Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.
Esports Entertainment Group disclosed 71 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Esports Entertainment Group reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Risk Overview Q2, 2023
Risk Distribution
39% Finance & Corporate
21% Legal & Regulatory
17% Tech & Innovation
10% Ability to Sell
7% Production
6% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
2020
Q4
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Esports Entertainment Group Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2023
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 28 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 28 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
71
-2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
71
-2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
5Risks added
7Risks removed
41Risks changed
Since Jun 2023
5Risks added
7Risks removed
41Risks changed
Since Jun 2023
Number of Risk Changed
41
+22
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
41
+22
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Esports Entertainment Group in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 71
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 28/71 (39%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights14 | 19.7%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Changed
If we implement a second reverse stock split, the liquidity of our common stock may be further adversely effected.
If required to maintain compliance with Nasdaq listing rules, we will plan to effect a second reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock, with our Board having the discretion as to the exact ratio of any reverse stock split. Under Nevada law, our board of directors may take action to effect a reverse split of our common stock and a corresponding decrease to our authorized capital stock, without stockholder approval pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes 78.207 if required to comply with the Bid Price Rule and if deemed to be in the interests of the Company. However, there can be no assurance that the market price per share of our common stock after the reverse stock split will remain unchanged or increase in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of our common stock outstanding before the reverse stock split. The liquidity of the shares of our common stock may be further affected adversely by any reverse stock split given the reduced number of shares of our common stock that will be outstanding following the reverse stock split, particularly if the market price of our common stock does not increase as a result of the reverse stock split. Following any reverse stock split, the resulting market price of our common stock may not attract new investors and may not satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. Although we believe that a higher market price of our common stock may help generate greater or broader investor interest, there can be no assurance that the reverse stock split will result in a share price that will attract new investors, including institutional investors. In addition, there can be no assurance that the market price of our common stock will satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Changed
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation allow for our Board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could have an anti-takeover effect and could adversely affect holders of our common stock and warrants.
Our authorized capital includes preferred stock issuable in one or more series. Our Board has the authority to issue preferred stock and determine the price, designation, rights, preferences, privileges, restrictions and conditions, including voting and dividend rights, of those shares without any further vote or action by stockholders. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of additional preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with restructurings, possible financings and acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of the voting power of our outstanding voting securities, which could deprive our holders of common stock of a premium that they might otherwise realize in connection with a proposed acquisition of our company.
On November 10, 2021, we designated 1,725,000 shares of preferred stock as 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock, with a par value of $0.001 per share and liquidation preference of $11.00. On November 11, 2021, we announced that we priced an underwritten public offering of preferred stock as 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock in the first series issuance of preferred stock, of which 835,950 shares were issued at $10.00 per share on November 16, 2021.
In addition, under the terms of the underwriting agreement for the public offering of the 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock, the Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 120,000 shares. On December 10, 2021, there was a partial exercise to purchase 35,950 shares.
Each share of 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible into one share of common stock at a conversion price of $17.50 per common share. Subject to earlier conversion or redemption, the 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock matures on November 15, 2026, at which point we must redeem the shares of 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock at the redemption price.
Dividends on the 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock are cumulative from the date of issuance. The dividends on the 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock are payable in equal monthly installments on the last day of each calendar month, when, as and if declared by our Board, in cash at an annual rate of 10.0% per annum.
The 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock is also redeemable, at the option of the Board, in whole or in part, at any time on or after January 1, 2023.
The holders of the 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock will not have any voting rights, except whenever dividends on any share of any series of preferred stock ("Applicable Preferred Stock") have not been paid in an aggregate amount equal to four monthly dividends on the shares, the holders of the Applicable Preferred Stock will have the exclusive and special right, voting separately as a class and without regard to series, to elect at an annual meeting of stockholders or special meeting held in place of it one member of the Board, until all arrearages in dividends and dividends in full for the current monthly period have been paid.
Further, on December 20, 2022, we entered into a Subscription and Investment Representation Agreement with a member of management, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company (Interim Chief Financial Officer at the time of the transaction), who was an accredited investor (the "Purchaser"), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell 100 shares of Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Series B Preferred Stock"), to the Purchaser for $10.00 per share in cash. The sale closed on December 21, 2022.
On December 21, 2022, we filed a Certificate of Designation with the Secretary of State of Nevada, effective as of the time of filing, designating the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the shares of Preferred Stock. The Certificate of Designation provided that 100 shares of Series B Preferred Stock had 25 million votes each and was to vote together with the outstanding shares of our common stock as a single class exclusively with respect to any proposal to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock. The Series B Preferred Stock was voted, without action by the holder, on the reverse stock split proposal at our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders in the same proportion as shares of common stock were voted. The Series B Preferred Stock otherwise had no voting rights except as otherwise required by the Nevada Revised Statutes.
The Series B Preferred Stock was not convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or series of stock or other securities. The Series B Preferred Stock had no rights with respect to any distribution of our assets, including upon a liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, merger, acquisition, sale, dissolution or winding up, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. The holder of the Series B Preferred Stock was not entitled to receive dividends of any kind.
Pursuant to the terms of the Series B Preferred Stock, the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock were redeemed in whole following the effectiveness of stockholder approval of the Reverse Stock Split proposal. On February 10, 2023, the holder of the Series B Preferred Stock received consideration of $10.00 per share in cash, or $1,000 in the aggregate.
Additionally, on April 28, 2023 and May 22, 2023, we filed a Certificate of Designations with the Secretary of State of Nevada, effective as of the time of filing, for the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, respectively. These designated the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock.
The exchange of the Senior Convertible Note into the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock extinguished the Senior Convertible Note and the related debt liability outstanding of $15,230,024 into 15,230 shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share, for a price of $1,000 per share (the "Series C Preferred Stock").
On May 22, 2023, we completed an offering to the Holder of (i) 4,300 shares of new Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share, for a price of $1,000 per share (the "Series D Preferred Stock"), (ii) Common Warrants to purchase 1,433,333 shares of our common stock at a price of $1.96 per share, and (iii) preferred warrants to purchase 4,300 shares of our Series D Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share, for total gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $4,300,000.
The Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations are substantially the same and contemplate that both the Series C Preferred Stock and the Series D Preferred Stock will be convertible into common stock (the "Conversion Shares") at the option of the holder at any time from time to time after the date of issuance thereof. The number of Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of any share of Series C Preferred Stock or Series D Preferred Stock, as applicable, shall be determined by dividing (x) the Conversion Amount (as defined below) of a share of Series C Preferred Stock or share of Series D Preferred Stock, as applicable, by (y), at the holder's option, either (i) the Conversion Price (as defined below); and (ii) the Alternate Conversion Price (as defined below), subject to the Floor Price (as defined below). "Conversion Amount" shall mean, with respect to each share of Series C Preferred Stock or share of Series D Preferred Stock, as applicable, the sum of (A) $1,000 (such amount, subject to adjustment, the "Stated Value") and (B) all declared and unpaid dividends with respect to such Stated Value and any other amounts owed under the Series C Certificate of Designations or share of Series D Certificate of Designations, as applicable, "Conversion Price" shall mean $2.50 and $3.00, for the Series C Preferred Stock and for the Series D Preferred Stock, respectively, subject to adjustment as provided in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations. "Alternate Conversion Price" shall mean with respect to any Alternate Conversion that price which shall be, at the holder's option, either (i) the applicable Conversion Price as in effect on the applicable Conversion Date of the applicable Alternate Conversion, and (ii) the greater of (x) the Floor Price and (y) 90% of the lowest VWAP of the common stock during the ten (10) consecutive Trading Day period ending and including the Trading Day of the applicable Conversion Notice (such period, the "Alternate Conversion Measuring Period"). All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock during such Alternate Conversion Measuring Period. "Floor Price" shall mean $0.44 and $0.39, for the Series C Preferred Stock and for the Series D Preferred Stock, respectively.
The Company shall not be allowed to effect the conversion of any of the Series C Preferred Stock or Series D Preferred Stock held by the holder, and such holder shall not have the right to convert any of the Series C Preferred Stock or Series D Preferred Stock held by such holder pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Series C Certificate of Designations and the Series D Certificate of Designations to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, such holder together with its affiliates and certain related parties collectively would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion.
Issuances of shares of common stock upon conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock and Common Warrants in excess of 20% of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock would require approval by the Company's stockholders pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Under the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement for the Series D Preferred Stock offering, the Company was obligated to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain such stockholder approval by August 15, 2023, which was not achievable, despite reasonable best efforts.
Dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock and Series D Preferred Stock accrue daily at a rate equal to 8.0% per annum, increasing 0.50% each 135 day anniversary from the date of each issuance and are payable by way of inclusion of the Dividends in the Conversion Amount on each Conversion Date in accordance with an optional conversion or upon any redemption thereunder (including, without limitation, upon any required payment upon any Bankruptcy Triggering Event, as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations).
If at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any options, convertible securities, or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to all or substantially all of the record holders of any class of common stock (the "Series C and Series D Purchase Rights"), then each holder of the Series C Preferred Stock and Series D Preferred Stock will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Series C and Series D Purchase Rights, the aggregate Series C and Series D Purchase Rights which such holder could have acquired if such holder had held the number of shares of common stock acquirable upon complete conversion of all the Series C Preferred Stock and Series D Preferred Stock held by such holder immediately prior to the date as of which the record holders of shares of common stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Series C and Series D Purchase Rights, subject to certain limitations on beneficial ownership.
The Exchange Agreement that effected the exchange of the Senior Convertible Note to the Series C Preferred Stock and the Securities Purchase Agreement that effected the Series D Preferred Stock offering each contained certain covenants and restrictions that the Company shall not file certain registration statements or issue or sell securities for a period of time after the closings, as more fully described in such agreements. These agreements contains customary representations and warranties and certain indemnification rights and obligations of the parties.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Changed
You will also experience dilution of your ownership interest due to the future issuance of additional shares of our common stock.
We are in a capital-intensive business and we do not have sufficient funds to finance the growth of our business or to support our projected capital expenditures. As a result, we will require additional funds from future equity or debt financings, including sales of preferred shares or convertible debt, to complete the development of new projects and pay the general and administrative costs of our business. We will in the future issue our previously authorized and unissued securities, resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of holders of our common stock. We are currently authorized to issue 500,000,000 shares of common stock and 10,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock. Additionally, we implemented the Reverse Stock Split, without a corresponding reduction in the total number of authorized shares of common stock. The potential issuance of such additional shares of common or preferred stock or convertible debt, including upon conversions of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and/or Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. We may also issue additional shares of common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock in future public offerings or private placements for restructurings, capital raising purposes or for other business purposes. The future issuance of a substantial number of common shares into the public market, or the perception that such issuance could occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common shares. A decline in the price of our common shares could make it more difficult to raise funds through future offerings of our common stock or securities convertible into common stock.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time, either by us or our stockholders, including the Holder of our Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock. Actual sales of our common stock, or the perception in the market that we or holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Our outstanding shares of common stock may be freely sold in the public market at any time to the extent permitted by the Securities Act or to the extent such shares have already been registered under the Securities Act and are held by non-affiliates.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Changed
The exercise of our outstanding options and warrants will result in significant dilution to our stockholders.
As of June 30, 2023, we had outstanding options to purchase up to 30,621 shares of our common stock including an award of 25,000 time-based stock options to our Chief Executive Officer, for options to purchase a total of 25,000 shares of common stock. In addition, as of June 30, 2023, we had outstanding warrants to purchase up to approximately 1,975,339 shares of our common stock. The exercise of a significant portion of our outstanding options and warrants may result in significant dilution to our stockholders.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Changed
We may issue additional preferred stock in the future with terms that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation authorize us to issue, without stockholder approval, one or more series of preferred stock having such designation, powers, privileges, preferences, including preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and distributions, terms of redemption and relative participation, optional, or other rights, if any, of the shares of each such series of preferred stock and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as our Board may determine. In addition to the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock that were issued to the Holder, the terms of one or more other series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we assigned to the Holder of our preferred stock could affect the residual value of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Changed
The trading price of our common stock has been, and will likely continue to be, volatile and as a result you could lose all or part of your investment due to dips in the market price caused by market fluctuations.
The trading price of our common stock has been, and will likely continue to be, volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment in our common stock and our common stock may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline.
Factors affecting the trading price of our common stock may include:
- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us; - changes in the market's expectations about our operating results; - success of competitors; - lack of adjacent competitors; - our results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period; - changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning us or the industries in which we operate in general; - our ability to market new and enhanced products and services on a timely basis; - commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us; - changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt; - the volume of sales of shares of our common stock by our directors, executive officers or significant stockholders, including sales of shares issued upon conversions of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock or Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, or the perception that such sales could occur; and - general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.
Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common stock irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general, and Nasdaq in particular, has experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the affected companies. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our common stock, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to us could depress our stock price regardless of our business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our common stock also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Changed
If we fail to maintain compliance with the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, our common stock may be delisted and the price of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets could be negatively impacted.
