deposit paid for asset purchase		(2,467)
Other investing activities		(196)
Net cash used in investing activities	(27,448)	(13,745)
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayments of term loans	(4,000)	(3,000)
Repayments of revolving credit facility		(6,000)
Repayments of notes payable	(216)	(1,292)
Principal payments under capital leases	(468)	(150)
Debt issuance costs	(95)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	25,969	153
Tax withholding on share-based payments	(820)
Stock issuance costs	(362)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	20,008	(10,289)
Cash and cash equivalents
Net increase (decrease) for the period	49,751	2,911
Balance, beginning of period	90,579	46,898
Balance, end of period	140,330	49,809
Supplemental cash flow disclosures
Cash paid for interest	29,455	3,287
Non-cash investing and financing activities
Payables incurred for capital expenditures	3,636
Notes payable issued for property and equipment		717
Assets acquired under capital lease obligations	$ 62	$ 2,700

Nature of Business and Basis of

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Note 1 – Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation Overview Golden Entertainment, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) own and operate a diversified entertainment platform, consisting of a portfolio of gaming assets that focus on resort casino operations and distributed gaming (including tavern gaming in the Company’s wholly-owned taverns). The Company’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market, and the Company’s ticker symbol is “GDEN.” The Company conducts its business through two reportable operating segments: Casinos and Distributed Gaming. The Company’s Casinos segment involves the operation of eight resort casino properties in Nevada and Maryland, comprising the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower (the “Stratosphere”), Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and Arizona Charlie’s Boulder in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Aquarius Casino Resort (the “Aquarius”) in Laughlin, Nevada, the Pahrump Nugget Hotel Casino (“Pahrump Nugget”), Gold Town Casino and Lakeside Casino & RV Park in Pahrump, Nevada, and the Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Flintstone, Maryland (“Rocky Gap”). The casino properties in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada were added to the Company’s casino portfolio in October 2017 as a result of the Company’s acquisition of American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (“American”), as further described below. The Company’s Distributed Gaming segment involves the installation, maintenance and operation of slots and amusement devices in non-casino locations (such as grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, taverns and liquor stores) in Nevada and Montana, and the operation of wholly-owned branded taverns targeting local patrons located primarily in the greater Las Vegas, Nevada metropolitan area. On October 20, 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of American (the “American Acquisition”). The results of operations of American and its subsidiaries have been included in the Company’s results subsequent to that date. See Note 3, Acquisitions In January 2018, the Company completed an underwritten public offering pursuant to its universal shelf registration statement, in which certain of the Company’s shareholders resold an aggregate of 6.5 million shares of the Company’s common stock, and the Company sold 975,000 newly issued shares of its common stock pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional shares. The Company’s net proceeds from the offering were approximately $25.6 million after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses. In July 2018, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding equity interests of Edgewater Gaming, LLC and Colorado Belle Gaming, LLC, which own the Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort and Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada, as further described in Note 3, Acquisitions Basis of Presentation The unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applicable to interim financial information. Accordingly, certain information normally included in the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) has been condensed and/or omitted. For further information, please refer to the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K previously filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the Company’s results for the periods presented. Results for interim periods should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain minor reclassifications have been made to the prior year period amounts to conform to the current presentation. Change in Depreciable Lives of Property and Equipment During the quarter ended June 30, 2018, the Company completed an analysis associated with planned renovations of certain assets acquired in the American Acquisition (see Note 3, Acquisitions New Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014 (amended January 2017), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition model, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers which created a new Topic 606 (“ASC 606”). The guidance is intended to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP applicable to revenue transactions. Existing industry guidance was eliminated, including revenue recognition guidance specific to the gaming industry. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2018, following the full retrospective approach. The accompanying financial statements and related disclosures reflect the effects of the new revenue standard. The most significant impacts of the adoption are summarized in Note 2, Revenue Recognition . In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation In June 2 018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation , which expands previous guidance to include all share-based payment arrangements related to the acquisition of goods and services from both non-employees and employees. ASU 2018-07 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods therein, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. No other recently issued accounting standards that are not yet effective have been identified that management believes are likely to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Revenue Recognition	Note 2 – Revenue Recognition Revenue Recognition Revenue from contracts with customers primarily consists of casino wagers, room sales, food and beverage transactions, rental income from the Company’s retail tenants and entertainment sales. These contracts can be written, oral or implied by customary business practices. Casino gaming revenues are the aggregate of gaming wins and losses. The commissions rebated to premium players for cash discounts and other cash incentives to patrons related to gaming play are recorded as a reduction to casino gaming revenues. Gaming contracts include a performance obligation to honor the patron’s wager and typically include a performance obligation to provide a product or service to the patron on a complimentary basis to incentivize gaming or in exchange for points earned under the Company’s loyalty programs. The Company generally enters into three types of slot and amusement device placement contracts as part of its distributed gaming business: space agreements, revenue share and participation agreements. Under space agreements, the Company pays a fixed monthly rental fee for the right to install, maintain and operate the Company’s slots at a business location. Under these agreements, the Company recognizes all gaming revenue and records fixed monthly rental fees as gaming expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. Under revenue share agreements, the Company pays the business location a percentage of the gaming revenue generated from the Company’s slots placed at the location. With regard to both space and revenue share agreements, the Company holds the applicable gaming license to conduct gaming at the location (although revenue share locations are required to obtain separate regulatory approval to receive a percentage of the gaming revenue). Under participation agreements, the business location holds the applicable gaming license and retains a percentage of the gaming revenue that it generates from the Company’s slots. In Montana, the Company’s slot and amusement device placement contracts are all revenue share agreements. In its distributed gaming business, the Company considers its customer to be the gaming player since the Company controls all aspects of the slot machines. Due to the maintaining of control of the services directly before they are transferred to the customer, the Company is considered to be the principal in these transactions and therefore records revenue on a gross basis. For wagering contracts that include complimentary products and services provided by the Company to incentivize gaming, the Company allocates the stand-alone selling price of each product and service to the respective revenue type. Complimentary products or services provided under the Company's control and discretion that are supplied by third parties are recorded as an operating expense. For wagering contracts that include products and services provided to a patron in exchange for points earned under the Company’s loyalty programs, Golden Rewards®, ace|PLAY®, Gold Mine Rewards TM TM After allocation to the other revenue types for products and services provided to patrons as part of a wagering contract, the residual amount is recorded to casino gaming revenue as soon as the wager is settled. As all wagers have similar characteristics, the Company accounts for its gaming contracts collectively on a portfolio basis versus an individual basis. Revenue from leases is primarily recorded to other revenues and is generated from base rents through long-term leases with retail tenants. Base rent, adjusted for contractual escalations, is recognized on a straight-lined basis over the term of the related lease. Overage rent is paid by a tenant when its sales exceed an agreed upon minimum amount and is not recognized by the Company until the threshold is met. Food, beverage and retail revenues are recorded at the time of sale. Room revenue is recorded at the time of occupancy. Sales taxes and surcharges collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis. Contract and Contract Related Liabilities The Company provides numerous products and services to its customers. There is often a timing difference between the cash payment by the customers and recognition of revenue for each of the associated performance obligations. The Company has the following main types of gaming liabilities associated with contracts with gaming customers: (1) outstanding chip liability, and (2) loyalty program liabilities. The outstanding chip liability represents the collective amounts owed to patrons in exchange for gaming chips in their possession. Outstanding chips are expected to be recognized as revenue or redeemed for cash within one year of being purchased. The loyalty program liabilities represent a deferral of revenue until patron redemption of points earned. The loyalty program points are expected to be redeemed and recognized as revenue within one year of being earned. As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the amount of gaming liabilities was $11.5 million and $12.2 million, respectively. Customer deposits and other deferred revenue represent cash deposits made by customers for future non-gaming services to be provided by the Company. With the exception of tenant deposits, which are tied to the terms of the lease and typically extend beyond a year, the majority of these customer deposits and other deferred revenue are expected to be recognized as revenue or refunded to the customer within one year of the date the deposit was recorded. Significant Impacts of Adoption of ASC 606 The adoption of ASC 606 principally affected the presentation of promotional allowances and how the Company measured the liability associated with its loyalty programs. The promotional allowances line item was eliminated from the consolidated statement of operations with amounts being deducted from the respective revenue line items, and the cost of providing such complimentaries is no longer included in gaming expense. Additionally, the valuation of points associated with the Company’s loyalty programs was changed from cost to fair value, with the Company recording an increase to the loyalty point liability. Furthermore, as a result of the adoption of the new standard, certain adjustments and other reclassifications to and between revenue categories and to and between expense categories were required; however, the amounts associated with such adjustments did not have a significant impact on the Company’s previously reported operating income or net income. The Company elected to adopt the full retrospective method to apply the new guidance to each prior reporting period presented as if it had been in effect since January 1, 2015, with a pre-tax cumulative effect of the adoption recognized as a decrease in retained earnings of $1.1 million on January 1, 2017, related to its loyalty program point liability. Adoption of the new standard did not have a significant impact on the Company’s previously reported net revenues, expenses, operating income, and net income. The impact of adoption of the new standard to previously reported selected financial statement information was as follows: Three Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) As Reported Adjustments As Adjusted Gross revenues $ 116,162 $ (6,277 ) $ 109,885 Promotional allowances (5,669 ) 5,669 — Net revenues 110,493 (608 ) 109,885 Operating income 2,578 — 2,578 Net income 1,713 — 1,713 Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) As Reported Adjustments As Adjusted Gross revenues $ 228,297 $ (12,529 ) $ 215,768 Promotional allowances (11,158 ) 11,158 — Net revenues 217,139 (1,371 ) 215,768 Operating income 7,896 — 7,896 Net income 7,055 — 7,055

