Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)

x☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20172020

¨☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period fromto

Commission file number:001-38226

BLACK RIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.ALLIED ESPORTS ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

c/o Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc.

110 North 5th Street,17877 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 410300

Minneapolis, MN 55403Irvine, California, 92614

(Address of principal executive offices)

(952) 426-1241(949) 225-2600

(Issuer’sRegistrant’s telephone number)number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ ☐   No x☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨ ☐   No x☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x☒   No ¨☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x ☒   No ¨☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.¨ ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes x ☐   No ¨☒

AsThe aggregate market value of common stock outstanding, other than shares held by affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2017, the2020 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter,quarter), was approximately $21,486,413 based on the registrant’s common stock wasprice of $2.11, the closing price on June 30, 2020. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not publicly traded. Accordingly, there was no market value forbe deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors or 10% beneficial owners, are or were, in fact, affiliates of the registrant’s common stock on such date.registrant.

As of March 20, 2018, 17,695,000April 12, 2021, 39,139,502 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, were issued and outstanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unless otherwise stated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”), references to:

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSSTATEMENTS;

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

This Report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other business combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to our:

·         ability to complete our initial business combination;

·          success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following an initial business combination;

·          officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;

·          potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete an initial business combination;

·          pool of prospective target businesses;

·          failure to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, NASDAQ or an inability to have our securities listed on NASDAQ or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination;

·         the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities;

·         potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

·         public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

·         lack of a market for our securities;

·         use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or

·         our financial performance.

The forward-looking statements containedinformation in this Report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors describedincludes “forward-looking statements” under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not be exhaustive.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this Report. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

PART I

Item 1.     Business

Introduction

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on May 9, 2017. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” Our efforts to identify a prospective target business are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region. Prior to our initial public offering, our efforts were limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the offering.

On October 10, 2017, we consummated the initial public offering of 12,000,000 of its units. Each unit consisted of one share of common stock, one right to receive one-tenth of one share of common stock upon consummation of an initial business combination, and one redeemable warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $120,000,000. Simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of 400,000 units (“private units”) and the representative purchase options.

On October 18, 2017, we consummated the closing of the sale of an additional 1,800,000 units which were sold subject to the underwriter’s over-allotment option. We also consummated the closing of the sale of an additional 45,000 private units.

The 13,800,000 units sold in the initial public offering were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating total gross proceeds of $138,000,000. The 445,000 private units were sold at a price of $10.00 per private unit, generating total gross proceeds of $4,450,000. Of the gross proceeds of the initial public offering and private placement, $138,690,000 (or $10.05 per unit sold in the initial public offering) was placed in trust.

Our focus after the initial public offering has been to search for businesses in the energy or energy-related industries with an emphasis on opportunities in the upstream oil and gas industry in North America where our management team’s networks and experience are suited. Although we anticipate acquiring a target business that is an operating business, we are not obligated to do so and may determine to merge with or acquire a company with no operating history if the terms of the transaction are determined by us to be favorable to our public stockholders and the target business has a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding franchise and income taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination.

We are seeking to identify and acquire a business that could benefit from a hands-on owner with extensive experience in the upstream oil and gas industry in North America and that presents potential for an attractive risk-adjusted return profile under our stewardship. Even fundamentally sound companies can often under-perform their potential due to underinvestment, a temporary period of dislocation in the markets in which they operate, over-levered capital structures, excessive cost structures, incomplete management teams and/or inappropriate business strategies. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing such full-potential acquisitions across the energy industries. In addition, our team has significant hands-on experience working with private companies in preparing for and executing an initial public offering and serving as active owners and directors by working closely with these companies to continue their transformations and help create value in the public markets. We are seeking to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $400 million to $1 billion.

We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive risk-adjusted returns in the marketplace and that its contacts and transaction sources, ranging from industry executives, private owners, private equity funds, and investment bankers will enable us to pursue a broad range of opportunities. Our management believes that its ability to identify and implement value creation initiatives will remain central to its differentiated acquisition strategy.

We seek to capitalize on the significant operating and investing experience and contacts of our officers and directors in consummating an initial business combination. Kenneth DeCubellis, our chairman of the board and chief executive officer, has over 30 years of experience, primarily in the oil and gas and other energy-related industries, including 10 years at Exxon Mobil Corp. Mr. DeCubellis has served as chief executive officer of our sponsor, Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc., since November 2011. Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc. is an oil and gas company that pursues distressed asset acquisitions in all unconventional, onshore U.S. oil and gas basins, including over $100 million previously invested in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana. Our management team has significant access to both publicly available and proprietary business combination opportunities and have collectively bid on over $2.4 billion of opportunities with private equity sponsors since June 2015.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past performance of our sponsor, officers and directors is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management’s performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors previously had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies.

Objective and Business Opportunity

While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any sector or geographical location, we are focused on the sector that complements our management team’s ability to source, screen, evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and manage acquisitions of attractive assets or businesses in the U.S. In the event that we find an acquisition opportunity in a different sector, or in a different geographic region, that is more compelling than the opportunities presented to us in to the U.S. oil and gas industry, we would pursue the opportunity in such other sector or such other geographic region. However, we have not established any particular parameters or criteria as to when we might turn our attention to opportunities outside of the U.S. oil and gas industry.

Our strategy is to source, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build, an oil and gas exploration and production (“E&P”) business. E&P companies focus on finding, producing and marketing various forms of crude oil and natural gas. We believe that there is a unique and timely opportunity to achieve attractive returns by acquiring and developing E&P assets in proven basins with known operational and limited geologic risks. We believe this opportunity exists due to several key factors: (i) volatility of commodity prices in the recent past have had an immediate and meaningful impact on the cash flows of E&P companies, creating a need for many E&P firms to issue external capital or sell assets, (ii) the recent volatility of commodity prices has substantially reduced E&P asset valuations and is moderating drilling and completion costs, and operating costs, resulting in a lower cost to acquire and develop, (iii) the short-term volatility and cyclical nature of commodity prices underpinned by a positive long-term outlook for crude oil and natural gas demand and the need for higher commodity prices to meet expected demand growth and (iv) the advantages enjoyed by E&P companies operating in the U.S., including access to industry-leading technologies and expertise, top-tier oil and gas-producing basins, established infrastructure and favorable political policies relative to other regions.

Competitive Strengths

Our Executive Officers

We believe our management team is in a prime position to take advantage of opportunities within the oil and gas industry and to create value for our stockholders. Our management team has a long history in oil and gas, with a deep knowledge of the industry and a well-established network of relationships with public and private oil and gas companies, equity sponsors, lending institutions, family offices, attorneys and brokers, from which we expect to generate attractive acquisition opportunities.

Kenneth DeCubellis, our chairman of the board and chief executive officer, has over 30 years of experience, primarily in the oil and gas and other energy-related industries, including 10 years at Exxon Mobil Corp. Mr. DeCubellis has served as chief executive officer of our sponsor, Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc., since November 2011. Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc. is an oil and gas company that pursues distressed asset acquisitions in all unconventional, onshore U.S. oil and gas basins, including over $100 million previously invested in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana. Our management teams has significant access to both publicly available and proprietary business combination opportunities and have collectively bid on over $2.4 billion of opportunities since June 2015.

Michael Eisele, our chief operating officer, has been the chief operating officer of our sponsor since August 2013, and prior to that had served as our sponsor’s vice president of land from August 2012 to August 2013, overseeing its acreage portfolio and managing acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining our sponsor, Mr. Eisele was the co-owner and landman of High West Resources, Ltd. from 2011 to July 2012, the owner of Eisele Resources LLC from 2009 to 2012, and a self-employed landman from 2007 to 2009.