On April 11, 2022, the Company received a deficiency notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Staff of Nasdaq indicating that the Company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) because the bid price for the Company's common stock had closed below $1.00 per share for the previous thirty consecutive business days (the "Bid Price Rule").
On June 7, 2022, the Company received a further letter from Nasdaq notifying the Company that for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company's minimum Market Value of Listed Securities ("MVLS") was below the minimum of $35,000,000 required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2).
On October 11, 2022, we received a third letter from Nasdaq notifying us that our common stock will be delisted, and our common stock warrants traded under the symbols GMBLW and GMBLZ and our 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock traded under symbol GMBLP will no longer qualify for listing, and in that regard trading of our common stock, common stock warrants and 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock will be suspended. We requested an appeal with the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the "Panel") and the hearing was held on November 17, 2022.
On November 30, 2022, the Company received a determination from the Panel granting the Company's request for the continued listing of its common stock on the Capital Market tier of Nasdaq, subject to the Company evidencing compliance with the Bid Price Rule, and the minimum of $2,500,000 stockholders' equity requirement (the "Equity Rule"), as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rules 5550(a)(2) and 5550(b)(1), respectively, on or before February 7, 2023 (which, as described below, was subsequently extended on February 8, 2023) and March 31, 2023, respectively, and adhering to certain other conditions and requirements described below.
On December 6, 2022, the Company received a fourth letter from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it has not regained compliance with the MVLS Rule. This was addressed in the November 17, 2022, hearing before the Panel where the Company presented on its plan to comply with the MVLS Rule or alternative criteria and was granted continued listing subject to the criteria noted above.
On February 8, 2023, we received notice from the Panel updating its remaining conditions as follows:
1. On February 20, 2023, the Company shall provide a written update to the Panel regarding the progress of its debt-to-equity conversion plan and its impact on the Company's equity; 2. On March 7, 2023, the Company shall have demonstrated compliance with the Bid Price Rule, by evidencing a closing bid price of $1.00 or more per share for a minimum of ten consecutive trading sessions; and 3. On March 31, 2023, the Company shall demonstrate compliance with the Equity Rule.
The Company provided an update on its progress to the Panel on February 20, 2023 and on March 9, 2023, the Company received a letter from the Panel indicating that the Company has regained compliance with the Bid Price Rule.
On March 30, 2023, the Company submitted a written submission requesting an extension on the requirement to demonstrate compliance with the Equity Rule and on April 6, 2023, the Panel granted an extension through April 30, 2023.
On May 1, 2023, the Company announced it met the minimum Equity Rule.
On June 13, 2023, the Company received a notice from the Panel providing that the Company demonstrated compliance with the requirements for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, including the Equity Rule, as outlined in Listing Rule 5550(b)(1).
On September 6, 2023, the Company received a deficiency notification letter from the Staff indicating that the Company was not in compliance with Bid Price Rule.
The Company has 180 calendar days from the date of such notice, or until March 4, 2024, to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. To regain compliance, the bid price for the Company's common stock must close at $1.00 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days.
The Company remains subject to a "Panel Monitor," as defined by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A), through June 13, 2024. In the event the Company fails to satisfy a continued listing requirement during the Panel Monitor, the Company will not be provided with the opportunity to present a compliance plan to the Staff and the Staff will not be permitted to grant additional time for the Company to regain compliance with respect to that deficiency, nor will the Company be afforded an applicable cure or compliance period pursuant to Rule 5810(c)(3), which process might otherwise be available under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, but would instead have an opportunity to request a new hearing with the Panel. The Company's securities may be delisted from Nasdaq at that time.
Any failure to maintain compliance with the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in the delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq and negatively impact our Company and holders of our common stock, including by reducing the willingness of investors to hold our common stock because of the resulting decreased price, liquidity and trading of our common stock, limited availability of price quotations and reduced news and analyst coverage. Delisting may adversely impact the perception of our financial condition, cause reputational harm with investors, our employees and parties conducting business with us and limit our access to debt and equity financing.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
Changed
If our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and is traded over-the-counter, your ability to trade and the market price of our shares of common stock may be restricted and negatively impacted.
In addition to the foregoing, if our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and is traded on the over-the-counter market, the application of the "penny stock" rules could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and increase the transaction costs to sell those shares. The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define a "penny stock" as any equity security not listed on a national securities exchange or quoted on Nasdaq that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. If our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and is traded on the over-the-counter market at a price of less than $5.00 per share, our common stock would be considered a penny stock. Unless otherwise exempted, the SEC's penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document that provides information about penny stock and the risks in the penny stock market, the current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and the salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer's account. Further, prior to a transaction in a penny stock, the penny stock rules require the broker-dealer to provide a written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser's agreement to the transaction. If applicable in the future, the penny stock rules may restrict the ability of brokers-dealers to sell our common stock and may affect the ability of investors to sell their shares, until our common stock is no longer a penny stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
Changed
The coverage of business or our common stock by securities or industry analysts or the absence thereof could adversely affect the price of our securities and trading volume.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced in part by the research and other reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business or industry from time to time. We do not control these analysts, or the content and opinions included in their reports. Analysts who publish information about our securities may have had relatively little experience with our company given our history, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If analysts do cover us and one or more of them downgrade our securities, or if they issue other unfavorable commentary about us or our industry or inaccurate research, our stock price would likely decline. Furthermore, if one or more of these analysts cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets. Any of the foregoing would likely cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
Changed
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock and common warrants.
We are a Nevada corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and/or Amended and Restated Bylaws:
- authorize the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock that could be issued by our Board of Directors to thwart a takeover attempt; - provide that vacancies on our Board of Directors, including newly created directorships, may be filled by a majority vote of directors then in office; - place restrictive requirements (including advance notification of stockholder nominations and proposals) on how special meetings of stockholders may be called by our stockholders; do not provide stockholders with the ability to cumulate their votes; and - provide that our Board of Directors or a majority of our stockholders may amend our bylaws.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
Added
The Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock will continue to subordinate the rights of the holders of shares of our common stock and their terms have obligated us, and may continue to obligate us, to increase the value of such preferred stock due to forces that may be within, or outside of, our control.
The Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock give the Holder many of the certain rights, including the ability to convert at will the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock to shares of our common stock at a discount to the market prices of our common stock, which results in dilution to the holders of shares of our common stock, and the right to payment of cash and/or shares as dividends accrued on the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, and an increase in the respective Stated Values (and accordingly, the Conversion Amounts), based on a premium, in the event of a Triggering Event (as described in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations). Dividends accrued or paid on the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock are expected to significantly reduce or eliminate any cash that we might otherwise have available for the payment of dividends on shares of common stock in the future. In the event a Bankruptcy Triggering Event (as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations) occurs, the Company will be required to redeem, in cash, the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock at a redemption price based on a required premium, as described in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations.
In addition, under Section 4(e)(iii) of the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations, in the event that the Alternate Conversion Price (as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations) falls below the Floor Price (as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations) at the time of a conversion using the Alternate Conversion Price, the accrued and unpaid dividends on the outstanding shares of preferred stock shall automatically increase, pro rata, by the applicable Alternate Conversion Floor Amount (as defined in the Series C Certificate of Designations and Series D Certificate of Designations) or, at the Company's option, the Company shall deliver the applicable Alternate Conversion Floor Amount to the holder on the applicable date of conversion.
As part of the August 2023 Settlement Agreement and the October 2023 Settlement Agreement, the Company triggered the anti-dilution down round price protection provisions of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock that allows for the conversion at the conversion price described below. Due to the down round price protection provision on the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, the Company recorded a deemed dividend within stockholders' equity associated with the reduction in conversion price in effect prior to the August 2023 Settlement Agreement from $0.44, and the October 2023 Settlement Agreement from $0.10, to the conversion price as defined below, of approximately $10.9 million based on the incremental value to the Holder due to the conversion price reduction. This incremental value will be presented on the consolidated statement of operations as an addition to the net loss available to common stockholders in the year ending June 30, 2024. The incremental value was determined by computing the additional shares the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock that would be received based on the conversion price reduction multiplied by the estimated fair value of common stock of $0.1935 as of August 15, 2023, for the August 2023 Settlement Agreement and the additional shares the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock that would be received based on the conversion price reduction multiplied by the estimated fair value of common stock of $0.0965 as of October 6, 2023 for the October 2023 Settlement Agreement.
From July 1, 2023 through October 12, 2023, one business day preceding this filing, the Holder converted $12.3 million in Series C Convertible Preferred Stock for 49,916,813 shares of our common stock at conversion prices equal to 90% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the Senior Convertible Note) of our common stock for a trading day during the ten (10) consecutive trading day period ending, and including, the applicable date that the conversion price was lowered for purposes of a conversion, or the floor in place at the time of the conversion, offset by the aggregate Alternate Conversion Floor Amount of approximately $3.8 million and accrued dividends of $0.5 million. The balance of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock was reduced to approximately $6.4 million as of October 12, 2023, one business day preceding this filing. The alternate conversion Floor Adjustment was recorded as a deemed dividend and will be on the consolidated statement of operations as an addition to the net loss available to common stockholders. No such amounts are due under the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock.
We have provided a summary of the material terms of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock in our Description of Securities, filed as Exhibit 4.4 to this report.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
Added
We implemented the Reverse Stock Split on February 22, 2023 and the liquidity of our common stock may be continue to be adversely effected.
We effected the Reverse Stock Split of our outstanding common stock. The liquidity of the shares of our common stock may continue to be affected adversely by the Reverse Stock Split given the reduced number of shares of our common stock that are outstanding following the Reverse Stock Split, particularly if the market price of our common stock does not increase from its recent decline partly as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. Following the Reverse Stock Split, the market price of our common stock may not attract new investors and may not satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. There can be no assurance that our share prices will attract new investors, including institutional investors. In addition, there can be no assurance that the market price of our common stock will satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
Added
Because there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, an investment in our common stock is highly speculative; holders of our common stock could suffer a total loss of their investment.
Without additional financing, our cash will be depleted in the near term. In addition to the risks related to the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, we have an accumulated deficit of $181,425,905 as of June 30, 2023 and have a history of recurring losses from operations and recurring negative cash flows from operations. We also considered our current liquidity as well as future market and economic conditions that may be deemed outside of our control as it relates to obtaining financing and generating future profits. We believe that our current level of cash is not sufficient to fund our operations and obligations without additional financing. Our ability to raise financing is subject to several factors, including market and economic conditions, performance, and investor sentiment as it relates to us and the esports and iGaming industry. The combination of these conditions was determined to raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. Furthermore, we may seek alternative sources of equity or debt financing, delay capital expenditures or evaluate potential asset sales, and potentially could seek relief under the applicable bankruptcy or insolvency laws. In the event of a bankruptcy proceeding or insolvency, or restructuring of our capital structure, holders of our common stock could suffer a total loss of their investment.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
We are a smaller reporting company and a non-accelerated filer and the reduced disclosure requirements available to us may make our common stock less attractive to investors.
The SEC established the smaller reporting company, or SRC, category of companies in 2008, and expanded it in 2018, in an effort to provide general regulatory relief for smaller companies. SRCs may choose to comply with scaled financial and non-financial disclosure requirements in their annual and quarterly reports and registration statements relative to non-SRCs. In addition, companies that are not "accelerated filers" can take advantage of additional regulatory relief. Whether a company is an accelerated filer or a SRC is determined on an annual basis. For so long as we qualify as a non-accelerated filer and/or a SRC, we will be permitted to and we intend to rely on some or all of the accommodations available to such companies. These accommodations include:
- not being required to provide an auditor's attestation of management's assessment of internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; - reduced financial disclosure obligations, including that SRCs need only provide two years of financial statements rather than three years; a maximum of two years of acquiree financial statements are required rather than three years; fewer circumstances under which pro forma financial statements are required; and less stringent age of financial statements requirements; - reduced non-financial disclosure obligations, including regarding the description of their business, management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, market risk, executive compensation, transactions with related persons, and corporate governance; and - later deadlines for the filing of annual and quarterly reports compared to accelerated filers.
We will continue to qualify as a SRC and non-accelerated filer for so long as (a) our public float is less than $75 million as of the last day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (b) our public float is $75 million or more but less than $700 million and we reported annual revenues of less than $100 million for our most recently completed fiscal year.
We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available accommodations. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these accommodations. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.
Accounting & Financial Operations8 | 11.3%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We currently do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock. As a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our common stock appreciates.
We currently do not expect to declare or pay dividends on our common stock. We have entered into, and in the future we may also enter into agreements that prohibit or restrict our ability to declare or pay dividends on our common stock. As a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment will be if the market price of our common stock appreciates and you sell your shares at a profit.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Changed
We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and stock price, which could affect our stock price and cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
We may be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. The result of these charges may thus be to negatively affect the price of our common stock causing stockholders to suffer a reduction in the value of their shares and could impact our compliance with the Equity Rule under the Nasdaq listing rules.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We have a history of accumulated deficits, recurring losses and negative cash flows from operating activities. We may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability or remain a going concern.