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	Note 3 – Acquisitions American Acquisition Overview On October 20, 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of American for aggregate consideration of $787.6 million in cash (after giving effect to post-closing adjustments) and the issuance by the Company of approximately 4.0 million shares of its common stock to W2007/ACEP Holdings, LLC (“ACEP Holdings”), a former American equity holder. The fair value of the Company’s common stock issued to ACEP Holdings was $101.5 million, based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on October 20, 2017 of $25.08 per share. Acquisition Method of Accounting The American Acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805, Business Combinations Under ASC 805, the purchase price of the acquisition is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their fair values as determined by management based on its judgment with assistance from third-party appraisals. Pro Forma Combined Financial Information The following unaudited pro forma combined financial information has been prepared by management for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent what the results of operations, financial condition or other financial information of the Company would have been if the American Acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2016, or what such results or financial condition will be for any future periods. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information is based on preliminary estimates and assumptions and on the information available at the time of the preparation thereof. These preliminary estimates and assumptions may change, be revised or prove to be materially different, and the estimates and assumptions may not be representative of facts existing at the time of the American Acquisition. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information does not reflect non-recurring charges that will be incurred in connection with the American Acquisition, nor any cost savings and synergies expected to result from the American Acquisition (and associated costs to achieve such savings or synergies), nor any costs associated with severance, restructuring or integration activities resulting from the American Acquisition. The following table summarizes certain unaudited pro forma combined financial information derived from a combination of the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company and of American for the three and six months ended June 30 2017, adjusted to give effect to the American Acquisition, related transactions (including the refinancing), and the adoption of ASC 606. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (In thousands, except per share data) June 30, 2017 June 30, 2017 Pro forma combined revenues $ 213,262 $ 424,033 Pro forma combined net income 6,402 17,868 Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic 26,311 26,304 Diluted 27,334 27,103 Pro forma combined net income per share: Basic $ 0.24 $ 0.68 Diluted 0.23 0.66 Laughlin Acquisition On July 14, 2018, the Company entered into a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Marnell Gaming, LLC (the “Seller”) to acquire Edgewater Gaming, LLC and Colorado Belle Gaming, LLC (collectively, the “Acquired Entities”). At the closing of the acquisition, the Company expects to pay the Seller $155 million in cash and issue to the Seller between 455,501 and 1,226,348 shares of the Company’s newly issued common stock (which was valued at signing at between $13 million and $35 million, based on the volume-weighted average trading price of the Company’s common stock for the twenty trading days ending on July 13, 2018), with the final amount based on the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rent and management fees of the Acquired Entities from December 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018. Consummation of the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, applicable gaming authority approvals, the absence of a material adverse effect regarding the Acquired Entities, and other customary closing conditions. The Company and the Seller have agreed that the closing of the transactions will not occur prior to January 1, 2019, unless otherwise agreed by the parties. The Company intends to finance the cash portion of the purchase price from a combination of borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility and cash on hand.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and Equipment, Net	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment, Net	Note 4 – Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Land $ 121,080 $ 121,081 Building and site improvements 708,711 705,266 Furniture and equipment 136,107 125,339 Construction in process 21,173 6,972 Property and equipment 987,071 958,658 Less: Accumulated depreciation (102,578 ) (63,417 ) Property and equipment, net $ 884,493 $ 895,241 Depreciation expense for property and equipment, including capital leases, was $18.5 million and $5.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $39.4 million and $10.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Accrued Liabilities

Accrued Liabilities	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued Liabilities	Note 5 – Accrued Liabilities Accrued liabilities consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Gaming liabilities $ 11,529 $ 12,209 Interest 524 1,770 Income taxes payable 1,790 - Deposits 3,222 - Other accrued liabilities 3,382 6,394 Total accrued liabilities $ 20,447 $ 20,373

Long-Term Debt

Long-Term Debt	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt	Note 6 – Long-Term Debt Long-term debt, net, consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Term loans $ 996,000 $ 1,000,000 Capital lease obligations 5,434 5,839 Notes payable 529 1,159 Total long-term debt 1,001,963 1,006,998 Less unamortized discount (27,886 ) (30,122 ) Less unamortized debt issuance costs (3,696 ) (3,917 ) 970,381 972,959 Less current maturities (9,038 ) (9,759 ) Long-term debt, net $ 961,343 $ 963,200 Senior Secured Credit Facilities As of June 30, 2018, The Company’s senior secured credit facilities consisted of a $940 million senior secured first lien credit facility (consisting of $800 million in term loans and a $140 million revolving credit facility) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (as administrative agent and collateral agent), the lenders party thereto and the other entities party thereto (the “First Lien Facility”), and a $200 million senior secured second lien term loan facility with Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch (as administrative agent and collateral agent), the lenders party thereto and the other entities party thereto (the “Second Lien Term Loan” and, together with the First Lien Facility, the “Credit Facilities”). On June 11, 2018, the Company entered into Incremental Joinder Agreement No. 1 with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and the lenders party thereto, pursuant to which the size of the revolving credit facility under the First Lien Facility was increased from $100 million to $140 million. As of June 30, 2018, $796 million and $200 million of term loan borrowings were outstanding under the Company’s First Lien Facility and Second Lien Term Loan, respectively, there were no letters of credit outstanding under the First Lien Facility, and the Company’s revolving credit facility was undrawn, leaving borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility as of June 30, 2018 of $140 million. As of June 30, 2018, the weighted-average effective interest rate on the Company’s outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facilities was approximately 5.6%. The revolving credit facility under the First Lien Facility matures on October 20, 2022, and the term loans under the First Lien Facility mature on October 20, 2024. The term loan under the First Lien Facility must be repaid in 27 quarterly installments of $2 million each, which commenced in March 2018, followed by a final installment of $746 million at maturity. The term loans under the Second Lien Term Loan must be repaid in full at maturity on October 20, 2025. The Company was in compliance with its financial covenants under the Credit Facilities as of June 30, 2018.

