Acquisitions and Other Recent Business Ventures - Acquisitions (Details) $ in Thousands									3 Months Ended								4 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 01, 2017 USD ($)	May 01, 2017 USD ($)	Feb. 01, 2017 USD ($)	Nov. 01, 2016 USD ($)	Oct. 03, 2016 USD ($)	Aug. 01, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 01, 2015 USD ($) item	Aug. 25, 2015 USD ($) ft² a item room	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 01, 2017 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Purchase price allocation
Goodwill									$ 1,008,097				$ 989,685					$ 1,008,097	$ 989,685	$ 911,942
Pro Forma Financial Information
Net Revenues, Pro Forma																				3,154,848
Income from continuing operations, Pro Forma																				540,992
Net revenues									$ 769,036	$ 806,247	$ 796,463	$ 776,224	742,910	$ 765,597	$ 769,422	$ 756,451		3,147,970	3,034,380	2,838,358
First Jackpot and Resorts
Purchase price allocation
Cash acquired		$ 6,725
Other current assets		2,735
Goodwill		35,929
Other intangible assets		851
Total assets		137,211
Current portion of financing obligation		1,968
Accrued expenses		2,931
Accrued salaries and wages		3,256
Other current liabilities		1,448
Long-term financing obligation		80,635
Total liabilities		90,238
Cash paid		46,973
Total consideration transferred		137,211
DSG and Advantage
Acquisitions
Number of businesses acquired | item																	2
Purchase price allocation
Goodwill	$ 700																$ 700
DSG and Advantage | Customer contracts
Purchase price allocation
Other intangible assets	$ 3,700																$ 3,700
DSG
Acquisitions
Interest acquired			100.00%
Purchase price allocation
Cash paid			$ 1,900
Advantage
Acquisitions
Interest acquired	100.00%																100.00%
Purchase price allocation
Cash paid	$ 2,100
Rocket Speed
Acquisitions
Interest acquired						100.00%
Period over which contingent consideration payments are due						2 years				2 years
Multiple applied to then-trailing 12 months of EBITDA to determine contingent consideration						6.25
Purchase price allocation
Cash acquired						$ 4,100
Current assets						7,738
Property and equipment, net						235
Goodwill						67,164
Other intangible assets						35,383
Other assets						73
Total assets						110,593
Current liabilities						5,350
Deferred taxes						10,268
Other liabilities						100
Total liabilities						15,718
Cash paid						60,489
Contingent purchase price consideration						34,386
Total consideration transferred						110,593
Pro Forma Financial Information
Net revenues																			17,300
Rocket Speed | Maximum
Purchase price allocation
Contingent purchase price consideration						110,000
Rocket Speed | Developed technology intangible
Purchase price allocation
Other intangible assets						$ 17,969
Assigned useful life						4 years
Rocket Speed | User base intangible
Purchase price allocation
Other intangible assets						$ 11,563
Assigned useful life						2 years
Rocket Speed | Non-compete agreements intangible
Purchase price allocation
Other intangible assets						$ 5,851
Assigned useful life						4 years
Slot Kings, LLC and Bell Gaming, LLC
Purchase price allocation
Goodwill				$ 10,500
Other intangible assets				$ 16,600
Slot Kings
Acquisitions
Interest acquired					100.00%
Purchase price allocation
Cash paid					$ 17,100
Bell Gaming
Acquisitions
Interest acquired				100.00%
Purchase price allocation
Cash paid				$ 10,800
Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and Prairie State Gaming
Pro Forma Financial Information
Net revenues																				57,300
Income from continuing operations																				(3,000)
Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel And Casino
Acquisitions
Interest acquired								100.00%
Size of property where facility is located (in acres) | a								35
Area of gaming space at facility (in square feet) | ft²								1,183,984
Number of slot machines at facility | item								775
Number of table games at facility | item								36
Number of guestroom hotels at facility | room								1,470
Number of full service restaurants | item								3
Number of seats in performance theater | item								1,200
Number of seats in a comedy club | item								300
Area of exhibition and meeting space at facility (in square feet) | ft²								100,000
Area of tropical beach event area and spa (in acres) | a								5
Purchase price allocation
Cash acquired								$ 8,000
Current assets								15,966
Property and equipment, net								365,492
Goodwill								14,821
Other assets								4,553
Total assets								400,832
Current liabilities								25,755
Other liabilities								17,417
Total liabilities								43,172
Cash paid								357,660
Amount of cash used for acquisition funded from incremental credit commitments								$ 280,000
Prairie State Gaming
Acquisitions
Interest acquired							100.00%
Number of bar and retail gaming establishments with video gaming terminals | item							270
Purchase price allocation
Goodwill							$ 22,900
Other intangible assets							$ 15,700
Prairie State Gaming | Minimum
Acquisitions
Number of video gaming terminals | item							1,100
Employee Retention Compensation | Rocket Speed
Acquisitions
Period over which contingent consideration payments are due						2 years
Employee Retention Compensation | Rocket Speed | Maximum
Purchase price allocation
Contingent purchase price consideration						$ 10,000
Non-leased assets | First Jackpot and Resorts
Purchase price allocation
Property and equipment, net		$ 8,368
Master lease assets | First Jackpot and Resorts
Acquisitions
Useful lives		31 years
Increase in financing obligation		$ 82,600
Purchase price allocation
Property and equipment, net		$ 82,603
General and administrative expenses
Acquisitions
Transaction costs during the period																		$ 1,000
General and administrative expenses | Rocket Speed
Acquisitions
Benefit resulting from the buy out of contingent purchase price consideration										$ 22,200
Pro Forma Financial Information
Transaction costs													$ 1,000						$ 1,000
General and administrative expenses | Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and Prairie State Gaming
Pro Forma Financial Information
Transaction costs																				$ 1,900