We have only recently commenced revenue producing operations during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 through the previously mentioned acquisitions. If we are unable to increase revenues in future periods, we will not be able to achieve and maintain profitability. Beyond this, we may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons including other risks described in this document, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown events. Accordingly, we may not ever be able to achieve profitability. We incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and recurring net losses in fiscal years 2023 and 2022. As of June 30, 2023, and 2022, our accumulated deficit was $181,425,905 and $149,140,426, respectively. These factors, among others, raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our quarterly results can fluctuate and if we fail to meet the expectations of analysts or investors, our stock price and the value of your investment could decline substantially.
Our betting operations are subject to the seasonal variations dictated by the sporting calendar, which may have an effect on its financial performance. Customer engagement in our online casino and sports betting offerings may vary due to numerous factors, including customers satisfaction with our platform, the number and timing of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and those of our competitors, our marketing efforts, climate and weather conditions, public sentiment or an economic downturn. As customer engagement varies, so may our quarterly financial performance. Traditional sports have an off-season that can cause a corresponding, temporary decrease in their respective revenues. Our ability to generate revenues is also affected by the scheduling of major events that do not occur annually.
Cancellation or curtailment of significant sporting events, for example due to adverse weather, traffic or transport disruption or civil disturbances or the outbreak of infectious diseases, or the failure of certain sporting teams to qualify for sporting events, may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations for the relevant period.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Participation in the sports betting industry exposes us to trading, liability management and pricing risk. We may experience lower than expected profitability and potentially significant losses as a result of a failure to determine accurately the odds in relation to any particular event and/or any failure of its sports risk management processes.
Our fixed-odds betting products involve betting where winnings are paid on the basis of the stake placed and the odds quoted. Odds are determined with the objective of providing an average return to the Company over a large number of events and therefore, over the long term, gross win percentage is expected to remain fairly constant. However, there can be significant variation in gross win percentage event-by-event and day-by-day. As a result, in the short term, there is less certainty of generating a positive gross win, and we may experience significant losses with respect to individual events or betting outcomes, in particular if large individual bets are placed on an event or betting outcome or series of events or betting outcomes. Odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, thus even allowing for the fact that a number of betting products are subject to capped pay-outs, significant volatility can occur. In addition, it is possible that there may be such a high volume of trading during any particular period that even automated systems would be unable to address and eradicate all risks. Any significant losses on a gross-win basis could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if a jurisdiction where we hold or wish to apply for a license imposes a high turnover tax for betting (as opposed to a gross-win tax), this too would impact profitability, particularly with high value/low margin bets, and likewise have a material adverse effect on our business.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
Our profitability depends upon many factors for which no assurance can be given.
Profitability depends upon many factors, including the ability to develop and maintain valuable products and services, our ability to identify and obtain the rights to additional products to add to our existing product line, success and expansion of our sales programs, expansion of our customer base, obtaining the right balance of expense levels and the overall success of our business activities. We may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our company and our stock, and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings or even continue our operations. A decline in the value of our stock could also cause you to lose all or part of your investment.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
Changed
Our business may be materially and adversely affected by the combined company's business following acquisitions. If we are required to write down goodwill and other intangible assets, our financial condition and results would be negatively affected.
When we acquire a business, a substantial portion of the purchase price of the acquisition is allocated to goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets. The amount of the purchase price which is allocated to goodwill and other intangible assets is determined by the excess of the purchase price over the net identifiable assets acquired. According to the Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-02, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Accounting for Goodwill, and Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-18, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Identifiable Intangible Assets in a Business Combination, which addresses the financial accounting and reporting standards for the acquisition of intangible assets outside of a business combination and for goodwill and other intangible assets subsequent to their acquisition. This accounting standard requires that goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives no longer be amortized but instead be tested for impairment at three different points in time. We must also perform annual tests for impairment. However, upon meeting certain criteria, we may not require a quantitative annual test. We may also be required to perform an interim impairment test, which is required if certain "triggering events" occur, such as adverse changes in the business climate or market which might negatively impact the value of a reporting unit. Finally, other intangible assets will continue to be amortized over their useful lives. Under current accounting standards, if we determine goodwill or intangible assets are impaired, we will be required to write down these assets. Any write-down would have a negative effect on the consolidated financial statements and could impact our compliance with equity requirement under the Nasdaq listing rules.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 8
Changed
Our internal control over financial reporting does not currently meet the standards required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and failure to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
We are a "smaller reporting company" as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Although we are not required to provide an attestation report on the internal controls over financial reporting by our independent registered public accounting firm, we are required to comply with applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as well as other rules and regulations that include, but are not limited to, the listing standards of Nasdaq, including changes in corporate governance practices and the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. The rules governing the standards that must be met for our management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. We might encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any changes necessary to make a favorable assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as it relates to our operations inclusive of recent business combinations. If we cannot favorably assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in our financial information and the price of our common stock could decline.
Debt & Financing3 | 4.2%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Our business may be materially and adversely affected by increased levels of debt.
In order to finance our business or to finance possible acquisitions we may incur significant levels of debt compared to historical levels, and we may need to secure additional sources of funding, which may include debt or convertible debt financing, in the future. A high level of debt, arduous or restrictive terms and conditions relating to accessing certain sources of funding, failure to meet the financial and/or other covenants in our credit and/or support facilities and any significant reduction in, or access to, such facilities, poor business performance or lower than expected cash inflows could have adverse consequences on our ability to fund our business operations. Other effects of a high level of debt include the following:
- we may have difficulty borrowing money in the future or accessing sources of funding; - we may need to use a large portion of our cash flows from operating activities to pay principal and interest on our indebtedness, which would reduce the amount of cash available to finance our operations and other business activities; - a high debt level, arduous or restrictive terms and conditions, or lower than expected cash flows would make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and adverse developments in our business; putting us at risk of violating debt covenants; and - if operating cash flows are not sufficient to meet our operating expenses, capital expenditures and debt service requirements as they become due, we may be required, in order to meet our debt service obligations, to delay or reduce capital expenditures or the introduction of new products and services, sell assets and/or forego business opportunities including acquisitions, research and development projects or product design enhancements.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may require additional capital to support our growth plans, and such capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. This could hamper our growth and adversely affect our business.
We intend to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new offerings and features or enhance our existing offerings and features, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary businesses, personnel and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. Our ability to obtain additional capital, if and when required, will depend on our business plans, investor demand, our operating performance, capital markets conditions and other factors. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our currently issued and outstanding equity or debt, and our existing stockholders may experience dilution. If we are unable to obtain additional capital when required, or on satisfactory terms, our ability to continue to support our business growth or to respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances could be adversely affected, and our business may be harmed.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
Changed
Future cash flow fluctuations may affect our ability to fund our working capital requirements or achieve our business objectives in a timely manner.
Our working capital requirements and cash flows are expected to be subject to quarterly and yearly fluctuations, depending on such factors as timing and size of capital expenditures, levels of sales and collection of receivables, customer payment terms and supplier terms and conditions. We expect that a greater than expected slow-down in capital spending by our customers may require us to adjust our current business model. As a result, our revenues and cash flows may be materially lower than we expect, and we may be required to reduce our capital expenditures and investments or take other measures in order to meet our cash requirements. We may seek additional funds from liquidity-generating transactions and other conventional sources of external financing (which may include a variety of debt, convertible debt and/or equity financings). We cannot provide any assurance that our net cash requirements will be as we currently expect. Our inability to manage cash flow fluctuations resulting from the above factors could have a material adverse effect on our ability to fund our working capital requirements from operating cash flows and other sources of liquidity or to achieve our business objectives in a timely manner.
Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 4.2%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may invest in or acquire other businesses, and our business may suffer if we are unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our company or otherwise manage the growth associated with multiple acquisitions.
As part of our business strategy, we have made, and we intend to continue to make, acquisitions as opportunities arise to add new or complementary businesses, products, brands or technologies. In some cases, the costs of such acquisitions may be substantial, including as a result of professional fees and due diligence efforts. There is no assurance that the time and resources expended on pursuing a particular acquisition will result in a completed transaction, or that any completed transaction will ultimately be successful. In addition, we may be unable to identify suitable acquisition or strategic investment opportunities, or may be unable to obtain any required financing or regulatory approvals, and therefore may be unable to complete such acquisitions or strategic investments on favorable terms, if at all. We may decide to pursue acquisitions with which our investors may not agree and we cannot assure investors that any acquisition or investment will be successful or otherwise provide a favorable return on investment. In addition, acquisitions and the integration thereof require significant time and resources and place significant demands on our management, as well as on our operational and financial infrastructure. In addition, if we fail to successfully close transactions or integrate new teams, or integrate the products and technologies associated with these acquisitions into our company, our business could be seriously harmed. Acquisitions may expose us to operational challenges and risks, including:
- the ability to profitably manage acquired businesses or successfully integrate the acquired businesses' operations, personnel, financial reporting, accounting and internal controls, technologies and products into our business; - increased indebtedness and the expense of integrating acquired businesses, including significant administrative, operational, economic, geographic or cultural challenges in managing and integrating the expanded or combined operations; - entry into jurisdictions or acquisition of products or technologies with which we have limited or no prior experience, and the potential of increased competition with new or existing competitors as a result of such acquisitions; - diversion of management's attention and the over-extension of our operating infrastructure and our management systems, information technology systems, and internal controls and procedures, which may be inadequate to support growth; - the ability to fund our capital needs and any cash flow shortages that may occur if anticipated revenue is not realized or is delayed, whether by general economic or market conditions, or unforeseen internal difficulties; and - the ability to retain or hire qualified personnel required for expanded operations.
Our acquisition strategy may not succeed if we are unable to remain attractive to target companies or expeditiously close transactions. Issuing shares of common stock to fund an acquisition would cause economic dilution to existing stockholders. If we develop a reputation for being a difficult acquirer or having an unfavorable work environment, or target companies view our common stock unfavorably, we may be unable to consummate key acquisition transactions essential to our corporate strategy and our business may be seriously harmed.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
While we work to integrate the iGaming businesses and operations together and leverage with the esports business and operations, management's focus and resources may be diverted from operational matters and other strategic opportunities.
Successful integration of acquisitions operations, sports betting, gaming and esports technology and personnel places an additional burden on management and other internal resources. The diversion of management's attention and any difficulties encountered in the transition and integration process could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, uncertainty about the effect of the acquisitions on our systems, employees, customers, partners, and other third parties, including regulators, may have an adverse effect on us. These uncertainties may impair our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel for some time after the acquisitions.
Furthermore, the overall integration of the businesses may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, and loss of customers and other relationships. The difficulties of combining the operations of the companies include, among others, difficulties in integrating operations and systems; conforming standards, controls, procedures and accounting and other policies, business cultures and compensation structures; assimilating employees, including possible culture conflicts and different opinions on technical decisions and product roadmaps; managing the expanded operations of a larger and more complex company, including coordinating a geographically dispersed organization; and keeping existing customers and obtaining new customers. Many of these factors will be outside our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management's time and energy, which could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
Efforts to remediate our material weaknesses and comply with the applicable provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act will involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may adversely affect us and the market price of our common stock.
Under current SEC rules, we have been required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, and related rules and regulations of the SEC. We will be required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting. This process may result in a diversion of management's time and attention and may involve significant expenditures. We have not maintained internal control over financial reporting in a manner that meets the standards of publicly traded companies required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The rules governing the standards that must be met for our evaluation management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. We might encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any changes necessary to make a favorable assessment of our internal control over financial reporting. If we cannot remediate our material weaknesses or favorably assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in our financial information and the price of our common stock could decline.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 15/71 (21%)Above Sector Average
Regulation11 | 15.5%
Regulation - Risk 1
Changed
Regulations that may be adopted with respect to the internet and electronic commerce may decrease the growth in the use of the internet and lead to the decrease in the demand for our products and services.
In addition to regulations pertaining to the gaming industry in general and specifically to online gaming, we may become subject to any number of laws and regulations that may be adopted with respect to the internet and electronic commerce. New laws and regulations that address issues such as user privacy, pricing, online content regulation, taxation, advertising, intellectual property, information security, and the characteristics and quality of online products and services may be enacted. Additionally, current laws, which predate or are incompatible with the internet and electronic commerce, may be applied and enforced in a manner that restricts the electronic commerce market. The application of such pre-existing laws regulating communications or commerce in the context of the internet and electronic commerce is uncertain. Moreover, it may take years to determine the extent to which existing laws relating to issues such as intellectual property ownership and infringement, libel and personal privacy are applicable to the internet. The adoption of new laws or regulations relating to the internet, or particular applications or interpretations of existing laws, could decrease the growth in the use of the internet, decrease the demand for our products and services, increase our cost of doing business or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, operating results and financial condition.
Regulation - Risk 2
Changed
We are subject to various laws relating to trade, export controls, and foreign corrupt practices, the violation of which could adversely affect our operations, reputation, business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.
