Century Casinos, Inc. Definitive Notice and Proxy Statement 2005
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
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Securities
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Only (as permitted By Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
o |
Soliciting
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CENTURY
CASINOS, INC.
------------------------------------------------
(Name of Registrant
as Specified In Its Charter)
---------------------------------------
(Name of Person(s)
Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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CENTURY
CASINOS, INC.
1263
A Lake Plaza Drive
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
Notice
is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Century Casinos, Inc.
(the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, will be convened on Friday, June 17,
2005, at 16:00hrs Central European Time (8:00 am. Mountain Time, 10:00 a.m.
Eastern Time), for the following purposes:
1. |
To
elect one Class II director to the Board of Directors;
and |
2. |
To
consider and approve the adoption of the Company’s 2005 Equity Incentive
Plan; and |
3. |
To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting in
accordance with the Company’s bylaws or any adjournment
thereof. |
STOCKHOLDERS
ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN PERSON OR BY CALLING +1
877
903 2255 (U.S. TOLL FREE) or +1 303 928 2617 (INTERNATIONAL)
WHEN PROMPTED, ENTER CONFERENCE ID:
7935899 FOLLOWED BY THE “#” SIGN. STOCKHOLDERS
WHO CANNOT ATTEND IN PERSON SHOULD VOTE BY USING THE ENCLOSED
PROXY.
PLEASE
FILL IN, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE SO
THAT YOUR SHARES MAY BE VOTED AT THE MEETING. IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU MAY
REVOKE YOUR PROXY AND VOTE IN PERSON. YOUR VOTE IS
IMPORTANT.
By
order of the Board of Directors
/s/
Erwin Haitzmann
Erwin
Haitzmann
Chairman
of the Board
Colorado
Springs, CO
May
12, 2005
CENTURY
CASINOS, INC.
1263
A Lake Plaza Drive
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906
PROXY
STATEMENT
Annual
Meeting of Stockholders
To
Be Held on June 17, 2005
IN
GENERAL
This
proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by
the Board of Directors of Century Casinos, Inc. (the “Company”), to be used at
the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Meeting”) to be held on June 17, 2005
at the Vienna Marriott Hotel, Parkring 2a Wien, Austria, Europe at 16:00 Central
European Time (8:00 am Mountain Time and 10:00 am Eastern Time), for the
purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
The enclosed material was mailed on or about May 18, 2005 to stockholders of the
Company.
All
properly executed proxies received at or prior to the Meeting will be voted at
the Meeting. If a stockholder directs how a proxy is to be voted with respect to
the business coming before the Meeting, the proxy will be voted in accordance
with the stockholder’s directions. If a stockholder does not direct how a proxy
is to be voted, it will be voted in favor of the election of the nominees to the
Board of Directors named in this proxy statement and in favor of the adoption of
the Company’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. A proxy may be revoked at any time
before it is exercised by giving written notice to the Secretary of the Company
at the above address or by a subsequently executed proxy. Stockholders may vote
their shares in person if they attend the Meeting, even if they have executed
and returned a proxy. If no instructions are indicated on the proxy, the shares
will be voted in favor of the proposals presented in this proxy statement, and
in the proxy holder’s discretion for any other matters presented in accordance
with the Company’s bylaws to be considered at the Meeting.
The
matters to be brought before the Meeting are the election of one Class II
director of the Board of Directors, the adoption of the Company’s 2005 Equity
Incentive Plan, and the transaction of such other business that has been brought
forward in accordance with the Company’s bylaws, or as may come before the
Meeting.
Expenses
in connection with the solicitation of proxies in regard to the proposals
brought forward by the Company and included in this proxy statement will be paid
by the Company.
Proxies
are being solicited by mail, and, in addition, directors, officers and regular
employees of the Company (who will not receive any additional compensation) may
solicit proxies personally, by telephone, by email, or by special
correspondence. The Company will reimburse brokerage firms and others for their
expenses in forwarding proxy materials to the beneficial owners of the Company’s
common stock.
VOTING
SECURITIES
Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on May 11, 2005, will be
entitled to vote at the Meeting. On that date, there were issued and outstanding
13,754,900 shares of the Company’s $.01 par value common stock, the only class
of voting securities of the Company. Each share of common stock is entitled to
one vote per share. Cumulative voting in the election of directors is not
permitted.
A majority of the number of the outstanding shares of common stock, represented
either in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business at the Meeting. Of the votes cast at the Meeting, a vote of the holders
of a majority of the common stock present, either in person or by proxy, and
entitled to vote, is required to elect each director nominee, and to approve the
adoption of the Company’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan.
In
accordance with Delaware law, a stockholder entitled to vote for the election of
directors can withhold authority to vote for certain nominees for director.
Abstentions are counted for purposes of determining a quorum to conduct
business, but are ignored in vote tabulation, thereby increasing the number of
votes necessary to approve any proposal. The inspectors of election will treat
any shares held by brokers or nominees for which they have no discretionary
power to vote on a particular matter and for which they have received no
instructions from the beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote (“broker
non-votes”) as shares that are present for purposes of determining the presence
of a quorum. However, for purposes of determining the outcome of any matters as
to which the broker has indicated on the Proxy that it does not have
discretionary authority to vote, those shares will be treated as not entitled to
vote with respect to that matter (even though those shares may be entitled to
vote on other matters).
All
shares of Common Stock will vote as a single class. Neither the Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation nor its Bylaws provide for cumulative voting
rights.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
If you
wish to present a proposal for inclusion in the proxy statement and form of
proxy for consideration at our 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, you must
submit your proposals to the attention of our Secretary at our principal
executive office no later than January 12, 2006. In order for a stockholder
proposal to be properly considered at the 2006 Annual Meeting, our Secretary
must have received notice of the proposal no later than March 28, 2006.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth information as of May 2, 2005, concerning common
stock ownership by beneficial owners of five percent or more of the Company’s
common stock and the officers and directors of the Company. All of the named
persons below, other than Thomas Graf, William Blair & Company, L.L.C. and
Lloyd I. Miller, III, are officers or directors of the Company.
Title
of Class |
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner |
Amount
and
Nature
of beneficial Ownership |
Percent
of
Class |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Erwin
Haitzmann
c/o
Century Casinos, Inc.
1263
A Lake Plaza Dr.
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906 |
1,472,811
(a) |
9.7% |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Peter
Hoetzinger
c/o
Century Casinos, Inc.
1263
A Lake Plaza Dr.
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906 |
987,161
(b) |
6.7% |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Robert
S. Eichberg
1801
California St. Ste. 4650
Denver,
CO 80202 |
62,000
(c) |
(j) |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Gottfried
Schellmann
Bahnhofplatz
1A
2340
Moedling,
Austria/Europe |
77,200
(c) |
(j) |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Dinah
Corbaci
Blechturmgasse
28/31
1040
Vienna
Austria/
Europe |
32,000
(d) |
(j) |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Larry
Hannappel
c/o
Century Casinos, Inc.
1263
A Lake Plaza Dr.
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906 |
50,250
(e) |
(j) |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Ray
Sienko
c/o
Century Casinos, Inc.
1263
A Lake Plaza Drive
Colorado
Springs, CO 80906 |
10,500
(f) |
(j) |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
All
Officers and Directors as a Group (seven persons) |
2,691,922 |
16.8% |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Thomas
Graf
Liechtensteinstrasse
54
A-2344
Maria Enzersdorf
Austria/Europe |
2,144,300
(g) |
15.6% |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
William
Blair & Company, L.L.C.
222
W. Adams
Chicago,
IL 60606 |
1,010,062
(h) |
7.3% |
Common
Stock,
$.01
par value |
Lloyd
I. Miller, III
4550
Gordon Drive
Naples,
FL 34102 |
1,351,160
(i) |
9.8% |
|
(a) |
Includes:
non-statutory stock options for 950,000 shares exercisable at $1.50 per
share, 350,000 shares exercisable at $0.75 per share, and 62,811 shares
exercisable at $2.93 per share, indirectly owned and held by The Haitzmann
Family Foundation. |
In March
2004, in accordance with the Employee Equity Incentive Plan, non-statutory stock
options to purchase 628,105 shares of common stock of the company at the price
of $2.93 per share were granted to Mr. Haitzmann, which subsequently were
transferred from Mr. Haitzmann’s ownership to The Haitzmann Family Foundation.
62,811 of these options are vested and included above.
|
(b) |
Includes:
non-statutory stock options for 543,000 shares exercisable at $1.50 per
share, 250,000 shares exercisable at $0.75 per share, and 62,811 shares
exercisable at $2.93 per share, indirectly owned and held by The
Hoetzinger Family Foundation. |
In March
2004, in accordance with the Employee Equity Incentive Plan, non-statutory stock
options to purchase 628,105 shares of common stock of the company at the price
of $2.93 per share were granted to Mr. Hoetzinger, which subsequently were
transferred from Mr. Hoetzinger’s ownership to The Hoetzinger Family Foundation.
62,811 of these options are vested and included above.
|
(c) |
Includes:
an option for 10,000 shares exercisable at $2.12 per share; and an option
for 2,000 exercisable at $3.26. |
|
(d) |
Includes:
an option for 2,000 shares exercisable at
$3.26. |
|
(e) |
Includes:
an option for 10,000 shares exercisable at $.75 per share, an option for
7,500 shares exercisable at $1.50 per share and an option for 2,750 shares
exercisable at $2.93. |
In March
2004, in accordance with the Employee Equity Incentive Plan, incentive stock
options to purchase 27,500 shares of common stock of the company at the price of
$2.93 per share were granted to Mr. Hannappel. 2,750 of these options are vested
and included above.
|
(f) |
Includes:
an option for 10,000 shares exercisable at $1.75 per share and an option
for 500 shares exercisable at $2.93 per share granted in 2004.
|
In March
2004, in accordance with the Employee Equity Incentive Plan, incentive stock
options to purchase 5,000 shares of common stock of the company at the price of
$2.93 per share were granted to Mr. Sienko. 500 of these options are vested and
included above.
|
(g) |
As
reported on Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
December 15, 2004. |
|
(h) |
As
reported on Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on February 15, 2005. |
|
(i) |
As
reported on Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
February 28, 2005. |
INFORMATION
CONCERNING DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Information
regarding the Board of Directors and executive officers of the Company, as of
April 22, 2005 is as follows:
|
Name |
Age |
Position
Held |
Officer
or Director
Since |
|
|
Erwin
Haitzmann |
51 |
Chairman
of the Board & Co-Chief
Executive Officer |
March
1994 |
|
|
Peter
Hoetzinger |
42 |
Vice
Chairman of the Board, Co-Chief Executive Officer &
President |
March
1994 |
|
|
Robert
S. Eichberg |
58 |
Director |
January
1997 |
|
|
Gottfried
Schellmann |
51 |
Director |
January
1997 |
|
|
Dinah
Corbaci |
50 |
Director |
April
2000 |
|
|
Larry
Hannappel |
52 |
Senior
Vice-President, Secretary & Treasurer |
October
1999 |
|
|
Rich
Rabin |
58 |
Chief
Operating Officer for North America |
August
2004 |
|
|
Ray
Sienko |
47 |
Chief
Accounting Officer |
March
2005 |
|
Erwin
Haitzmann holds a
Doctorate and a Masters degree in Social and Economic Sciences from the
University of Linz, Austria (1980), and has 30 years of casino gaming experience
ranging from dealer (commencing in 1975) through various casino management
positions. Mr. Haitzmann has been employed full-time by the Company since May
1993.
Peter
Hoetzinger received
a Masters degree from the University of Linz, Austria, in 1986. He thereafter
was employed in several managerial positions in the gaming industry with
Austrian casino companies. Mr. Hoetzinger has been employed full-time by the
Company since May 1993.
Robert
S. Eichberg
graduated from Bradley University in 1968 with a B.S. Degree in Accounting and
is a Certified Public Accountant. He was employed by the public accounting firm
of Deloitte & Touche, LLP from 1974 to 1994, ending his tenure there as Tax
Partner. From 1994 to 1996 he served as Tax Partner for the public accounting
firm Price Bednar LLP, before joining the public accounting firm of Causey,
Demgen & Moore, Inc. in September of 1996, where he has been employed since,
as shareholder and President.
Gottfried
Schellmann
graduated from University of Vienna with a law degree and is a certified tax
advisor in Austria. After having worked for several firms, including KPMG
Germany as tax and accounting manager, he formed Schellmann & Partner in
1993, where he has been employed since, which specializes in tax and accounting
work for provinces and municipalities in Austria. He is a member of the
International Bar Association. He is also one of the main co-authors, together
with certain officers of the Austrian Ministry of Finance, of the Austrian
corporate tax code.
Dinah
Corbaci holds a
Doctorate degree in Law from the University of Salzburg, Austria (1981). One
year practice on the Austrian Court in Salzburg was followed by working for the
Austrian Association of Realtors in Vienna. In 1984 she joined IBM Austria,
where she is responsible as Account Manager for large government customers, with
special focus on e-business for large IBM mainframe hardware and e-government
solutions. During the last five years of her 21 years of employment at IBM, she
has served as eServer Manager where she is responsible for all Austrian
governmental customers concerning their strategic hardware development
compliance for governmental and legal requirements.
Larry
Hannappel
graduated from National College, Rapid City, South Dakota (1976) with a B.S.
Degree in Accounting. From 1976 to 1979, he was employed by the public
accounting firm of Hamma & Nelson. From 1979 to 1994, he served in various
financial management capacities in manufacturing and gaming. Mr. Hannappel has
been employed full-time by the Company since May, 1994. He became Chief
Accounting Officer in October 1999, was appointed as Secretary of the Company in
March, 2000 and appointed as Treasurer in June 2001. In March 2005, he was
appointed the Senior Vice President.
Rich
Rabin earned
undergraduate degrees from Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois in Accounting
and Finance. He earned his MBA from the University of Wisconsin specializing in
Finance. From 1973 until 1999, he was employed in various positions within the
hospitality industry. Additionally, he was employed from 1995 to 1999 as the
Senior Vice President of Operations, President, and Chief Operating Officer for
the Colorado Gaming and Entertainment Company. In 2000, he was employed as a
Vice President, Casino Operations for the International Thunderbird Gaming Corp.
