Stock-Based Compensation (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Caesars Entertainment Stock-Based Compensation

We maintain long-term incentive plans for management, other personnel, and key service providers. The plans allow for granting stock-based compensation awards, based on CEC common stock (NASDAQ symbol “CZR”), including time-based and performance-based stock options, restricted stock units, restricted stock awards, stock grants, or a combination of awards.

Composition of Caesars Entertainment Stock-Based Compensation Expense

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(In millions)	2017		2016
Corporate expense	$	7	$	8
Property, general, administrative, and other	1		2
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8	$	10

Outstanding at End of Period

	March 31, 2017			December 31, 2016
	Quantity ⁽¹⁾	Wtd Avg ⁽²⁾		Quantity	Wtd Avg ⁽²⁾
Stock options ⁽³⁾	9,735,585	$	10.29	9,820,168	$	11.69
Restricted stock units	5,886,330	8.00		8,447,922	7.95

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⁽¹⁾	There were no grants of stock options or restricted stock units related to CEC common stock during the three months ended March 31, 2017.


⁽²⁾	Represents weighted average exercise price for stock options and weighted average fair value for restricted stock units.


⁽³⁾	On March 14, 2017, we modified vested and unvested stock options held by active employees with exercise prices above the then-current market price of CEC’s common stock to have an exercise price of $9.45.

CIE Stock-Based Compensation Plan

Historically, CIE has granted stock-based compensation awards in CIE common stock to its employees, directors, service providers and consultants in accordance with the Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. Amended and Restated Management Equity Incentive Plan, which was intended to promote the interests of CIE and its stockholders by providing key employees, directors, service providers and consultants with an incentive to encourage their continued employment or service and improve the growth and profitability of CIE. These awards were classified as liability-based instruments and were re-measured at their fair value at each reporting date.

As described in Note 1, in September 2016, CIE sold its SMG Business, which represented the majority of CIE’s operations, and the SMG Business is now presented as discontinued operations (see Note 14). Upon the closing of the SMG Business sale, all outstanding CIE stock-based compensation awards were deemed fully vested and were subsequently paid in cash in connection with the closing of the SMG Business sale, as described in Note 14.

The portion of CIE’s stock-based compensation expense directly identifiable with employees of the SMG Business was reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods presented in the Statements of Operations. The portion of CIE’s stock-based compensation expense not directly identifiable with employees of the SMG Business was included in property, general, administrative, and other in the Statements of Operations.

Composition of CIE Stock-Based Compensation Expense

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(In millions)	2017		2016
Property, general, administrative, and other	$	—	$	13

- Definition

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

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