We are subject to risks associated with doing business outside of the United States, including exposure to complex foreign and U.S. regulations such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA") and other anti-corruption laws which generally prohibit U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Violations of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws may result in severe criminal and civil sanctions and other penalties. It may be difficult to oversee the conduct of any contractors, third-party partners, representatives or agents who are not our employees, potentially exposing us to greater risk from their actions. If our employees or agents fail to comply with applicable laws or company policies governing our international operations, we may face legal proceedings and actions which could result in civil penalties, administration actions and criminal sanctions. Any determination that we have violated any anti-corruption laws could have a material adverse impact on our business. Changes in trade sanctions laws may restrict our business practices, including cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries or with sanctioned entities.
Violations of these laws and regulations could result in significant fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, requirements to obtain export licenses, disgorgement of profits, cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries, prohibitions on the conduct of our business and our inability to market and sell our products in one or more countries. Additionally, any such violations could materially damage our reputation, brand, international expansion efforts, ability to attract and retain employees and our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.
We also deal with significant amounts of cash in our operations and are subject to various reporting and anti-money laundering regulations. Any violation of anti-money laundering laws or regulations by any of our properties could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Regulation - Risk 3
Changed
The gaming industry is heavily regulated and failure by us to comply with applicable requirements could be disruptive to our business and could adversely affect our operations.
The gaming industry is subject to extensive scrutiny and regulation at all levels of government, both domestic and foreign, including but not limited to, federal, state, provincial, local, and in some instances, tribal authorities. While the regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction, most require:
- licenses and/or permits; - findings of suitability; - documentation of qualifications, including evidence of financial stability; and - other required approvals for companies who operate in online gaming or manufacture or distribute gaming equipment and services, including but not limited to approvals for new products.
Compliance with the various regulations applicable to internet gaming is costly and time-consuming. Regulatory authorities at the non-U.S., U.S. federal, state and local levels have broad powers with respect to the regulation and licensing of internet gaming operations and our license may be revoked, suspended or limited for non-compliance and regulators have the power to impose substantial fines on us and take other actions, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. These laws and regulations are dynamic and subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various legislative and regulatory bodies may expand current laws or regulations or enact new laws and regulations regarding these matters. We will strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our business. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules. Non-compliance with any such law or regulations could expose us to claims, proceedings, litigation and investigations by private parties and regulatory authorities, as well as substantial fines and negative publicity, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business.
Any license, permit, approval or finding of suitability may be revoked, suspended or conditioned at any time. The loss of a license in one jurisdiction could trigger the loss of a license or affect our eligibility for a license in another jurisdiction. We may be unable to obtain or maintain all necessary registrations, licenses, permits or approvals, and could incur fines or experience delays related to the licensing process which could adversely affect its operations. The finding of suitability process may be expensive and time-consuming. Our delay or failure to obtain licenses and approvals in any jurisdiction may prevent us from distributing our solutions and generating revenues. A gaming regulatory body may refuse to issue or renew a registration, license or other approval if we, or one of our directors, officers, employees or associates: (i) is considered to be a detriment to the integrity or lawful conduct or management of gaming, (ii) no longer meets a registration, license or other approval requirement, (iii) has breached or is in breach of a condition of registration, licensure, other approval or an operational agreement with a regulatory authority, (iv) has made a material misrepresentation, omission or misstatement in an application for registration, license or other approval or in reply to an enquiry by a person conducting an audit, investigation or inspection for a gaming regulatory authority, (v) has been refused a similar registration, license or other approval in another jurisdiction, (vi) has held a similar registration, or license or other approval in that province, state or another jurisdiction which has been suspended, revoked or cancelled, or (vii) has been convicted of an offense, inside or outside of the United States that calls into question our honesty or integrity or the honesty or integrity of one of our directors, officers, employees or associates.
Generally, any person who fails or refuses to apply for a finding of suitability or a license within the prescribed period after being advised that it is required by gaming authorities may be denied a license or found unsuitable, as applicable. Furthermore, we may be subject to disciplinary action or our license may be in peril if, after we receive notice that a person is unsuitable to be a stockholder or to have any other relationship with us or any of our subsidiaries, we: (i) pay that person any dividend or interest upon our voting securities; (ii) allow that person to exercise, directly or indirectly, any voting right conferred through securities held by that person; (iii) pay remuneration in any form to that person for services rendered or otherwise; or (iv) fail to pursue all lawful efforts to require such unsuitable person to relinquish his voting securities.
Additionally, our services must be approved in some jurisdictions in which they are offered, which approval cannot be assured or guaranteed. Obtaining these approvals is a time-consuming process that can be extremely costly. Even where a jurisdiction regulates online gaming, it may not be commercially desirable to secure a license in such a jurisdiction due to tax or other operational considerations.
A provider of gaming solutions may pursue corporate regulatory approval with regulators of a particular jurisdiction while it pursues technical regulatory approval for its gaming solutions by that same jurisdiction. It is possible that after incurring significant expenses and dedicating substantial time and effort towards such regulatory approvals, we may not obtain either of them. If we fail to obtain the necessary certification, registration, license, approval or finding of suitability in a given jurisdiction, we would likely be prohibited from distributing our services in that particular jurisdiction altogether. If we fail to seek, does not receive, or receive a revocation of a license in a particular jurisdiction for our games, hardware or software, then we cannot sell, service or place on a participation or leased basis or license our products in that jurisdiction and our issued licenses in other jurisdictions may be impacted. Furthermore, some jurisdictions require license holders to obtain government approval before engaging in some transactions, such as business combinations, reorganizations, stock offerings and repurchases. We may not be able to obtain all necessary registrations, licenses, permits, approvals or findings of suitability in a timely manner, or at all. Delays in regulatory approvals or failure to obtain such approvals may also serve as a barrier to entry to the market for our solutions. If we are unable to overcome the barriers to entry, it will materially affect our results of operations and future prospects. To the extent new gaming jurisdictions are established or expanded, we cannot guarantee we will be successful in penetrating such new jurisdictions or expanding our business in line with the growth of existing jurisdictions. As we enter into new markets, we may encounter legal and regulatory challenges that are difficult or impossible to foresee and which could result in an unforeseen adverse impact on planned revenues or costs associated with the new market opportunity. If we are unable to effectively develop and operate within these new markets, then our business, operating results and financial condition could be impaired. Our failure to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals in jurisdictions, whether individually or collectively, would have a material adverse effect on our business.
To expand into new jurisdictions, we may need to be licensed, obtain approvals of our products and/or seek licensure of our officers, directors, major stockholders, key employees or business partners. Any delays in obtaining or difficulty in maintaining regulatory approvals needed for expansion within existing markets or into new jurisdictions can negatively affect our opportunities for growth or delay our ability to recognize revenue from the sale or installation of products in any such jurisdictions.
Directly related to the above risk, we have responded to periodic requests for information from the UKGC in relation to information required to maintain its UK license following the change of corporate control. There have been no adverse judgments imposed by the UKGC against us. In recent months, we reduced our spending on marketing and were focused on retaining existing customers and reactivating past customers. On November 10, 2022, the Company determined that it would close down its licensed remote gambling operation in the UK market. On November 15, 2022, as part of the winding down of the Argyll UK iGaming operations, players were informed that they would no longer be able to place bets from November 30, 2022 and that they could withdraw their balances through December 7, 2022. On December 8, 2022 Argyll UK surrendered its UK license and the surrender was confirmed by the UKGC on December 9, 2022. Between December 7, 2022 and December 14, 2022 Argyll UK attempted to refund customer accounts that still had remaining balances. On March 3, 2023, the Company's Board determined that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Argyll Entertainment, the Company's Swiss entity that is part of Argyll UK, would be liquidated. The Swiss courts declared Argyll Entertainment bankrupt on March 27, 2023, at which point the Company lost control of Argyll Entertainment and, as a result, deconsolidated the entity. The Company further liquidated and deconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiary, Argyll Productions, on June 9, 2023. The Company had previously fully impaired the goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets of Argyll UK in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The Company recognized a gain on disposal of $2.2 million for Argyll Entertainment and $0.6 million for Argyll Productions.
Regulation - Risk 4
Changed
We are subject to regulation affecting internet gaming which varies from one jurisdiction to another and future legislative and court proceedings pertaining to internet gaming may have a material impact on our operations and financial results.
Online gambling is not unequivocally legal in all jurisdictions. We are licensed to supply gambling services from jurisdictions in which we operate but not in every jurisdiction where the customer is located. Some countries have introduced regulations attempting to restrict or prohibit internet gaming, while others have taken the position that internet gaming should be regulated and have adopted or are in the process of considering legislation to enable that regulation.
While the UK and other European countries and territories such as Malta, Alderney and Gibraltar have currently adopted a regime which permits its licensees to accept wagers from any jurisdiction, other countries, including the United States, have, or are in the process of implementing, regimes which permit only the targeting of the domestic market provided a local license is obtained and local taxes accounted for. Other European countries and territories continue to defend a licensing regime that protects monopoly providers and have combined this with an attempt to outlaw all other suppliers. By contrast, a number of countries have not passed legislation in relation to online gambling but may introduce it in the future. Some jurisdictions have not updated legislation focused on land-based gambling which may be interpreted in an unfavorable way to online gambling. Different jurisdictions have different views to determining where gambling takes place and which jurisdiction's law applies and these views may change from time to time.
We currently block, through IP address filtering, direct access to wagering on our international websites from the United States and other jurisdictions that we are precluded from supplying our services to pursuant to our gaming license. Individuals are required to enter their age upon gaining access to our platform and any misrepresentation of such users age will result in the forfeiting of his or her deposit and any withdrawals from such users account requires proof of government issued identification. In addition, our payment service providers use their own identity and ISP verification software. Despite all such measures, it is conceivable that a user, underage or otherwise, could devise a way to evade our blocking measures and access our international websites from the United States or any other foreign jurisdiction in which we do not currently permit users to use our services.
Future legislative and court decisions may have a material impact on our operations and financial results. Therefore, there is a risk that civil and criminal proceedings, including class actions brought by or on behalf of prosecutors or public entities incumbent monopoly providers, or private individuals, could be initiated against us, internet service providers, credit card processors, advertisers and others involved in the internet gaming industry. Such potential proceedings could involve substantial litigation expense, penalties, fines, seizure of assets, injunctions or other restrictions being imposed upon our or our licensees or other business partners, while diverting the attention of key executives. Such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, operating results and financial condition as well as impact upon our reputation.
There can be no assurance that legally enforceable prohibiting legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to legislate or regulate various aspects of the internet or the online gaming industry (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively). Compliance with any such legislation may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, either as a result of our determining that a jurisdiction should be blocked, or because a local license may be costly for us or our licensees to obtain and/or such licenses may contain other commercially undesirable conditions. In any case, such regulations may negatively impact our business and financial results.
Regulation - Risk 5
Changed
Recent regulatory changes in the Netherlands and Finland have had a material impact on our financial results and may have additional negative consequences on our business and operations in the future.
In addition, as a result of regulatory developments in Finland, we received communications requesting clarification on our marketing and gaming practices related to its Finnish EEG iGaming operations, from the Finnish regulator. The net revenues for our Lucky Dino business have declined from approximately $22.2 million for the year ended June 30, 2022 to approximately $10.2 million for the year ended June 30, 2023. Net revenues for our Lucky Dino business represented approximately 44% of our consolidated net revenues for the year ended June 30, 2023.
There can be no assurance that operations and revenues from our Finnish and other iGaming operations will recover and not be further negatively impacted in the future.
Regulation - Risk 6
Changed
Our stockholders and business partners are subject to extensive governmental regulation and if a stockholder is found unsuitable by a gaming authority, that stockholder would not be able to beneficially own our Common Shares directly or indirectly.
In many jurisdictions, gaming laws can require any of our stockholders and business partners to file an application, be investigated, and qualify or have his, her or its suitability determined by gaming authorities. Gaming authorities have very broad discretion in determining whether an applicant should be deemed suitable. Subject to certain administrative proceeding requirements, the gaming regulators have the authority to deny any application or limit, condition, restrict, revoke or suspend any license, registration, finding of suitability or approval, or fine any person licensed, registered or found suitable or approved, for any cause deemed reasonable by the gaming authorities.
Furthermore, any person required by a gaming authority to be found suitable, who is found unsuitable by the gaming authority, may not hold directly or indirectly ownership of any voting security or the beneficial or record ownership of any non-voting security or any debt security of any public corporation which is registered with the relevant gaming authority beyond the time prescribed by the relevant gaming authority. A violation of the foregoing may constitute a criminal offence. A finding of unsuitability by a particular gaming authority impacts that person's ability to associate or affiliate with gaming licenses in that particular jurisdiction and could impact the person's ability to associate or affiliate with gaming licenses in other jurisdictions.
Many jurisdictions also require any person who acquires beneficial ownership of more than a certain percentage of voting securities of a gaming company and, in some jurisdictions, non-voting securities, typically 5%, to report the acquisition to gaming authorities, and gaming authorities may require such holders to apply for qualification or a finding of suitability, subject to limited exceptions for "institutional investors" that hold a company's voting securities for investment purposes only.