James Moe, our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer, has been the chief financial officer of our sponsor since March 2011. Mr. Moe had previously been the chief financial officer of Northern Contours Inc., a multi-state manufacturing company located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota specializing in cabinet doors and work surfaces, from August 2005 until March 2011.

Our Board of Directors

We have assembled a group of independent directors who bring us public company governance, executive leadership, operations oversight, private equity investment management and capital markets experience. Our Board members have extensive experience, having served as directors, CEOs, CFOs and in other executive and advisory capacities for numerous publicly-listed and privately-owned companies and private equity firms. Our directors have experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, which we believe will be of significant benefit to us as we evaluate potential acquisition or merger candidates as well as following the completion of our initial business combination.

Status as a Public Company

We believe our structure makes us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this process a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30^th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Financial Position

We offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires.

Effecting an Initial Business Combination

Sources of Target Businesses

Our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our prospectus related to our initial public offering and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our sponsor, officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. They must present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and franchise and income taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations.

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

Subject to the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding franchise and income taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

Fair Market Value of Target Business

The target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding franchise and income taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance.

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fund raising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

Lack of Business Diversification

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, and there is no required minimum valuation standard for any single target at the time of such acquisition. We expect to complete only a single business combination, although this process may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several operating businesses. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management

Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of franchise and income taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of franchise and income taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related conversions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combination even when a vote is not required by law, we have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

Our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to convert any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

Conversion Rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

Our sponsor and our officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly.

We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. Accordingly, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights deliver their shares in advance of the meeting. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise conversion rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact.

Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share of common stock delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

Liquidation if No Business Combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only until July 10, 2019 to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination by July 10, 2019 unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following July 10, 2019, and therefore we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

We are required to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.05 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.05 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount in the trust account, inclusive of any interest, plus any remaining net assets (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founders’ shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to such founders’ shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our rights or warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from the up to $50,000 of interest that may be released to us from the trust account to pay for our liquidation and dissolution expenses. If such interest is insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption price would be $10.05. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period, if the stockholders seek to have us convert or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.05 per share.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after July 10, 2019, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our business combination, we have encountered, and may continue to encounter, intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Employees

We currently have three executive officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any members of our management will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider all of the following risk factors and all the other information contained in this Report, including the financial statements. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. The risk factors described below are not necessarily exhaustive and you are encouraged to perform your own investigation with respect to us and our business.

We are a recently formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon completing a business combination. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $428,000 in cash and cash equivalents and working capital of approximately $346,000. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Our plans to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this Report do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to continue as a going concern.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait more than 21 months from the completion of our IPO (July 9, 2019) before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We have until July 10, 2019 to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares, rights or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of franchise and income taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of franchise and income taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this report. Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. For instance, NASDAQ rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we convert his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion, such converting stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.

Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.

We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Additionally, our sponsor is an oil and gas company that pursues distressed asset acquisitions in the energy industry, the same industry within which we intend to focus our search for a target business. While our sponsor intends to acquire assets from businesses with private equity backing that are seeking to sell such assets for cash without retaining any equity interest in them (as opposed to our intent to acquire a target business from a seller that wishes to retain a significant equity interest in the combined company), it is not limited to this type of acquisition and we therefore could nevertheless be subject to competition for acquisitions with our sponsor. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding rights and warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.

The ability of our stockholders to exercise their conversion rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many stockholders may exercise conversion rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her or its shares.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsor, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this annual report) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination. This ability to seek conversion while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination is not consummated and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

If the definitive agreement for our business combination requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would not be consummated is increased. If our initial business combination is not consummated, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account in connection with our liquidation. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination by July 10, 2019. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination by July 10, 2019. If we have not completed our initial business combination by July 10, 2019, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of franchise and income taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, and (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination by July 10, 2019, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if our plan to redeem our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination by July 10, 2019 is not completed for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond July 10, 2019 before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares, rights or warrants, potentially at a loss.

If the net proceeds of our initial public offering not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our income taxes and to complete our business combination.

Of the net proceeds of our initial public offering, only approximately $428,000 (as of December 31, 2017) are available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive, without taking into account, interest, if any, earned on the trust account, approximately $10.05 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.

If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently 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 our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting 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 common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing.

Our directors may decide not to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.05 per public share and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. It is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.05 per share.

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.05.

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this annual report) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.05 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, it may not be able to meet such obligation. Therefore, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.05, plus interest, due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.05.

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only until July 10, 2019. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we are investing the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:

Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after our consummation of a business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by NASDAQ), and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of a business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of common stock that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants.

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants (including the private warrants) in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

We may amend the terms of the rights in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding rights.

Our rights will be issued in registered form under a right agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent, and us. The right agreement provides that the terms of the rights may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The right agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding rights (including the rights underlying the private units, or “private rights”) in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.

Although we intend to focus our search for target businesses on companies in the energy or energy-related industries with an emphasis on opportunities in the upstream oil and gas industry in North America where our management team’s networks and experience are suited, we may consummate a business combination with a company in any industry we choose and are not limited to any particular industry or type of business. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors outside the energy sector, which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.

We will consider an initial business combination outside the energy sector (which sectors may or may not be outside our management’s areas of expertise) if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained herein regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.

Although we identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive, without taking into account, interest, if any, earned on the trust account, only approximately $10.05 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

We may seek investment opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our executive officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 35,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share conversion amount in the trust account.

Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

It is anticipated that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, Kenneth DeCubellis and our other executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed our business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have key-man insurance on the life of any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

None of our executive officers or directors has ever been associated with a special purpose acquisition corporation and such lack of experience could adversely affect our ability to consummate a business combination.

None of our executive officers or directors has ever been associated with a special purpose acquisition corporation. Our management’s lack of experience in operating a special purpose acquisition corporation could adversely affect our ability to consummate a business combination and could result in our not completing a business combination in the prescribed time frame.

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following a business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

Our officers and directors are officers and/or directors of our sponsor and will not commit their full time to our affairs. We presently expect each of our employees to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

Each of our officers and directors is an officer and/or director of our sponsor. Our sponsor is an oil and gas company that pursues distressed asset acquisitions in the energy industry, the same industry within which we intend to focus our search for a target business. However, our sponsor intends to acquire assets from businesses with private equity backing that are seeking to sell such assets for cash without retaining any equity interest in them, whereas we intend to acquire a target business from a seller that wishes to retain a significant equity interest in the combined company. Accordingly, our management team does not believe that there will be a meaningful conflict between our sponsor and our company in relation to consummating a business combination. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact and it is possible that a suitable business opportunity will be presented to our sponsor prior to its presentation to our company.

Additionally, our sponsor has waived its right to convert its founders’ shares or any other shares purchased in this offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its founders’ shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering, as well as the private units and any warrants purchased by our officers or directors in the aftermarket, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our executive officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the tender offer or proxy statement materials relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.

Our executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our business combination. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers and directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Although we are not specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we could pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting firm or independent investment banking firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Since our sponsor may lose its entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

In May 2017, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 3,450,000 founder shares (adjusted retroactively to reflect a 20% stock dividend on October 4, 2017) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.007 per share. In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 445,000 private placement units simultaneous with the initial public offering and overallotment exercise, for a purchase price of $4,450,000, or $10.00 per unit. All of our sponsor’s investment may become worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our officers and directors have personal and financial interests in our sponsor. The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors in our sponsor may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our initial public offering, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.

It is likely we will consummate a business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination.

Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

Our sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

Our sponsor owns approximately 22% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our sponsor or our executive officers and directors purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase such control.

Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law until July 10, 2019. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants (excluding the private warrants and any warrants underlying additional units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors in payment of working capital loans made to us but including any outstanding warrants issued upon exercise of the representative’s purchase options) at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.