From 2000 to 2001, he was a consultant for Peak Management, from 2001 to 2002,
he was employed as the Senior Vice President, Casino Operations for PDS Gaming,
and from 2002 to 2004, and he was employed as the Director for The Innovation
Group in Las Vegas. In his capacity as Director; Mr. Rabin was responsible for
the design and implementation of process improvement programs for clients with
special emphasis on casino gaming, hotel and food and beverage operations. He
has been employed full-time by the Company since August 2004 as the Chief
Operating Officer for North America.
Ray
Sienko
graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1979) with
a B.S. Degree in Accounting, and passed the CPA exam in November 1979. From 1979
to 1981 he was employed by the public accounting firm of Samuel M. Fischer &
Co., CPAs. From 1981 to 1985 he was employed by Amerigas, Inc. From 1985 to
2000, he was employed as the Controller for Bayard Sales Corp. Mr.Sienko has
been employed full time by the Company since June 2000 as Controller. He was
appointed Chief Accounting Officer in March 2005.
There are
no family relationships between or among the Company’s executive officers and
directors.
We have
an Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, which is comprised of Robert S.
Eichberg (Chairman), Gottfried Schellmann and Dinah Corbaci. The Board of
Directors has determined that Mr. Eichberg is an “audit committee financial
expert” as defined in applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
We have
adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees,
including our Co-Chief Executive Officers, our Senior Vice-President and our
Chief Accounting Officer. A complete text of this Code of Ethics is available in
Exhibit 14 filed with the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2003.
CERTAIN
INFORMATION REGARDING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board
of Directors held two (2) meetings during 2004 and on several occasions executed
unanimous written consents in lieu of meetings, in accordance with Delaware law.
Each director attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board of Directors,
and of each committee on which he or she sits.
The
Company’s policy regarding attendance by members of the Board of Directors at
the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders is to encourage directors to
attend, either in person or by teleconference, subject to their availability
during that time. In 2004, five (5) members of the board attended the annual
meeting.
The
Company has an Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, which is comprised of
Robert S. Eichberg (Chairman), Gottfried Schellmann and Dinah Corbaci and which
is governed by an Amended and Restated Charter and Powers of the Audit
Committee. The Audit Committee selects and appoints the Company’s independent
auditors, reviews the performance of the independent auditors, and approves
independent auditor’s fees. The Audit Committee also reviews the independence of
such accountants from the Company’s management, the Company’s annual and
quarterly financial statements and the Company’s system of internal controls.
During 2004, the Audit Committee held four (4) meetings.
The Board
of Directors and the Audit Committee believe that the Audit Committee’s current
composition satisfies the applicable rules and pronouncements of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the Securities and Exchange
Commission that govern audit committee selection, experience, and composition,
including the requirement that audit committee members all be “independent
directors” as that term is defined by such rules. The board of Directors has
also determined that Robert S. Eichberg is an “audit committee financial expert”
as defined in applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of Dinah Corbaci
and Gottfried Schellmann. The Compensation Committee sets the compensation to be
paid to each of the Company’s executive officers on an annual basis, and
periodically sets compensation for the Company’s non-employee directors. During
2004, the Compensation Committee held two (2) meetings.
The
Incentive Plan Committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of Gottfried
Schellmann and Dinah Corbaci. The Incentive Plan Committee authorizes and
approves the issuance of options in accordance with the Plan, reviews and makes
changes to the Company’s employee benefit plans, including the amount of the
Company’s contributions, if any, and otherwise advises on equity compensation
matters within the Committee’s expertise. During 2004, the Incentive Plan
Committee had one (1) meeting.
The
Company has no standing nominating committee. All of the directors participate
in the consideration of director nominees, but the Company’s nominations must be
approved by a majority of the independent directors in order to be presented to
the stockholders. The board does not have an express policy with regard to the
consideration of any director candidates recommended by stockholders, because
Delaware law permits any stockholder to nominate director candidates, and the
board believes it can adequately evaluate any such nominees on a case by case
basis. The board will consider director candidates proposed in accordance with
the procedures set forth under “Stockholder Communication” below, and will
evaluate stockholder-recommended candidates under the same criteria as
internally generated candidates.
The
general criteria the Board uses to select nominees are:
· |
Such
individual’s reputation for integrity, honesty and adherence to high
ethical standards. |
· |
Demonstrated
business acumen; |
· |
Experience
and ability to exercise sound judgments in matters that relate to the
current and long-term objectives of the
Company; |
· |
Willingness
and ability to contribute positively to the decision making process of the
Company; |
· |
Commitment
to understand the Company and its industry and to regularly attend and
participate in meetings of the Board and its
committees; |
· |
Interest
and ability to understand the sometimes conflicting interests of the
various constituencies of the Company, which include stockholders,
employees, customers, governmental units, creditors, and general
public; |
· |
Ability
to act in the interest of all stakeholders; |
· |
Shall
not have, or appear to have, a conflict of interest that would impair the
nominee’s ability to represent the interests of all Company’s stockholders
and to fulfill the responsibilities of a
director; |
· |
Understanding
the complexity of diverse international business
structures |
It is the
Board of Directors’ view, considering the size of the Company and the
composition of the Board of Directors, which is comprised of five directors,
three of whom are independent, that the Board of Directors can select nominees
to the Board meeting these criteria without a separate nominating
committee.
Stockholder
Communication
Stockholders
or other interested parties may communicate with the Company’s Board of
Directors, any individual director, or members of any board committee.
Stockholders should send any communications to investor@cnty.com, and identify
the intended recipient or recipients. All communications addressed to the board
of directors or any identified director or directors will be forwarded to the
identified person or persons.
In order
to nominate candidates for election to the Company’s board, nominations must be
timely received from a stockholder of record at the Company’s principal
executive office, and must set forth the name, age, business address and
residence address of each nominee, the nominees’ principal occupations or
employment, the number of shares of the Company’s common stock owned by each
nominee, and information required to be disclosed regarding each nominee by
applicable laws. The nomination must also state the name and address of the
stockholder making such nominations, and the number of shares of the Company’s
stock owned by such person.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The table
below sets forth executive compensation during 2004, 2003 and 2002 to the
Company’s Co-Chief Executive Officers and to each other executive officer who
received greater than $100,000 in compensation in 2004.
|
|
|
|
|
Awards |
Payouts |
|
Name
& Principal
Position |
Year |
Salary
(a)
($) |
Bonus
(b)
($) |
Other
Annua/ Compensation
($) |
Restricted
Stock Awards
($) |
Securities
Underlying Options/
SARs
(#) |
LTIP
Payouts
($) |
All
Other Compensation
(c)
($) |
Erwin
Haitzmann |
2004 |
199,703 |
341,690 |
|
|
628,105 |
|
|
Chairman
of the Board |
2003 |
180,737 |
262,390 |
|
|
|
|
|
and
Co-Chief Executive Officer |
2002 |
178,605 |
247,763 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
Hoetzinger |
2004 |
199,703 |
341,690 |
|
|
628,105 |
|
|
Vice-Chairman
of the Board, |
2003 |
191,357 |
251,800 |
|
|
|
|
|
Co-Chief
Executive Officer |
2002 |
183,432 |
243,002 |
|
|
|
|
|
and
President |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Larry
Hannappel |
2004 |
80,507 |
80,000 |
|
|
27,500 |
|
1,200 |
Senior
Vice-President |
2003 |
80,507 |
60,000 |
|
|
|
|
1,200 |
Secretary
& Treasurer |
2002 |
80,507 |
60,000 |
|
|
|
|
1,200 |
(a) |
Salary
for 2004 includes $120,000 paid to Flyfish Casino Consulting AG for the
benefit of Mr. Haitzmann’s Family Foundation and $120,000 paid to Focus
Casino Consulting AG for the benefit of Mr. Hoetzinger’s Family
Foundation, pursuant to separate management agreements with the Company.
See “Executive Employment Agreements. |
(b) |
Mr.
Haitzmann’s bonus for 2004 was paid to Flyfish Casino Consulting AG for
the benefit of Mr. Haitzmann’s Family Foundation. Mr. Hoetzinger’s bonus
for 2004 was paid to Focus Casino Consulting AG for the benefit of Mr.
Hoetzinger’s Family Foundation. |
(c) |
Consists
solely of matching contributions made by the Company to the 401(k) Savings
and Retirement Plan. |
STOCK
OPTION GRANTS IN LAST FISCAL YEAR
Name |
Number
of Shares Underlying Options Granted |
Percent
of Total Options Granted to Employees During Fiscal Year |
Exercise
of Base Price ($/Sh) |
Expiration
Date |
Potentially
Realizable Value At Assumed Annual Rates of Stock Price Appreciation for
Option Term(a) |
5% |
10% |
Erwin
Haitzmann |
628,105 |
48.9% |
$2.93 |
3/4/2014 |
$1,157,385 |
$2,933,040 |
Peter
Hoetzinger |
628,105 |
48.9% |
$2.93 |
3/4/2014 |
$1,157,385 |
$2,933,040 |
Larry
Hannappel |
27,500 |
2.1% |
$2.93 |
3/4/2009 |
$22,261 |
$49,192 |
(a) |
As
required by Securities and Exchange Commission rules, the dollar amounts
in the last two columns represent the hypothetical gain or “option spread”
that would exist for the options based on assumed 5% and 10% annual
compounded rates of appreciation in the price of our common stock over the
full term of the option. These prescribed rates are not intended to
forecast possible future appreciation, if any, of our common
stock. |
AGGREGATED
OPTIONS EXERCISED IN LAST FISCAL YEAR AND FISCAL YEAR-END OPTION
VALUES
The
following table sets forth the aggregate options held by certain executive
officers of the Company. No options were exercised by the specified officers in
2004.
Name
|
Shares
Acquired on Exercise
|
Value
Realized
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Options at December 31, 2004 Exercisable/
Unexercisable |
Value
of Unexercised In-the-Money Options at December 31, 2004 Exercisable/
Unexercisable |
Erwin
Haitzmann |
- |
- |
1,300,000
/ 628,105
(a) |
$10,181,500
/ 3,894,251
(c) |
Peter
Hoetzinger |
- |
- |
793,000
/ 628,105
(b) |
$6,238,090
/ 3,894,251
(c) |
Larry
Hannappel |
- |
- |
37,500
/ 27,500 |
$289,875
/ 170,500
(c) |
(a) |
All
options are held by The Haitzmann Family Foundation. (See Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions.) |
(b) |
All
options are held by The Hoetzinger Family Foundation. (See Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions.) |
(c) |
Based
on the closing bid price ($9.13) of the Company’s Common Stock on the
NASDAQ Stock Market on December 31, 2004. |
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Directors
who are full-time employees receive no compensation for their services as
directors. Messrs.
Eichberg and Schellmann and Dr. Corbaci, the outside directors of the Company,
are being compensated for their services as follows:
(a) |
Stock
Option Grants -
In January 2004, Messrs. Eichberg and Schellmann and Dr. Corbaci each were
granted an option to purchase 20,000 shares of the Company’s stock, which
have a four-year term and are exercisable at a price of
$3.26. |
(b) |
Compensation,
Reimbursement -
Each outside director receives $1,000 per board or committee meeting (and
per gaming application completed). In addition, effective January 1, 2005,
Mr. Eichberg shall receive fixed compensation of $10,000 per year, to
cover his increased work as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Ms. Corbaci
and Mr. Schellmann shall each receive fixed compensation of $3,000 per
year, for their increased work as members of the Audit Committee, the
Compensation Committee and the Incentive Plan
Committee. |
(c) |
Amounts
paid in 2004: |
|
Mr.
Eichberg |
$7,000 |
|
|
Ms.
Corbaci |
$9,000 |
|
|
Mr.
Schellmann |
$8,000 |
|
EXECUTIVE
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS
On
October 12, 2001, the Company entered into separate Employment Agreements with
Mr. Haitzmann and Mr. Hoetzinger. The agreements were amended February 18, 2003
to extend the dates of employment to December 31, 2008 and to specify the duties
of Messrs. Haitzmann and Hoetzinger. Additionally, the agreements were amended
February 3, 2005 to reassign the employment agreements to a wholly owned foreign
subsidiary of the Company and to include changes to the employees’ salary and
termination clauses.
As
compensation for the services rendered by the employees for the Company, the
employees shall be paid not less than € 70,000 (Euro seventy thousand)
(approximately $91,441 U.S. dollars) in base salary, plus annual increases and
bonuses, and such other incentives, benefits, insurance policies and
compensation as may have been and may be awarded to them from time to time by
the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee
is required to review the salaries on an annual basis. The Company shall
continue to either provide the employees with, or shall reimburse them for, all
reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties
as executives for the Company, in substantially at least the same form and
fashion as it has done during the twelve (12) months preceding the date of the
agreements.
The
employees are also each entitled to use of a car provided to them and paid for
by the Company for business and private purposes. The agreements provide that in
the event of termination “without cause” by the Company, that they shall be paid
their base salary then in effect (including bonuses, if any) for a period of
three (3) years from the date on which the employee receives written notice of
termination regardless of whether the term of the employee agreement ends prior
to such time. They must continue to make themselves available to, and shall
cooperate with the Company, as may be reasonably required to assist the Company
during a six-month transition period following termination of the agreement
without cause.
In
addition to the employment agreements, as amended, that the Company has with Mr.
Haitzmann and Mr. Hoetzinger, the Company is party to separate management
agreements with Flyfish Casino Consulting AG, a Swiss corporation, to secure the
services of Mr. Haitzmann, and with Focus Casino Consulting AG, a Swiss
corporation, to secure the services of Mr. Hoetzinger, to provide executive
casino management services to the Company through December 31, 2005, and for
five (5) year renewable periods thereafter, unless sooner terminated by them or
by the Company.
The
management agreements provide for an annual base management fee of $120,000 each
for Mr. Haitzmann and Mr. Hoetzinger, plus such annual increases and bonuses,
and such other incentives, benefits and compensation as may be awarded to them,
respectively, by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the
Company. Payments
to each of these management companies are included in the Executive Compensation
Table.