Thus, any purchaser of the common stock offered by the Company may find themselves subject to investigation and potentially required to disgorge their shares due to regulatory action in one of the jurisdictions we operate.
Current environmental laws and regulations, or those enacted in the future, could result in additional liabilities and costs. Compliance with these laws could increase our costs and impact the availability of components required to manufacture its products. Violation of these laws may subject us to significant fines, penalties or disposal costs, which could negatively impact its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Regulation - Risk 7
Changed
We may not be able to capitalize on the expansion of online or other forms of interactive gaming or other trends and changes in the gaming industry, due to laws and regulations governing these industries in different Jurisdictions.
We participate in the new and evolving interactive gaming industry through our online, social and mobile products. We intend to take advantage of the liberalization of online and mobile gaming, within Canada, the U.S. and internationally; however, expansion of online and mobile gaming involves significant risks and uncertainties, including legal, business and financial risks. The success of online and mobile gaming and our interactive products and services may be affected by future developments in social networks, including Facebook, mobile platforms, regulatory developments, data privacy laws and other factors that we are unable to predict and are beyond our control. Consequently, our future operating results relating to our online gaming products and services are difficult to predict, and we cannot provide assurance that our products and services will grow at expected rates or be successful in the long term.
Additionally, our ability to successfully pursue our interactive gaming strategy depends on the laws and regulations relating to wagering through interactive channels. Internationally, laws relating to online gaming are evolving, particularly in Europe. To varying degrees, a number of European governments have taken steps to change the regulation of online wagering through the implementation of new or revised licensing and taxation regimes, including the possible imposition of sanctions on unlicensed providers. We cannot predict the timing, scope or terms of any such state, federal or foreign laws and regulations, or the extent to which any such laws and regulations will facilitate or hinder its interactive strategy.
Our ability to operate in our proposed online jurisdictions or expand in new online jurisdictions could be adversely affected by new or changing laws or regulations, new interpretations of existing laws or regulations, and difficulties or delays in obtaining or maintaining required licenses or product approvals.
Changes in existing gaming laws or regulations, new interpretations of existing gaming laws or regulations or changes in the manner in which existing laws and regulations are enforced, all with respect to online gaming activities, may hinder or prevent us from continuing to operate in those jurisdictions where we currently carry on business, which would harm our operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, gaming regulatory bodies may from time to time amend the various disclosures and reporting requirements. If we fail to comply with any existing or future disclosure or reporting requirements, the regulators may take action against us which could ultimately include fines, the conditioning, suspension or revocation of approvals, registrations, permits or licenses and other disciplinary action. It cannot be assured that we will be able to adequately adjust to such potential changes. Additionally, evolving laws and regulations regarding data privacy, cyber security and anti-money laundering could adversely impact opportunities for growth in our online business, and could result in additional compliance-related costs.
Public opinion can also exert a significant influence over the regulation of the gaming industry. A negative shift in the public's perception of gaming could affect future legislation in different jurisdictions. Among other things, such a shift could cause jurisdictions to abandon proposals to legalize gaming, thereby limiting the number of new jurisdictions into which we could expand. Negative public perception could also lead to new restrictions on or to the prohibition of gaming in jurisdictions in which we currently operate.
Regulation - Risk 8
Changed
Because a number of our directors and a substantial portion of our assets are located in jurisdictions other than the United States and Canada, you may have no effective recourse against the directors not located in the United States and Canada for misconduct and may not be able to enforce a judgment and/or civil liabilities against these directors.
Three of our directors and a substantial portion of our assets are or may be located in jurisdictions outside the U.S. As a result, a person may not be able to affect service of process within the U.S. on our directors and officers. A person also may not be able to recover against them on judgments of U.S. courts or to obtain original judgments against them in foreign courts, including judgments predicated upon civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.
Regulation - Risk 9
We are required to comply with applicable anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism legislation a breach of which could lead to government enforcement action or other litigation, potential liability, or otherwise harm our business.
We receive deposits and other payments from customers in the normal course of their business. The receipt of monies from customers imposes anti-money laundering and other obligations and potential liabilities on us. Compliance with all such laws and regulations creates complex regulatory obligations which involves a risk of large financial penalties (in not being fully compliant) and additional potential burdens (in being fully compliant). While we have processes in place regarding customer profiling and the identification of customers' source of funds, such processes may fail or prove to be inadequate whether in respect of the source of customers' funds or otherwise. Any such failure or inadequacy could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and impact upon our licensing obligations.
Handling, or any form of facilitating the use of criminal property, is a crime in all jurisdictions in which we take material custom (and going forward will take material custom). In instances where no local licensing regime is in place and there is doubt in connection with the legality of the remote supply of gambling services, there is a risk that the authorities will claim that money movements in connection with gambling amounts to money laundering, irrespective of whether the intention is actually to launder money (i.e., to disguise or conceal its provenance). This gives rise to a risk that when monies are held in (or moved into) certain territories, authorities may wish to freeze their onward payment, seek to trace money movements into different jurisdictions and recover the relevant sums. This would give rise to conflicts of law issues (not all the definitions of what comprises criminal property are identical in all jurisdictions) and what may not amount to money laundering in one jurisdiction may satisfy the definition in that other territory. There is a risk that should any such claim be brought and be successful, significant funds may have to be repatriated to the jurisdiction bringing a claim, which would have a significant impact on our profitability.
Regulation - Risk 10
Our growth prospects depend on the legal status of real-money gaming in various jurisdictions, including within the United States, and legalization may not occur in as many states or countries as we expect, or may occur at a slower pace than we anticipate. Additionally, even if jurisdictions legalize real money gaming, this may be accompanied by legislative or regulatory restrictions and/or taxes that make it impracticable or less attractive to operate in those jurisdictions, or the process of implementing regulations or securing the necessary licenses to operate in a particular jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate, which could adversely affect our future results of operations and make it more difficult to meet our expectations for financial performance.
A number of U.S. states have legalized, or are currently considering legalizing, real money gaming. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are significantly dependent upon continued and increasing legalization of real money gaming. If a large number of additional states or the federal government enact real money gaming legislation and we are unable to obtain, or are otherwise delayed in obtaining the necessary licenses to operate online sports betting or iGaming websites in U.S. jurisdictions where such games are legalized, our future growth in online sports betting and iGaming could be materially impaired.
As we enter into new jurisdictions, states or the federal government may legalize real money gaming in a manner that is unfavorable to us. As a result, we may encounter legal, regulatory and political challenges that are difficult or impossible to foresee and which could result in an unforeseen adverse impact on planned revenues or costs associated with the new opportunity. For example, certain states require us to have a relationship with a retail operator for online gaming access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. States that have established state-run monopolies may limit opportunities for participants like us. States also impose substantial tax rates on online sports betting and iGaming revenue, in addition to the federal excise tax of 25 basis points on the amount of each wager. As most state product taxes apply to various measures of modified gross profit, tax rates, whether federal- or state-based, that are higher than we expect will make it more costly and less desirable for us to launch in a given jurisdiction, while tax increases in any of our existing jurisdictions may adversely impact our profitability.
Therefore, even in cases in which a jurisdiction purports to license and regulate sports betting or iGaming, the licensing and regulatory regimes can vary considerably in terms of their business-friendliness and at times may be intended to provide incumbent operators with advantages over new licensees. Therefore, some "liberalized" regulatory regimes are considerably more commercially attractive than others.
Furthermore, in the online real money gaming industry, a significant "first mover" advantage exists. Our ability to compete effectively in respect of a particular style of online real money gaming in the United States may be premised on introducing a style of gaming before our competitors. Failing to do so could materially impair our ability to grow in the online real money gaming space. We may fail to accurately predict when online real money gaming will be legalized in significant jurisdictions. The legislative process in each state and at the Federal level is unique and capable of rapid, often unpredictable change. If we fail to accurately forecast when and how, if at all, online real money gaming will be legalized in additional state jurisdictions, such failure could impair our readiness to introduce online real money gaming offerings in such jurisdictions which could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Regulation - Risk 11
Legislative and regulatory changes could negatively affect our business and the business of our customers.
Legislative and regulatory changes may affect demand for or place limitations on the placement of our products. Such changes could affect us in a variety of ways. Legislation or regulation may introduce limitations on our products or opportunities for the use of our products and could foster competitive products or solutions at our or our customers' expense. Our business will likely also suffer if our products become obsolete due to changes in laws or the regulatory framework.
Legislative or regulatory changes negatively impacting the gaming industry as a whole or our customers in particular could also decrease the demand for our products. Opposition to gaming could result in restrictions or even prohibitions of gaming operations in any jurisdiction or could result in increased taxes on gaming revenues. Tax matters, including changes in state, federal or other tax legislation or assessments by tax authorities could have a negative impact on our business. A reduction in growth of the gaming industry or in the number of gaming jurisdictions or delays in the opening of new or expanded casinos could reduce demand for our products. Changes in current or future laws or regulations or future judicial intervention in any particular jurisdiction may have a material adverse effect on our existing and proposed foreign and domestic operations. Any such adverse change in the legislative or regulatory environment could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 1.4%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Changed
Litigation costs and the outcome of litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business.
From time to time, we may be subject to litigation claims through the ordinary course of our business operations regarding, among other things, employment matters, security of consumer and employee personal information, contractual relations with suppliers, marketing and infringement of trademarks and other intellectual property rights. Litigation to defend us against claims by third parties, or to enforce any rights that we may have against third parties, may be necessary, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources, causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Aside from the lawsuit and other matters referenced herein under the heading "Legal Proceedings", we are not aware of any current material legal proceedings outstanding, threatened or pending as of the date hereof by or against us. However, given the nature of our business, we are, and may from time to time in the future be, party to various, and at times numerous, legal, administrative and regulatory inquiries, investigations, proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. Because the outcome of litigation is inherently uncertain, if one or more of such legal matters were to be resolved against us for amounts in excess of management's expectations, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Taxation & Government Incentives1 | 1.4%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Changed
Our business is particularly vulnerable to additional or increased taxes and fees.
We believe that the prospect of raising significant additional revenue through taxes and fees is one of the primary reasons that certain jurisdictions permit legalized gaming. As a result, gaming companies are typically subject to significant taxes and fees in addition to the normal federal, state, provincial and local income taxes and such taxes and fees may be increased at any time. From time to time, legislators and officials have proposed changes in tax laws or in the administration of laws affecting the gaming industry. Many states and municipalities, including ones in which we operate, are currently experiencing budgetary pressures that may make it more likely they would seek to impose additional taxes and fees on our operations. It is not possible to determine the likelihood or extent of any such future changes in tax laws or fees, or changes in the administration of such laws; however, if enacted, such changes could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Environmental / Social2 | 2.8%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Changed
In the context of our European Union (the "EU")-facing operations, we may be subject to specific compliance obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the "GDPR") and associated laws and regulations in different EU Member States in which we operate as well as in portions of our business outside the EU which may negatively affect our operations and financial results.
Every international business that has a presence in the EU as well as multiple data protection jurisdictions is subject to an impact on its operations placed by its obligation to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and associated EU legislation with respect to the offering of products or services to, or the monitoring of, individuals in the EU. We may also be subject to the local privacy and data protection laws of the EU Member States in which we offer products or services. Failure to comply with these EU data protection and privacy laws, can carry penalties and potential criminal sanctions, as well as the risk of litigation. In addition, Directive 2002/58/EC (as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC) (together, the "e-Privacy Directive") governs, among other things, the use of cookies and the sending of electronic direct marketing within the EU and, as such, will apply to our marketing activities within the EU. Following Brexit, the UK has adopted its own data protection and direct marketing laws (the "UK data protection laws") which are currently based on the corresponding EU legislation. Our UK-facing operations may therefore be subject to specific compliance obligations under the UK data protection laws.
In our efforts to comply with these requirements, we rely on positions and interpretations of the law that have yet to be fully tested before the relevant courts and regulators. While the UK data protection laws are currently similar to the corresponding EU laws, it is possible that those laws will diverge in the future. To the extent that those laws do diverge, then that may increase the costs of maintaining regulatory compliance. There is also a risk that it may become more difficult to make cross-border transfers of personal data, as a result of diverging data protection regimes in the territories where our customers are located and the territories where our operations are based. If a regulator or court of competent jurisdiction determined that one or more of our compliance efforts does not satisfy the applicable requirements of the GDPR or the e-Privacy Directive, or the UK data protection laws, or if any party brought a claim in this regard, there could be potential governmental or regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines, compliance orders, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others, and that could cause customers to lose trust in us and damage our reputation. Likewise, a change in guidance could be costly and have an adverse effect on our business.
Environmental / Social - Risk 2
Changed
Global privacy concerns could result in regulatory changes and impose additional costs and liabilities on us, limit our use of information, and adversely affect our business.
