Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is subject to various legal and administrative proceedings relating to personal injuries, employment matters, commercial transactions, development agreements and other matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Although the Company maintains what it believes to be adequate insurance coverage to mitigate the risk of loss pertaining to covered matters, legal and administrative proceedings can be costly, time-consuming, and unpredictable. The Company does not believe that the final outcome of these matters will have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

ESPN Sportsbook and Investment Agreements

On August 8, 2023, PENN entered into the Sportsbook Agreement with ESPN which provides for a long-term strategic relationship between PENN and ESPN relating to online sports betting in the United States.

The Sportsbook Agreement has an initial 10-year term and may be extended for an additional ten years upon mutual agreement of PENN and ESPN. In consideration for the media marketing services and brand and other rights provided by ESPN, PENN will pay $150.0 million per year in cash pursuant to the Sportsbook Agreement for the initial 10-year term and issue warrants pursuant to the Investment Agreement (as defined and described in more detail below). The Sportsbook Agreement may be terminated by either party if at the end of year three of the term the Sportsbook has not achieved a specified level of market share based on gross gaming revenue in the states in which the Sportsbook operates while branded ESPN BET, and other terms pursuant to the agreement.

In connection with the Sportsbook Agreement, PENN and ESPN, Inc. entered into an Investment Agreement (the “Investment Agreement”) on August 8, 2023. The Investment Agreement provides for the issuance to ESPN, Inc. of certain warrants to purchase shares of PENN common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and setting forth certain other governance rights of ESPN, Inc. Pursuant to the Investment Agreement PENN issued to ESPN, Inc. warrants to purchase approximately 31.8 million shares of PENN common stock. The warrants are classified as equity and contain three separate tranches which vest quarterly over ten years from the date of the Investment Agreement, provided that any remaining unvested portion of the first tranche of warrants will vest on August 8, 2032.

At the grant date, the $550.4 million fair value of the awards was determined using the Black-Scholes pricing model with contractual terms ranging from 9.5 to 11.5 years, and strike prices ranging from $26.08 to $32.60. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recognized $18.8 million and $37.5 million, respectively, related to the Investment Agreement warrants. Expenses related to these warrants are recorded within “Gaming” expenses on the unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations and recognized when services are received.

Additionally, if after February 29, 2024 and during the term of the Sportsbook Agreement PENN achieves specified performance conditions based on an average market share based on gross gaming revenue in the states in which the Sportsbook operates (as defined within the Investment Agreement), PENN could issue to ESPN, Inc. warrants to purchase up to an additional 6.4 million shares of PENN common stock. The additional warrants will be fully vested upon issuance, have an exercise price of $28.95, and will be exercisable for 10.5 years from the date of issuance.