Stock Incentive Plans and Share

Stock Incentive Plans and Share-Based Compensation	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock Incentive Plans and Share-Based Compensation	Note 7 – Stock Incentive Plans and Share-Based Compensation As of June 30, 2018, 888,199 shares of the Company’s common stock were available for grants of awards under the Company’s 2015 Incentive Award Plan (the “2015 Plan”), which includes the annual increase in the number of shares available for grant on January 1, 2018 of 1,056,505 shares. The 2015 Plan provides that no stock option or stock appreciation right (even if vested) may be exercised prior to the earlier of August 1, 2018 or immediately prior to the consummation of a change in control of the Company that would result in an “ownership change” as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Stock Options The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity: Stock Options Weighted- Average Shares Exercise Price Outstanding at January 1, 2018 4,375,929 $ 10.73 Granted — Exercised (42,429 ) $ 5.04 Cancelled (173,409 ) $ 10.33 Outstanding at June 30, 2018 4,160,091 $ 10.80 Vested at June 30, 2018 2,456,208 $ 9.49 Exercisable at June 30, 2018 305,004 $ 4.14 Share-based compensation expense related to stock options was $1.4 million and $1.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $2.9 million and $2.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company’s unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to stock options was approximately $9.4 million as of June 30, 2018, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years. Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units On March 14, 2018, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved a new long-term incentive structure for equity awards to be granted to the executive officers of the Company under the 2015 Plan. Under this new structure, commencing in the first quarter of 2018, the executive officers of the Company receive long-term equity awards in a combination of time-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and performance-based restricted stock units (“PSUs”). The number of PSUs that will be eligible to vest will be determined based on the Company’s attainment of performance goals set by the Compensation Committee. Following the two-year performance period, the number of “vesting eligible” PSUs will then be subject to one additional year of time-based vesting. Share-based compensation costs related to RSU and PSU awards are calculated based on the market price on the date of the grant. The following table summarizes the Company’s RSU and PSU activity: RSUs PSUs Weighted- Weighted- Average Grant Average Grant Shares Date Fair Value Shares (1) Date Fair Value Outstanding at January 1, 2018 — 62,791 $ 27.87 Granted 241,542 $ 29.09 108,957 $ 28.72 Vested — — Cancelled (5,386 ) $ 28.72 — Outstanding at June 30, 2018 236,156 $ 29.10 171,748 $ 28.41 __________________ (1) The number of Shares listed for PSUs represents the “target” number of PSUs granted to each recipient eligible to vest if the Company meets its “target” performance goals for the applicable period. The actual number of PSUs eligible to vest will vary depending on whether or not the Company meets or exceeds the applicable threshold, target or maximum performance goals for the PSUs. With respect to 108,957 of the listed “target” number of PSUs, 200% of the “target” number of PSUs will be eligible to vest at “maximum” performance levels. Outstanding PSUs as of December 31, 2017 were combined with the RSUs in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K previously filed with the SEC. Share-based compensation expense related to RSUs was $1.0 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $1.1 million and $1.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Share-based compensation expense related to PSUs was $0.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and zero during the three months ended June 30, 2017. Share-based compensation expense related to PSUs was $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and zero during the six months ended June 30, 2017. As of June 30, 2018, there was $5.7 million and $4.3 million of unamortized compensation expense related to unvested RSUs and PSUs, respectively, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years for RSUs and 3.0 years for PSUs.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 8 – Income Taxes The Company’s effective tax rate was 22.0% and (67.5)% for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Income tax expense was $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018, which was attributed primarily to financial reporting expenditures that are not deductible for tax purposes. Income tax benefit was $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, which was attributed primarily to a partial release of valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets are evaluated by considering historical levels of income, estimates of future taxable income and the impact of tax planning strategies. The Company continues to evaluate its deferred tax asset valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The Company concluded that, as of December 31, 2017, it is more likely than not that the Company will generate sufficient taxable income within the applicable net operating loss carry-forward periods to realize a portion of its deferred tax assets. The Company’s income taxes payable was $1.8 million as of June 30, 2018, and its income taxes receivable was $0.2 million as of December 31, 2017. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had approximately $65.7 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) which will begin to expire in 2032. These NOLs have the potential to be used to offset future ordinary taxable income and reduce future cash tax liabilities. However, in connection with the American Acquisition, the Company issued approximately 4.0 million shares of its common stock to ACEP Holdings, which resulted in an “ownership change” under Section 382 that will generally limit the amount of NOLs the Company can utilize annually. Following an “ownership change” under Section 382, the amount of NOLs the Company can utilize in a given year is limited to an amount equal to the aggregate fair market value of the Company’s common stock immediately prior to the ownership change, multiplied by the long-term exempt interest rate in effect for the month of the ownership change. The Company estimates that it will be able to utilize approximately $10.8 million of NOLs annually. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes include, but are not limited to, a corporate income tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had not completed its accounting for the tax effects of enactment of the Tax Act; however, in certain cases, as described below, the Company has made a reasonable estimate of the effects on its existing deferred tax balances. For any amounts the Company has not been able to make a reasonable estimate, it will continue to account for those items based on its existing accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes, and the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately prior to enactment. In all cases, the Company will continue to make and refine its calculations as additional analysis is completed. In addition, the Company’s estimates may also be affected as it gains a more thorough understanding of the Tax Act. Given the significance of the legislation, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 118 (SAB 118), which allows registrants to record provisional amounts during a one year “measurement period” similar to that used when accounting for business combinations. However, the measurement period is deemed to have ended earlier when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information necessary to finalize its accounting. During the measurement period, impacts of the law are expected to be recorded at the time a reasonable estimate for all or a portion of the effects can be made, and provisional amounts can be recognized and adjusted as information becomes available, prepared, or analyzed. SAB 118 summarizes a three-step process to be applied at each reporting period to account for and qualitatively disclose: (1) the effects of the change in tax law for which accounting is complete; (2) provisional amounts (or adjustments to provisional amounts) for the effects of the tax law where accounting is not complete, but that a reasonable estimate has been determined; and (3) a reasonable estimate cannot yet be made and therefore taxes are reflected in accordance with law prior to the enactment of the Tax Act. Several provisions of the Tax Act have significant impact on the Company’s U.S. tax attributes, generally consisting of credits and loss carry-forwards. Although the Company has made a reasonable estimate of the gross amounts of the attributes disclosed, the Company is continuing to analyze certain aspects of the Tax Act and is refining its calculations which could potentially affect the measurements of these balances or potentially give rise to new deferred tax amounts.

Financial Instruments and Fair

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements	Note 9 – Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements Estimates of fair value for financial assets and liabilities are based on the framework established in the accounting guidance for fair value measurements. The framework defines fair value, provides guidance for measuring fair value and requires certain disclosures. The framework discusses valuation techniques, such as the market approach (comparable market prices), the income approach (present value of future income or cash flow) and the cost approach (cost to replace the service capacity of an asset or replacement cost). The framework utilizes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. The following is a brief description of those three levels: • Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. • Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. • Level 3: Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions. Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Thus, assets and liabilities categorized as Level 3 may be measured at fair value using inputs that are observable (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable (Level 3). Management's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and payable, short-term borrowings and accrued and other current liabilities approximate fair value because of the short duration of these financial instruments. As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Company’s long-term debt approximated the carrying value because the terms were recently negotiated and based upon the Company’s expected borrowing rate for debt with similar remaining maturities and comparable risk. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had one derivative instrument outstanding from which the Company will receive cash payments at the end of each period in which the interest rate exceeds the agreed upon strike price (the “Interest Rate Cap”), with a notional amount of $650 million, which expires on December 31, 2020. Using Level 2 inputs, the Company adjusts the carrying value of its Interest Rate Cap derivative to estimate fair value quarterly. The fair value of the Company’s asset under its Interest Rate Cap is based upon observable market-based inputs that reflect the present values of the difference between estimated future fixed rate payments and future variable receipts. Fair value of the Company’s Interest Rate Cap at June 30, 2018 was $8.0 million. As the Company elected to not apply hedge accounting, the change in fair value of this Interest Rate Cap was recorded on the consolidated statement of operations.