Each of
the management fees will be reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee. The
management agreements further provide for termination payments to be made for a
period of six (6) months if the management agreement is terminated by the
Company without cause, or for a payment of three times the management company’s
annual fee and average bonus if the termination occurs (a) after a Change of
Control of the Company, or (b) by the management company, for
cause.
The
Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Larry Hannappel effective
January 1, 2005, pursuant to which the Company will pay to Mr. Hannappel a
yearly salary of $120,000. Mr. Hannappel shall be eligible to receive a yearly
bonus of up to $56,000, based upon satisfactorily reaching various budget,
financial and other criteria that are established for each calendar year plus
benefits as defined until terminated. The bonus amount can be reviewed by the
Company annually, and the Compensation Committee is required to review Mr.
Hannappel’s salary on an annual basis.
The
Company shall continue to either provide Mr. Hannappel with, or shall reimburse
the employee for, all reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the
performance of his duties as an executive for the Company. The Company may
terminate Mr. Hannappel’s employment at any time, without cause.
If the
Company terminates his employment without cause, he will receive all earned base
salary through the last day of his employment, plus a severance amount equal to
six months of his base salary and a payment equal to 50% of the bonus received
for the year preceding his termination and his medical/hospitalization insurance
will be continued for a period of six months. A noncompete and nonsolicitation
period will end six months after the last day of employment. If Mr. Hannappel is
terminated for cause, he will receive his base salary only through the last day
of his employment. The noncompete and nonsolicitation period will end on the
first anniversary of the last day of his employment. If he is terminated within
three years from a Change of Control, the Company will pay him a severance
amount equal to twelve months of his base salary, he will receive a payment
equal to the bonus received for the year preceding his termination, and all
stock options granted to him under the company’s Equity Incentive Plan will vest
immediately.
The
Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Richard S. Rabin on July
19, 2004, pursuant to which the Company will pay to Mr. Rabin a yearly salary of
$150,000. In the event the Company’s proposed Edmonton property becomes
operational, Mr. Rabin’s salary shall be increased by the amount of $7,500 per
year. Also, in the event the proposed Central City property becomes operational,
Mr. Rabin’s annual salary shall be increased by $7,500 per year. Mr. Rabin shall
also be eligible to receive a bonus, based upon satisfactorily reaching various
budget and financial criteria that are established for each calendar year. For
2005, any bonus shall be based on the performance of Womacks and on the on-time
and on-budget delivery of the proposed properties in Edmonton and Central City.
For subsequent years, the employee’s bonus shall be based on such criteria as
the employer establishes.
The
Company also agreed to pay Mr. Rabin’s moving expenses, up to a maximum of
$27,500. The Company will reimburse all reasonable expenses incurred by Mr.
Rabin on behalf of the Company in connection with Mr. Rabin’s performance of
duties under the agreement.
Within
thirty (30) days after a new Equity Incentive Plan has been approved by the
Company’s stockholders, Mr. Rabin shall be granted 25,000 options, and 10% of
this number shall vest at the time of such grant, with 20% of this number
vesting one year later, 30% one year after that and 40% in the year subsequent
to that, subject to the approval of the relevant Committees of the Company’s
Board of Directors. In the event that there is not a new Employee Equity
Incentive Plan in 2005, Mr. Rabin shall be entitled to receive a cash payment
calculated as the in-the-money-value that the 25,000 options, when vested, would
have had if they had been granted. Further, Mr. Rabin shall receive another
25,000 options on the date of the first contract extension, provided that the
contract will have been extended by both parties. The strike price and vesting
of these options will be in accordance with the Equity Incentive Plan and
subject to the Incentive Plan Committee’s discretion. The term of the agreement
is two years unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of the
agreement. Furthermore, the agreement may be extended for periods of six (6)
months.
The
Company may terminate Mr. Rabin’s employment at any time, without cause. If the
Company terminates his employment without cause, he will continue to receive his
base salary for the remaining term of the agreement unless he secures other
employment, he will receive a payment equal to 50% of the bonus received for the
year preceding his termination, and his medical/hospitalization insurance will
be continued for the remaining term of the agreement. A noncompete and
nonsolicitation period will end six months after the last day of employment. If
Mr. Rabin is terminated for cause, he will receive his base salary only through
the last day of his employment, and the noncompete and nonsolicitation period
will end on the first anniversary of the last day of his
employment.
COMPLIANCE
WITH SECTION 16(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires the Company’s directors
and executive officers, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of its
outstanding common stock, to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”) initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of
common stock and other equity securities of the Company. SEC rules also require
the Company’s directors, officers and greater than 10% stockholders to furnish
the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file.
To the
Company’s knowledge (based solely on review of the copies of such reports
furnished to the Company and representations that no other reports were
required, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004), all Section 16(a)
filing requirements applicable to its officers, directors and greater than 10%
stockholders were complied with in a timely manner.
STOCK
PRICE PERFORMANCE
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
The
Company had an unsecured note payable that matured and was paid on April 1,
2004, in the principal amount of $380,000, to Thomas Graf, a founding
stockholder of the Company. The unsecured note bore interest at 6%, payable
quarterly.
Both Mr.
Haitzmann and Mr. Hoetzinger are Austrian citizens, and have established
Austrian trusts (The Haitzmann Family Foundation and The Hoetzinger Family
Foundation, respectively) to hold a certain portion of their interests in the
Company. (See Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
Management)
On July
14, 2004 Mr. Haitzmann and Mr. Hoetzinger exchanged their 3.5% minority interest
in Century Casinos Africa (CCA) for a 3.5% minority interest in Century Resorts
Ltd (CRL) (formerly Century Resorts International) of equal value. As of
December 31, 2004, each along with their respective Family Foundations own 1,087
shares of CRL, approximately 1.8% of the outstanding shares of common stock, or
approximately 3.5% combined. We own the other 96.5% of CRL. CRL owns 100% of CCA
and its subsidiaries.
REPORT
OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ON
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
This
committee report is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with
the Commission or subject to the Commission’s proxy rules or to the liabilities
of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and this committee report shall not be deemed
to be incorporated by reference into any prior or subsequent filing by the
Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or
the Exchange Act.
The
Compensation Committee has responsibility to: (i) develop guidelines and review
the compensation and performance of executive officers of the Company, review
and approve corporate goals relevant to the compensation of executive officers
in light of Company goals and objectives, set the Chief Executive Officer’s and
other executive officers’ compensation based on this evaluation, and produce an
annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in the Company’s proxy
statement, in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations; (ii) make
recommendations to the Equity Incentive Plan Committee with respect to
incentive-compensation plans and equity-based plans; (iii) develop plans for
management succession of the Company; (iv) review major organizational and
staffing matters (v) review director compensation levels and practices, and
recommend, from time to time changes in such compensation levels and practices
to the Board; (vi) annually review and reassess the adequacy of this Charter and
recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval; (vii) annually review
the Committee’s own performance; and (viii) perform any other activities
consistent with this Charter, the Company’s Bylaws and applicable laws, rules
and regulations the Committee or the Board deem appropriate.
Executive
Officer Compensation Policies
The
Committee's executive compensation policies are designed to provide competitive
levels of compensation that integrate pay with Century’s performance, recognize
individual initiative and achievements, and assist the Company in attracting and
retaining qualified executives.
The
Committee relies in large part on independent compensation studies for the
determination of competitive compensation.
A
Compensation review, prepared by HVS Executive Search, a firm that specializes
in the gaming and hospitality industry, dated October 29, 2004, was utilized to
assist in the determination of executive compensation.
In
general, Century compensates its executive officers through a combination of
base salary, annual incentive compensation in the form of cash bonuses, and
long-term incentive compensation in the form of stock options.
Compensation
for Mssrs. Haitzmann and Hoetzinger is paid in part to them personally in
accordance with an employment agreement and in part to each of their respective
management companies, Flyfish Casino Consulting AG and Focus Casino Consulting
AG in accordance with a management agreement. In addition, executive officers
may participate in benefit plans, including medical, dental and 401(k), that are
available generally to Century’s employees. As a matter of principle, Mssrs.
Haitzmann and Hoetzinger have elected to forfeit potential personal advantages
of participating in the company’s 401(k) in favor of the company.
Base
Salary
In order
to implement these objectives, Century has developed a straightforward
compensation approach. Base salary levels for Century’s executive officers are
set generally significantly below, slightly below or at the market level in
relation to the salary levels of executive officers in other companies within
the gaming industry, taking into consideration the company’s as well as the
position's complexity, responsibility and need for special expertise. In
reviewing salaries in individual cases the Compensation Committee also takes
into account individual experience, performance and personal commitment. In
establishing the salary levels against the range of comparable companies, the
Compensation Committee considers salaries and bonuses in determining the
competitiveness of the total compensation package. Historically, the base
salaries of the Chief Executive Officers, i.e. Mssrs. Haitzmann and Hoetzinger,
have been significantly below the market level. The salaries of other executive
officers were either at or slightly below the market level.
Annual
Incentive Compensation
The
Compensation Committee reviews and approves all bonus payments made to Century’s
executive officers. Payment of bonuses is determined by both corporate and
individual performance criteria. In 2004 the bonuses for executive officers were
based mainly on a year over year increase in net income of 46%; a year over year
increase in the price of Century’s common stock of 171%; and on the successful
detection, retention and development of meaningful and significant growth
opportunities. These successes were used as well as the review prepared by HVS
Executive Search to arrive at total cash compensation in line with industry
standards.
Long-term
Incentive Compensation
Century
has provided long-term incentive compensation through its stock option plan,
which expired in March 2004. The exercise price of each option grant is equal to
the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. The
number of shares covered by any grant is generally determined by the position,
the executive officer's salary at the time of grant, amounts granted in previous
years, and the then current stock price. In special cases, however, grants may
be made to reflect increased responsibilities or reward extraordinary
performance. In 2004, stock option grants were made to certain executive
officers under the old stock option plan, as outlined elsewhere in this
document. The Committee decides on at least an annual basis whether or not to
issue option grants to the executive officers.
Certain
Tax Considerations
During
1995 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Code") was amended to include a
provision that denies a deduction to any publicly held corporation for
compensation paid to any "covered employee" (defined as the Chief Executive
Officer and the corporation's other four most highly compensated officers as of
the end of a taxable year) to the extent that the compensation exceeds $1
million in any taxable year of the corporation beginning after 1993.
Compensation
payable pursuant to written binding agreements entered into before February 18,
1993, and compensation that constitutes "performance-based compensation" is
excludable in applying the $1 million limit. No "covered employees" were paid
compensation exceeding $1 million and, as a result, all compensation to "covered
employees" is fully tax-deductible.
Compensation
Committee:
Dinah
Corbaci
Gottfried
Schellmann
PROPOSAL
1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
The Board
is divided into three classes of directors as nearly equal in number as
possible. Presently, the Board consists of five directors comprising the
following: (i) two Class I directors, Mr. Eichberg and Dr. Dinah Corbaci, whose
term expire at the 2007 Annual Meeting; (ii) one Class II director, Mr.
Hoetzinger, who is standing for re-election at the 2005 Annual Meeting; and
(iii) two Class III directors, Messrs. Haitzmann and Schellmann, whose terms
will expire at the 2006 Annual Meeting. Each director who is elected at an
Annual Meeting will be elected for a three-year term expiring at the third
Annual Meeting of Stockholders after such director’s election. Accordingly,
directors of one Class only are elected at each year’s Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. If elected, all nominees are expected to serve until the
expiration of their respective terms and until their successors are duly elected
and qualified.
At the
2005 Annual Meeting, one Class II director will be elected. The proxies named on
the enclosed proxy intend to vote for the election of the nominee for Class II
director, Peter Hoetzinger. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of
directors than the number nominated.
Peter
Hoetzinger, a nominee for a Class II director, is presently a member of the
Board of Directors, having served continuously as a director since March 1994.
He has indicated a willingness to serve; however, in the event he should become
unable to serve as a director, the proxy will be voted in accordance with the
best judgment of the persons acting under the proxy.
The
information concerning Mr. Hoetzinger, the nominee for the Class II director, is
set forth above under “Information Concerning Directors and Executive
Officers.”
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR
THE ABOVE NOMINEE
PROPOSAL
2
APPROVAL
OF 2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
The Board
of Directors of the Company intends to adopt, prior to the Meeting, a new equity
incentive plan called the Century Casinos, Inc. 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, or
“2005 Plan.” The Board’s adoption of the 2005 Plan will be subject to
stockholder approval at the Meeting. A copy of
the proposed 20005 Plan is attached as Appendix A.
The 2005
Plan is intended to provide a plan under which the Company may grant options,
shares of restricted stock or other types of equity-based compensation. The 2005
Plan is also intended to provide the Company with the ability to offer equity
compensation to its non-employee directors.
The
Company’s Board of Directors believes that the Company must offer a competitive
equity incentive program if it is to continue to successfully attract and retain
the best possible candidates for positions of responsibility. The Company
expects that the 2005 Plan will be an important factor in attracting, retaining
and rewarding the high caliber employees, consultants and directors essential to
the Company’s success, and in motivating these individuals to strive to enhance
the Company’s growth and profitability. The 2005 Plan is intended to ensure that
the Company will have available an equity incentive program with a reasonable
number of shares to meet these goals.
The
Company’s directors, officers, employees and consultants and prospective
directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company, as well as those
of the Company’s affiliates, are eligible to participate in the 2005 Plan. As of
April 30, 2005 there were approximately 650 persons eligible to participate in
the 2005 Plan, assuming it would have been effective on that date.
The
following summary of the 2005 Plan is qualified in its entirety by the specific
language of the 2005 Plan, a copy of which is included as Appendix A to this
proxy statement.
Administration
The 2005
Plan will be administered by the Company’s Board of Directors, or by one or more
committees to whom the Board has delegated authority to administer the Plan,
provided that any committee that grants awards to officers of the Company must
be composed solely of two or more independent directors.
The
administrator, whether the Board or a committee of the Board, will have
authority to grant awards under the 2005 Plan to eligible participants, and to
determine the time or times at which awards will be granted, the number of
shares subject to awards to be granted to any eligible individual, the life of
any award, and any other terms and conditions of the grant in addition to those
contained in the 2005 Plan. Each grant under the 2005 Plan will be confirmed by
and subject to the terms of an award agreement.