Personal privacy has become a significant issue in Canada, the United States, Europe, and many other countries in which we currently operate and may operate in the future. Many federal, state, and foreign legislatures and government agencies have imposed or are considering imposing restrictions and requirements about the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information obtained from individuals. Changes to laws or regulations affecting privacy could impose additional costs and liability on us and could limit its use of such information to add value for customers. If we were required to change our business activities or revise or eliminate services, or to implement burdensome compliance measures, our business and results of operations could be harmed. In addition, we may be subject to fines, penalties, and potential litigation if we fail to comply with applicable privacy regulations, any of which could adversely affect our business, liquidity and results of operation.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 12/71 (17%)Above Sector Average
Trade Secrets3 | 4.2%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Changed
Our intellectual property may be insufficient to properly safeguard our technology and brands.
We may apply for patent protection in the United States, Canada, Europe and other countries relating to certain existing and proposed processes, designs and methods and other product innovations. Patent applications can, however, take many years to issue and we can provide no assurance that any of these patents will be issued at all. If we are denied any or all of these patents, we may not be able to successfully prevent our competitors from imitating our solutions or using some or all of the processes that are the subject of such patent applications. Such imitation may lead to increased competition within the finite market for our solutions. Even if pending patents are issued to us, our intellectual property rights may not be sufficiently comprehensive to prevent our competitors from developing similar competitive products and technologies. Our success may also depend on our ability to obtain trademark protection for the names or symbols under which we market our products and to obtain copyright protection and patent protection of our proprietary technologies, intellectual property and other game innovations and if the granted patents are challenged, protection may be lost. We may not be able to build and maintain goodwill in our trademarks or obtain trademark or patent protection, and there can be no assurance that any trademark, copyright or issued patent will provide competitive advantages for us or that our intellectual property will not be successfully challenged or circumvented by competitors.
Computer source codes for technology licenses may also receive protection under international copyright laws. As such, we, or the party which we license the source code from, may need to initiate legal proceedings following such use to obtain orders to prevent further use of the source code.
We will also rely on trade secrets, ideas and proprietary know-how. Although we generally require our employees and independent contractors to enter into confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements, it cannot be assured that the obligations therein will be maintained and honored. If these agreements are breached, it is unlikely that the remedies available to us will be sufficient to compensate it for the damages suffered. In spite of confidentiality agreements and other methods of protecting trade secrets, our proprietary information could become known to or independently developed by competitors.
If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property and confidential information, our business may be harmed, and our liquidity and results of operations may be materially adversely impacted.
Trade Secrets - Risk 2
Added
If we are subject to claims of intellectual property infringement or invalidity our business operations and/or financial results may be negatively impacted either by the cost of litigation or any adverse result.
Monitoring infringement and misappropriation of intellectual property can be difficult and expensive, and we may not be able to detect infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary rights. Although we intend to aggressively pursue anyone who is reasonably believed to be infringing upon our intellectual property rights and who poses a significant commercial risk to the business, to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, initiating and maintaining suits against such third parties will require substantial financial resources. We may not have the financial resources to bring such suits, and, if we do bring such suits, we may not prevail. Regardless of our success in any such actions, the expenses and management distraction involved may have a material adverse effect on our financial position.
A significant portion of our revenues may be generated from products using certain intellectual property rights, and our operating results would be negatively impacted if we were unsuccessful in licensing certain of those rights and/or protecting those rights from infringement, including losses of proprietary information from breaches of our cyber security efforts.
Further, our competitors have been granted patents protecting various gaming products and solutions features, including systems, methods and designs. If our products and solutions employ these processes, or other subject matter that is claimed under our competitors' patents, or if other companies obtain patents claiming subject matter that we use, those companies may bring infringement actions against us. The question of whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues, the determination of which is often uncertain. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware, which might later result in issued patents that our products and solutions may infringe. There can be no assurance that our products, including those with currently pending patent applications, will not be determined to have infringed upon an existing third-party patent. If any of our products and solutions infringes a valid patent, we may be required to discontinue offering certain products or systems, pay damages, purchase a license to use the intellectual property in question from its owner, or redesign the product in question to avoid infringement. A license may not be available or may require us to pay substantial royalties, which could in turn force us to attempt to redesign the infringing product or to develop alternative technologies at a considerable expense. Additionally, we may not be successful in any attempt to redesign the infringing product or to develop alternative technologies, which could force us to withdraw our product or services from the market.
We may also infringe other intellectual property rights belonging to third parties, such as trademarks, copyrights and confidential information. As with patent litigation, the infringement of trademarks, copyrights and confidential information involve complex legal and factual issues and our products, branding or associated marketing materials may be found to have infringed existing third-party rights. When any third-party infringement occurs, we may be required to stop using the infringing intellectual property rights, pay damages and, if we wish to keep using the third-party intellectual property, purchase a license or otherwise redesign the product, branding or associated marketing materials to avoid further infringement. Such a license may not be available or may require us to pay substantial royalties.
It is also possible that the validity of any of our intellectual property rights might be challenged either in a standalone legal proceeding or as part of infringement claims in the future.
There can be no assurance that our intellectual property rights will withstand an invalidity claim and, if declared invalid, the protection afforded to the product, branding or marketing material will be lost.
Moreover, the future interpretation of intellectual property law regarding the validity of intellectual property by governmental agencies or courts in the United States, Canada, Europe or other jurisdictions in which we have rights could negatively affect the validity or enforceability of our current or future intellectual property. This could have multiple negative impacts including, without limitation, the marketability of, or anticipated revenue from, certain of our products. Additionally, due to the differences in foreign patent, trademark, copyright and other laws concerning proprietary rights, our intellectual property may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as it would in the United States, Canada, or Europe. Our failure to possess, obtain or maintain adequate protection of its intellectual property rights for any reason in these jurisdictions could have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations and financial condition.
Furthermore, infringement and other intellectual property claims, with or without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate, and we may not have the financial and human resources to defend ourselves against any infringement suits that may be brought against us. Litigation can also distract management from day-to-day operations of the business.
In addition, our business is dependent in part on the intellectual property of third-parties. For example, we license intellectual property from third parties for use in our gaming products. Our future success may depend upon our ability to obtain licenses to use new and existing intellectual property and our ability to retain or expand existing licenses for certain products. If we are unable to obtain new licenses or renew or expand existing licenses, we may be required to discontinue or limit our use of such products that use the licensed marks and our financial condition, operating results or prospects may be harmed.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Changed
If we fail to enforce and maintain our intellectual property rights, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.
The success of our business depends on our continued ability to use our existing tradenames in order to increase our brand awareness. Esports Entertainment Malta owns EU registered trademarks for our Lucky Dino brands. The unauthorized use or other misappropriation of any of the foregoing trademarks or tradenames could diminish the value of our business or financial results which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.
Cyber Security3 | 4.2%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Changed
Systems, network or telecommunications failures or cyber-attacks may disrupt our business and have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Any disruption in our network or telecommunications services could affect our ability to operate our games and online offerings, which would result in reduced revenues and customer down time. Our network and databases of business or customer information, including intellectual property, trade secrets, and other proprietary business information and those of third parties we utilize, will be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, break-ins, cyber-attacks, hackers, network penetration, data privacy or security breaches, denial of service attacks and similar events, including inadvertent dissemination of information due to increased use of social media. Despite implementation of network security measures and data protection safeguards by us, including a disaster recovery strategy for back office systems, our servers and computer resources will be vulnerable to viruses, malicious software, hacking, break-ins or theft, third-party security breaches, employee error or malfeasance, and other potential compromises. Disruptions from unauthorized access to or tampering with our computer systems, or those of third parties we utilize, in any such event could result in a wide range of negative outcomes, including devaluation of our intellectual property goodwill and/or brand appeal, increased expenditures on data security, and costly litigation, and can have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, reputation, operating results and financial condition.
Cyber Security - Risk 2
Changed
Compromises of our technology systems or unauthorized access to confidential information or our customers' personal information could materially harm our reputation and business.
We collect and store confidential, personal information relating to our customers for various business purposes, including marketing and financial purposes, and credit card information for processing payments. For example, we handle, collect and store personal information in connection with our online gaming products. We may share this personal and confidential information with vendors or other third parties in connection with processing of transactions, operating certain aspects of our business or for marketing purposes. Our collection and use of personal data is governed by federal, state and provincial laws and regulations as well as the applicable laws and regulations in other countries in which it operates. Privacy law is an area that changes often and varies significantly by jurisdiction. We may incur significant costs in order to ensure compliance with the various privacy requirements. In addition, privacy laws and regulations may limit our ability to market to our customers.
We intend to assess and monitor the security of collection, storage and transmission of customer information on an ongoing basis. We intend to utilize commercially available software and technologies to monitor, assess and secure our network. However, the systems currently intended for transmissions and approval of payment card transactions, and the technology utilized in payment cards themselves, all of which can put payment card data at risk, are determined and controlled by the payment card industry, not us. Although we intend to take steps designed to safeguard our customers' confidential personal information, our network and other systems and those of third parties, such as service providers, could be compromised by a third-party breach of our system's security or that of a third-party provider or as a result of purposeful or accidental actions of third parties, our employees or those employees of a third party. Advances in computer and software capabilities and encryption technology, new tools and other developments may increase the risk of such a breach. As a result of any security breach, customer information or other proprietary data may be accessed or transmitted by or to a third party. Despite these measures, there can be no assurance that we are adequately protecting our customers' information.
Any loss, disclosure or misappropriation of, or access to, customers' or other proprietary information or other breach of our information security could result in legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations and actions, or liability for failure to comply with privacy and information security laws, including for failure to protect personal information or for misusing personal information, which could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation and expose us to claims from our customers, financial institutions, regulators, payment card associations, employees and other persons, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, financial conditions and operations.
Cyber Security - Risk 3
Our business is subject to online security risk, including security breaches, denial of service or ransomware attacks, and loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of such a breach, including customers' personal information, could lead to government enforcement action or other litigation, potential liability, or otherwise harm our business.
We receive, process, store and use personal information and other customer data. There are numerous federal, state and local laws regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information and other data. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to customers or other third parties, or our privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other player data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause our customers to lose trust in us which could have an adverse impact on our business. In the area of information security and data protection, many states have passed laws requiring notification to customers when there is a security breach for personal data, such as the 2002 amendment to California's Information Practices Act, or requiring the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement. The costs of compliance with these types of laws may increase in the future as a result of changes in interpretation or changes in law. Any failure on our part to comply with these types of laws may subject us to significant liabilities.
Third parties we work with, such as vendors, may violate applicable laws or our policies, and such violations may also put our customers' information at risk and could in turn have an adverse impact on our business. We are also subject to payment card association rules and obligations under each association's contracts with payment card processors. Under these rules and obligations, if information is compromised, we could be liable to payment card issuers for the associated expense and penalties. If we fail to follow payment card industry security standards, even if no customer information is compromised, we could incur significant fines or experience a significant increase in payment card transaction costs.
Security breaches, computer malware and computer hacking attacks have become more prevalent in our industry. Many companies, including ours, have been the targets of such attacks. Any security breach caused by hacking which involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems, or to cause intentional malfunctions or loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, and the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could harm our business. Though it is difficult to determine what harm may directly result from any specific interruption or breach, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of our network infrastructure to the satisfaction of our players may harm our reputation and our ability to retain existing players and attract new players.
If we experience unauthorized disclosure of the source code we currently license we could potentially lose future trade secret protection for that source code. This could make it easier for third parties to compete with our products by copying functionality which could adversely affect our revenue and operating margins. Unauthorized disclosure of source code also could increase security risks.
Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems, change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. We have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect customer information and prevent data loss and other security breaches, including systems and processes designed to reduce the impact of a security breach at a third-party vendor; however, such measures cannot provide absolute security.
Technology6 | 8.5%
Technology - Risk 1
The success, including win or hold rates, of existing or future online betting and casino gaming products depends on a variety of factors and is not completely controlled by us.
The sports betting and casino gaming industries are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, our brands employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of sports bet or game, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Net win is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of net win to total amount wagered), or actual outcome, on our games and sports betting we offer to our users. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of a casino game's or sports bet's performance against its expected outcome. Although each game or sports bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes, actual outcomes may vary for any given period. In addition to the element of chance, win rates (hold percentages) may also (depending on the game involved) be affected by the spread of limits and factors that are beyond our control, such as an end user's skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played, the financial resources of users, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent gambling. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our casino game's or sports bet's users exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also have the potential to negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Technology - Risk 2
Changed
Service interruptions of internet service providers could impair our ability to carry on our business.
Most of our customers will rely on internet service providers to allow our customers and servers to communicate with each other. If internet service providers experience service interruptions, communications over the internet may be interrupted and impair our ability to carry on business. In addition, our ability to process e-commerce transactions depends on bank processing and credit card systems. In order to prepare for system problems, we intend to continuously seek to strengthen and enhance our planned facilities and the capability of our system infrastructure and support. Nevertheless, any system failure as a result of reliance on third parties, including network, software or hardware failure, which causes a delay or interruption in our online services and products and e-commerce services, could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, operating results and financial condition.
Technology - Risk 3
Added
Disruption of our network systems or their inability to meet the growing demand can negatively affect our business and financial results.