Leases

Leases	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Note 10 – Leases Rental Income The Company recorded rental revenue of $1.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and none during the three months ended June 30, 2017. The Company recorded rental revenue of $3.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and de minmus amount for the six months ended June 30, 2017. Rent Expense The Company leases its branded tavern locations, office headquarters building, land, equipment and vehicles under noncancelable operating leases that are not subject to contingent rents. Slot placement contracts in the form of space agreements are also accounted for as operating leases. Under space agreements, the Company pays fixed monthly rental fees for the right to install, maintain and operate its slots at business locations, which are recorded in gaming expenses. The Company leases one of its tavern locations and its office headquarters building from a related party. See Note 13, Related Party Transactions, Operating lease rental expense associated with all operating leases, which is calculated on a straight-line basis, is as follows: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Space agreements $ 10,003 $ 9,112 $ 19,422 $ 18,639 Related party leases 383 505 791 1,081 Other operating leases 3,817 3,343 7,410 6,528 Total rent expense $ 14,203 $ 12,960 $ 27,623 $ 26,248

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies Participation and Revenue Share Agreements In addition to the space agreements described above in Note 10, Leases Related Party Transactions . The Company also enters into amusement device and ATM placement contracts in the form of revenue share agreements. Under these revenue share agreements, the Company pays the business location a percentage of the non-gaming revenue generated from the Company’s amusement devices and ATMs placed at the location. During the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the total contingent payments recognized by the Company as other operating expenses for amusement devices and ATMs under such agreements were $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively. During the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the total contingent payments recognized by the Company as other operating expenses for amusement devices and ATMs under such agreements were $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively. Capital Lease Financing Agreement In June 2018 the Company entered into a capital lease financing arrangement for external and internal lighting and renovations at the Stratosphere that are expected to commence in the third quarter of 2018. The total amount to be financed will be $8.5 million with monthly payments to be made over a 36-month period. Miscellaneous Legal Matters From time to time, the Company is involved in a variety of lawsuits, claims, investigations and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including proceedings concerning labor and employment matters, personal injury claims, breach of contract claims, commercial disputes, business practices, intellectual property, tax and other matters for which the Company has recorded reserves of $1.5 million for claims as of the date of this filing. Although lawsuits, claims, investigations and other legal proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company believes that the resolution of its currently pending matters should not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Regardless of the outcome, legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on the Company because of defense costs, diversion of management resources and other factors. In addition, it is possible that an unfavorable resolution of one or more such proceedings could in the future materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in a particular period. In February and April 2017, several former employees filed two separate purported class action lawsuits against the Company in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada, and on behalf of similarly situated individuals employed by the Company in the State of Nevada. The lawsuits allege that the Company violated certain Nevada labor laws including payment of an hourly wage below the statutory minimum wage without providing a qualified health insurance plan and an associated failure to pay proper overtime compensation. The complaints seek, on behalf of the plaintiffs and members of the putative class, an unspecified amount of damages (including punitive damages), injunctive and equitable relief, and an award of attorneys’ fees, interest and costs. In the second half of 2017, the Company agreed to settle the first of these two cases, subject to court approval. The second case is in the discovery phase. In February 2018, a prior guest of the Stratosphere filed a purported class action complaint against the Company in the United States District Court, District of Nevada, on behalf of similarly situated individuals and entities that paid the Clark County Combined Transient Lodging Tax (“Tax”) on the portion of a resort fee that constitutes charges for Internet access, during the period of February 6, 2014 through the date the alleged conduct ceases. The lawsuit alleges that the Tax was charged in violation of the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which imposes a national moratorium on the taxation of Internet access by states and their political subdivisions, and seeks, on behalf of the plaintiff and the putative class, damages equal to the amount of the Tax collected on the Internet access component of the resort fee, injunctive relief, disgorgement, interest, fees and costs. The Company was served the complaint on May 4, 2018. On June 21, 2018 the plaintiff filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the case against the Company. The plaintiffs in this matter may determine to refile the case in the applicable state court. While legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable and no assurance can be given as to the ultimate outcome of any of the above matters, based on management’s current understanding of the relevant facts and circumstances, the Company believes that these proceedings should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Segment Information

Segment Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	Note 12 – Segment Information The Company conducts its business through two reportable operating segments: Casinos and Distributed Gaming. The Company’s Casinos segment involves the ownership and operation of eight resort casino properties in Nevada and Maryland. The Company’s Distributed Gaming segment involves the installation, maintenance and operation of slots and amusement devices in certain strategic, high-traffic, non-casino locations (such as grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, taverns and liquor stores) in Nevada and Montana, and the operation of wholly-owned branded taverns targeting local patrons located primarily in the greater Las Vegas, Nevada metropolitan area. The Corporate and Other segment includes the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, miscellaneous receivables and corporate overhead. Costs recorded in the Corporate and Other segment have not been allocated to the Company’s reportable operating segments because these costs are not easily allocable and to do so would not be practical. Results of Operations - Segment Net Income (Loss), Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA The Company evaluates each segment’s profitability based upon such segment’s Adjusted EBITDA, which represents each segment’s earnings before interest and other non-operating income (expense), income taxes, depreciation and amortization, preopening expense, acquisition expenses, class action litigation expenses, share-based compensation expenses, executive severance, gain/loss on disposal of property and equipment and other gains and losses, calculated before corporate overhead (which is not allocated to each segment). The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, certain operating data for the Company’s segments, and reconciles Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss): Three Months Ended June 30, 2018 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 61,929 $ 70,617 $ — $ 132,546 Food and beverage 30,743 12,679 — 43,422 Rooms 27,568 — — 27,568 Other 10,686 2,101 220 13,007 Total revenues $ 130,926 $ 85,397 $ 220 $ 216,543 Net income (loss) $ 24,236 $ 7,552 $ (28,194 ) $ 3,594 Depreciation and amortization 17,412 4,979 463 22,854 Acquisition expenses — — 194 194 Loss on disposal of property and equipment 218 — — 218 Share-based compensation — — 2,758 2,758 Preopening expenses — 88 301 389 Class action litigation expenses 3 195 20 218 Executive severance 168 2 201 371 Other, net 120 — 79 199 Interest expense, net 25 26 16,015 16,066 Change in fair value of derivative — — (1,462 ) (1,462 ) Income tax provision — — 897 897 Adjusted EBITDA $ 42,182 $ 12,842 $ (8,728 ) $ 46,296 Three Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 19,104 $ 70,153 $ — $ 89,257 Food and beverage 3,665 11,356 — 15,021 Rooms 1,920 — — 1,920 Other 1,490 2,101 96 3,687 Total revenues $ 26,179 $ 83,610 $ 96 $ 109,885 Net income (loss) $ 4,952 $ 7,858 $ (11,097 ) $ 1,713 Depreciation and amortization 2,025 4,942 441 7,408 Acquisition expenses — — 2,066 2,066 Share-based compensation — — 2,322 2,322 Preopening expenses — 400 174 574 Class action litigation expenses — — 55 55 Interest expense, net (43 ) 278 1,765 2,000 Income tax benefit — — (1,135 ) (1,135 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 6,934 $ 13,478 $ (5,409 ) $ 15,003 Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 126,388 $ 140,021 $ — $ 266,409 Food and beverage 60,739 25,286 — 86,025 Rooms 53,633 — — 53,633 Other 20,653 4,251 361 25,265 Total revenues $ 261,413 $ 169,558 $ 361 $ 431,332 Net income (loss) $ 48,077 $ 15,000 $ (55,553 ) $ 7,524 Depreciation and amortization 37,047 10,127 917 48,091 Acquisition expenses — — 1,306 1,306 Loss on disposal of property and equipment 280 15 — 295 Share-based compensation — — 4,602 4,602 Preopening expenses — 236 601 837 Class action litigation expenses 16 195 124 335 Executive severance 219 37 302 558 Other, net 144 167 79 390 Interest expense, net 49 72 30,688 30,809 Change in fair value of derivative — — (4,673 ) (4,673 ) Income tax provision — — 2,116 2,116 Adjusted EBITDA $ 85,832 $ 25,849 $ (19,491 ) $ 92,190 Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 37,428 $ 138,008 $ — $ 175,436 Food and beverage 7,073 22,820 — 29,893 Rooms 3,408 — — 3,408 Other 2,560 4,296 175 7,031 Total revenues $ 50,469 $ 165,124 $ 175 $ 215,768 Net income (loss) $ 9,679 $ 16,079 $ (18,703 ) $ 7,055 Depreciation and amortization 3,596 9,576 788 13,960 Acquisition expenses — — 2,066 2,066 Share-based compensation — — 3,749 3,749 Preopening expenses — 609 237 846 Class action litigation expenses — — 55 55 Interest expense, net (39 ) 320 3,402 3,683 Income tax benefit — — (2,842 ) (2,842 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 13,236 $ 26,584 $ (11,248 ) $ 28,572 Total Segment Assets The Company’s assets by segment consisted of the following amounts: (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Balance at June 30, 2018 $ 1,046,697 $ 297,886 $ 52,321 $ 1,396,904 Balance at December 31, 2017 $ 1,039,025 $ 298,453 $ 27,697 $ 1,365,175