Authorized
Shares
The
maximum number of shares of common stock that may be delivered to participants
and their beneficiaries under the 2005 Plan will be 2,000,000, any of which may
be issued pursuant to stock options intended to qualify as incentive stock
options, or “ISOs,” under the Internal Revenue Code, or “the Code.” No
participant may receive awards for any calendar year covering in excess of
200,000 shares.
Shares
that may be issued under the plan may be authorized but unissued shares or
shares re-acquired and held in treasury. Any shares subject to an award that
expires or for any reason is terminated unexercised, and any shares of stock
withheld for the payment of taxes or received by the Company as payment of the
exercise price of an option or otherwise as contemplated by the 2005 Plan, will
automatically become available for use under the Plan. If an award entitles the
holder to receive or purchase shares, the number of shares covered by the award
will be counted on the date of grant of the award against the aggregate number
of shares available for granting awards under the plan.
Stock
Options
The
administrator may grant stock options, which may be non-qualified stock options
or ISOs, to eligible individuals. Any ISO authorized under the plan may contain
such provisions as the administrator deems advisable, but must contain all
provisions required in order to qualify the stock option as an ISO. The exercise
price per share purchasable under a stock option will be determined by the
administrator, but the exercise price will not be less than the fair market
value of a share on the date of grant. The term of each stock option will be
fixed by the administrator at the time of grant, but in no event may the term of
an ISO be more than 10 years from the date of grant. The administrator will
determine the time or times at which a stock option may be exercised in whole or
in part and the method or methods by which, and the form or forms in which,
payment of the exercise price may be made or deemed to have been made.
If
approved by the administrator, payment of the exercise price may be made in the
form of shares of unrestricted common stock held for more than six months by the
participant exercising such stock option; provided, however, that in the case of
ISOs the right to make payment in the form of previously owned shares of common
stock may only be authorized at the time the stock option is granted. In the
event of termination of employment of a participant holding one or more stock
options, unless otherwise determined by the administrator, such stock options
will terminate (i) in the event of termination as a result of the participant’s
death, retirement or disability, following a period of one year from the date
the participant’s employment with the Company terminates, or in accordance with
the original terms of the option, whichever is shorter; (ii) in the event of
termination of the participant’s employment for cause, upon such termination;
(iii) in the event of any other termination of the participant’s employment, for
a period of three months from such termination of employment.
Restricted
Stock
Shares of
restricted stock will be subject to restrictions imposed by the administrator,
which may lapse separately, or in combination and in installments or otherwise
as the administrator may deem appropriate. The grant or vesting of restricted
stock may be performance-based or time-based or both.
Restricted
stock grants may be “qualified performance-based awards,” in which the grant or
vesting of such restricted stock will be conditioned upon the attainment of
performance goals, which may be based upon: specified levels of the Company’s
stock price, market share, operating revenue, earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization, earnings per share, costs, earnings from
operations, marketing-spending efficiency, return on operating assets, return on
assets, core non-interest income and/or levels of cost savings. These goals may
be established on a Company-wide basis or with respect to one or more business
units, divisions or subsidiaries and can be on an absolute or relative basis. A
“qualified performance-based award” is a grant of restricted stock designated as
such by the administrator at the time of grant based upon a determination that
(A) the recipient is or may be a “covered employee” within the meaning of
Section 162(m)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the year in which the Company
would expect to be able to claim a tax deduction with respect to such restricted
stock awards and (B) the administrator wishes such grant to qualify for the
exemption from the limitation on deductibility of compensation with respect to
any covered employee imposed by Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The
administrator will specify the performance goals to which any “qualified
performance-based award” will be subject. The provisions of restricted stock
including any applicable performance goals need not be the same with respect to
each participant.
Other
than restrictions on transfer and any other restrictions the administrator may
impose, a participant receiving a restricted stock award will have all the
rights of a holder of stock holding shares of common stock, including the right
to vote the shares and the right to receive any cash dividends.
Except as
otherwise determined by the administrator, upon a participant’s termination of
employment (as determined under criteria established by the administrator)
during the restriction period, all shares of restricted stock subject to
restriction will be forfeited and reacquired by the Company, except that the
administrator may waive in whole or in part any or all remaining restrictions
with respect to shares of restricted stock.
Performance
Units
The
administrator may also grant performance units to eligible individuals. A
performance unit (A) may be denominated or payable in cash, shares of common
stock, other securities, other awards or other property and (B) will provide the
holder with the right to receive payments, in whole or in part, upon the
achievement of performance goals as the administrator establishes. Subject to
the terms of the plan, the performance goals to be achieved during any
performance period, the length of any performance period, the amount of any
performance award granted, the amount of any payment or transfer to be made
pursuant to any performance award and any other terms and conditions of any
performance award will be determined by the administrator.
The
administrator may, prior to or at the time of the grant, designate performance
awards as “qualified performance-based awards,” in which event it will condition
the settlement of the awards upon the attainment of performance
goals.
Other
Stock-Based Awards
Other
awards of common stock and other awards that are valued by reference to, or
otherwise based upon common stock, including without limitation dividend
equivalents and convertible debentures, may also be granted under the 2005 Plan,
either alone or in conjunction with other awards.
Transferability
of Awards
Awards
are nontransferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
However, in the discretion of the administrator, nonqualified stock options may
be transferred to members of the holder’s immediate family. The transfer may be
made directly or indirectly or by means of a trust, partnership or otherwise.
Stock options may be exercised only by the initial holder, any such permitted
transferee or a guardian, legal representative or beneficiary.
Change
of Control
Upon a
change of control, as defined in the 2005 Plan, the vesting of all outstanding
awards held by participants who have not suffered a termination of employment
shall automatically be accelerated, notwithstanding any exercise dates or
vesting provisions stated in any award agreement.
Amendments
and Termination
The
Company’s Board of Directors may at any time amend, alter or terminate the 2005
Plan, but no amendment may be made without the approval of the Company’s
stockholders to the extent such approval is required to enable the 2005 to
satisfy any applicable statutory or regulatory requirements or if the Company
determines on the advice of counsel that stockholder approval is otherwise
necessary or desirable.
Term
of the Plan
Unless
earlier terminated by the Company’s Board of Directors, the 2005 Plan will
terminate on June 17, 2015.
Summary
of Federal Income Tax Consequences
The 2005
Plan is designed to preserve the Company’s ability to deduct in full for federal
income tax purposes the compensation recognized by the Company’s executive
officers in connection with certain awards granted under the 2005 Plan. Section
162(m) of the Code generally denies a corporate tax deduction for annual
compensation exceeding $1 million paid to the chief executive officer or to any
of the four other most highly compensated officers of a publicly held company.
However, certain types of compensation, including performance-based
compensation, are generally excluded from this deductibility limit. To enable
compensation in connection with stock options, certain restricted stock grants,
performance shares and performance units awarded under the 2005 Plan to qualify
as “performance-based” within the meaning of Section 162(m), the 2005 Plan
limits the sizes of such awards as described above. While the Company believes
that for federal income tax purposes it will generally be able to deduct the
compensation expense related to awards under the 2005 Plan, under certain
circumstances, such as a change of control of the Company, compensation paid in
settlement of performance share and performance unit awards may not qualify as
“performance-based.” By approving the 2005 Plan, the stockholders will be
approving, among other things, eligibility requirements for participation in the
2005 Plan, financial performance measures upon which specific performance goals
applicable to certain awards would be based, limits on the numbers of shares or
compensation that could be made subject to certain awards, and the other
material terms of the awards described above.
Stock
Options
The tax
consequences of options granted under the plan are complex and depend, in large
part, on the surrounding facts and circumstances. This section provides a brief
summary of certain significant federal income tax consequences of the plan,
under existing U.S. law. This summary is not a complete statement of applicable
law and is based upon the Code, as well as administrative and judicial
interpretations of the Code as in effect on the date of this description. If
federal tax laws, or interpretations of such laws, change in the future, the
information provided here may no longer be accurate. This section does not
consider state, local, or foreign tax consequences nor does it discuss the
effect of gift, estate, or inheritance taxes.
No later
than the date as of which an amount first becomes includible in the gross income
of a participant for federal income tax purposes with respect to any award under
the 2005 Plan, the participant must pay the Company, or make arrangements
satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any federal, state, local
or foreign taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to such
amount.
The
Company’s obligations under the 2005 Plan are conditional on such payment or
arrangements, and the Company will, to the extent permitted by law, be entitled
to take such action and establish such procedures as the administrator deems
appropriate to withhold or collect all applicable payroll, withholding, income
or other taxes from a participant.
A
participant will not recognize any taxable income and the Company will not be
entitled to a deduction when a non-qualified option is granted. When a
non-qualified option is exercised, the excess of the fair market value of the
shares acquired on the exercise of the option over the exercise price will be
taxable to a participant as ordinary income and the Company will generally be
entitled to a deduction in an amount equal to the compensation taxable to the
participant, subject to certain limitations.
When a
participant sells his or her shares of stock, the participant generally will
have a capital gain (or loss), depending on the difference between the sale
price and the fair market value of the stock on the date the participant
exercised his or her option. The capital gain (or loss) is considered “long
term” or “short term” depending on how long the participant has held such stock.
A
participant will not recognize taxable income on the grant or exercise of an
ISO. However, the excess of the fair market value of the shares acquired on the
exercise of the option over the exercise price will be includible in alternative
minimum taxable income, and, thereby, may subject the participant to the
alternative minimum tax.
Upon the
disposition of shares of stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO,
after the later of (A) two years from the date of grant of the ISO or (B) one
year after the transfer of the shares to the participant (the “ISO Holding
Period”), the participant will recognize long-term capital gain or loss, as the
case may be, measured by the difference between the stock’s selling price and
the exercise price. The Company is not entitled to any tax deduction by reason
of the grant or exercise of an ISO, or by reason of a disposition of stock
received upon exercise of an ISO if the ISO Holding Period is satisfied.
Different rules apply if a participant disposes of the shares of stock acquired
pursuant to the exercise of an ISO before the expiration of the ISO Holding
Period.
Restricted
Stock
Unless
the participant files an election to be taxed under Section 83(b) of the Code,
(A) the participant will not realize income upon the grant of restricted stock,
(B) the participant will realize ordinary income and the Company will be
entitled to a corresponding deduction when the restrictions have been removed or
expire, and (C) the amount of such ordinary income and deduction will be the
fair market value of the restricted stock on the date the restrictions are
removed or expire.
If the
recipient files an election to be taxed under Section 83(b) of the Code, the tax
consequences to the participant and the Company will be determined as of the
date of the grant of the restricted stock rather than as of the date of the
removal or expiration of the restrictions.
When the
participant disposes of restricted stock, the difference between the amount
received upon such disposition and the fair market value of such shares on the
date the recipient realizes ordinary income will be treated as a capital gain or
loss.
Performance
Units
Participants
generally will recognize no income upon the grant of performance units. Upon the
settlement of such awards, participants normally will recognize ordinary income
in the year of receipt in an amount equal to the cash received and the fair
market value of any shares received. If the participant is an employee, such
ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment
taxes.
Upon the
sale of any shares received, any gain or loss, based on the difference between
the sale price and the amount taken into income at the time the shares were
received, will be taxed as capital gain or loss. We generally should be entitled
to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the
participant on the determination date, except to the extent such deduction is
limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
Award
Information
In the
event the 2005 Plan is approved at the Meeting, Mr. Rabin, the Company’s Chief
Operating Officer - North America, will be granted 25,000 stock options, subject
to the approval of the administrator. It is not possible at this time to
determine any future awards that may be made pursuant to the 2005 Plan, although
the Company expects the administrator to consider making awards during 2005.
Equity
Compensation Plans
The
following table provides the information as of December 31, 2004 relating to
securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans.
Plan
category |
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants
and rights
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding securities underlying outstanding options,
warrants and rights) |
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders |
3,464,210 |
$1.92 |
- |
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders |
- |
- |
- |
Total |
3,464,210 |
$1.92 |
- |
We had an
Employees’ Equity Incentive Plan (the Plan) that provided for the grant of
awards to eligible employees in the form of stock, restricted stock, stock
options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares or performance units, all
as defined in the Plan. The Plan expired in April 2004. The Plan provided for
the issuance of up to 4,500,000 shares of common stock to eligible employees
through the various forms of awards permitted. Only incentive stock option
awards, for which the option price was not less than fair market value at the
date of grant, or non-statutory options, which were granted at any option price,
could have been granted under the Plan.
All
options had to have an exercise period not to exceed ten years. Options granted
have one-year, two-year or four-year vesting periods. The Company’s Incentive
Plan Committee has the power and discretion to, among other things, prescribe
the terms and conditions for the exercise of, or modification of, any
outstanding awards in the event of merger, acquisition or any other form of
acquisition other than a reorganization of the Company under United States
Bankruptcy Code or liquidation of the Company. The Plan also allowed limited
transferability of any non-statutory stock options to legal entities that are
100% - owned or controlled by the optionee or to the optionee’s family trust.
The Company last granted options to any officers in March 2004. As of December
31, 2004 there were 3,464,210 options outstanding under the Plan.
INDEPENDENT
ACCOUNTANTS
Grant
Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”) was the Company’s independent public accounting
firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. The Audit Committee and the
Board of Directors have selected Grant Thornton to be the Company’s independent
accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2005. A representative of
Grant Thornton is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting via telephone
and/or web cast to respond to appropriate questions, and will have an
opportunity to make a statement if the representative desires to do so.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of the Company’s
filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the following report of the Audit Committee shall not be incorporated by
reference into any such filings and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under
such acts.
In
accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, the Audit
Committee assists the Board of Directors with fulfilling its oversight
responsibility regarding the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing
and financial reporting practices of the Company.
The Audit
Committee annually selects the Company’s independent accountants and
auditors.
The Audit
Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements of the
Company for the year ended December 31, 2004, with the Company’s management. The
Committee discussed with Grant Thornton LLP, the Company’s independent auditors,
the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61
(Communication with Audit Committees), as amended by Statement on Auditing
Standards No. 90 (Audit Committee Communications), which included a discussion
of the quality and adequacy of the Company’s internal controls.