If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria has been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any warrants held by our sponsor, officers or directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

Our outstanding rights, warrants and unit purchase options may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

We have issued rights to receive 1,424,500 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 14,245,000 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2017 we have also issued unit purchase options to purchase 600,000 units outstanding which will result in the issuance of 600,000 shares of common stock, rights to receive 60,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 600,000 shares of common stock. To the extent we issue shares of common stock to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of these rights and warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when issued or exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our rights, warrants and unit purchase options may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the rights, warrants or unit purchase options could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants and option are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

Our sponsor is entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founders’ shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private units and any units our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private units and any other units we issue to them (and the underlying securities) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional shares of common stock trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.

EarlyBirdCapital may have a conflict of interest in rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee of $4,830,000 for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination. This financial interest may result in EarlyBirdCapital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

NASDAQ may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Our securities are currently listed on NASDAQ. However, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on NASDAQ in the future or prior to our initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with NASDAQ’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on NASDAQ. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5 million and we would be required to have 300 round lot holders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

If NASDAQ delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our stockholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceeds $1.07 billion, or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares of common stock less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares of common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

We may effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States. If we did, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

If we consummate a business combination with a target business in the energy industry, we would be subject to the risks attendant to such industry.

If we are successful in consummating a business combination with a target business in the energy industry, we would be subject to all of the risks attendant to such industry, including, among others:

Item 1B.   Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2.     Properties

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 110 North 5th Street, Suite 410, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee our sponsor charges us for general and administrative services commencing October 4, 2017 pursuant to a letter agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in Minneapolis, Minnesota area, that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

Item 3.     Legal Proceedings

To the knowledge of our management, there is no litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.

Item 4.     Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5.    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

(a) Market Information

Our units, common stock, rights and warrants are each traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbols “BRACU,” “BRAC,” “BRACR” and “BRACW, respectively. Our units commenced public trading on October 5, 2017, and our common stock and warrants commenced public trading on October 25, 2017.

The table below sets forth, for the calendar quarter indicated, the high and low bid prices of our units, common stock and warrants as reported on the NASDAQ Capital Market for the period from October 5, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

On March 16, 2018 our units had a closing price of $10.327, our common stock had a closing price of $9.66, our rights had a closing price of $0.310 and our warrants had a closing price of $0.390.

(b)Holders

On March 16, 2018, there were 2 holders of record of our units, 2 holders of record of our common stock, 2 holders of record of our rights and 2 holders of record of our warrants.

(c) Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans.

None.

(e) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

(f) Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

None. 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The following table sets forth selected historical financial information derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this Report as of December 31, 2017 and for the period from May 9, 2017 (inception) through December 31, 2017. You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Report.

(1) This number excludes an aggregate of 13,348,443 shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2017.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

Forward-Looking Statement

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have based theseAll statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Report, regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this Report, the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading “Risk Factors” included in this Report. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and projectionsassumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. TheseNevertheless, and despite the fact that management’s expectations and estimates are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable and data management believes to be reliable, our actual results, performance or achievements are subject to future risks and uncertainties, any of which could materially affect our actual performance.

We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to knownnumerous risks and unknownuncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this Report occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and assumptions about usplans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary note. This cautionary note should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Report.

A summary of the principal risk factors that make investing in our securities risky and might cause our actual results levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other SEC filings.differ is set forth below. The following discussionis only a summary of the principal risks that may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. This summary should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewherethe more complete discussion of the risk factors we face, which are set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this report.Report.

Risks Related to the Sale Transaction

Overview

Risks Related to us if the Sale Transaction is Completed

Allied Esports Risk Factors

Risks Related to Allied Esports’ Intellectual Property

Risks Related to WPT’s Current Business

Risks Related to WPT’s Current Industry

Risks Related to the Businesses of Both Allied Esports and WPT

General Risk Factors

PART I

Item 1. Business

Overview of Business

Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “AESE” and the “Company” refer to Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The Company operates a premier public esports and entertainment company, consisting of the Allied Esports and World Poker Tour businesses. For the past 16 years of its 18-year history, WPT’s business model has successfully utilized the following three pillars for its business model in the sport of poker, which the Company believes can be utilized by Allied Esports:

The Allied Esports Business

Gaming is one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the entertainment sector, with an estimated 2.7 billion gamers globally, and esports is the major driver of this growth. Esports, short for “electronic sports,” is a general label that comprises a diverse offering of competitive electronic games that gamers play against each other. Some of the popular esports games currently being played include Fortnite, League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch and FIFA. Although you can play games on your own against the computer or console, one of the ways esports is different than the video games of old is the community and spectator nature of esports, whereby competitive play against another person — either one-on-one or in teams — that is viewed by an online and in-person audience, is a central feature of esports. Since players play against each other online, a global network of players and viewers has developed as these players compete against each other worldwide. Additionally, game developers have greatly increased the watchability of games, which has made the spectator aspect of gaming much more prevalent and further drives expansion of the gaming market. The expanded reach of high-speed Internet service and the computer technology advances in the last decade have also greatly accelerated the growth of esports. Esports has now become so popular that many colleges offer scholarships in esports and the best-known esports teams are receiving mainstream sponsorships and are being bought or invested in by celebrities, athletes and professional sports teams. The highest profile esports gamers have significant online audiences as they stream themselves playing against other players online and potentially can generate millions of dollars in sponsorship money and subscription fees from their online streaming channels. It is projected that by 2023, 646 million people will be watching esports globally, and that global esports revenue will grow to approximately $1.5 billion.

WPT successfully implemented a three-pillar strategy for over 16 years of its 18-year history. We believe this model can continue and also be applied to Allied Esports and the esports industry over time. Allied Esports intends to use those same pillars — in-person experiences, multiplatform content, and interactive services—independently and in connection with its strategic partners. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in our long-term growth plans for Allied Esports, and although our long-term strategy remains to fully implement the three-pillar strategy, we are currently focused on continuing our in-person experiences at our current arenas and developing multiplatform content. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in our long-term growth plans for Allied Esports, and although our long-term strategy remains to fully implement the three-pillar strategy, we are currently focused on continuing our in-person experiences at our current arenas and developing multiplatform content.

In June 2019, Allied Esports entered into a series of strategic transactions with Simon Equity Development, LLC and its affiliates (collectively, “Simon”), a global leader in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations, pursuant to which Allied Esports organized and staged an esports event program called the Simon Cup at certain Simon shopping centers in the U.S. and online. In January 2020, Allied Esports entered into a strategic partnership with Brookfield Property Partners, one of the world’s premier real estate companies, in which Allied Esports will develop integrated esports experience venues at mutually agreed upon shopping malls owned and/or operated by Brookfield or its affiliates that will include a dedicated gaming space and production capabilities to attract and to activate esports and other emerging live events. In connection with the foregoing partnership, Brookfield made a $5 million equity investment into the Company. As a result of the adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the short-term operations and plans of Allied Esports, Allied Esports and its strategic partners are delaying further execution on their strategic plans as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

In-person Experiences

Allied Esports will continue delivering first-in-class live experiences to customers at Allied Esports’ branded properties worldwide. Starting with the flagship esports arena, the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, the AE Studios in Germany, its on-mall esports venues – the first of which that is planned to be open at the Mall of Georgia with construction and opening dates postponed until further assessment can be made following the COVID-19 pandemic, and its affiliate arenas in China and Australia, Allied Esports offers esports fans state-of-the-art facilities to compete against other players in esports competitions, host live events with esports superstars that potentially stream to millions of viewers worldwide, produce and distribute incredible esports content with its on-site production facilities and studios and provide an attractive facility for hosting corporate events, tournaments, game launches or other events. Additionally, Allied Esports has two mobile esports arenas, which are 18-wheel semi-trailers that convert into first class esports arenas and competition stages with full content production capabilities and interactive talent studios. Through this worldwide network of arenas, Allied Esports believes it can offer customers an unmatched ability to participate in simultaneous global esports events and offer sponsors and partners a truly scalable global platform and audience to promote their businesses and products. Allied Esports’ flagship HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas serves as a marquee destination for esports fans globally, and has become one of the most recognized esports venues in the world.