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Note 13 – Related Party Transactions As of June 30, 2018, the Company leased its office headquarters building from a company 33% beneficially owned by Blake L. Sartini, 5% owned by a trust for the benefit of Mr. Sartini’s immediate family members (including Blake L. Sartini, II) for which Mr. Sartini serves as trustee, and 3% beneficially owned by Stephen A. Arcana. The rent expense for the office headquarters building was $0.3 million during each of the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, and $0.8 million and $0.6 million during the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. There were no amounts and $0.1 million owed by the Company with respect to such lease as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Additionally, a portion of the office headquarters building was sublet to a company owned or controlled by Mr. Sartini. There was less than $0.1 million of rental income under such sublease for each of the three and six months ended June 30, 2018. There was no rental income and less than $0.1 million of rental income under such sublease for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. No amounts were owed to the Company under such sublease at June 30, 2018 or December 31, 2017. Mr. Sartini serves as the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and is co-trustee of the Sartini Trust, which is a significant shareholder of the Company. Mr. Arcana serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. As of June 30, 2018, the Company leased one tavern location from a trust controlled by Mr. Sartini through a trust for the benefit of Mr. Sartini’s immediate family members (including Blake L. Sartini, II) for which Mr. Sartini serves as trustee. In addition, a second tavern location that the Company had previously leased from related parties was sold in January 2018 to an unrelated third party. The rent expense for tavern locations leased from related parties (including sold tavern locations for the periods in which the leases were with related parties) was $0.2 million and $0.3 million during the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $0.3 million and $0.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. There were no amounts owed by the Company with respect to such leases as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. During each of the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company paid less than $0.1 million under aircraft time-sharing, co-user and cost-sharing agreements between the Company and Sartini Enterprises, Inc. a company controlled by Mr. Sartini. During each of the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company paid less than $0.1 million under aircraft time-sharing, co-user and cost-sharing agreements. There were no amounts owed by the Company under the aircraft time-sharing, co-user and cost-sharing agreements as of June 30, 2018 and there was less than $0.1 million owed by the Company as of December 31, 2017 During the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded revenues of $0.3 million in each period and the Company recorded gaming expenses of $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively, related to the use of the Company’s slots at a distributed gaming location owned in part by Sean T. Higgins, who serves as the Company’s Executive Vice President of Compliance and Governmental Affairs and Chief Legal Officer. During each of the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded revenues of $0.5 million and the Company recorded gaming expenses of $0.5 million, related to the use of the Company’s slots at a distributed gaming location owned in part by Mr. Higgins. and December 31, 2017 During each of the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses and December 31, 2017 . The consulting agreement expired on July 31, 2018.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Note 14 – Subsequent Events The Company’s management evaluates subsequent events through the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements. There have been no subsequent events that occurred during such period that would require adjustment to or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements as of and for the six months June 30, 2018.

Nature of Business and Basis 20

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applicable to interim financial information. Accordingly, certain information normally included in the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) has been condensed and/or omitted. For further information, please refer to the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K previously filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the Company’s results for the periods presented. Results for interim periods should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain minor reclassifications have been made to the prior year period amounts to conform to the current presentation.
Change in Depreciable Live of Property and Equipment	Change in Depreciable Lives of Property and Equipment During the quarter ended June 30, 2018, the Company completed an analysis associated with planned renovations of certain assets acquired in the American Acquisition (see Note 3, Acquisitions
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014 (amended January 2017), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition model, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers which created a new Topic 606 (“ASC 606”). The guidance is intended to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP applicable to revenue transactions. Existing industry guidance was eliminated, including revenue recognition guidance specific to the gaming industry. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2018, following the full retrospective approach. The accompanying financial statements and related disclosures reflect the effects of the new revenue standard. The most significant impacts of the adoption are summarized in Note 2, Revenue Recognition . In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation In June 2 018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation , which expands previous guidance to include all share-based payment arrangements related to the acquisition of goods and services from both non-employees and employees. ASU 2018-07 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods therein, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. No other recently issued accounting standards that are not yet effective have been identified that management believes are likely to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Summary of Impact of Adoption of the New Standard to Previously Reported Selected Financial Statement Information	The impact of adoption of the new standard to previously reported selected financial statement information was as follows: Three Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) As Reported Adjustments As Adjusted Gross revenues $ 116,162 $ (6,277 ) $ 109,885 Promotional allowances (5,669 ) 5,669 — Net revenues 110,493 (608 ) 109,885 Operating income 2,578 — 2,578 Net income 1,713 — 1,713 Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) As Reported Adjustments As Adjusted Gross revenues $ 228,297 $ (12,529 ) $ 215,768 Promotional allowances (11,158 ) 11,158 — Net revenues 217,139 (1,371 ) 215,768 Operating income 7,896 — 7,896 Net income 7,055 — 7,055

Acquisitions (Tables)

Acquisitions (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
ACEP Holdings [Member]
Summary of Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Information	The following table summarizes certain unaudited pro forma combined financial information derived from a combination of the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company and of American for the three and six months ended June 30 2017, adjusted to give effect to the American Acquisition, related transactions (including the refinancing), and the adoption of ASC 606. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (In thousands, except per share data) June 30, 2017 June 30, 2017 Pro forma combined revenues $ 213,262 $ 424,033 Pro forma combined net income 6,402 17,868 Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic 26,311 26,304 Diluted 27,334 27,103 Pro forma combined net income per share: Basic $ 0.24 $ 0.68 Diluted 0.23 0.66

Property and Equipment, Net (Ta

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Components of Property and Equipment, Net	Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Land $ 121,080 $ 121,081 Building and site improvements 708,711 705,266 Furniture and equipment 136,107 125,339 Construction in process 21,173 6,972 Property and equipment 987,071 958,658 Less: Accumulated depreciation (102,578 ) (63,417 ) Property and equipment, net $ 884,493 $ 895,241

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Schedule of Accrued Liabilities	Accrued liabilities consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Gaming liabilities $ 11,529 $ 12,209 Interest 524 1,770 Income taxes payable 1,790 - Deposits 3,222 - Other accrued liabilities 3,382 6,394 Total accrued liabilities $ 20,447 $ 20,373