The
Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Grant
Thornton LLP, required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1
(Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and has discussed with Grant
Thornton, LLP, its independence.
Based
upon the review and discussions noted above, the Audit Committee recommended to
the Board of Directors that the Company’s audited financial statements be
included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2004, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April
15, 2005.
The Board
of Directors and the Audit Committee believe that the Audit Committee’s current
member composition (three independent directors) satisfies the applicable rules
and pronouncements of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and
the Securities and Exchange Commission, that govern audit committee selection,
experience, and composition, including the requirement that audit committee
members all be “independent directors” as that terms is defined by such
rules.
Audit
Committee:
Robert S.
Eichberg, Chairman
Gottfried
Schellmann
Dinah
Corbaci
PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The
following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed to the Company for the
years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, by Grant Thornton LLP:
Fee
Category |
Year Ended December 31, |
2004 |
2003 |
Audit
Fees (1) |
$316,925 |
$109,946 |
Audit
Related Fees (2) |
12,123 |
7,702 |
Tax
Fees (3) |
18,625 |
21,230 |
All
Other Fees (4) |
- |
- |
Total |
$347,673 |
$138,878 |
1) |
Audit
fees consist of fees incurred for professional services rendered for the
audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and for reviews
of the interim consolidated financial statements included in quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and consents for filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. |
2) |
Audit
related fees consist of assurance and related services that are reasonably
related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s
financial statements. This category includes fees relating to benefit plan
audits. |
3) |
Tax
fees consist of aggregate fees billed for professional services for tax
compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. |
4) |
All
Other fees include fees for other services. |
The
amounts shown above include out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Grant Thornton
LLP. Fees of $72,328 had been billed through December 31, 2004, and the
remaining $275,345 was billed subsequent to December 31, 2004.
The Audit
Committee of the board of directors concluded Grant Thornton's provision of the
services generating all other fees is compatible with maintaining Grant
Thornton's independence.
The Audit
Committee approves in advance any and all audit services, including audit
engagement fees and terms, and non-audit services provided to the Company by its
independent auditors (subject to the de minimis exception for non-audit services
contained in Section 10A (i)(1)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended), all as required by applicable law or listing standards.
The
independent auditors and the Company’s management are required to periodically
report to the Audit Committee the extent of services provided by the independent
auditors and the fees associated with these services.
On
January 27, 2005 the Company appointed Grant Thornton LLP as the principal
independent accountant for its subsidiary Century Casinos Africa (Proprietary)
Limited ("Century Africa"), replacing PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc., which was the
previous auditor for Century Africa. Grant Thornton LLP, which continues to be
the principal independent accountant for the Company, relied in past years on
the reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers regarding Century Africa, a significant
subsidiary of the Company. PricewaterhouseCoopers was dismissed on January 27,
2005. The decision to change accountants was approved by the Audit Committee of
the Company's Board of Directors and by the Board of Directors.
The reports of
PricewaterhouseCoopers on the financial statements for each of the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003 contained no adverse opinion or
disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty,
audit scope or accounting principles.
During
the Company's fiscal years ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003, and
through January 27, 2005, there were no disagreements with
PricewaterhouseCoopers on any matter of accounting principles or practices,
financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which
disagreement(s), if not resolved to the satisfaction of PricewaterhouseCoopers,
would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the
disagreement(s) in connection with its reports on the financial statements for
such years.
In a
letter to the directors of Century Africa dated October 28, 2004, in the meeting
of the Company’s Audit Committee for the third quarter of 2004, and by letter to
the Company's Chief Accounting Officer dated December 15, 2004,
PricewaterhouseCoopers reported the urgent necessity to fill the vacant position
of Century Africa's financial controller who departed on July 18, 2004 and of
the chief accountant who departed on October 22, 2004, in order to alleviate a
potential breakdown in internal controls and a deterioration in financial
reporting.
As of
December 15, 2004, the date of the more recent letter, PricewaterhouseCoopers
was unaware of staffing changes that had been completed by Century Africa. On
December 1, 2004 the Company hired a staff accountant and on December 8, 2004 it
hired an internal auditor. In addition, on December 1, 2004, the Registrant
hired a financial director who began employment on March 1, 2005.
The
financial director will be based out of the Company's regional headquarters in
Mauritius, but will have financial responsibility for all South African
operations. In the Company’s view, the oversight provided by local management,
the review completed by the Company's corporate accounting personnel in the
United States, and the replacement of accounting personnel, alleviated the
potential for a breakdown in internal controls and a deterioration of the
financial reporting for the South African segment.
In
connection with reporting the dismissal of PricewaterhouseCoopers on a Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February
2, 2005, the Company requested that PricewaterhouseCoopers furnish it with a
letter addressed to the SEC stating whether or not PricewaterhouseCoopers agreed
with the statements made in the Form 8-K. A copy of such letter, dated February
2, 2005, was filed as an Exhibit to the Form 8-K.
Appendix
A
CENTURY
CASINOS, INC.
2005
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
SECTION 1. |
Purpose;
Definitions |
The
purpose of the Plan is to give the Company a competitive advantage in
attracting, retaining and motivating officers, employees, directors and/or
consultants and to provide the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates with
a stock plan providing incentives that are directly linked to the profitability
of the Company’s businesses and increases in Company stockholder
value.
For
purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall have the respective meanings
indicated:
(a) Affiliate” means a
corporation or other entity controlled by, controlling or under common control
with the Company.
(b) “Award” means a
Stock Option, Restricted Stock, Performance Unit, or other stock-based award
granted pursuant to the terms of the Plan.
(c) “Award
Agreement” means any
written or electronic agreement, contract or other instrument or document
evidencing the grant of an Award, which may, but is not required to be, signed
by a Participant.
(d) “Award
Cycle” means a
period of consecutive fiscal years or portions thereof designated by the Plan
Administrator over which Performance Units are to be earned.
(e) “Board” means
the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “Cause” means,
unless otherwise provided by the Plan Administrator in an Award Agreement, (i)
“Cause” as defined in any Individual Agreement to which the Participant is a
party, or (ii) if there is no such Individual Agreement or if it does not define
Cause: (A) conviction of the Participant for committing a felony under federal
law or the law of the state in which such action occurred, (B) fraud or
dishonesty against the Company or in the course of fulfilling the Participant’s
employment duties, (C) willful and deliberate failure on the part of the
Participant to perform his or her employment or service-provider duties in any
material respect, (D) illegal drug use or alcohol abuse on Company premises or
at a Company sponsored event, (E) conduct by the Participant which in the good
faith and reasonable determination of the Plan Administrator demonstrates gross
unfitness to serve, (F) intentional, material violation by the Participant of
any contract between the employee and the Company or of any statutory duty of
the Participant to the Company, or (G) prior to a Change in Control, such other
events as shall be determined by the Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator
shall, unless otherwise provided in an Individual Agreement with the
Participant, have the sole discretion to determine whether “Cause” exists, and
its determination shall be final. The foregoing definition shall not in any way
preclude or restrict the right of the Company to discharge or dismiss the
Participant for any other acts or omissions, but such other acts or omissions
shall not be deemed, for purposes of the Plan, to constitute grounds for
termination for Cause. For purposes of the foregoing definition, the term
“Company” shall include Century Casinos, Inc. and any of its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates.
(g) “Change
in Control” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 10(b).
(h) “Code” means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and any
successor thereto.
(i) “Common
Stock” means
common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company.
(j) “Company” means
Century Casinos, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(k) “Covered
Employee” means a
Participant designated prior to the grant of Restricted Stock or Performance
Units by the Plan Administrator who is or may be a “covered employee” within the
meaning of Section 162(m)(3) of the Code in the year in which Restricted Stock
or Performance Units are expected to be taxable to such
Participant.
(l) “Disability” means,
unless otherwise provided by the Plan Administrator, (i) “Disability” as defined
in any Individual Agreement to which the Participant is a party, or (ii) if
there is no such Individual Agreement or it does not define “Disability,” (y)
the inability of the Participant to engage in any substantial gainful activity
by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can
be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous
period of not less than 12 months, or (z) the Participant is, by reason of any
medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to
result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less
than 12 months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less
than 3 months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the
participant's employer.
(m) “Effective
Date” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 15.
(n) “Eligible
Individuals”
mean
directors, officers, employees and consultants (including advisors) of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, and prospective employees and
consultants who have accepted offers of employment or consultancy from the
Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates; provided, however, that a
consultant shall not be eligible for the grant of an Award of a Stock Option or
Restricted Stock if, at the time of grant, a Form S-8 Registration Statement
under the Securities Act (“Form
S-8”) is not
available to register either the offer or the sale of the Company’s securities
to such consultant because of the nature of the services that the consultant is
providing to the Company, because the consultant is not a natural person, or
because of any other rule governing the use of Form S-8, unless the Company
determines both (i) that such grant (A) shall be registered in another manner
under the Securities Act (e.g., on a
Form S-3 Registration Statement) or (B) does not require registration under the
Securities Act in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act,
if applicable, and (ii) that such grant complies with the securities laws of all
other relevant jurisdictions.
(o) “Exchange
Act” means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, and any
successor thereto.
(p) “Fair
Market Value” means,
except as otherwise provided by the Plan Administrator, as of any given date,
the average of the highest and lowest per-share sales prices for a share of
Common Stock during normal business hours on the Nasdaq National Market or the
Nasdaq SmallCap Market, as appropriate (or such other national or other
securities market or exchange as may at the time be the principal market for the
Common Stock) or, in the absence of such markets, as determined in good faith by
the Board.
(q) “Incentive
Stock Option” means
any Stock Option designated as, and qualified as, an “incentive stock option”
within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(r) “Individual
Agreement” means
an employment, consulting or similar written agreement between a Participant and
the Company or one of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates.
(s) “NonQualified
Stock Option” means
any Stock Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.
(t) “Option
Price” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(d)(i).
(u) “Outside
Director” means a
director who qualifies as an “independent director” within the meaning of Nasdaq
Marketplace Rule 4200(a)(15), as an “outside director” within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Code, and as a “non-employee director” within the meaning
of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
(v) “Participant” shall
mean an Eligible Individual to whom an Award is or has been made in accordance
with and pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, and if permitted in accordance
with the terms and provisions of the Plan, such other person who holds
outstanding Award.
(w) “Performance
Goals” means
the performance goals established by the Plan Administrator in connection with
the grant of Restricted Stock or Performance Units. In the case of Qualified
Performance-Based Awards, (i) such goals shall be based on the attainment
of specified levels of one or more of the following measures with respect to the
Company or such subsidiary, division or department of the Company for or within
which the Participant performs services: specified levels of the Company’s stock
price, market share, operating revenue, earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization, earnings per share, costs, earnings from
operations, marketing-spending efficiency, return on operating assets, return on
assets, core non-interest income and/or levels of cost savings and (ii)
such Performance Goals shall be set by the Plan Administrator within the time
period prescribed by Section 162(m) of the Code and related regulations. Such
Performance Goals also may be based upon the attaining of specified levels of
Company performance under one or more of the measures described above relative
to the performance of other corporations.
(x) “Permitted
Transferee” means,
in the case of a Participant, (i) such Participant’s children or family members,
whether directly or indirectly or by means of a trust, foundation, partnership
or otherwise or (ii) any transferee of all or a portion of such Participant’s
Award pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order as defined in the Code or
Title 1 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. For
purposes of this Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator,
“family
member” shall
have the meaning given to such term in General Instructions A.1(a)(5) to Form
S-8 under the Securities Act, or any successor thereto.
(y) “Performance
Units” means
an Award granted under Section 7.
(z) “Plan” means
Century Casinos, Inc. 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, as set forth herein and as
hereinafter amended from time to time.
(aa) “Plan
Administrator” means
the Plan Administrator referred to in Section 2(a).
(bb) “Qualified
Performance-Based Award” means
an Award of Restricted Stock or Performance Units designated as such by the Plan
Administrator at the time of grant, based upon a determination that (i) the
recipient is or may be a “covered employee” within the meaning of Section
162(m)(3) of the Code in the year in which the Company would expect to be able
to claim a tax deduction with respect to such Restricted Stock or Performance
Units and (ii) the Plan Administrator wishes such Award to qualify for the
Section 162(m) Exemption.
(cc) “Restricted
Stock” means
an Award granted under Section 6.
(dd) “Retirement” means
retirement from active employment with the Company, a Subsidiary or Affiliate at
or after age 65.
(ee) “Rule
16b-3” means
Rule 16b-3, as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under
Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time.
(ff) “Section
162(m) Exemption” means
the exemption from the limitation on deductibility imposed by Section 162(m) of
the Code that is set forth in Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code.
(gg) “Securities
Act” means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(hh) “Stock
Option” means
an Award granted under Section 5.
(ii) “Subsidiary” means,
except as otherwise provided herein, any corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, joint venture or other entity during any period in which at
least a 25% voting or profits interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by the
Company or any successor to the Company.
(jj) “Termination
of Employment” means
the termination of the Participant’s employment with, or performance of services
for, the Company and any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates. A change in the
capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or a Subsidiary
or Affiliate as a director, officer, employee or consultant or a change in the
entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no
interruption or termination of the Participant’s service with the Company or a
Subsidiary or Affiliate, shall not constitute a Termination of Employment. For
example, a change in status from an employee of the Company to a consultant to a
Subsidiary or Affiliate shall not constitute a Termination of Employment. A
Participant employed by, or performing services for, a Subsidiary or an
Affiliate shall be deemed to incur a Termination of Employment if the Subsidiary
or Affiliate ceases to be such a Subsidiary or an Affiliate, as the case may be,
and the Participant does not immediately thereafter become an employee of, or
service-provider for, the Company or another Subsidiary or Affiliate. The Plan
Administrator or the chief executive officer of the Company, in that party’s
sole discretion, may determine whether a Termination of Employment shall be
considered to have occurred (and whether vesting in any outstanding Awards shall
continue or be suspended) in the case of any leave of absence approved by that
party, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal
leave.