The growth of internet usage has caused frequent interruptions and delays in processing and transmitting data over the internet. There can be no assurance that the internet infrastructure or our own network systems will be able to meet the demand placed on it by the continued growth of the internet, the overall online gaming and interactive entertainment industry and our customers.
The internet's viability as a medium for products and services offered by us could be affected if the necessary infrastructure is not sufficient, or if other technologies and technological devices eclipse the internet as a viable channel.
End-users of our products and services will depend on internet service providers and our system infrastructure (or those of our licensed partners) for access to our or our licensees' products and services. Many of these services have experienced service outages in the past and could experience service outages, delays and other difficulties due to system failures, stability or interruption.
Technology - Risk 4
Changed
Malfunctions of third-party communications infrastructure, hardware and software expose us to a variety of risks that we cannot control.
Our business will depend upon the capacity, reliability and security of the infrastructure owned by third parties over which our offerings would be deployed. We have no control over the operation, quality or maintenance of a significant portion of that infrastructure or whether or not those third parties will upgrade or improve their equipment. We depend on these companies to maintain the operational integrity of our connections. If one or more of these companies is unable or unwilling to supply or expand our levels of service in the future, our operations could be adversely impacted. Also, to the extent the number of users of networks utilizing our future products and services suddenly increases, the technology platform and secure hosting services which will be required to accommodate a higher volume of traffic may result in slower response times or service interruptions. System interruptions or increases in response time could result in a loss of potential or existing users and, if sustained or repeated, could reduce the appeal of the networks to users. In addition, users depend on real-time communications; outages caused by increased traffic could result in delays and system failures. These types of occurrences could cause users to perceive that our products and services do not function properly and could therefore adversely affect our ability to attract and retain licensees, strategic partners and customers.
Technology - Risk 5
Changed
Our online offerings are part of new and evolving industries, which presents significant uncertainty and business risks.
The online gaming and interactive entertainment industry, which includes social, casual and mobile gaming and interactive entertainment, is relatively new and continues to evolve. Whether these industries grow and whether our online business will ultimately succeed, will be affected by, among other things, developments in social networks, mobile platforms, legal and regulatory developments (such as the passage of new laws or regulations or the extension of existing laws or regulations to online gaming activities), taxation of gaming activities, data privacy laws and regulation and other factors that we are unable to predict and which are beyond our control. Given the dynamic evolution of these industries, it can be difficult to plan strategically, and it is possible that competitors will be more successful than we are at adapting to change and pursuing business opportunities. Additionally, as the online gaming industry advances, including with respect to regulation, we may become subject to additional compliance-related costs. Consequently, we cannot provide assurance that its online and interactive offerings will grow at the rates expected or be successful in the long term.
Several companies have launched online social casino offerings, and new competitors are likely to continue to emerge, some of which may be operated by social gaming companies with a larger base of existing users, or by casino operators with more experience in operating a casino. If our products do not obtain popularity or maintain popularity or fail to grow in a manner that meets management's expectations, our results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.
Technology - Risk 6
Changed
Failure to remediate our material weaknesses or maintain adequate financial, information technology and management processes and controls could lead to errors in our financial reporting and decision making, which could adversely affect our business.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control that includes the inability to: (i) complete an effective assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting, (ii) maintain sufficient period-end financial reporting controls related to segregation of duties, reviews of completed or non-recurring transactions, accounting for income taxes, and procedures for preparing the financial statements and disclosures and (iii) maintain sufficient information technology controls and perform testing of information technology controls for operating effectiveness. If we do not remediate our material weaknesses and complete our implementation of internal controls, we may not detect errors timely, produce reliable financial reports, and prevent financial fraud. A lack of internal control could also result in regulatory scrutiny and a loss of confidence by stakeholders, which in turn could harm our business and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Failure to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could also potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, FINRA or other regulatory authorities, as well as increase the risk of liability arising from litigation based on securities law. If we are unable to upgrade our systems, implement additional financial and management controls, reporting systems, IT systems and procedures, and hire additional accounting, finance, compliance and audit staff in a timely and effective fashion, our ability to comply with our financial reporting requirements and other rules that apply to reporting companies under the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could be impaired.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 7/71 (10%)Below Sector Average
Competition4 | 5.6%
Competition - Risk 1
We operate in a very competitive business environment and if we do not adapt our approach and our products to meet this competitive environment, our business, results of operations or financial condition could be adversely impacted.
There is intense competition in the gaming management and gaming products industry which is characterized by dynamic customer demand and rapid technological advances. Today, there are many systems providers in the U.S. and abroad offering casinos and gaming operators "total solution" casino management and table games management systems. As a result, we must continually adapt our approach and our products to meet this demand and match technological advances and if we cannot do so, our business results of operations or financial condition may be adversely impacted. Conversely, the development of new competitive products or the enhancement of existing competitive products in any market in which we operate could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition. If we are unable to remain dynamic in the face of changes in the market, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Competition - Risk 2
Competition within the global interactive entertainment and gaming industries is intense and our existing and potential users may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other entertainment and gaming options on the Internet. If our offerings do not continue to be popular, our business could be harmed.
There is intense competition amongst gaming solution providers. There are a number of established, well financed companies producing both land-based and online gaming and interactive entertainment products and systems that compete with our products. As some of our competitors have financial resources that are greater than ours, they may spend more money and time on developing and testing products, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies or otherwise develop more commercially successful products than us, which could impact our ability to win new marketing contracts and renew our existing ones. Furthermore, new competitors may enter our key market areas. If we are unable to obtain significant market presence or if we lose market share to our competitors, our results of operations and future prospects would be materially adversely affected. There are many companies with already established relationships with third parties, including gaming operators that are able to introduce directly competitive products and have the potential and resources to quickly develop competitive technologies. Our success depends on our ability to develop new products and enhance existing products at prices and on terms that are attractive to our customers.
Competition - Risk 3
Changed
There has also been consolidation among our competitors in the esports and gaming industry. Such consolidation could result in the formation of larger competitors with increased financial resources and altered cost structures, which may enable them to offer more competitive pricing models, gain a larger market share of customers, expand product offerings and broaden their geographic scope of operations.
The industries in which we operate are characterized by intense competition. We compete against other providers of retail or online sports betting and online or brick-and-mortar casinos, as well as against providers of online and mobile entertainment and leisure products more generally. Other companies that provide these products and services are often well-established and financed, and other companies may introduce competitive products or services. Our competitors may spend more money and time on developing and testing products and services, undertake more extensive or far-reaching marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing, bonusing or promotions or otherwise develop more commercially successful products or services than ours, which could negatively impact our business. Our competitors may also develop products, features or services that are similar to ours or that achieve greater market acceptance. New competitors, whether licensed or not, may enter the sports betting or gaming industries. If we are unable to maintain or improve our market share, or if our offerings do not continue to be popular, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected. Competitive pressures may also adversely affect our margins. We operate in the global gaming and entertainment industry with our online casino and online sports betting and other gaming offerings. Our customers face a vast array of entertainment choices. Other forms of entertainment, such as television, movies and digital streaming and on-demand services (which continue to gain popularity), social media, sporting events and in-person casinos, are more well-established, and our customers may view them as offering greater variety, affordability, interactivity and enjoyment. We compete with these and other forms of entertainment for our customers' discretionary time and income. If we are unable to sustain sufficient interest in our online and retail product and service offerings in comparison to other forms of entertainment, including new forms of entertainment, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected. Our ability to grow our revenue in the future will depend, in large part, upon our ability to attract new customers to our offerings and retain and engage existing customers, as well as continued user adoption of online casino and online sports betting more generally. Growth in the online casino, sports betting and gaming industries and the level of demand for and market acceptance of our offerings will be subject to a high degree of uncertainty. We cannot provide assurance that customer adoption of our offerings will continue at their current levels or increase, as necessary, in the future, or that we will achieve growth consistent with the industry.
Competition - Risk 4
Changes in ownership of competitors or consolidations within the gaming industry may negatively impact pricing and lead to downward pricing pressures which could reduce revenue.
A decline in demand for our products in the gaming industry could adversely affect our business. Demand for our products is driven primarily by the replacement of existing services as well as the expansion of existing online gaming, and the expansion of new channels of distribution, such as mobile gaming. Additionally, consolidation within the online gambling market could result in us facing competition from larger combined entities, which may benefit from greater resources and economies of scale. Also, any fragmentation within the industry creating a number of smaller, independent operators with fewer resources could also adversely affect our business as these operators might cause a further slowdown in the replacement cycle for our products.
Sales & Marketing3 | 4.2%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Changed
Risks that impact our affiliate marketing program may negatively impact us.
Because we generate website traffic through our affiliate marketing program, if participants in our affiliate marketing program see a slowdown in business or website traffic it may lead to fewer visitors on our website, which could have an adverse effect on our business.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Our growth will depend on our ability to attract and retain users, and the loss of our users, failure to attract new users in a cost-effective manner, or failure to effectively manage our growth could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our ability to achieve growth in revenue in the future will depend, in large part, upon our ability to attract new users to our offerings, retain existing users of our offerings and reactivate users in a cost-effective manner. Achieving growth in our community of users may require us to increasingly engage in sophisticated and costly sales and marketing efforts, which may not make sense in terms of return on investment. We have used and expect to continue to use a variety of free and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers and exciting games to achieve our objectives. For paid marketing, we intend to leverage a broad array of advertising channels, including sponsorships, affiliate networks, social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch, paid and organic search, and other digital channels, such as mobile display. If the search engines on which we rely modify their algorithms, change their terms around gaming, or if the prices at which we may purchase listings increase, then our costs could increase, and fewer users may click through to our website. If links to our website are not displayed prominently in online search results, if fewer users click through to our website, if our other digital marketing campaigns are not effective, or if the costs of attracting users using any of our current methods significantly increase, then our ability to efficiently attract new users could be reduced, our revenue could decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
In addition, our ability to increase the number of users of our offerings will depend on continued user adoption of esports. Growth in the esports industry and the level of demand for and market acceptance of our product offerings will be subject to a high degree of uncertainty. We cannot assure that consumer adoption of our product offerings will continue or exceed current growth rates, or that the industry will achieve more widespread acceptance.
Additionally, as technological or regulatory standards change and we modify our platforms to comply with those standards, we may need users to take certain actions to continue playing, such as performing age verification checks or accepting new terms and conditions. Users may stop using our product offerings at any time, including if the quality of the user experience on our platform, including our support capabilities in the event of a problem, does not meet their expectations or keep pace with the quality of the customer experience generally offered by competitive offerings.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
If we fail to detect fraud or theft, including by our users and employees, our reputation may suffer which could harm our brand and reputation and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and can subject us to investigations and litigation.
We have in the past incurred, and may in the future incur, losses from various types of financial fraud, including use of stolen or fraudulent credit card data, claims of unauthorized payments by a user and attempted payments by users with insufficient funds. Bad actors use increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities involving personal information, such as unauthorized use of another person's identity, account information or payment information and unauthorized acquisition or use of credit or debit card details, bank account information and mobile phone numbers and accounts. Under current credit card practices, we may be liable for use of funds on our products with fraudulent credit card data, even if the associated financial institution approved the credit card transaction.
Acts of fraud may involve various tactics, including collusion. Successful exploitation of our systems could have negative effects on our product offerings, services and user experience and could harm our reputation. Failure to discover such acts or schemes in a timely manner could result in harm to our operations. In addition, negative publicity related to such schemes could have an adverse effect on our reputation, potentially causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In the event of the occurrence of any such issues with our existing technology or product offerings, substantial engineering and marketing resources and management attention may be diverted from other projects to correct these issues, which may delay other projects and the achievement of our strategic objectives.
In addition, any misappropriation of, or access to, users' or other proprietary information or other breach of our information security could result in legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations and actions, or liability for failure to comply with privacy and information security laws, including for failure to protect personal information or for misusing personal information, which could disrupt our operations, force us to modify our business practices, damage our reputation and expose us to claims from our users, regulators, employees and other persons, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Despite measures we have taken to detect and reduce the occurrence of fraudulent or other malicious activity on our offerings, we cannot guarantee that any of our measures will be effective or will scale efficiently with our business. Our failure to adequately detect or prevent fraudulent transactions could harm our reputation or brand, result in litigation or regulatory action and lead to expenses that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Production
Total Risks: 5/71 (7%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel1 | 1.4%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Changed
Failure to attract, retain and motivate key employees may adversely affect our ability to compete and the loss of the services of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on the business.
We depend on the services of a few key executive officers. We recently hired a new Chief Executive Officer and promoted a new Chief Financial Officer, due to departures of our previous Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (who also held the position of Chief Operating Officer and subsequently returned to this position), and the loss of any key persons could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our success is also highly dependent on our continuing ability to identify, hire, train, motivate and retain highly qualified technical, marketing and management personnel. Competition for such personnel can be intense, and we cannot provide assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified technical, marketing and management personnel in the future Stock options may comprise a significant component of key employee compensation, and if the market price of our common stock price declines, it may be difficult to retain such individuals. Similarly, changes in our share price may hinder our ability to recruit key employees, as they may elect to seek employment with other companies that they believe have better long-term prospects. Our inability to attract and retain the necessary technical, marketing and management personnel may adversely affect our future growth and profitability. Our retention and recruiting may require significant increases in compensation expenses, which would adversely affect our results of operation.