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments	Long-term debt, net, consisted of the following: (In thousands) June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Term loans $ 996,000 $ 1,000,000 Capital lease obligations 5,434 5,839 Notes payable 529 1,159 Total long-term debt 1,001,963 1,006,998 Less unamortized discount (27,886 ) (30,122 ) Less unamortized debt issuance costs (3,696 ) (3,917 ) 970,381 972,959 Less current maturities (9,038 ) (9,759 ) Long-term debt, net $ 961,343 $ 963,200

Stock Incentive Plans and Sha26

Stock Incentive Plans and Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Summary of Stock Option Activity	The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity: Stock Options Weighted- Average Shares Exercise Price Outstanding at January 1, 2018 4,375,929 $ 10.73 Granted — Exercised (42,429 ) $ 5.04 Cancelled (173,409 ) $ 10.33 Outstanding at June 30, 2018 4,160,091 $ 10.80 Vested at June 30, 2018 2,456,208 $ 9.49 Exercisable at June 30, 2018 305,004 $ 4.14
Summary of RSU and PSU Activity	The following table summarizes the Company’s RSU and PSU activity: RSUs PSUs Weighted- Weighted- Average Grant Average Grant Shares Date Fair Value Shares (1) Date Fair Value Outstanding at January 1, 2018 — 62,791 $ 27.87 Granted 241,542 $ 29.09 108,957 $ 28.72 Vested — — Cancelled (5,386 ) $ 28.72 — Outstanding at June 30, 2018 236,156 $ 29.10 171,748 $ 28.41 __________________ (1) The number of Shares listed for PSUs represents the “target” number of PSUs granted to each recipient eligible to vest if the Company meets its “target” performance goals for the applicable period. The actual number of PSUs eligible to vest will vary depending on whether or not the Company meets or exceeds the applicable threshold, target or maximum performance goals for the PSUs. With respect to 108,957 of the listed “target” number of PSUs, 200% of the “target” number of PSUs will be eligible to vest at “maximum” performance levels.

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of Operating Lease Rental Expense	Operating lease rental expense associated with all operating leases, which is calculated on a straight-line basis, is as follows: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Space agreements $ 10,003 $ 9,112 $ 19,422 $ 18,639 Related party leases 383 505 791 1,081 Other operating leases 3,817 3,343 7,410 6,528 Total rent expense $ 14,203 $ 12,960 $ 27,623 $ 26,248

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information	Three Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 19,104 $ 70,153 $ — $ 89,257 Food and beverage 3,665 11,356 — 15,021 Rooms 1,920 — — 1,920 Other 1,490 2,101 96 3,687 Total revenues $ 26,179 $ 83,610 $ 96 $ 109,885 Net income (loss) $ 4,952 $ 7,858 $ (11,097 ) $ 1,713 Depreciation and amortization 2,025 4,942 441 7,408 Acquisition expenses — — 2,066 2,066 Share-based compensation — — 2,322 2,322 Preopening expenses — 400 174 574 Class action litigation expenses — — 55 55 Interest expense, net (43 ) 278 1,765 2,000 Income tax benefit — — (1,135 ) (1,135 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 6,934 $ 13,478 $ (5,409 ) $ 15,003 Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 126,388 $ 140,021 $ — $ 266,409 Food and beverage 60,739 25,286 — 86,025 Rooms 53,633 — — 53,633 Other 20,653 4,251 361 25,265 Total revenues $ 261,413 $ 169,558 $ 361 $ 431,332 Net income (loss) $ 48,077 $ 15,000 $ (55,553 ) $ 7,524 Depreciation and amortization 37,047 10,127 917 48,091 Acquisition expenses — — 1,306 1,306 Loss on disposal of property and equipment 280 15 — 295 Share-based compensation — — 4,602 4,602 Preopening expenses — 236 601 837 Class action litigation expenses 16 195 124 335 Executive severance 219 37 302 558 Other, net 144 167 79 390 Interest expense, net 49 72 30,688 30,809 Change in fair value of derivative — — (4,673 ) (4,673 ) Income tax provision — — 2,116 2,116 Adjusted EBITDA $ 85,832 $ 25,849 $ (19,491 ) $ 92,190 Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Revenues Gaming $ 37,428 $ 138,008 $ — $ 175,436 Food and beverage 7,073 22,820 — 29,893 Rooms 3,408 — — 3,408 Other 2,560 4,296 175 7,031 Total revenues $ 50,469 $ 165,124 $ 175 $ 215,768 Net income (loss) $ 9,679 $ 16,079 $ (18,703 ) $ 7,055 Depreciation and amortization 3,596 9,576 788 13,960 Acquisition expenses — — 2,066 2,066 Share-based compensation — — 3,749 3,749 Preopening expenses — 609 237 846 Class action litigation expenses — — 55 55 Interest expense, net (39 ) 320 3,402 3,683 Income tax benefit — — (2,842 ) (2,842 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 13,236 $ 26,584 $ (11,248 ) $ 28,572 Total Segment Assets The Company’s assets by segment consisted of the following amounts: (In thousands) Casinos Distributed Gaming Corporate and Other Consolidated Balance at June 30, 2018 $ 1,046,697 $ 297,886 $ 52,321 $ 1,396,904 Balance at December 31, 2017 $ 1,039,025 $ 298,453 $ 27,697 $ 1,365,175

Nature of Business and Basis 29

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation (Details Textual) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Apr. 01, 2018	Jan. 31, 2018USD ($)shares	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)Property$ / shares	Mar. 31, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)SegmentProperty	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)
Nature Of Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of reportable operating segments | Segment					2
Proceeds from issuance of common stock					$ 25,969	$ 153
Decrease in depreciation expense			$ (2,100)
Increase in net income			$ 1,700
Increase in earnings per share basic | $ / shares			$ 0.07
Increase in earnings per share diluted | $ / shares			$ 0.06
Building and Building Improvements [Member]
Nature Of Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	19 years			10 years
Initial Public Offering [Member]
Nature Of Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Common stock shares resold by shareholders | shares		6,500,000
Newly issued shares of common stock | shares		975,000
Proceeds from issuance of common stock		$ 25,600
Nevada and Maryland [Member]
Nature Of Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of resort casino properties | Property			8		8

Revenue Recognition (Details Te

Revenue Recognition (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Gaming liabilities	$ 11,529		$ 12,209
Accumulated deficit	$ (72,337)		$ (79,861)
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 | Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect Before and After Topic 606
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Accumulated deficit		$ (1,100)

Revenue Recognition - Summary o

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Impact of Adoption of the New Standard to Previously Reported Selected Financial Statement Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Gross revenues		$ 109,885		$ 215,768
Net revenues		109,885		215,768
Operating income	$ 19,095	2,578	$ 35,776	7,896
Net income	$ 3,594	1,713	$ 7,524	7,055
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 | As Reported
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Gross revenues		116,162		228,297
Promotional allowances		(5,669)		(11,158)
Net revenues		110,493		217,139
Operating income		2,578		7,896
Net income		1,713		7,055
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 | Adjustments
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Gross revenues		(6,277)		(12,529)
Promotional allowances		5,669		11,158
Net revenues		$ (608)		$ (1,371)

Acquisitions (Details Textual)

Acquisitions (Details Textual) - USD ($)	Jul. 14, 2018	Oct. 20, 2017
ACEP Holdings [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, date of acquisition		Oct. 20, 2017
Consideration paid, cash		$ 787,600,000
Consideration paid, shares issued		4,000,000
Fair value of common stock issued		$ 101,500,000
Common stock price per share		$ 25.08
Marnell Gaming, LLC [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, date of acquisition	Jul. 14, 2018
Consideration paid, cash	$ 155,000,000
Marnell Gaming, LLC [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Consideration paid, shares issued	455,501
Fair value of common stock issued	$ 13,000,000
Marnell Gaming, LLC [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Consideration paid, shares issued	1,226,348
Fair value of common stock issued	$ 35,000,000