SECTION 2. |
Administration |
(a) The Plan
shall be administered by (i) the Board or (ii) one or more committees of the
Board to whom the Board has delegated all or part of its authority under the
Plan (the “Plan
Administrator”). If
administration is delegated to a committee, the committee shall have, in
connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed
by the Board, including the power to delegate to a subcommittee any of the
administrative powers the committee is authorized to exercise (and references in
the Plan to the Plan Administrator shall thereafter be to the subcommittee),
subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of
the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. The Board may
abolish any committee at any time and revest in the Board the administration of
the Plan. Any committee under clause (ii) hereof which makes grants to
“officers” of the Company (as that term is defined in Rule 16a-1(f) promulgated
under the Exchange Act) or which makes Awards that are intended to be Qualified
Performance-Based Awards shall be composed solely of two or more Outside
Directors unless applicable laws, rules or regulations do not require such
composition. For purposes of the preceding provisions, if one or more members of
the committee is not an Outside Director, but recuses himself or herself or
abstains from voting with respect to a particular action taken by the committee,
then the committee, with respect to the action, will be deemed to consist only
of the members of the committee who have not recused themselves or abstained
from voting.
(b) The Plan
Administrator shall have plenary authority to grant Awards pursuant to the terms
of the Plan to Participants.
(c) Among
other things, the Plan Administrator shall have the authority, subject to the
terms of the Plan:
(i) To select
the Participants to whom Awards may from time to time be granted;
(ii) To
determine whether and to what extent any type of Award is to be granted
hereunder;
(iii) To
determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be covered by each Award
granted hereunder;
(iv) To
determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder (including,
but not limited to, the Option Price (subject to Section 5(a)), any vesting
condition, restriction or limitation (which may be related to the performance of
the Participant, the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate) and any vesting
acceleration or forfeiture waiver regarding any Award and the shares of Common
Stock relating thereto, based on such factors as the Plan Administrator shall
determine;
(v) Subject
to the terms of the Plan, including without limitation Section 12, to modify,
amend or adjust the terms and conditions of any Award, at any time or from time
to time, including but not limited to Performance Goals; provided, however, that
the Plan Administrator may not adjust upwards the amount payable to a Covered
Employee with respect to a Qualified Performance-Based Award or waive or alter
the Performance Goals associated therewith in a manner that would violate
Section 162(m) of the Code;
(vi) To
determine under what circumstances an Award may be settled in cash or Common
Stock under Section 5(l).
(d) The Plan
Administrator shall have the authority to adopt, alter and repeal such
administrative rules, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall
from time to time deem advisable, to interpret the terms and provisions of the
Plan and any Award issued under the Plan (and any agreement relating thereto)
and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan. The Plan
Administrator, in the exercise of this power, may correct any defect, omission
or inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award Agreement, in a manner and to the
extent it shall deem necessary or expedient to make the Plan fully
effective.
(e) The Plan
Administrator shall act by a majority of its members then in office, unless
otherwise expressly provided herein. Except to the extent prohibited by
applicable law or the applicable rules of a stock exchange on which the
Company’s shares are traded, the Plan Administrator may (i) allocate all or any
portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and
(ii) delegate all or any part of its responsibilities and powers to any person
or persons selected by it, provided that no such delegation may be made that
would cause Awards or other transactions under the Plan to cease to be exempt
from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or cause an Award designated as a
Qualified Performance-Based Award not to qualify for, or to cease to qualify
for, the Section 162(m) Exemption. Any such allocation or delegation may be
revoked by the Plan Administrator at any time.
(f) Any
determination made by the Plan Administrator with respect to any Award shall be
made in the sole discretion of the Plan Administrator at the time of the grant
of the Award or, unless in contravention of any express term of the Plan, at any
time thereafter. All decisions made by the Plan Administrator or any
appropriately delegated officer pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be
final and binding on all persons, including the Company, its Affiliates,
Subsidiaries, stockholders and Participants.
(g) Any
authority granted to the Plan Administrator may also be exercised by the full
Board, except to the extent that the grant or exercise of such authority would
cause any Award or transaction to become subject to (or lose an exemption under)
the short-swing profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act or
cause an Award designated as a Qualified Performance-Based Award not to qualify
for, or to cease to qualify for, the Section 162(m) Exemption. To the extent
that any permitted action taken by the Board conflicts with action taken by the
Plan Administrator, the Board action shall control.
(h) To the
maximum extent permitted by law, the Company shall indemnify each member of the
Board who acts as a member of the Plan Administrator, as well as any other
employee of the Company with duties under the Plan, against expenses and
liabilities (including any amount paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by the
individual in connection with any claims against the individual by reason of the
performance of the individual's duties under the Plan, unless the losses are due
to the individual's gross negligence or lack of good faith. The Company will
have the right to select counsel and to control the prosecution or defense of
the suit. In the event that more than one person who is entitled to
indemnification is subject to the same claim, all such persons shall be
represented by a single counsel, unless such counsel advises the Company in
writing that he or she cannot represent all such persons under applicable rules
of professional responsibility. The Company will not be required to indemnify
any person for any amount incurred through any settlement unless the Company
consents in writing to the settlement.
SECTION 3. |
Common
Stock Subject to Plan |
(a) The
maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be delivered to Participants
and their beneficiaries under the Plan shall be two million (2,000,000). No
Participant may be granted Stock Options covering in excess of two hundred
thousand (200,000) shares of Common Stock in any calendar year. Shares subject
to an Award under the Plan may be authorized and unissued shares or may be
treasury shares. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued
pursuant to Stock Options intended to be Incentive Stock Options shall be two
million (2,000,000) shares.
(b) If any
Award is forfeited, or if any Stock Option terminates, expires or lapses without
being exercised, shares of Common Stock subject to such Award shall again be
available for distribution in connection with Awards under the Plan. If the
Option Price of any Stock Option is satisfied by delivering shares of Common
Stock to the Company (by either actual delivery or by attestation), only the
number of shares of Common Stock delivered to the Participant net of the shares
of Common Stock delivered to the Company or attested to shall be deemed
delivered for purposes of determining the maximum numbers of shares of Common
Stock available for delivery under the Plan. To the extent any shares of Common
Stock subject to an Award are not delivered to a Participant because such shares
are used to satisfy an applicable tax-withholding obligation, such shares shall
not be deemed to have been delivered for purposes of determining the maximum
number of shares of Common Stock available for delivery under the Plan. If any
shares of Common Stock issued to a Participant pursuant to an Award are
forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of or in connection with
the failure to meet a contingency or condition required to vest such shares in
the Participant, the shares of Common Stock forfeited or repurchased under such
Award shall revert to and again become available for issuance under the
Plan.
(c) In the
event of any change in corporate capitalization (including, but not limited to,
a change in the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding), such as a stock
split or a corporate transaction, such as any merger, consolidation, separation,
including a spin-off, or other distribution of stock or property of the Company
(including any extraordinary cash or stock dividend), any reorganization
(whether or not such reorganization comes within the definition of such term in
Section 368 of the Code) or any partial or complete liquidation of the Company,
the Plan Administrator or Board may make such substitution or adjustments in the
aggregate number and kind of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, and
the maximum limitation upon Stock Options and other Awards to be granted to any
Participant, in the number, kind and Option Price of shares subject to
outstanding Stock Options, in the number and kind of shares subject to other
outstanding Awards granted under the Plan and/or such other equitable
substitution or adjustments as it may determine to be appropriate in its sole
discretion (including, without limitation, an amount in cash therefore);
provided, however, that the number of shares subject to any Award shall always
be a whole number.
(d) No
fractional shares may be issued under the Plan. Cash shall be paid in lieu of
any fractional share in settlement of an Award.
Awards
may be granted under the Plan to Eligible Individuals.
(a) Stock
Options may be granted alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the
Plan and may be of two types: Incentive Stock Options and NonQualified Stock
Options. Any Stock Option granted under the Plan shall be in such form as the
Plan Administrator may from time to time approve.
(b) The Plan
Administrator shall have the authority to grant any Participant Incentive Stock
Options, NonQualified Stock Options or both types of Stock Options; provided,
however, that grants hereunder are subject to the limits on grants set forth in
Section 3. To the extent that any Stock Option is not designated as an Incentive
Stock Option or even if so designated does not qualify as an Incentive Stock
Option on or subsequent to its grant date, it shall constitute a NonQualified
Stock Option.
(c) Stock
Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements, the terms and provisions of
which may differ. An Award Agreement shall indicate on its face whether it is
intended to be an agreement for an Incentive Stock Option or a NonQualified
Stock Option. The grant of a Stock Option shall occur on the date the Plan
Administrator by resolution selects a Participant to receive a grant of a Stock
Option, determines the number of shares of Common Stock to be subject to such
Stock Option to be granted to such Participant and specifies the terms and
provisions of the Stock Option. The Company shall notify a Participant of any
grant of a Stock Option, and such Award shall be confirmed by, and subject to
the terms of, an Award Agreement.
(d) Stock
Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and
conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions as the Plan
Administrator shall deem desirable:
(i) Option
Price. The
Plan Administrator shall determine the option price per share of Common Stock
purchasable under a Stock Option (the “Option
Price”). The
Option Price per share of Common Stock subject to a Stock Option shall not be
less than the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to such Stock Option
on the date of grant. Except
for adjustments pursuant to Section 3(c), in no event may any Stock Option
granted under this Plan be amended to decrease the Option Price thereof,
cancelled in conjunction with the grant of any new Stock Option with a lower
Option Price, or otherwise be subject to any action that would be treated, for
accounting purposes, as a “repricing” of such
Stock Option, unless such amendment, cancellation, or action is approved by the
Company’s shareholders in accordance with applicable law and stock exchange
rules.
(ii) Option
Term. The
term of each Stock Option shall be fixed by the Plan Administrator.
(iii) Exercisability. Except
as otherwise provided herein, Stock Options shall be exercisable at such time or
times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the
Plan Administrator. If the Plan Administrator provides that any Stock Option is
subject to vesting conditions, restrictions or limitations and therefore
exercisable only in installments, the Plan Administrator may at any time waive
such installment exercise provisions, in whole or in part, based on such factors
as the Plan Administrator may determine. An Award Agreement may, but need not,
include a provision whereby the Participant may elect at any time before the
Participant’s Termination of Employment to exercise the Stock Option as to any
part or all of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Stock Option prior to
the full vesting of the Stock Option. Any unvested shares of Common Stock so
purchased may be subject to a repurchase option in favor of the Company or to
any other restriction the Plan Administrator determines to be appropriate. The
Company will not exercise its repurchase option until at least six (6) months
(or such longer or shorter period of time required to avoid a charge to earnings
for financial accounting purposes) have elapsed following exercise of the Stock
Option unless the Plan Administrator otherwise specifically provides in the
Stock Option.
(iv) Method
of Exercise. Subject
to the provisions of this Section 5, Stock Options may be exercised, in whole or
in part, at any time during the option term by giving written notice of exercise
to the Company specifying the number of shares of Common Stock subject to the
Stock Option to be purchased. Such notice shall be accompanied by payment in
full of the Option Price by certified or bank check or such other instrument as
the Company may accept. If approved by the Plan Administrator, payment, in full
or in part, may also be made in the form of unrestricted Common Stock (by
delivery of such shares or by attestation) already owned by the Participant of
the same class as the Common Stock subject to the Stock Option (based on the
Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the Stock Option is
exercised); provided, that such already owned shares have been held by the
Participant for at least six months (or such longer or shorter period of time
required to avoid a charge to earnings for financial accounting purposes) at the
time of exercise or had been purchased on the open market; and provided,
further, that, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the right to make a
payment in the form of already owned shares of Common Stock of the same class as
the Common Stock subject to the Stock Option may be authorized only at the time
the Stock Option is granted. If approved by the Plan Administrator, to the
extent permitted by applicable law, payment in full or in part may also be made
by delivering a properly executed exercise notice to the Company, together with
a copy of irrevocable instructions to a broker to deliver promptly to the
Company the amount of sale or loan proceeds necessary to pay the Option Price,
and, if requested, the amount of any federal, state, local or foreign
withholding taxes. To facilitate the foregoing, the Company may enter into
agreements for coordinated procedures with one or more brokerage firms. No
shares of Common Stock shall be delivered until full payment therefor has been
made. A Participant shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company
holding the class or series of Common Stock that is subject to such Stock Option
(including, if applicable, the right to vote the shares and the right to receive
dividends), when the Participant has given written notice of exercise, has paid
in full for such shares and, if requested by the Company, has given the
representation described in Section 14(c).
Special
Rules Applicable to Incentive Stock Options.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following terms shall be applicable to all
Incentive Stock Options.
(A) Incentive
Stock Options may only be granted to employees of the Company and its
subsidiaries or parent corporation (within the meaning
of Section
424(f) of the Code).
(B) No
Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable more than 10 years after the date
the Stock Option is granted.
(C) The
Option Price shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair
Market Value of Common Stock on the option grant date; provided, however, that
an Incentive Stock Option may be granted with an Option Price lower than that
set forth the preceding sentence if such Stock Option is granted pursuant to an
assumption or substitution for another option in a manner satisfying the
provisions of Section 424(a) of the Code.
(D) The
aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock (determined as of the
respective date or dates of grant) for which one or more Stock Options granted
to any employee under the Plan (or any other option plan of the Company or any
subsidiaries or parent corporation) may for the first time become exercisable as
Incentive Stock Options during any one (1) calendar year shall not exceed the
sum of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000). To the extent an employee holds
two (2) or more such Stock Options which become exercisable for the first time
in the same calendar year, the foregoing limitation on the exercisability of
such Stock Options as Incentive Stock Options shall be applied on the basis of
the order in which such Stock Options are granted. Any Stock Options or portions
thereof that exceed such limit shall be treated as NonQualified Stock Options,
notwithstanding any other provision of an Award Agreement, but only to the
extent of such excess.
(E) If any
employee to whom an Incentive Stock Option is granted is the owner of stock (as
determined under Code Section 424(d)) possessing more than ten percent (10%) of
the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any
subsidiary or parent corporation (within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the
Code)), then the option term shall not exceed five (5) years measured from the
option grant date and the Option Price shall not be less than one hundred ten
percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of Common Stock on the option grant
date.