Flagship Arena. In March 2018, Allied Esports opened its first flagship arena, the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, at the Luxor Casino on the Vegas strip, whose pyramid is one of the most visible landmarks in Las Vegas. This arena has 80 to 100 gaming stations, two bars, food service, private rooms, a production facility, and space for up to 1,000 people for events. The arena is custom-built for esports tournaments and has a broadcast-ready television studio to broadcast live events and produce content. Allied Esports monetizes the arena through renting the space for live events; merchandise sales; daily usage fees from day-to-day gamers using the gaming stations; tournament entry and player venue fees; food and beverage; and sponsorship (i.e., our HyperX naming rights relationship).

Affiliate Arenas. One of Allied Esports’ strategic advantages is its global network of esports arena partners, which enables it to host events and promote competitions around the world, with those competitions culminating in live events held at the flagship arena in Las Vegas. Allied Esports achieves this through its Affiliate Program, which consists of strategic partnerships with third-party esports operators around the globe. Allied Esports generally charges these affiliates an upfront fee and a minimal annual revenue share of gross revenue, starting in the second year of the operation of the venue. Allied Esports’ brand visibility and reputation have already resulted in affiliate arrangements with arenas and gaming centers in China and a multi-year agreement with Fortress Esports Pty Ltd, a new gaming, esports and entertainment venue enterprise in Australia, which opened its first affiliate arena in Melbourne in March 2020 and reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020. This network of affiliate arenas allows Allied Esports to scale its brand penetration worldwide on a rapid basis, driving more gamers into the Allied Esports ecosystem, with minimal costs to Allied Esports. Furthermore, the content that can be produced by these affiliate arenas can be on-sold by Allied Esports, with minimal production costs.

Mobile Arenas. The mobile arenas are 18-wheeler trucks that expand out into fully functional esports arenas with event hosting, broadcasting and production capabilities. The mobility of the trucks makes them ideal for sponsors to reach a large audience in multiple locations at an economical cost. The trucks serve as mobile billboards for potential third-party sponsorship, as well as the Allied Esports brand, providing highly visible brand presence wherever they appear. Allied Esports currently has two mobile arena trucks, with the first truck based in Germany and serving the European market, and a second truck based in Las Vegas and serving the U.S. market.

Strategic Investor Events. In addition to Allied Esports utilizing in-person experiences at its flagship, mobile and affiliate arenas, Allied Esports plans to leverage its experience to develop events and content with its strategic investors, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners.

Allied Esports plans to collaborate with Brookfield Property Partners to create a new product offering focused on delivering esports experiences through integrated gaming venues and production facilities in select shopping centers around the U.S. that are owned and/or operated by Brookfield. The on-mall venues will be designed to activate esports and other emerging live events through tournament play of all levels and daily use, featuring PC and console gaming, plus full food and beverage options, and experiential retail. The venues will have the capability to be expanded into common areas for larger esports activations and live events.

In addition, on September 30, 2019, Allied Esports and Simon launched The Simon Cup, a co-branded esports competition and gaming tournament series of on-mall regional festivals combining online and in-person play at select Simon centers in the New York and Los Angeles markets, with the winners of the regionals moving on to HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, where the first Simon Cup Champion was crowned on November 23, 2019.

As a result of the material adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the short-term operations and plans of Allied Esports, Allied Esports and its strategic partners are delaying further execution on their strategic plans as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Multiplatform Content: Leveraging Branded Properties and Strategic Partnerships to Develop Content

Allied Esports’ worldwide network of branded esports properties provides Allied Esports with a platform to potentially develop a significant amount of content to distribute via digital live streams, broadcast and cable, and social media outlets. Allied Esports believes that its arenas will draw top-level esports talent (such as professional streamer Ninja, who was the featured talent at a successful event at Allied Esports’ Las Vegas arena in April 2018) for purposes of hosting events and developing content, which it can distribute live, post-produce into fully-produced episodic content, or repackage for over the top streaming platform and social media distribution. Allied Esports intends to monetize the content in multiple ways, including direct sales of the content, sponsorship revenue, and subscription and/or advertising fees for viewers of the content.

We believe Allied Esports’ ecosystem of esports branded properties gives it the reach, reputation and experience to produce world-class live events, in partnership with some of the most prominent names in the esports industry. These live events provide Allied Esports with the material to produce exciting content that can be distributed via three different formats, each of which has its own revenue generation model: live streaming, post-produced episodic content, and short-form repackaged content.

Live Streaming. Live streaming is the most popular esports content delivery channel today, as it offers the best interactive experiences for the audience. Vast improvements in technology and Internet service and speed have made live streaming with large audiences widely available today. Well-known gamers live stream themselves playing their favorite games on any of the popular streaming services (Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, etc.) to a worldwide audience. The streamers derive revenue from ad sales, sponsorship, subscription fees and gift payments from spectators. Through Allied Esports’ ecosystem of esports arenas, Allied Esports can offer streamers a large platform to put on live events that can be simultaneously streamed on both the streamer’s channels and on Allied Esports’ channels. An example is a streaming event Allied Esports held with one of the most prominent streamers in esports, Tyler Blevins, AKA Ninja, in April 2018. Famous for his streaming channel where he plays the popular esports game Fortnite, Ninja held a live event at the Las Vegas flagship arena that set records for Twitch live streams, with over 667,000 peak concurrent viewers and 2.4 million unique viewers. To put those audience numbers in perspective, those numbers are significantly higher than viewership of the average regular season NBA game in 2019. Allied Esports was able to sell multiple sponsorships for the event and earned significant revenue from the food and beverage, merchandise sales and usage fees from the gaming stations. Although large audiences can be garnered through these live event streams, there are limitations on the streams, as they have a one-and-done nature; repeat viewing is not popular for these events, which limits the sponsorship opportunities.

Post-Produced Content. Allied Esports intends to develop esports entertainment programming around its live experiences and, using its experienced editing and production teams, create serial, episodic content and segments that tell compelling storylines around its gaming talent, in person experiences, and gaming events around the world. Allied Esports developed this technique through the WPT, who took the slow-paced game of poker and dramatized it and created storylines that made for exciting and compelling viewing. This post-produced content can be valuable real estate for sponsors, as Allied Esports can integrate sponsors seamlessly into the show in a way that feels organic to the viewers. Allied Esports can focus on different storylines, create excitement via editing and music inclusion, and generally elevate the production quality from that achievable in a live stream. Allied Esports can then monetize this episodic content via sponsorship, advertising, selling the content itself to third party distributors, or even use it as a marketing tool to drive customers to come to Allied Esports’ branded properties, buy its merchandise or otherwise interact with Allied Esports.

Repackaged Content. The library of content Allied Esports will develop from events can be cut into smaller clips that can be used as marketing and promotion of the Allied Esports brand on social media. Allied Esports can also edit content to create new content, such as “best of” shows, focusing on one particular game as played by multiple well-known streamers, regional shows focusing on talent from a particular country, and so on.

Allied Esports’ global branded esports properties ecosystem will create opportunities for live events which provide material to develop great content, all of which Allied Esports can monetize in multiple ways. The large customer base Allied Esports develops through these in-person experiences, live streams and content distribution will give it a customer base to launch interactive services.