Summary of Unaudited Pro Forma

Summary of Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Information (Details) - American Acquisition [Member] - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Pro forma combined revenues	$ 213,262	$ 424,033
Pro forma combined net income	$ 6,402	$ 17,868
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic	$ 0.24	$ 0.68
Diluted	$ 0.23	$ 0.66
Pro forma combined net income per share:
Basic	26,311	26,304
Diluted	27,334	27,103

Components of Property and Equi

Components of Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Land	$ 121,080	$ 121,081
Building and site improvements	708,711	705,266
Furniture and equipment	136,107	125,339
Construction in process	21,173	6,972
Property and equipment	987,071	958,658
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(102,578)	(63,417)
Property and equipment, net	$ 884,493	$ 895,241

Property and Equipment, Net (De

Property and Equipment, Net (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation Expense	$ 18.5	$ 5.4	$ 39.4	$ 10

Schedule of Accrued Liabilities

Schedule of Accrued Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Gaming liabilities	$ 11,529	$ 12,209
Interest	524	1,770
Income taxes payable	1,790
Deposits	3,222
Other accrued liabilities	3,382	6,394
Total accrued liabilities	$ 20,447	$ 20,373

Long-term Debt (Details)

Long-term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Term loans	$ 996,000	$ 1,000,000
Capital lease obligations	5,434	5,839
Notes payable	529	1,159
Total long-term debt	1,001,963	1,006,998
Less unamortized discount	(27,886)	(30,122)
Less unamortized debt issuance costs	(3,696)	(3,917)
Long-term Debt	970,381	972,959
Less current maturities	(9,038)	(9,759)
Long-term debt, net	$ 961,343	$ 963,200

Long-Term Debt (Details Textual

Long-Term Debt (Details Textual)	Jun. 11, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)Installment	Jun. 10, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Outstanding Amount		$ 970,381,000		$ 972,959,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Incremental Joinder Agreement No. 1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	$ 140,000,000		$ 100,000,000
Agreement start date	Jun. 11, 2018
Senior Secured First Lien Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		940,000,000
Senior Secured First Lien Credit Facility [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		140,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Undrawn		$ 140,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Expiration Date		Oct. 20, 2022
Senior Secured First Lien Credit Facility [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Outstanding Amount		$ 0
Senior Secured First Lien Credit Facility [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		800,000,000
Debt Instrument, Outstanding Amount		$ 796,000,000
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date		Oct. 20, 2024
Debt Instrument, Number of Quarterly Payments | Installment		27
Debt Instrument, Periodic Payment		$ 2,000,000
Debt Instrument, Commencement Date of Quarterly Payments		Mar. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument, Final Installment		$ 746,000,000
Senior Secured Second Lien Credit Facility [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		200,000,000
Debt Instrument, Outstanding Amount		$ 200,000,000
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date		Oct. 20, 2025
Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate		5.60%

Stock Incentive Plans and Sha39

Stock Incentive Plans and Share-Based Compensation (Details Textual) - USD ($)	Jan. 02, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Expense		$ 1,400,000	$ 1,200,000	$ 2,900,000	$ 2,200,000
Stock Options, Unrecognized Share-based Compensation Expense		9,400,000		$ 9,400,000
Share-based Compensation Expense Not yet Recognized, Weighted-average Period for Recognition				2 years 4 months 24 days
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Expense		1,000,000	800,000	$ 1,100,000	1,200,000
Share-based Compensation Expense Not yet Recognized, Weighted-average Period for Recognition				1 year 8 months 12 days
Unamortized Compensation Expense Related to Unvested Units		5,700,000		$ 5,700,000
Performance Stock Units (PSUs) [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Expense		400,000	$ 0	$ 500,000	$ 0
Share-based Compensation Expense Not yet Recognized, Weighted-average Period for Recognition				3 years
Unamortized Compensation Expense Related to Unvested Units		$ 4,300,000		$ 4,300,000
2015 Plan [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock Avialable for Grants of Awards		888,199		888,199
Number of Shares Available for Grant Annual Increase	1,056,505
Performance Stock Units Vesting Period				2 years
2015 Plan [Member] | Time Based Vesting [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance Stock Units Vesting Period				1 year

Summary of Stock Option Activit

Summary of Stock Option Activity (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018$ / sharesshares
Stock Options Outstanding
Stock Options Outstanding, Beginning of year | shares	4,375,929
Stock Options Outstanding, Exercised | shares	(42,429)
Stock Options Outstanding, Cancelled | shares	(173,409)
Stock Options Outstanding, End of year | shares	4,160,091
Stock Options Outstanding, Vested | shares	2,456,208
Stock Options Outstanding, Exercisable | shares	305,004
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, beginning of year | $ / shares	$ 10.73
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercised | $ / shares	5.04
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Cancelled | $ / shares	10.33
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, end of year | $ / shares	10.80
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Vested | $ / shares	9.49
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercisable | $ / shares	$ 4.14

Summary of RSU and PSU Activity

Summary of RSU and PSU Activity (Details) - 2015 Plan [Member]	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018$ / sharesshares
RSUs
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, Granted | shares	241,542
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, Cancelled | shares	(5,386)
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, End of year | shares	236,156
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Granted | $ / shares	$ 29.09
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Cancelled | $ / shares	28.72
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, End of year | $ / shares	$ 29.10
PSUs
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, Beginning of year | shares	62,791	[1]
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, Granted | shares	108,957	[1]
Restricted Stock Units Outstanding, End of year | shares	171,748	[1]
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Beginning of year | $ / shares	$ 27.87
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Granted | $ / shares	28.72
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, End of year | $ / shares	$ 28.41
[1]	The number of Shares listed for PSUs represents the “target” number of PSUs granted to each recipient eligible to vest if the Company meets its “target” performance goals for the applicable period. The actual number of PSUs eligible to vest will vary depending on whether or not the Company meets or exceeds the applicable threshold, target or maximum performance goals for the PSUs. With respect to 108,957 of the listed “target” number of PSUs, 200% of the “target” number of PSUs will be eligible to vest at “maximum” performance levels.

Summary of RSU and PSU Activi42

Summary of RSU and PSU Activity (Parenthetical) (Details) - Performance Stock Units (PSUs) [Member] - 2015 Plan [Member]	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Target number of PSU's eligible to vest at "maximum" performance level	108,957	[1]
Percentage of target number of PSU's eligible to vest at "maximum" performance level	200.00%
[1]	The number of Shares listed for PSUs represents the “target” number of PSUs granted to each recipient eligible to vest if the Company meets its “target” performance goals for the applicable period. The actual number of PSUs eligible to vest will vary depending on whether or not the Company meets or exceeds the applicable threshold, target or maximum performance goals for the PSUs. With respect to 108,957 of the listed “target” number of PSUs, 200% of the “target” number of PSUs will be eligible to vest at “maximum” performance levels.