(F) If an
Incentive Stock Option is exercised after the post-termination exercise periods
that apply for purposes of Section 422 of the Code, such Stock Option will
thereafter be treated as a NonQualified Stock Option.
(e) Nontransferability
of Stock Options. No
Stock Option shall be transferable by the Participant other than (i) by will or
by the laws of descent and distribution or any other testamentary distribution;
or (ii) in the case of a NonQualified Stock Option, unless otherwise determined
by the Plan Administrator, to a Permitted Transferee. All Stock Options shall be
exercisable, subject to the terms of this Plan, only by the Participant, the
guardian or legal representative of the Participant, or any person to whom such
Stock Option is transferred pursuant to this paragraph, it being understood that
the term “holder” and
“Participant” include
such guardian, legal representative and other transferee; provided, however,
that Termination of Employment shall continue to refer to the Termination of
Employment of the original Participant and provided further that any Award held
by transferee shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions that
were applicable to that Award immediately before the transfer to the transferee.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Participant may, by delivering written notice
to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party
who, in the event of death of the Participant, shall thereafter be entitled to
exercise the Participant’s Stock Options.
(f) Termination
by Death. Unless
otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator at the time of grant, if a
Participant incurs a Termination of Employment by reason of death, any Stock
Option held by such Participant may thereafter be exercised, to the extent then
exercisable, or on such accelerated basis as the Plan Administrator may
determine, for a period of one year from the Participant date of death or until
the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Option, whichever period is
shorter.
(g) Termination
by Reason of Disability. Unless
otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator at the time of grant or, if a
longer period of exercise is desired, thereafter, if a Participant incurs a
Termination of Employment by reason of Disability, any Stock Option held by such
Participant (or the appointed fiduciary of such Participant) may thereafter be
exercised by the Participant (or the appointed fiduciary of such Participant),
to the extent it was exercisable at the time of termination, or on such
accelerated basis as the Plan Administrator may determine, for a period of one
year from the date of such Termination of Employment or until the expiration of
the stated term of such Stock Option, whichever period is shorter.
(h) Termination
by Reason of Retirement. Unless
otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator at the time of grant or, if a
longer period of exercise is desired, thereafter, if a Participant incurs a
Termination of Employment by reason of Retirement, any Stock Option held by such
Participant may thereafter be exercised by the Participant, to the extent it was
exercisable at the time of such Retirement, or on such accelerated basis as the
Plan Administrator may determine, for a period of one year from the date of such
Termination of Employment or until the expiration of the stated term of such
Stock Option, whichever period is shorter.
(i) Other
Termination. Unless
otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator at the time of grant or, if a
longer period of exercise is desired, thereafter: (A) if a Participant incurs a
Termination of Employment for Cause, all Stock Options held by such Participant
shall thereupon terminate; and (B) if a Participant incurs a Termination of
Employment for any reason other than death, Disability, Retirement or for Cause,
any Stock Option held by such Participant, to extent it was then exercisable at
the time of termination, or on such accelerated basis as the Plan Administrator
may determine, may be exercised for a period of three months from the date of
such Termination of Employment or until the expiration of the stated term of
such Stock Option, whichever period is shorter.
(j) Extension
of Termination Date. An
Award Agreement may also provide that if the exercise of any Stock Option
following the termination of the Participant’s Termination of Employment (other
than upon the Participant’s death) would be prohibited at any time solely
because the issuance of shares of Common Stock would violate the registration
requirements under the Securities Act, then the Stock Option held by such
Participant may be exercised, in lieu of the periods specified in Section 5(f)
through Section 5(i), during the three month period after the Participant’s
Termination of Employment in which the exercise of the Stock Option would not be
in violation of such registration requirements or until the expiration of the
stated term of such Stock Option, whichever period is shorter.
(k) Change
of Control Termination. A Stock
Option held by any Participant who has not suffered a Termination of Employment
prior to the effective time of a Change in Control may be subject to additional
acceleration of vesting and exercisability upon or after such event as may be
provided in the Award Agreement for such Stock Option or as may be provided in
any other written agreement between the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate
and the Participant, but in the absence of such provision, no such acceleration
shall occur.
(l) Cashing
Out of Stock Option. On
receipt of written notice of exercise, the Plan Administrator may (unless such
election would cause this Plan to be treated as a “nonqualified deferred
compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code or the
Treasury regulations thereunder) elect to cause the Company to cash out all or
part of the portion of the shares of Common Stock for which a Stock Option is
being exercised by paying the Participant an amount, in cash or Common Stock,
equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock over the Option
Price times the number of shares of Common Stock for which the Option is being
exercised on the effective date of such cash-out.
SECTION 6. |
Restricted
Stock |
(a) Administration. Shares
of Restricted Stock may be awarded either alone or in addition to other Awards
granted under the Plan. The Plan Administrator shall determine the Participants
to whom and the time or times at which grants of Restricted Stock will be
awarded, the number of shares to be awarded to any Participant, the conditions
for vesting, the time or times within which such Awards may be subject to
forfeiture and any other terms and conditions of the Awards, in addition to
those contained in Section 6(c).
(b) Awards
and Certificates. Shares
of Restricted Stock shall be evidenced in such manner as the Plan Administrator
may deem appropriate, including book-entry registration or issuance of one or
more stock certificates. Any certificate issued in respect of shares of
Restricted Stock shall be registered in the name of such Participant and shall
bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions
applicable to such Award, substantially in the following form:
“The
transferability of this certificate and the shares of stock represented hereby
are subject to the terms and conditions (including forfeiture) of Century
Casinos, Inc. 2005 Equity Incentive Plan and an Award Agreement. Copies of such
Plan and Agreement are on file at the offices of Century Casinos,
Inc.”
The Plan
Administrator may require that the certificates evidencing such shares be held
in custody by the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed and
that, as a condition of any Award of Restricted Stock, the Participant shall
have delivered a stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to the Common Stock
covered by such Award.
(c) Terms
and Conditions. Shares
of Restricted Stock shall be subject to the following terms and
conditions:
(i) The Plan
Administrator may, prior to or at the time of grant, designate an Award of
Restricted Stock as a Qualified Performance-Based Award, in which event it shall
condition the grant or vesting, as applicable, of such Restricted Stock upon the
attainment of Performance Goals. If the Plan Administrator does not designate an
Award of Restricted Stock as a Qualified Performance-Based Award, it may
nonetheless condition the grant or vesting thereof upon the attainment of
Performance Goals. Regardless of whether an Award of Restricted Stock is a
Qualified Performance-Based Award, the Plan Administrator may also condition the
grant or vesting thereof upon the continued service of the Participant. The
conditions for grant or vesting and the other provisions of Restricted Stock
Awards (including without limitation any applicable Performance Goals) need not
be the same with respect to each recipient. The Plan Administrator may at any
time, in its sole discretion, accelerate or waive, in whole or in part, any of
the foregoing restrictions; provided, however, that in the case of Restricted
Stock that is a Qualified Performance-Based Award, the applicable Performance
Goals have been satisfied.
(ii) Subject
to the provisions of the Plan and the Award Agreement referred to in Section
6(c)(vi), during the period, if any, set by the Plan Administrator, commencing
with the date of such Award for which such Participant’s continued service is
required (the “Restriction
Period”), and
until the later of (A) the expiration of the Restriction Period and (B) the date
the applicable Performance Goals (if any) are satisfied, the Participant shall
not be permitted to sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise encumber shares
of Restricted Stock; provided that, to the extent permitted by applicable law,
the foregoing shall not prevent a Participant from pledging Restricted Stock as
security for a loan, the sole purpose of which is to provide funds to pay the
Option Price for Stock Options.
(iii) Except as
provided in this Section 6(c)(iii) and Section 6(c)(i) and Section 6(c)(ii) and
the Award Agreement, the Participant shall have, with respect to the shares of
Restricted Stock, all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company holding the
class or series of Common Stock that is the subject of the Restricted Stock,
including, if applicable, the right to vote the shares and the right to receive
any cash dividends. If so determined by the Plan Administrator in the applicable
Award Agreement and subject to Section 14(g), (A) cash dividends on the class or
series of Common Stock that is the subject of the Restricted Stock Award shall
be automatically deferred and reinvested in additional Restricted Stock, held
subject to the vesting of the underlying Restricted Stock, or held subject to
meeting Performance Goals, and (B) dividends payable in Common Stock shall be
paid in the form of Restricted Stock of the same class as the Common Stock with
which such dividend was paid, held subject to the vesting of the underlying
Restricted Stock, or held subject to meeting Performance Goals.
(iv) Except to
the extent otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or Section
6(c)(i), Section 6(c)(ii), Section 6(c)(v) or Section 10(a), upon a
Participant’s Termination of Employment for any reason during the Restriction
Period or before the applicable Performance Goals are satisfied, all shares of
Restricted Stock still subject to restriction shall be forfeited by the
Participant; provided, however, that the Plan Administrator shall have the
discretion to waive, in whole or in part, any or all remaining restrictions
(other than, in the case of Restricted Stock with respect to which a Participant
is a Covered Employee, satisfaction of the applicable Performance Goals unless
the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of death or Disability, by
the Company without Cause or by the Participant for “Good
Reason” (as
defined in any applicable Individual Agreement)) with respect to any or all of
such Participant’s shares of Restricted Stock.
(v) If and
when any applicable Performance Goals are satisfied and the Restriction Period
expires without a prior forfeiture of the Restricted Stock, unlegended
certificates for such shares shall be delivered to the Participant upon
surrender of the legended certificates; provided, however, that such
certificates may bear any securities law legends which the Plan Administrator
determines are appropriate.
(vi) Each
Award shall be confirmed by, and be subject to, the terms of an Award
Agreement.
SECTION 7. |
Performance
Units |
(a) Administration.
Performance Units may be awarded either alone or in addition to other Awards
granted under the Plan. The Plan Administrator shall determine the Participants
to whom and the time or times at which Performance Units shall be awarded, the
number of Performance Units to be awarded to any Participant, the duration of
the Award Cycle and any other terms and conditions of the Award, in addition to
those contained in Section 7(b).
(b) Terms
and Conditions.
Performance Units Awards shall be subject to the following terms and
conditions:
(i) The Plan
Administrator may, prior to or at the time of the grant, designate Performance
Units as Qualified Performance-Based Awards, in which event it shall condition
the settlement thereof upon the attainment of Performance Goals. If the Plan
Administrator does not designate Performance Units as Qualified
Performance-Based Awards, it may nonetheless condition the settlement thereof
upon the attainment of Performance Goals. Regardless of whether Performance
Units are Qualified Performance-Based Awards, the Plan Administrator may also
condition the settlement thereof upon the continued service of the Participant.
The provisions of such Awards (including without limitation any applicable
Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each recipient. Subject
to the provisions of the Plan and the Award Agreement referred to in Section
7(b)(iv), Performance Units may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or
otherwise encumbered during the Award Cycle. No more than 200,000 shares of
Common Stock may be subject to Qualified Performance Based Awards granted to any
Eligible Individual in any fiscal year of the Company.
(ii) Except to
the extent otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or this Section
7(b)(ii) or Section 10(a), upon a Participant’s Termination of Employment for
any reason during the Award Cycle or before any applicable Performance Goals are
satisfied, all rights to receive cash or stock in settlement of the Performance
Units shall be forfeited by the Participant; provided, however, that the Plan
Administrator shall have the discretion to waive, in whole or in part, any or
all remaining payment limitations (other than, in the case of Performance Units
that are Qualified Performance-Based Awards, satisfaction of the applicable
Performance Goals unless the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of
death or Disability by the Company without Cause or by the Participant for Good
Reason) with respect to any or all of such Participant’s Performance
Units.
(iii) At the
expiration of the Award Cycle, the Plan Administrator shall evaluate the
Company’s performance in light of any Performance Goals for such Award, and
shall determine the number of Performance Units granted to the Participant which
have been earned, and the Plan Administrator shall then cause to be delivered
(A) a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Performance Units
determined by the Plan Administrator to have been earned, or (B) cash equal to
the Fair Market Value of such number of shares of Common Stock to the
Participant, as the Plan Administrator shall elect.
(iv) Each
Award shall be confirmed by, and be subject to, the terms of an Award
Agreement.
SECTION 8. |
Tax
Offset Bonuses |
At the
time an Award is made hereunder or at any time thereafter, the Plan
Administrator may grant to the Participant receiving such Award the right to
receive a cash payment in an amount specified by the Plan Administrator, to be
paid at such time or times (if ever) as the Award results in compensation income
to the Participant, for the purpose of assisting the Participant to pay the
resulting taxes, all as determined by the Plan Administrator and on such other
terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator shall determine.
SECTION 9. |
Other
Stock-Based Awards |
Other
Awards of Common Stock and other Awards that are valued in whole or in part by
reference to, or are otherwise based upon, Common Stock, including (without
limitation) dividend equivalents and convertible debentures, may be granted
either alone or in conjunction with other Awards granted under the Plan.
SECTION 10. |
Change
in Control Provisions |
(a) Impact
of Event.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, unless
otherwise provided by the Plan Administrator in any Award Agreement, in the
event of a Change in Control, then with respect to Awards that are held by
Participants who have not suffered a Termination of Employment prior to the
effective time of the change of control transaction.
(i) Any Stock
Options outstanding as of the date of such Change in Control, and which are not
then exercisable and vested, shall become fully exercisable and
vested.
(ii) The
restrictions and deferral limitations applicable to any Restricted Stock shall
lapse, and such Restricted Stock shall become free of all restrictions and
become fully vested.
(iii) All
Performance Awards shall be considered to be earned and payable in full, and any
deferral or other restriction shall lapse and such Performance Awards shall be
settled in cash or Shares, as determined by the Plan Administrator, as promptly
as is practicable.
(iv) All
restrictions on other Awards shall lapse and such Awards shall become free of
all restrictions and become fully vested.