Supply Chain3 | 4.2%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We rely on third-party providers to validate the identity and identify the location of our users, and if such providers fail to perform adequately, provide accurate information or we do not maintain business relationships with them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
There is no guarantee that the third-party geolocation and identity verification systems that we rely on will perform adequately or will function as designed and within the requirements of our business and the law. We rely on our geolocation and identity verification systems to ensure we are in compliance with certain laws and regulations, and any service disruption to those systems would prohibit us from operating our offerings and would adversely affect our business. Additionally, incorrect or misleading geolocation and identity verification data with respect to current or potential users received from third-party service providers may result in us inadvertently allowing access to our offerings to individuals who should not be permitted to access them, or otherwise inadvertently deny access to individuals who should be able to access our offerings, in each case based on inaccurate identity or geographic location determination. Our third-party geolocation service provider relies on its ability to obtain information necessary to determine geolocation from mobile devices, operating systems, and other sources. Changes, disruptions or temporary or permanent failure to access such sources by our third-party services providers may result in their inability to accurately determine the location of our users. Moreover, our inability to maintain our existing contracts with third-party services providers, or to replace them with equivalent third parties, may result in our inability to access geolocation and identity verification data necessary for our day-to-day operations. If any of these risks materialize, we may be subject to disciplinary action, fines and lawsuits, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Supply Chain - Risk 2
We rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by our users, and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on a limited number of third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by our users. If any of our third-party payment processors terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate payment processor, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such payment processor in an acceptable time frame. Further, the software and services provided by our third-party payment processors may not meet our expectations, contain errors or vulnerabilities, be compromised or experience outages. Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment transactions or make timely payments to our users, any of which could make our technology less trustworthy and convenient and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain our users.
Nearly all of our payments are made by credit card, debit card or through other third-party payment services, which subjects us to certain regulations and to the risk of fraud. Any introduction of legislation or regulations restricting financial transactions with online gambling operators or prohibiting the use of credit cards and other banking instruments for online gambling transactions, or any other increase in the stringency of regulation of financial transactions, whether in general or in relation to the online gambling industry in particular, may restrict our ability to accept payment from our customers or facilitate withdrawals by them. Certain governments may seek to impede the online gambling industry by introducing legislation or through enforcement measures designed to prevent customers or financial institutions based in their jurisdictions from transferring money to online gambling operations. They may seek to impose embargoes on currency use, wherever transactions are taking place. This may result in the providers of payment systems for a particular market deciding to cease providing their services for such market. This in turn would lead to an increased risk of payments due to us being misappropriated, frozen or diverted by banks and credit card companies. We may in the future offer new payment options to users that may be subject to additional regulations and risks. There may be a limited availability of alternative systems, in particular in light of recent consolidation in the financial services industry. We are also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from our users, including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties, fines and/or higher transaction fees and may lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our offerings less convenient and attractive to our users. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
For example, if we are deemed to be a money transmitter as defined by applicable regulation, we could be subject to certain laws, rules and regulations enforced by multiple authorities and governing bodies in the United States and numerous state and local agencies who may define money transmitter differently. For example, certain states may have a more expansive view of who qualifies as a money transmitter. Additionally, outside of the United States, we could be subject to additional laws, rules and regulations related to the provision of payments and financial services, and if we expand into new jurisdictions, the foreign regulations and regulators governing our business that we are subject to will expand as well. If we are found to be a money transmitter under any applicable regulation and we are not in compliance with such regulations, we may be subject to fines or other penalties in one or more jurisdictions levied by federal or state or local regulators, including state Attorneys General, as well as those levied by foreign regulators. In addition to fines, penalties for failing to comply with applicable rules and regulations could include criminal and civil proceedings, forfeiture of significant assets or other enforcement actions. We could also be required to make changes to our business practices or compliance programs as a result of regulatory scrutiny.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
We rely on other third-party data and live-streaming providers for real-time and accurate data and/or live streams for sporting events, and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on third-party sports data and live streaming providers to obtain accurate information regarding schedules, results, performance and outcomes of sporting events and the live streaming of such events, such as horse racing. We rely on this data to determine when and how bets are settled. We have experienced, and may continue to experience, errors in this data and/or streaming feed which may result in us incorrectly settling bets. If we cannot adequately resolve the issue with our end users, our end users may have a negative experience with our offerings, our brand or reputation may be negatively affected and our users may be less inclined to continue or resume utilizing our products or recommend our platform to other potential users. As such, a failure or significant interruption in our service would harm our reputation, business and operating results.
Furthermore, if any of our data and/or live streaming partners terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate provider, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such providers in an acceptable time frame. Any of these risks could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, any negative publicity related to any of our third-party partners, including any publicity related to regulatory concerns, could adversely affect our reputation and brand, and could potentially lead to increased regulatory or litigation exposure.
Costs1 | 1.4%
Costs - Risk 1
We may be subject to the payment of contributions or fees to sporting bodies or rights holders for the use of their data.
Gambling operators can be liable to make contributions to sporting bodies whether under regulations or agreement, as a way of ensuring certain revenues generated from betting on sports are used to benefit those sports or related interests. We may also be required to pay royalties or other types of levies to the organizers of sporting events, or the rights holders in respect of such, to offer betting markets on such events. Any requirement to pay additional levies, fees or royalties could have a material adverse effect on our business. In all such cases, the level of any such levy, fee or royalty will be outside of our control and would have a negative effect on our business and financial results. We cannot predict with any certainty what future payments may be required for the success of their business and what other additional resources will need to be made available to address the conditions which impose fees, royalties or other levies, as well as sports integrity issues.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 4/71 (6%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 1.4%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Changed
Our business is vulnerable to changing economic conditions and to other factors that adversely affect the industries in which we operate.
The demand for entertainment and leisure activities tends to be highly sensitive to changes in consumers' disposable income, and thus can be affected by changes in the economy and consumer tastes, both of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control. Unfavorable changes in general economic conditions, including recessions, economic slowdown, sustained high levels of unemployment, and increasing fuel or transportation costs, may reduce customers' disposable income or result in fewer individuals visiting casinos, whether land-based or online, or otherwise engaging in entertainment and leisure activities, including gambling. As a result, we cannot ensure that demand for our products or services will remain constant. Continued or renewed adverse developments affecting economies throughout the world, including a general tightening of availability of credit, decreased liquidity in many financial markets, increasing interest rates, increasing energy costs, acts of war or terrorism, transportation disruptions, natural disasters, declining consumer confidence, sustained high levels of unemployment or significant declines in stock markets, could lead to a further reduction in discretionary spending on leisure activities, such as gambling. Any significant or prolonged decrease in consumer spending on entertainment or leisure activities could reduce our online games, reducing our cash flows and revenues. If we experience a significant unexpected decrease in demand for our products, we could incur losses.
International Operations1 | 1.4%
International Operations - Risk 1
Changed
The risks related to international operations, in particular in countries outside of the United States and Canada, could negatively affect our results.
A material portion of our operations are conducted in foreign jurisdictions including Malta. It is expected that we will derive a significant majority of our revenue from transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar, and we expect that receivables with respect to foreign revenues will continue to account for a majority of our total accounts and receivables outstanding. As such, our operations may be adversely affected by changes in applicable foreign government policies and legislation or social instability and other factors which are not within our control, including, but not limited to, recessions in foreign economies, expropriation, nationalization and limitation or restriction on repatriation of funds, assets or earnings, longer receivables collection periods and greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable, changes in consumer tastes and trends, renegotiation or nullification of existing contracts or licenses, changes in gaming policies, regulatory requirements or the personnel administering them, currency fluctuations and devaluations, exchange controls, economic sanctions and royalty and tax increases, risk of terrorist activities, revolution, border disputes, implementation of tariffs and other trade barriers and protectionist practices, taxation policies, including royalty and tax increases and retroactive tax claims, volatility of financial markets and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, difficulties in the protection of intellectual property particularly in countries with fewer intellectual property protections, the effects that evolving regulations regarding data privacy may have on our online operations, adverse changes in the creditworthiness of parties with whom we have significant receivables or forward currency exchange contracts, labor disputes and other risks arising out of foreign governmental sovereignty over the areas in which our operations are conducted. Our operations may also be adversely affected by social, political and economic instability and by laws and policies of such foreign jurisdictions affecting foreign trade, taxation and investment. If our operations are disrupted and/or the economic integrity of our contracts is threatened for unexpected reasons beyond our control, our business may be harmed.
Our international activities may require protracted negotiations with host governments, national companies and third parties. Foreign government regulations may favor or require the awarding of contracts to local contractors or require foreign contractors to employ citizens of, or purchase supplies from, a particular jurisdiction. In the event of a dispute arising in connection with our operations in a foreign jurisdiction where we conduct our business, we may be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of foreign courts or may not be successful in subjecting foreign persons to the jurisdictions of the courts of United States or Canada or enforcing American and Canadian judgments in such other jurisdictions. We may also be hindered or prevented from enforcing our rights with respect to a governmental instrumentality because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity. Accordingly, our activities in foreign jurisdictions could be substantially affected by factors beyond our control, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. We believe that management's experience to date in commercializing our products and solutions in Europe and the Caribbean may be of assistance in helping to reduce these risks. Some countries in which we may operate may be considered politically and economically unstable.
Doing business in the industries in which we operate often requires compliance with numerous and extensive procedures and formalities. These procedures and formalities may result in unexpected or lengthy delays in commencing important business activities. In some cases, failure to follow such formalities or obtain relevant evidence may call into question the validity of the entity or the actions taken. Our management is unable to predict the effect of additional corporate and regulatory formalities which may be adopted in the future including whether any such laws or regulations would materially increase our cost of doing business or affect its operations in any area.
We may in the future enter into agreements and conduct activities outside of the jurisdictions where we currently carry on business, which may present challenges and risks that we have not faced in the past, any of which could adversely affect the results of operations and/or financial condition.
Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.4%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Changed
Our results of operations could be affected by natural events in the locations in which we operate or where our customers or suppliers operate.
We, our customers, and our suppliers have operations in locations subject to natural occurrences such as severe weather and other geological events, including hurricanes, earthquakes, or flood that could disrupt operations. Any serious disruption at any of our facilities or the locations of our customers or suppliers due to a natural disaster could have a material adverse effect on revenues and increase our costs and expenses. If there is a natural disaster or other serious disruption at any of our facilities, it could impair our ability to adequately supply our customers, cause a significant disruption to our operations, cause us to incur significant costs to relocate or re-establish these functions and negatively impact our operating results. While we intend to seek insurance against certain business interruption risks, such insurance may not adequately compensate us for any losses incurred as a result of natural or other disasters. In addition, any natural disaster that results in a prolonged disruption to the operations of our customers or suppliers may adversely affect its business, results of operations or financial condition.
Capital Markets1 | 1.4%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Changed
We are subject to foreign exchange and currency risks that could adversely affect our operations, and our ability to mitigate our foreign exchange risk through hedging transactions may be limited.
We expect that we will derive a significant majority of our revenues in currencies other than the United States dollar; however, a substantial portion of our operating expenses are incurred in United States dollars. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar, the Euro and other currencies may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Our consolidated financial results are affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Foreign currency exchange rate exposures arise from current transactions and anticipated transactions denominated in currencies other than United States dollars and from the translation of foreign-currency-denominated balance sheet accounts into United States dollar-denominated balance sheet accounts. We are exposed to currency exchange rate fluctuations because portions of its revenue and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar, particularly the Euro. In particular, uncertainty regarding economic conditions in Europe and the debt crisis affecting certain countries in the European Union pose risk to the stability of the Euro. Exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our operating results and cash flows and the value of its assets outside of United States. If a foreign currency is devalued in a jurisdiction in which we are paid in such currency, then our customers may be required to pay higher amounts for our products, which they may be unable or unwilling to pay.
While we may enter into forward currency swaps and other derivative instruments intended to mitigate the foreign currency exchange risk, there can be no assurance we will do so or that any instruments that we enter into will successfully mitigate such risk. If we enter into foreign currency forward or other hedging contracts, we would be subject to the risk that a counterparty to one or more of these contracts defaults on its performance under the contracts. During an economic downturn, a counterparty's financial condition may deteriorate rapidly and with little notice, and we may be unable to take action to protect its exposure. In the event of a counterparty default, we could lose the benefit of its hedging contract, which may harm its business and financial condition. In the event that one or more of our counterparties becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy, our ability to eventually recover any benefit lost as a result of that counterparty's default may be limited by the liquidity of the counterparty. We expect that we will not be able to hedge all of our exposure to any particular foreign currency, and we may not hedge our exposure at all with respect to certain foreign currencies. Changes in exchange rates and our limited ability or inability to successfully hedge exchange rate risk could have an adverse impact on our liquidity and results of operations.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.