Interactive Services: Developing an Esports Entertainment Platform

Allied Esports intends to develop its own online platform where esports players and fans can watch, play and win with other members of the esports community and top esports personalities. The online platform will enable fans to compete against each other as well as participate in esports programs starring their favorite players. Subscriptions will provide members with exclusive access to numerous unique and proprietary experiences, products and services that are not available outside of Allied Esports’ ecosystem, such as exclusive online content, member-only tournaments, prizes and cash awards, exclusive live event and merchandise access, exclusive opportunities to be part of our entertainment programming, VIP treatment at Allied Esports’ arenas, and much more. Allied Esports intends to use the authenticity and reach driven by its in-person experiences and content viewership to drive platform adoption by esports fans. Allied Esports’ executive team has years of experience developing online platforms — its CEO, Frank Ng, has managed and run online platforms with approximately 700 million registered users in China for over 14 years, and its COO, David Moon, has produced, published and operated numerous game services for over 20 years, including helping build NHN Corporation’s global footprint to over 1 million concurrent users. Furthermore, WPT has developed and operated its subscription platform for poker fans, ClubWPT, since 2010, and developed and operated a social poker product, PlayWPT, starting in 2016. PlayWPT was licensed to a third party in May of 2018.

The WPT Business

The Company owns the World Poker Tour^® (WPT^®) — a premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based poker tournaments, television, online and mobile. A leading innovator in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT helped ignite the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. WPT’s Tour Events are held at locations throughout the world and have awarded more than one billion in prize dollars in its 18-year history. WPT has broadcast globally in more than 150 countries and territories, and is currently producing its 18th season, which airs on FOX Sports Regional Networks in the United States. Season 18 of WPT is sponsored by its online subscription-based poker service, ClubWPT.com. WPT offers a suite of online poker services which it operates by itself and through its partners offering consumers the ability to access gaming content on a year-round 24/7 basis. ClubWPT.com is a unique online membership site that offers inside access to the WPT, as well as a sweepstakes-based poker club available in 43 states and territories across the United States, Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, with innovative features and state-of-the-art creative elements inspired by WPT’s 18 years of experience in gaming entertainment. In June 2020, ClubWPT launched a premium level of ClubWPT membership called ClubWPT Diamond, which allows members to play for larger prize pools, more qualifying seats to official WPT live events, and exclusive line-ups of unique experience packages. In addition, WPT licenses its brand to social gaming sites through partners like Zynga as well as to educational learning platforms such as LearnWPT. These online products are scalable and offer geographic access that might be limited if WPT relied on tour stop participation alone. Additionally, WPT benefits from managing its own distribution business which currently has more than 1,100 hours of broadcast-ready content, and offers demographically similar programming to its poker content, such as esports, golf and MMA. WPT uses this large suite of programming as leverage to seek preferred airtimes on its various distribution channels where it may promote its online products or offer airtime to sponsors in territories they seek to enter. WPT also participates in strategic brand license, partnership, sponsorship opportunities and music licensing. As described below, WPT applies a three-pillar model of in-person experiences, developing multiplatform content and providing interactive services, to the sport of poker.

In-person Experiences: Worldwide Poker Tournaments

World Poker Tour Events. The WPT is a sports league of affiliated poker tournaments that are held at prestigious casinos and poker rooms around the world. WPT licenses the WPT brand to these casinos and card rooms so that they can brand their poker tournaments as WPT events, and these events are integrated into WPT’s tour. These events form the backbone of WPT’s brand identity and have turned the WPT into one of the most recognizable names in gaming. WPT has developed different types of tours, generally distinguishable by the size of the buy-in for competitors in the applicable tour’s events. The WPT Main Tour events generally have the biggest buy-ins (usually between $3,500 and $10,000), are held at the largest and most prestigious casinos and card rooms and are attended by many of the top professional poker players in the world. The WPT DeepStacks Tour and WPT500 events are smaller than Main Tour events, with buy-ins ranging from $300 to $1,000, and are meant to cater to the lower- to medium-stakes players. In addition, through a third-party licensing arrangement, WPT licenses its name to a third party operating the WPT League, which are small bar-league poker events held at bars and clubs on a social basis. These live events create touchpoints to a large community of poker players to whom WPT can market other WPT live events, advertise and market its sponsor’s products, and push towards its interactive products. Furthermore, the live events create the content WPT uses to monetize its brand, as set forth below. The World Poker Tour live events have been postponed during the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus throughout the world.

Multiplatform Content: The World Poker Tour Television Shows

The Content. WPT films the final table of six participants from a select group of WPT’s Main Tour stops, where the players compete for some of the poker world’s largest tournament prize pools. We then edit the footage from these tour stops, resulting in a series of one-hour or two-hour episodes which are distributed for telecast to both domestic audiences via our broadcast agreement with Sinclair, and international television audiences via numerous international distribution agreements. WPT has an agreement with Poker Go, a prominent poker-centric online platform, pursuant to which WPT live streams many of its events to Poker Go’s customer base. Many of WPT’s live events that are not broadcast on Sinclair are live streamed on Poker Go, which ensures almost all of WPT’s events are broadcast on some format. In addition, WPT films and produces special episodes based on a variety of non-traditional poker tournaments and/or cash games, which it also distributes for telecast along with the episodes based on WPT’s regular tour stops. Furthermore, WPT produced specialized shows meant to promote and market its ClubWPT membership site, such as its “King of the Club” shows in which ClubWPT members won the right, by winning certain tournaments on the ClubWPT platform, to play against each other for cash and prizes in a single-table tournament that was filmed and broadcast on FSN. WPT also filmed and prepared for distribution another series of shows to promote ClubWPT called “Challenge the Champs”, in which ClubWPT members who qualified on the ClubWPT platform received the chance to play against former WPT Main Tour champions for cash and prizes. These episodes premiered on FSN in August and September 2019.

WPT previously produced and broadcasted on FSN a series of shows called WPT Alpha8, based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments with buy-ins of $100,000. In the Alpha8 events, some of the most elite high-stakes players in the world played in poker tournaments against one another in glamorous casinos and card rooms around the world, with the final eight players of each tournament filmed for production of the television episodes. The inaugural season of WPT Alpha8 began in 2013 and aired for three seasons, ending in 2016 and continues to be distributed internationally. In addition to the strategic advantage of the “World Poker Tour” and WPT-related brands, WPT has created significant efficiencies in its content programming through its affiliation and use of Allied ESports’ HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas venue to film some of its Main Tour final tables and other special events. This change, which just began for Season 17, has significantly reduced production costs by reducing transportation and set up fees and has allowed for more content to be produced at a significantly more efficient cost. Moreover, by reducing the physical location needs from its casino partners that would otherwise be featured in a WPT televised event, WPT has greatly expanded the number of potential casino customers that can meet the requirements for hosting a WPT televised final table. Finally, WPT creates, owns and publishes its own music for WPT shows. In addition to receiving royalties for the music integrated into these programs, WPT has created a database of over 2,300 musical pieces which may be licensed for itself or for other third-party producers.