The
vesting of such Awards (and, if applicable, the time at which such Awards may be
exercised) shall (contingent upon the effectiveness of the Change in Control
transaction) be accelerated in full to a date prior to the effective time of
such Change in Control transaction as the Plan Administrator shall determine
(or, if the Plan Administrator shall not determine such a date, to the date that
is five (5) days prior to the effective time of the Change in Control
transaction), the Awards shall terminate if not exercised (if applicable) at or
prior to such effective time, and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by
the Company with respect to such Awards held by Participants who have not
suffered a Termination of Employment shall (contingent upon the effectiveness of
the Change in Control transaction) lapse. With respect to any other Awards
outstanding under the Plan, the vesting of such Awards (and, if applicable, the
time at which such Award may be exercised) shall not be accelerated, unless
otherwise provided in a written agreement between the Company or any Subsidiary
or Affiliate and the holder of such Award, and such Awards shall terminate if
not exercised (if applicable) prior to the effective time of the Change in
Control transaction.
(b) Definition
of Change in Control. For
purposes of the Plan, a “Change
in Control” shall
mean the happening of any of the following events:
(i) An
acquisition by any individual, entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section
13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) (a “Person”) of
beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the
Exchange Act) of 33⅓% or more of either (1) the then outstanding shares of
common stock of the Company (the “Outstanding
Company Common Stock”) or (2)
the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the
Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the
“Outstanding
Company Voting Securities”);
excluding, however, the following: (1) any acquisition directly from the
Company, other than an acquisition by virtue of the exercise of a conversion
privilege unless the security being so converted was itself acquired directly
from the Company, (2) any acquisition by the Company, (3) any acquisition by any
employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company
or any entity controlled by the Company, (4) any acquisition pursuant to a
transaction which complies with clauses (1), (2) or (3) of this Section
10(b)(i), or
(5) any
Change in Control triggered solely because the percentage of Outstanding Company
Common Stock or Outstanding Company Voting Securities held by any Person (the
“Subject
Person”) exceeds
the designated percentage threshold thereof as a result of a repurchase or other
acquisition of securities by the Company reducing the number of shares
outstanding, provided that if a Change in Control would occur (but for the
operation of this sentence) as a result of the acquisition of securities by the
Company, and after such share acquisition, the Subject Person becomes the owner
of any additional voting securities that, assuming the repurchase or other
acquisition had not occurred, increases the percentage of the then outstanding
voting securities owned by the Subject Person over the designated percentage
threshold, then a Change in Control shall be deemed to occur;
or
(ii) A change
in the composition of the Board such that the individuals who, as of the
Effective Date, constitute the Board (such Board shall be hereinafter referred
to as the “Incumbent
Board”) cease
for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided,
however, for purposes of this Section 10(b)(ii), that any individual who becomes
a member of the Board subsequent to the Effective Date, whose election, or
nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, was approved by a vote of
at least a majority of those individuals who are members of the Board and who
were also members of the Incumbent Board (or deemed to be such pursuant to this
proviso) shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the
Incumbent Board; but, provided, further, that any such individual whose initial
assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election
contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or
threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other
than the Board shall not be so considered as a member of the Incumbent Board;
or
(iii) Consummation
of a reorganization, merger or consolidation or sale or other disposition of all
or substantially all of the assets of the Company (“Corporate
Transaction”);
excluding, however, such a Corporate Transaction pursuant to which (1) all or
substantially all of the individuals and entities who are the beneficial owners,
respectively, of the Outstanding Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company
Voting Securities immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction will
beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of, respectively, the
outstanding shares of common stock, and the combined voting power of the then
outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors, as the case may be, of the corporation resulting from such Corporate
Transaction (including, without limitation, a corporation which as a result of
such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s
assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries) in substantially the
same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Corporate
Transaction, of the Outstanding Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company
Voting Securities, as the case may be, (2) no Person (other than the Company,
any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or such corporation
resulting from such Corporate Transaction) will beneficially own, directly or
indirectly, 33⅓% or more of, respectively, the outstanding shares of common
stock of the corporation resulting from such Corporate Transaction or the
combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of such corporation
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors except to the extent
that such ownership existed prior to the Corporate Transaction, and (3)
individuals who were members of the Incumbent Board will constitute at least a
majority of the members of the board of directors of the corporation resulting
from such Corporate Transaction; or
(iv) The
approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or
dissolution of the Company, or a complete dissolution or liquidation of the
Company shall otherwise occur.
The term
Change in Control shall not include a sale of assets, merger or other
transaction effected exclusively for the purpose of changing the domicile of the
Company.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing or any other provision of the Plan, the definition of Change in
Control (or any analogous term) in an Award Agreement between the Company or any
Subsidiary and the Participant shall supersede the foregoing definition with
respect to Stock Awards subject to such agreement (it being understood, however,
that if no definition of Change in Control or any analogous term is set forth in
such an Award Agreement, the foregoing definition shall apply).
SECTION 11. |
Forfeiture
of Awards |
Notwithstanding
anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Plan Administrator shall have the
authority under the Plan to provide in any Award Agreement that in the event of
serious misconduct by a Participant (including, without limitation, any
misconduct prejudicial to or in conflict with the Company or its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates, or any Termination of Employment for Cause), or any activity of a
Participant in competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or
Affiliate, any outstanding Award granted to such Participant shall be cancelled,
in whole or in part, whether or not vested. The determination of whether a
Participant has engaged in a serious breach of conduct or any activity in
competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate
shall be determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion. This
Section 11 shall have no application following a Change in Control.
SECTION 12. |
Term,
Amendment and Termination |
The Plan
will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. Under the Plan,
Awards outstanding as of such date shall not be affected or impaired by the
termination of the Plan.
The Board
may amend, alter, or discontinue the Plan, but no amendment, alteration or
discontinuation shall be made which would impair the rights of a Participant
under a Stock Option or a recipient of a Restricted Stock Award, Performance
Unit Award or other Award theretofore granted without the Participant’s or
recipient’s consent, except such an amendment made to comply with applicable
law, stock exchange rules or accounting rules. In addition, no such amendment
shall be made without the approval of the Company’s stockholders to the extent
such approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange
rules.
The Plan
Administrator may amend the terms of any Stock Option or other Award theretofore
granted, prospectively or retroactively, but no such amendment shall cause a
Qualified Performance-Based Award to cease to qualify for the Section 162(m)
Exemption or impair the rights of any holder without the holder’s consent except
such an amendment made to cause the Plan or Award to comply with applicable law,
stock exchange rules or accounting rules.
Subject
to the above provisions, the Board shall have authority to amend the Plan to
take into account changes in law and tax and accounting rules as well as other
developments, and to grant Awards which qualify for beneficial treatment under
such rules without stockholder approval.
SECTION 13. |
Unfunded
Status of Plan |
It is
presently intended that the Plan constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and
deferred compensation. The Plan Administrator may authorize the creation of
trusts or other arrangements to meet the obligations created under the Plan to
deliver Common Stock or make payments; provided, however, that unless the Plan
Administrator otherwise determines, the existence of such trusts or other
arrangements is consistent with the “unfunded” status of the Plan.
SECTION 14. |
General
Provisions |
(a) Availability
of Shares. During
the terms of any Awards under the Plan, the Company shall keep available at all
times the number of shares of Common Stock required to satisfy such
Awards.
(b) Securities
Law Compliance. The
Company shall seek to obtain from each regulatory commission or agency having
jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be required to grant Awards and
to issue and sell shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Awards.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or agreements made pursuant
thereto, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificate
or certificates for shares of Common Stock under the Plan prior to fulfillment
of all of the following conditions:
(i) Listing
or approval for listing upon notice of issuance, of such shares on NASDAQ, or
such other securities exchange as may at the time be the principal market for
the Common Stock;
(ii) Any
registration or other qualification of such shares of the Company under any
state or federal law or regulation, or the maintaining in effect of any such
registration or other qualification which the Plan Administrator shall, in its
absolute discretion upon the advice of counsel, deem necessary or advisable;
and
(iii) Obtaining
any other consent, approval, or permit from any state or federal governmental
agency which the Plan Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion after
receiving the advice of counsel, determine to be necessary or
advisable.
(c) Investment
Assurances. The
Company may require a Participant, as a condition of acquiring Common Stock
under any Award, (i) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company as
to the Participant’s knowledge and experience in financial and business matters
and/or to employ a purchaser representative reasonably satisfactory to the
Company who is knowledgeable and experienced in financial and business matters
and that he or she is capable of evaluating, alone or together with the
purchaser representative, the merits and risks of exercising the Award; and (ii)
to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company stating that the
Participant is acquiring Common Stock subject to the Award for the Participant’s
own account and not with any present intention of selling or otherwise
distributing the Common Stock. The foregoing requirements, and any assurances
given pursuant to such requirements, shall be inoperative if (1) the issuance of
the shares of Common Stock upon the exercise or acquisition of Common Stock
under the Award has been registered under a then currently effective
registration statement under the Securities Act or (2) as to any particular
requirement, a determination is made by counsel for the Company that such
requirement need not be met in the circumstances under the then applicable
securities laws.
The
Company may, upon advice of counsel to the Company, place legends on stock
certificates issued under the Plan as such counsel deems necessary or
appropriate in order to comply with applicable securities laws, including, but
not limited to, legends restricting the transfer of the Common
Stock.
(d) No Limit of Other
Arrangements. Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Company
or any Subsidiary or Affiliate from adopting other or additional compensation
arrangements for its employees.
(e) No
Contract of Employment. The
Plan shall not constitute a contract of employment, and adoption of the Plan
shall not confer upon any employee any right to continued employment, nor shall
it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Subsidiary or
Affiliate to terminate the employment of any employee at any time.
(f) Tax
Withholding. No
later than the date as of which an amount first becomes includible in the gross
income of the Participant for federal income tax purposes in the Participant’s
or the Permitted Transferee’s tax home country with respect to any Award under
the Plan, the Participant shall pay to the Company, or make arrangements
satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any federal, state, local
or foreign taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to such
amount. Unless otherwise determined by the Company, withholding obligations may
be settled with Common Stock, including Common Stock that is part of the Award
that gives rise to the withholding requirement; provided, that not more than the
legally required minimum withholding may be settled with Common Stock. The
obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be conditional on such payment
or arrangements, and the Company and its Affiliates shall, to the extent
permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment
otherwise due to the Participant. The Plan Administrator may establish such
procedures as it deems appropriate, including making irrevocable elections, for
the settlement of withholding obligations with Common Stock.
(g) Dividends.
Reinvestment of dividends in additional Restricted Stock at the time of any
dividend payment shall only be permissible if sufficient shares of Common Stock
are available under Section 3 for such reinvestment (taking into account then
outstanding Stock Options and other Awards).
(h) Death
Beneficiary. The
Plan Administrator shall establish such procedures as it deems appropriate for a
Participant to designate a beneficiary to whom any amounts payable in the event
of the Participant’s death are to be paid or by whom any rights of the
Participant, after the Participant’s death, may be exercised.
(i) Subsidiary
Employees. In the
case of a grant of an Award to any employee of a Subsidiary of the Company, the
Company may, if the Plan Administrator so directs, issue or transfer the shares
of Common Stock, if any, covered by the Award to the Subsidiary, for such lawful
consideration as the Plan Administrator may specify, upon the condition or
understanding that the Subsidiary will transfer the shares of Common Stock to
the employee in accordance with the terms of the Award specified by the Plan
Administrator pursuant to the provisions of the Plan. All shares of Common Stock
underlying Awards that are forfeited or canceled should revert to the
Company.
(j) Use
of Proceeds From Stock.
Proceeds
from the sale of Common Stock pursuant to Awards shall constitute general funds
of the Company.
(k) Governing
Law. The
Plan and all Awards made and actions taken thereunder shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without
reference to principles of conflict of laws.
(l) Nontransferability. Except
as otherwise provided in Section 5(e) or by the Plan Administrator, Awards under
the Plan are not transferable except by will or by laws of descent and
distribution.
(m) Modifications
Regarding Foreign Laws. In the
event an Award is granted to a Participant who is employed or providing services
outside the United States and who is not compensated from a payroll maintained
in the United States, the Plan Administrator may, in its sole discretion, (i)
modify the provisions of the Plan as they pertain to such individual to comply
with applicable foreign law and (ii) provide for the issuance of securities
evidencing interests in Common Stock, with such securities reducing the shares
available for issuance under the Plan based upon the number of shares of Common
Stock underlying (or otherwise evidenced by) such securities.
SECTION 15. |
Effective
Date of Plan |
The Plan
shall be effective as June 17, 2005 (the “Effective
Date”),
provided that it is approved by the stockholders of the Company in accordance
with all applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules and listing
standards.
PROXY CARD
Century
Casinos, Inc.
o Mark this
box with an X if you have made
changes to your name or
address details above.
Annual
Meeting Proxy Card
The Board of
Directors recommends a vote FOR election of the following nominee.
To
elect one Class II director to the Board of Directors:
For
Withhold
01
- Peter Hoetzinger o o
The Board of
Directors recommends a vote FOR the following proposal.
2.
To consider and approve the adoption of the For
Against Abstain
Company’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. o o o
3.
In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized For Against
Abstain
to vote upon
such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
o o o
I plan
to attend the meeting. Yes No
D
Authorized Signatures - Sign Here - This section must be completed for your
instructions to be executed.
Please sign your
name exactly as it appears on your stock certificate. If shares are held
jointly, each holder should sign. Executors, trustees, and other fiduciaries
should so indicate when signing.
Signature 1 -
Please keep signature within the box
Signature 2 - Please keep signature within the
box Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________
Proxy -
Century Casinos, Inc.
This Proxy
is Solicited by the Board of Directors
The undersigned
stockholder of Century Casinos, Inc. acknowledges receipt of the Notice of
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be held on Friday, June 17, 2005, at the
Vienna, Marriott Hotel Parkring 12a, Wien, Austria, Europe and hereby appoints
Erwin Haitzmann or Peter Hoetzinger, or either of them, each with the power of
substitution, as attorneys and proxies to vote all the shares of the undersigned
at said Annual Meeting and at all adjournments thereof, hereby ratifying and
confirming all that said attorneys and proxies may do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof. The above-named attorneys and proxies are instructed to vote all
of the undersigned's shares as stated on the reverse side.
This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted as directed
herein by the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made,
this proxy will be voted for the nominee in Proposal 1 and the approval of the
adoption of the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan in Proposal 2.