Churchill Downs Incorporated Announces Proposed Offering of $900 Million of Senior Notes due 2030

LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) today announced that CDI Escrow Issuer, Inc. (the “Escrow Issuer”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDI, intends to offer, subject to market and customary conditions, $900 million in aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2030 (the “Notes”) in a private offering.

The offering of the Notes is part of the financing for the proposed acquisition by CDI of substantially all of the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment LLC (“P2E”), a Delaware limited liability company (the “Acquisition”).

The proceeds of the proposed offering will be placed in escrow pending satisfaction of certain conditions, including, without limitation, the consummation of the Acquisition. Upon satisfaction of such escrow conditions, CDI will assume the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under the Notes and the indenture that will govern the Notes, and certain of CDI’s subsidiaries, after giving effect to the Acquisition (including P2E and certain of its subsidiaries), will guarantee CDI’s obligations under the Notes.

Upon satisfaction of the escrow conditions, CDI intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with borrowings under the senior secured credit facilities, to (i) finance the consummation of the Acquisition and (ii) pay related transaction fees and expenses.

The offer and sale of the Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S) except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, the Notes are being sold only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act and offered and sold outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

The Company will agree to register the Notes for resale to the extent they are not freely tradable under the Securities Act a year after their issuance. The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or automated quotation system.

This press release is issued pursuant to Rule 135c of the Securities Act, is for informational purposes only and shall neither constitute an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities. The offering of the Notes is not being made to any person in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful. The offering has not been finally approved by any gaming regulatory authority having jurisdiction over any of CDI's casino operations.

About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event, the Kentucky Derby. We own and operate three pari-mutuel gaming entertainment venues with approximately 3,050 historical racing machines in Kentucky. We also own and operate TwinSpires, one of the largest and most profitable online wagering platforms for horse racing in the U.S. and we have nine retail sportsbooks. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming in eight states with approximately 11,000 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 200 table games. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.

This news release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions).

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, among others, that may materially affect actual results or outcomes include the following: the receipt of regulatory approvals on terms desired or anticipated, unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the proposed transaction, including, without limitation, difficulties that result in the failure to realize expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings from the proposed transaction within the expected time period (if at all), our ability to obtain financing on the anticipated terms and schedule, disruptions of our or P2E’s current plans, operations and relationships with customers and suppliers caused by the announcement and pendency of the proposed transaction, our and P2E’s ability to consummate a sale-leaseback transaction with respect to the Hard Rock Sioux City on terms desired or anticipated, the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the emergence of variant strains, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers' confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation the competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and HRM manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; inability to successfully focus on market access and retail operations for our TwinSpires Sports and Casino business and effectively compete; inability to identify and / or complete acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches, or loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of a breach, including customers’ personal information, could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigation; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card and debit card use; work stoppages and labor issues; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; and increase in our insurance costs, or obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events.

We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.