WPT Distribution Footprint. All of the WPT television programs air on Sinclair’s RSNs in the U.S., and in 33 different territories worldwide pursuant to licensing and distribution arrangements with various linear and digital networks. Virtually all of WPT’s 17-season poker library is fully available for distribution, providing hundreds of hours of top-tier broadcast grade poker sports content. WPT has greatly expanded the reach of its content by licensing it for broadcast on many digital platforms as well, such as PlutoTV, Unreel Entertainment, Samsung TV Plus, and many others. WPT does not receive fees from Sinclair for the domestic distribution of our content. Instead, WPT uses the WPT show to heavily promote its ClubWPT product and other online products and partnerships, such as Zynga’s WPT social poker game. WPT does provide Sinclair with a guaranteed revenue share from ClubWPT’s operations in exchange for significant promotion and distribution of the programs featuring ClubWPT marketing. This arrangement ensures that Sinclair has an incentive to keep WPT’s show on the air and to market and promote the show, as they share in the show’s success to the extent ClubWPT’s revenue increases. Since the ClubWPT customer base and broadcast television viewers are similar in demographics, the symbiotic relationship between Sinclair and WPT works well to keep WPT’s brand widely known and accessible to millions of people in the U.S. The Sinclair agreement also has other important broadcast requirements to ensure that WPT’s programming remains “appointment television” and airs at particular times on both the Sinclair networks and the RSNs. Internationally, some of WPT’s distribution partners pay WPT fees to broadcast content, but usually, WPT’s international revenues are based on distribution deals that pay via advertising time and sponsorship sales, as well as the intrinsic value of spreading WPT’s brand awareness worldwide. The international reach of WPT-related shows has grown meaningfully as a result of our expanding digital distribution footprint. WPT receives additional fees from our digital distribution agreements, but again see these as brand-building exercises and as avenues to get more people exposure for WPT’s online products, sponsors and advertisers. In addition to its World Poker Tour content, WPT also distributes various sports and lifestyle programming through its distribution business. As a result, WPT now controls over 1,100 hours of programming from which it may generate distribution fees, license fees, sponsorship revenue and music licensing revenue, as well as serving as a vehicle to promote its online gaming products worldwide. The ability to “bundle,” or offer large amounts of content, provides WPT distribution leverage in negotiating the amount of airings or preferred airing times of its content.

The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”) recently acquired 21st Century Fox (“FOX”). Under the terms of the acquisition, FOX’s non-regional news and sports assets, including FSN, were spun off into a new company, Fox Corporation (which is commonly referred to as “New Fox”), which remains owned by the prior FOX shareholders. The Department of Justice required Disney to sell all RSNs within ninety (90) days after the closing of the Disney/FOX acquisition. The RSNs (including FSN) were recently purchased by a joint venture company owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, Inc. (collectively, “Sinclair”). To date, Sinclair’s acquisition of the RSNs (including FSN) has not had any material effect on the airing of WPT’s content.

Sponsorship Revenue. Sponsorship revenue is the prime economic driver of the distribution of WPT content. WPT partners with prestigious brands, such as Dr. Pepper (soft drinks), Hublot (high-end timepieces), Corona (beer), Rockstar (energy drinks), Baccarat (fine crystal), Party Poker (online gaming in Europe), and offers them the ability to become the “Official ________ of the World Poker Tour”. The Season 17 sponsors have included Hublot, Rockstar, Baccarat, Faded Spade Poker (a playing card manufacturer), and Zynga Inc. (social gaming operator). WPT is able to seamlessly integrate its sponsors into the WPT television show by displaying sponsors on poker tables, on television sets, and specialized segments that are brought to viewers by the applicable sponsor. By integrating WPT’s sponsors into the show, WPT provides a powerful marketing tool in that viewers are seeing the sponsor as part of the show they are watching, as opposed to an advertisement that they may mute or skip if possible. WPT’s live events also offer WPT sponsors a great advertising platform to market directly to WPT players via signage, product sampling suites, flyers, and similar marketing endeavors.

Interactive Services: Poker Platforms

WPT’s live event global footprint and distribution of its content via broadcast, streaming and social media, allow WPT to generate significant marketing opportunities for both its sponsors and its own products. WPT has taken advantage of this marketing arm to promote several interactive products: ClubWPT, its subscription-based online poker club that WPT owns and operates, which also offers social poker; PlayWPT, a web and mobile social poker product that is operated by a third party utilizing software and branding that WPT licenses to such provider; Zynga Poker, who operates one of the world’s largest social poker products, to whom WPT has licensed its brand for certain WPT-branded poker tournaments on their platform; and HongKong Triple Sevens Interactive Co., Ltd, who licenses WPT’s Alpha8 brand to operate a social poker product they are in the process of developing.

ClubWPT. WPT’s subscription-based online club, ClubWPT.com, is operated in accordance with the principles of sweepstakes law and is available in 43 states and territories across the United States, Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom. A free alternative means of entry is offered for participants who wish to play in the tournaments but do not wish to purchase the other membership benefits. VIP members can play poker to win a share of $100,000 in cash and prizes every month, including seats in live WPT poker tournaments. Other benefits include access to every season of the WPT television series and all related content, discounted tickets to live events through ScoreBig, everyday savings for everyday things via the ClubWPT Entertainment Savers Guide, and other member benefits. In January of 2019, WPT added freemium social poker and casino gaming on the platform. Since that time, daily active revenue has risen steadily, and we anticipate the freemium products on the platform will be a meaningful driver of ClubWPT revenue going forward. The subscription fee for ClubWPT remains the same each month and players are not allowed to wager actual money online. One must be eighteen or older to participate. In June 2020, ClubWPT launched a premium level of ClubWPT membership called ClubWPT Diamond, which allows members to play for larger prize pools, more qualifying seats to official WPT live events, and exclusive line-up of unique experience packages.

Zynga Poker. WPT entered into a 3-year licensing agreement with Zynga, Inc. in 2018 pursuant to which Zynga agreed to pay WPT $3 million per year in exchange for the right to license the WPT name and brand to its massive social gaming database for WPT-branded poker tournaments on the Zynga social poker platform. WPT supports Zynga’s efforts through extensive marketing of its brand through its marketing network which includes its television programs, advertisements, and social media channels. Zynga has further used the WPT tournaments as a vehicle to reward their players through qualifying players to play in real money poker tournaments at WPT affiliated casinos. The partnership means that the Zynga and WPT brands elevate each other’s profile in the poker community through millions of impressions annually.

PlayWPT and Alpha8 Social Poker. WPT’s 3-year license agreements for PlayWPT and the Alpha8 social poker product that each commenced in 2018 provide WPT with a share of all revenue generated on those respective platforms, with annual minimums of the greater of $500,000 or 20% of revenue generated for PlayWPT, and the greater of $200,000 or 20% of revenue generated for the Alpha8 social poker product. These arrangements offer WPT significant annual payments based on the value and prestige of WPT’s brands and WPT’s ability to market and promote the platforms.

In addition to the three-pillar approach to monetizing the WPT brands as described above, WPT has also been able to combine these approaches in a regional manner to create localized versions of the WPT in other parts of the world. For example, WPT has an agreement with Adda52, one of the largest online poker operators in India, pursuant to which Adda52 utilizes WPT brands to put on WPT-branded tournaments, create and sell WPT merchandise, sponsor and distribute WPT content, and otherwise market and promote their own products using the WPT name. WPT had a similar arrangement for the Asia-Pacific region with WPT’s former parent company, Ourgame, and is negotiating similar arrangements with parties in other parts of the world, such as Latin America. These brand licensing arrangements not only provide WPT with revenue derived from upfront payments and revenue share, but they broaden WPT’s brand reach in localized ways to parts of the world that WPT would be hard-pressed to effectively market to on its own. WPT believes that this increased reach will have long-term benefits to WPT’s brand image and profitability.

Recent Developments.

On January 19, 2021, the Company and its direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries, Allied Esports Media, Inc. (“Esports Media,” and together with the Company, the “Selling Parties”) and Club Services, Inc. (“CSI”), entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Original Agreement”) with Element Partners, LLC (“Buyer”), pursuant to which the Selling Parties have agreed to sell 100% of the outstanding capital stock of CSI to Buyer. CSI is the Company’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary that directly or indirectly owns 100% of the outstanding capital stock of each of the legal entities that collectively operate or engage in the Company’s poker-related business and assets (the “WPT Business”). The proposed sale of CSI is referred to herein as the “Sale Transaction.” In connection with the Original Agreement, Buyer agreed to pay Esports Media a total purchase price of $78.25 million for the stock of CSI, including an initial purchase price at closing of $68.25 million and $10.0 million in future payments after the closing of the Sale Transaction. After the execution of the Original Agreement, the Company received multiple unsolicited competing proposals to sell the Company and/or CSI to Bally’s Corporation. As a result of such proposals and further negotiation with Buyer, the Selling Parties, CSI and Buyer entered into an Amended and Restated Stock Purchase Agreement on March 19, 2021, and thereafter amended such agreement on March 29, 2021 (as amended, the “Stock Purchase Agreement”).

