The Company offered several 401(k) plans to substantially all employees who are not covered by collective bargaining agreements, who meet certain eligibility requirements, namely terms of service. During 2018 and 2019, all existing 401(k) plans merged into a single plan. Under the combined plan, the employer matches contributions equal to 50% of the first 6%.

The Company’s matching contributions totaled $6.4 million, $2.7 million and $2.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Mountaineer’s qualified defined contribution plan (established by West Virginia legislation) covered substantially all of its employees. Contributions to the ERI 401(k) Plan for the benefit of Mountaineer employees were $1.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. Mountaineer was sold on December 6, 2019.

Scioto Downs sponsors a noncontributory defined-benefit plan covering all full-time employees meeting certain age and service requirements. On May 31, 2001, the plan was amended to freeze eligibility, accrual of years of service and benefits. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of the plan assets was $1.2 million, and the fair value of the benefit obligations was $0.8 million, resulting in an over-funded status of $0.4 million. The plan assets are comprised primarily of money market and mutual funds whose values are determined based on quoted market prices and are classified in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. We did not make cash contributions to the Scioto Downs pension plan during 2019, 2018 and 2017.

In connection with the collective bargaining agreement and related settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) that was executed in May 2014 between Trop AC and UNITE HERE Local 54 (“Local 54”), the parties agreed that Trop AC would establish a Variable Annuity Pension Plan (“VAPP”), a defined benefit pension plan, for certain Trop AC Local 54 employees.

Contributions to the VAPP through the end of the current collective bargaining agreement of February 29, 2020, will be calculated at $1.93 per straight time hour paid to employees covered by the agreement.

The components of net periodic benefit costs related to the VAPP for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the period beginning with the Tropicana Acquisition date of October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 consists of the following (in thousands):

		Year ended December 31, 2019				Period from October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018
Service costs	$		3,254		$		808
Interest costs			629				150
Expected return on plan assets			(749	)			(178	)
Net periodic benefit cost	$		3,134		$		780

Net periodic benefit costs are reported in the various operation departments in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

The change in the projected benefit obligation, change in plan assets and funded status for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the period beginning with the Tropicana Acquisition date of October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):

		Year ended December 31, 2019				Period from October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018
Change in benefit obligations:
Projected benefit obligation beginning of period	$		12,650		$		12,024
Service and interest cost during period			3,883				958
Benefit payments during period			(40	)			—
Expenses during period			(306	)			(29	)
Actuarial gain			(443	)			(303	)
Projected benefit obligation end of period	$		15,744		$		12,650
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period	$		14,330		$		14,283
Return on plan assets during period			770				76
Benefit payments during period			(40	)			—
Expenses during period			(306	)			(29	)
Employer contributions			3,179				—
Fair value of plan assets at end of period	$		17,933		$		14,330
Funded status at end of period	$		2,189		$		1,680

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the VAPP was in an overfunded status in the amount of $2.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, which is included in other assets, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Actuarial assumptions used to determine the benefit obligations for the VAPP include an expected rate of return on assets of 5%, discount rate of 5.0% pre-retirement and a discount rate of 3.0% post-retirement, which, as defined in the Settlement Agreement, will result in no adjustments to the plan benefit.

The plan assets are comprised primarily of money market and mutual funds whose value is determined based on quoted market prices and are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy.

Future estimated expected benefit payments for 2020 through 2029 are as follows (in thousands):

		Expected Benefit Payments
2020	$		193
2021			248
2022			350
2023			454
2024			553
2025 through 2029			4,581
	$		6,379

Trop AC’s net periodic pension cost for the year ended December 31, 2020 is expected to be approximately $3.0 million.