Income Taxes (Details Textual)

Income Taxes (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands, shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	$ 897	$ (1,135)	$ 2,116	$ (2,842)
Corporate income tax rate			21.00%		35.00%
ACEP Holdings [Member]
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Share issuance related to business combination (in shares)			4
Amount of net operating losses limit that can be utilized annually	10,800		$ 10,800
Domestic Tax Authority [Member]
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Deferred tax assets, operating loss carryforwards, subject to expiration	65,700		$ 65,700
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year			2,032
Latest Tax Year [Member] | Domestic Tax Authority [Member]
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Income Taxes Payable	$ 1,800		$ 1,800
Income Taxes Receivable					$ 200
Latest Tax Year [Member] | Domestic Tax Authority [Member] | Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member]
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Effective Tax Rate, Percent			22.00%	(67.50%)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)			$ 2,100
Latest Tax Year [Member] | Domestic Tax Authority [Member] | Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member] | Reversal of Valuation Allowance of Deferred Tax Assets [Member]
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)				$ (2,800)

Financial Instruments and Fai44

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements (Details Textual) - Interest Rate Swap [Member] - Not Designated as Accounting Hedge [Member] $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)Agreement
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative instrument, number of outstanding agreement | Agreement	1
Derivative instrument, notional amount	$ 650
Derivative instrument, expiration date	Dec. 31, 2020
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value liability	$ 8

Leases (Details Textual)

Leases (Details Textual)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)a	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)aParcel
Lessor Lease Description [Line Items]
Rental revenue | $	$ 1,900,000	$ 0	$ 3,600,000
Gold Town Casino [Member] | Nevada [Member]
Lessor Lease Description [Line Items]
Number of Leased Parcels of Land | Parcel			4
Rocky Gap State Park [Member] | Maryland DNR [Member]
Lessor Lease Description [Line Items]
Area Of Land | a	270		270

Schedule of Operating Lease Ren

Schedule of Operating Lease Rental Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Total rent expense	$ 14,203	$ 12,960	$ 27,623	$ 26,248
Space Agreements [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Total rent expense	10,003	9,112	19,422	18,639
Related Party Leases [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Total rent expense	383	505	791	1,081
Other Operating Leases [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Total rent expense	$ 3,817	$ 3,343	$ 7,410	$ 6,528

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Other Operating Expenses	$ 3,655	$ 3,518	$ 7,651	$ 6,794
Capital lease financing amount to be financed	8,500		$ 8,500
Capital lease financing agreement, payment period			36 months
Amount recorded for claims	1,500		$ 1,500
Class action lawsuits filed by former employees			February and April 2017
Number of class action lawsuits filed by former employees			2
Gaming [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Gaming Expenses	78,510	61,166	$ 156,198	120,163
Participation and Revenue Share Agreements [Member] | Gaming [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Gaming Expenses	37,500	36,700	74,600	71,500
Participation and Revenue Share Agreements [Member] | Related Party Transaction, Revenue Share and Participation Agreement [Member] | Gaming [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Gaming Expenses	200	300	500	600
Revenue Share Agreements [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Other Operating Expenses	$ 300	$ 400	$ 700	$ 800

Segment Information (Details Te

Segment Information (Details Textual)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018SegmentProperty
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable operating segments | Segment	2
Number of properties | Property	8

Schedule of Segment Reporting I

Schedule of Segment Reporting Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 216,543	$ 109,885	$ 431,332	$ 215,768
Net income (loss)	3,594	1,713	7,524	7,055
Depreciation and amortization	22,854	7,408	48,091	13,960
Acquisition expenses	194	2,066	1,306	2,066
Loss on disposal of property and equipment	218		295
Share-based compensation	2,758	2,322	4,602	3,749
Preopening expenses	389	574	837	846
Class action litigation expenses	218	55	335	55
Executive severance	371		558
Other, net	199		390
Interest expense, net	16,066	2,000	30,809	3,683
Change in fair value of derivative	(1,462)		(4,673)
Income tax benefit (provision)	897	(1,135)	2,116	(2,842)
Adjusted EBITDA	46,296	15,003	92,190	28,572
Assets	1,396,904		1,396,904		$ 1,365,175
Operating Segments [Member] | Casinos [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	130,926	26,179	261,413	50,469
Net income (loss)	24,236	4,952	48,077	9,679
Depreciation and amortization	17,412	2,025	37,047	3,596
Loss on disposal of property and equipment	218		280
Class action litigation expenses	3		16
Executive severance	168		219
Other, net	120		144
Interest expense, net	25	(43)	49	(39)
Adjusted EBITDA	42,182	6,934	85,832	13,236
Assets	1,046,697		1,046,697		1,039,025
Operating Segments [Member] | Distributed Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	85,397	83,610	169,558	165,124
Net income (loss)	7,552	7,858	15,000	16,079
Depreciation and amortization	4,979	4,942	10,127	9,576
Loss on disposal of property and equipment			15
Preopening expenses	88	400	236	609
Class action litigation expenses	195		195
Executive severance	2		37
Other, net			167
Interest expense, net	26	278	72	320
Adjusted EBITDA	12,842	13,478	25,849	26,584
Assets	297,886		297,886		298,453
Corporate and Other [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	220	96	361	175
Net income (loss)	(28,194)	(11,097)	(55,553)	(18,703)
Depreciation and amortization	463	441	917	788
Acquisition expenses	194	2,066	1,306	2,066
Share-based compensation	2,758	2,322	4,602	3,749
Preopening expenses	301	174	601	237
Class action litigation expenses	20	55	124	55
Executive severance	201		302
Other, net	79		79
Interest expense, net	16,015	1,765	30,688	3,402
Change in fair value of derivative	(1,462)		(4,673)
Income tax benefit (provision)	897	(1,135)	2,116	(2,842)
Adjusted EBITDA	(8,728)	(5,409)	(19,491)	(11,248)
Assets	52,321		52,321		$ 27,697
Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	132,546	89,257	266,409	175,436
Gaming [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Casinos [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	61,929	19,104	126,388	37,428
Gaming [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Distributed Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	70,617	70,153	140,021	138,008
Food and beverage [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	43,422	15,021	86,025	29,893
Food and beverage [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Casinos [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	30,743	3,665	60,739	7,073
Food and beverage [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Distributed Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	12,679	11,356	25,286	22,820
Rooms [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	27,568	1,920	53,633	3,408
Rooms [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Casinos [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	27,568	1,920	53,633	3,408
Other [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	13,007	3,687	25,265	7,031
Other [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Casinos [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	10,686	1,490	20,653	2,560
Other [Member] | Operating Segments [Member] | Distributed Gaming [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	2,101	2,101	4,251	4,296
Other [Member] | Corporate and Other [Member]
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 220	$ 96	$ 361	$ 175

Related Party Transactions (Det

Related Party Transactions (Details Textual) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 216,543,000	$ 109,885,000	$ 431,332,000	$ 215,768,000
Mr. Sartini [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Due to related parties	0		0
Mr. Sartini [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Reimbursement expense paid	100,000	100,000	100,000	100,000
Due to related parties					$ 100,000
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 300,000	$ 300,000	$ 500,000	$ 500,000
Type of Revenue [Extensible List]	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember
Gaming expenses	$ 200,000	$ 300,000	$ 500,000	$ 500,000
Type of Cost, Good or Service [Extensible List]	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember	us-gaap:CasinoMember
Lyle A. Berman [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consulting agreement expiry date	Jul. 31, 2018
Lyle A. Berman [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Due to related parties	$ 100,000		$ 100,000		100,000
Lyle A. Berman [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Selling General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Consulting agreement expenses, related party	100,000	$ 100,000	$ 100,000	$ 100,000
Office Headquarters and Tavern Lease [Member] | Mr. Sartini [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Percentage of counterparty ownership by related party			33.00%
Office Headquarters and Tavern Lease [Member] | Mr. Sartini's Immediate Family Members [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Percentage of counterparty ownership by related party			5.00%
Office Headquarters and Tavern Lease [Member] | Stephen Arcana [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Percentage of counterparty ownership by related party			3.00%
Office Headquarters [Member] | Mr. Sartini [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party transaction, amounts of transaction	300,000	300,000	$ 800,000	600,000
Rent expense payable to related party	0		0		100,000
Tavern Leases [Member] | Mr. Sartini [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party transaction, amounts of transaction	200,000	300,000	300,000	500,000
Rent expense payable to related party	0		0		0
Office Headquarters Lease [Member] | Mr. Sartini [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Rental income for sublet portion		$ 0
Due from related parties	0		0		$ 0
Office Headquarters Lease [Member] | Mr. Sartini [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Rental income for sublet portion	$ 100,000		$ 100,000	$ 100,000