Buyer has agreed to pay Esports Media a total purchase price of $105 million for the stock of CSI (the “base purchase price”) at the closing of the Sale Transaction, as further described below. The base purchase price will be adjusted to reflect the amount of CSI’s cash, indebtedness and accrued and unpaid transaction expenses as of the closing of the Sale Transaction. Buyer remitted a $10.0 million advance payment of the base purchase price upon the execution of the Stock Purchase Agreement and is required to pay the balance of the base purchase price at the closing of the Sale Transaction.

The Stock Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and indemnification provisions. The closing of the Sale Transaction is subject to closing conditions, including the approval of the Sale Transaction by the Company’s stockholders and other customary closing conditions. The Company intends to consummate the Sale Transaction shortly after obtaining stockholder approval, assuming all other conditions to the completion of the Sale Transaction have been satisfied or waived by the appropriate parties.

The Stock Purchase Agreement may be terminated by Buyer or the Company if the closing of the Sale Transaction has not occurred by September 30, 2021, or upon the occurrence of certain customary events as set forth in the Stock Purchase Agreement. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Buyer may be required to pay a $10.0 million non-performance fee to the Company, and the Selling Parties may be required to pay a $3.45 million termination fee to the Buyer, and the Selling Parties may be required to return to Buyer the $10.0 million advance payment of the purchase price and reimburse Buyer for up to $1.0 million of its documented out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with the authorization, preparation, negotiation, execution and performance of the Stock Purchase Agreement and the Sale Transaction.

Effective upon any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, other than a termination in which Buyer is required to pay a non-performance fee to us, Buyer (or its affiliate) and Peerless Media Limited, an indirect subsidiary of the Company that owns intellectual property related to the WPT Business, will enter into a 3-year brand license for Buyer’s (or its affiliate’s) use of the WPT brand in the territory of Asia for real-money gaming in exchange for revenue-based royalty payments of 20% of qualifying revenues, and minimum annual guaranteed royalty payments of $4.0 million, $6.0 million and $8.0 million for the first, second and third years, respectively. Such license will be subject to further customary terms and conditions and provide Peerless Media Limited with a $2.0 million buy-out right after the first year. In the event of any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement under any circumstance in which the Buyer is required to pay a termination fee to us, the Company will have the option, but not the obligation, to require the Buyer to enter into such license agreement with Peerless Media Limited.

The rapid growth and popularity of gaming and esports during the COVID-19 pandemic has driven interest in the Company’s esports business, Allied Esports. In January 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors decided to explore strategic options for the esports business in order to maximize value to its stockholders, including a possible sale, and the Company has engaged a financial advisor to assist with the process. If the Company pursues and ultimately completes a sale of the esports business in addition to the sale of the WPT Business in the Sale Transaction (described below), the Company expects to proceed (likely under a new name) as a publicly traded holding company focused on using its cash resources to explore opportunities in online entertainment, including but not limited to, real money gaming and other gaming sectors. However, the Company does not plan to limit itself to any particular industry or geographic location in its efforts to identify prospective target businesses. Currently, the Company does not have any specific merger, asset acquisition, reorganization or other business combination under consideration or contemplation. At this time no potential or particular buyer has been identified to purchase the esports business, and there are no initial or ongoing negotiations in respect of the sale of the esports business.

Corporate Organization

Our principal offices are located at 17877 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 300, Irvine, California, 92614, and our telephone number at that office is (949) 225-2600.

Allied Esports Entertainment Inc., (“AESE”), formerly known as Black Ridge Acquisition Corp, or “BRAC”, was incorporated in Delaware on May 9, 2017 as a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stockshare exchange, asset acquisition, stockshare purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We intend

Allied Esports Media, Inc. (“AEM”), a Delaware corporation, was formed in November 2018 to effectuate our initialact as a holding company for Allied Esports International Inc. (“Allied Esports”) and immediately prior to close of the Merger (as defined below) to also include Noble Link Global Limited (“Noble Link”). Allied Esports, together with its subsidiaries described below owns and operates the esports-related businesses of AESE. Noble Link (prior to the AEM Merger) and its wholly owned subsidiaries Peerless Media Limited, Club Services, Inc. and WPT Enterprises, Inc. operate the poker-related business of AESE and are collectively referred to herein as “World Poker Tour” or “WPT.” Prior to the Merger, as described below, Noble Link and Allied Esports were subsidiaries of Ourgame International Holdings Limited (“Ourgame”).

On December 19, 2018, BRAC, Noble Link and AEM executed an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (as amended from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”). On August 9, 2019 (the “Closing Date”), Noble Link was merged with and into AEM, with AEM being the surviving entity, which was accounted for as a common control merger (the “AEM Merger”). Further, on August 9, 2019, a subsidiary of AESE merged with AEM pursuant to the Merger Agreement, with AEM being the surviving entity (the “Merger”). The Merger was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization, and AEM is deemed to be the accounting acquirer. Consequently, the assets and liabilities and the historical operations that are reflected in the combined financial statements prior to the Merger are those of Allied Esports and WPT. The preferred stock, common stock, additional paid in capital and earnings per share amount in the combined financial statements for the period prior to the Merger have been restated to reflect the recapitalization in accordance with the shares issued to the Former Parent as a result of the Merger. References herein to the “Company” are to the combination using cash fromof AEM and WPT during the proceedsperiod prior to the AEM Merger and are to AESE and subsidiaries after the Merger.

Allied Esports operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries Allied Esports International, Inc., (“AEII”), Esports Arena Las Vegas, LLC (“ESALV”) and Allied Esports GmbH (“AEGmbH”). AEII operates global competitive esports properties designed to connect players and fans via a network of connected arenas. ESALV operates a flagship gaming arena located at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. AEGmbH operates a mobile esports truck that serves as both a battleground and content generation hub and also operates a studio for recording and streaming gaming events.

Our fiscal year ends December 31. Neither we nor any of our initial public offeringpredecessors have been in bankruptcy, receivership or any similar proceeding.

Regulation

WPT tournaments are conducted by the host casinos and a salecard rooms, and we believe WPT is not subject to government gaming regulation in connection with its affiliation with and telecasts of stockthese events. We continue to monitor the legality of Internet gaming in a private placementdomestic and international jurisdictions, but cannot be certain that occurred simultaneouslychanges in existing regulations will be beneficial to the gaming market. WPT’s subscription-based online club, ClubWPT.com, is operated in accordance with the completionprinciples of sweepstakes law. A free alternative means of entry is offered for participants who wish to play in the tournaments but do not wish to purchase the other membership benefits. The subscription fee for ClubWPT remains the same each month and players are not allowed to wager actual money online. One must be eighteen or older to participate. However, the awarding of cash and prizes will require compliance with the laws or regulations in various states or countries over sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways, are complicated and constantly changing.

Allied Esports intends to offer subscribers the chance to win cash and prizes when playing esports games and tournaments on the esports gaming platform it intends to develop. Similar to WPT, Allied Esports will be subject to the complicated laws and regulations in various states or countries over sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways. Any negative finding of law regarding the characterization of the type of online activity carried out on the esports gaming platform could limit or prevent Allied Esports’ ability to obtain subscribers in those jurisdictions. In addition, Allied Esports is subject to a number of foreign and domestic laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the Internet. In addition, laws and regulations relating to user privacy, data collection, retention, electronic commerce, consumer protection, content, advertising, localization, and information security have been adopted or are being considered for adoption by many jurisdictions and countries throughout the world.

