TROPICANA ENTERTAINMENT INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) (Continued)
On August 1, 2017, Tropicana AC, the City of Atlantic City and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs entered into a Real Estate Tax Appeal Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) pursuant to which the parties agreed to settle Tropicana AC’s 2015 and 2016 real estate tax appeals pending before the Tax Court of New Jersey (the “Pending Tax Appeals”). The Settlement Agreement, among other things, provided for refunds in the aggregate amount of approximately $36.8 million in respect of the Pending Tax Appeals and Tropicana AC’s 2017 PILOT Payment. Tropicana AC received full payment of the refunds in early October 2017. In addition, the Settlement Agreement provided for a reduction in the assessed value of Tropicana AC for real estate tax purposes for calendar year 2015, including a corresponding reduction of Tropicana AC’s PILOT CAP for each of calendar years 2018 through 2021, from approximately $19.8 million to approximately $8.4 million.
The NJ PILOT Law also provides for the abolishment of the ACA effective as of January 1, 2015 and redirection of the $30 million in ACA funds paid by the casinos for each of the years 2015 and 2016 under the Tourism District Law to the State of New Jersey for Atlantic City fiscal relief and further payments of $15 million in 2017, $10 million in 2018 and $5 million for each year between 2019 and 2023 to Atlantic City. Pursuant to the NJ PILOT Law, the 2015 and 2016 ACA payments were remitted to the State.
In addition, the NJ PILOT Law also provides for IAT payments made by the casino operators since the effective date of the NJ PILOT Law, which were previously deposited with the CRDA and which have not been pledged for the payment of bonds issued by the CRDA, or any bonds issued to refund such bonds, to be allocated to the State of New Jersey for purposes of paying debt service on bonds previously issued by Atlantic City.
The NJ PILOT Law is the subject of litigation pending in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division: Atlantic County challenging the validity of the law and/or portions of it. In the event the litigation is successful in overturning the NJ PILOT Law (or portions of it), such a ruling, if upheld on appeal, could have a future financial impact on the Company, including whether Tropicana AC continues to make PILOT Payments under the current law, is subject to future ad valorem property taxation, or some other mechanism for payments in lieu of taxes, and the amount of payments under any such alternative statutory schemes.
Indiana Gaming Tax Law Change
In May 2017, Indiana enacted changes to its gaming tax structure that will have an impact on Tropicana Evansville tax payments to Indiana. Effective July 1, 2017, in accordance with Indiana P.L. 268, for gaming operations that have relocated to an inland casino by December 31, 2017, Indiana law eliminates the $3 per person per admission charge, replacing it with a supplemental wagering tax in the amount of 3% of adjusted gross receipts commencing from the date of opening the inland casino through June 30, 2018. Tropicana Evansville qualified under this provision, as the construction of the landside gaming facility was completed and became operational in October 2017. Beginning July 1, 2018 the supplemental wagering tax is to be calculated as the casino’s adjusted gross receipts multiplied by the percentage of the total casino’s admissions tax that the riverboat paid beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2017, divided by the casino’s adjusted gross receipts beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2017, with the supplemental wagering tax not to exceed 4% beginning July 1, 2018 and ending June 30, 2019, and 3.5% thereafter. In addition, under the new law, commencing in 2018 andphased-in over a seven (7) year period, Indiana casino operators will be able to deduct gaming taxes when calculating Indiana corporate income tax.
Wimar and CSC Administrative Expense Claims
On March 31, 2009, Wimar Tahoe Corporation (“Wimar”) and Columbia Sussex Corporation (“CSC”) filed separate proceedings with the Bankruptcy Court related to administrative expense and priority claims against the Predecessors. On August 4, 2010, Wimar and CSC separately filed motions for summary judgment seeking payment on account of these claims from the Company totaling approximately $5.4 million, which was recorded as a liability upon emergence from bankruptcy and is included in accounts payable in our accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. In its objection to Wimar and CSC’s motions for summary judgment, the Company disputed the administrative expense and/or priority status of certain amounts claimed and also contended that any payment to CSC or Wimar should await the resolution of the adversary proceeding instituted by Lightsway Litigation Services, LLC, as Trustee of the Tropicana Litigation Trust established by the bankruptcy reorganization plan, against CSC and Wimar (the “Litigation Trust Proceeding”), and be set off against any judgment against Wimar and CSC in the Litigation Trust Proceeding against them.
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