Intellectual Property

We believe that to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, we must develop and maintain protection of the proprietary aspects of our initial public offering, our capital stock, debt ortechnology. We rely on a combination of cash,trademarks, patent, trade secret intellectual property rights and other measures to protect our intellectual property.

WPT has filed trademarks for the names of its shows, including the World Poker Tour name and logos. The trademark “World Poker Tour” has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on the principal register in connection with entertainment services, clothing, playing cards and poker chips, and housewares and glass; and on the supplemental register in connection with electronic and scientific apparatus. Other registered marks around the world include: “Alpha8” in the U.S., Canada, China, Europe, South Africa and Uruguay; “Battle of Champions” in the U.S.; “Card Design” in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela; “Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship” in the U.S.; “Hollywood Home Game” in the U.S.; “Ladies’ Night” in the U.S.; “Latin American Poker Tour” in Peru and Europe; “Poker Détente” in Europe; “Poker Walk of Fame” in the U.S.; “PPT” in the U.S., Canada and Europe; “PPT & Design” in the U.S. and Canada; “Professional Poker Tour” in the U.S.; “Professional Poker Tour PPT & Design” in the U.S.; “Royal Flush Girls” in the U.S.; “Time Slots” in Canada, Europe and the U.S.; “World Poker Tour” in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Venezuela; “World Poker Tour & Design” in the U.S., Canada and Europe; “WPT” in the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and Venezuela; “WPT8 Design” in U.S., Australia, Canada, China, Europe, South Africa and Uruguay; “WPT Academy” in Europe; “WPT Alpha8 Design” in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, South Africa and Uruguay; “WPT Boot Camp” in the U.S.; “WPT Poker Corner” in the U.S., Canada and Europe; “WPT Spade Card Design” in China; “WPT World Poker Tour & Design” in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe and Korea. We have registered approximately 2,100 Internet domain names in 70 regions around the world. We also have proprietary rights to our portfolio of registered and unregistered copyrighted materials, which includes the episodes of the televised programming and music that we produce, subject to licenses related to these episodes provided under our agreements with our distributors and our international telecast license agreements, as well as the WPT Academy database and online videos.

WPT has filed five U.S. and international patent applications. One patent relating to a specially designed game table that uses integral lighting, was issued by the USPTO in 2007. Another patent, relating to systems and methods reducing fraud in electronic games having virtual currency, was issued by the USPTO in April 2020. A third patent relating to systems and methods for securing virtual currencies and enhancing electronic products, was issued by the USPTO in May 2020. WPT’s remaining patent applications relate to (1) systems and methods to reduce impact of network disruptions; and (2) systems and methods to provide multiple commentary streams for the same broadcast content.

Allied Esports has one patent in the U.S. related to systems and methods for latency in networked competitive multiplayer gaming that was issued by the UPSTO in July 2020. It has also registered approximately 45 domain names. Allied Esports has filed for trademark protection for the following marks as well: “Allied Esports” has been filed in the U.S., “Allied Esports” bold mark has been filed in China and Europe; The “Allied Esports” logos have been filed in the U.S. and Europe; the “Allied Esports Member Property Network” logo has been filed in China and Europe; the “Big Betty” logos have been registered in Europe; “E-sports Arena” have been registered in China, “Esports Superstars” logo has been filed in the U.S.; “Legend Series” logo has been filed in the U.S. and Europe; and the “Allied Esports” emblem has been filed in China and Europe.

Competition

WPT competes with other poker-related television programming, including ESPN’s coverage of the “World Series of Poker” and its “World Series of Poker” Circuit Events, among others. These and other producers of poker-related programming are well established and may have significantly greater resources than WPT does. Based on the popularity of these poker-related televised programs, WPT believes that additional competing televised poker programs may currently be in development or may be developed in the future. WPT’s programming also competes for telecast audiences and advertising revenue with telecasts of mainstream professional and amateur sports, as well as other entertainment and leisure activities.

The esports gaming industry is also competitive. Competitors range from established leagues and championships owned directly, as well as leagues franchised by well-known and capitalized game publishers and developers, interactive entertainment companies, diversified media companies and emerging start-ups. New competitors will likely continue to emerge, and many of these competitors will have greater financial resources than Allied Esports.

Territories

We sell products and services throughout the world.

Employees

As of April 11, 2021, we had approximately 114 employees, including 44 employees that operated under collective-bargaining agreements.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the specific risks described below before making an investment decision. Any of the risks we describe below could cause our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects to be materially adversely affected.

The market price of our common stock could decline if one or more of these risks and debt.uncertainties develop into actual events and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects. Amounts within the “Risk Factors” section are stated in thousands with the exception of share information.

Risks Related to the Sale Transaction

If the Company fails to complete the Sale Transaction, it may not be able to successfully complete another strategic transaction.

The consummation of the proposed Sale Transaction is subject to a number of closing conditions, including that the Company’s stockholders approve the Sale Transaction. The obligation of Buyer to complete the Sale Transaction is also subject to the absence of a change in circumstances that are materially adverse to the Company’s financial condition, assets, business or results of operations. If the closing conditions for the Sale Transaction are not satisfied, then the Stock Purchase Agreement can be terminated.

If the Company does not complete the Sale Transaction, it will review all options for continuing operations, possibly including seeking to identify and effect an alternative business combination, sale of assets or another similar strategic transaction or transactions. However, the Company may not be able to consummate such an alternative transaction on favorable terms, if at all, and a third party may not offer to purchase the Company’s assets for a price equal to or greater than the price proposed to be paid by Buyer. If the Company is unable to successfully consummate one or more alternative strategic transactions relating to its business, the Company will continue to execute on its current business plan. The Company intends to continue exploring strategic options for its esports business, including the possible sale of such business.

If we fail to complete the Sale Transaction, the Company’s business may be harmed, we may not be able to find another buyer for the WPT business and our stock price could be negatively impacted

The Company cannot predict whether it will succeed in obtaining the approval of its stockholders, or that the other conditions to close the Sale Transaction will be satisfied. As a result, the Company cannot guarantee that the Sale Transaction will be completed.

Following the Company’s public announcement of the Sale Transaction, third parties may be unwilling to enter into material agreements with the Company. New and existing customers and business partners may prefer to enter into agreements with the Company’s competitors because such customers and partners perceive that its relationships are likely to be more stable. If the Company fails to complete the Sale Transaction, the failure to maintain existing relationships with our customers, suppliers and employees or enter into new relationships, may harm our business, and the results of operations, financial condition and the market price for our common stock may decline.

In October 2017,addition, if we consummated our initial public offering of 13,800,000 units (including the units soldare required to pay a termination fee or expense reimbursements in connection with the exercisetermination of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) at $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceedsStock Purchase Agreement, we may have difficulty recouping such costs, in addition to the costs incurred in connection with negotiating the Sale Transaction.

We may not be able to find another buyer willing to pay an equivalent or higher price in an alternative transaction than the price that would be paid pursuant to the Sale Transaction. Further, we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, which could cause a decrease in the market price of $138,000,000 million. Offering costs associated withour stock, particularly if the initial public offering were approximately $3.24 million, inclusive of $2,760,000 of underwriting commissions paid upon closing ofmarket price reflects a market assumption that the initial public offering, including the exercise of the over-allotment option.Sale Transaction will be completed. We may also experience negative reactions from our customers, employees and vendors, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

Pending the completion of the Sale Transaction, the Company may not make certain changes in the business and may not be able to enter into a business combination with another party.

Covenants in the Stock Purchase Agreement impede the Company’s ability to enter into specified transactions that are not in the ordinary course of business pending completion of the Sale Transaction. Existing and potential customers and vendors of our poker business may delay or cease entering into transactions with our poker business until the ownership and management of the poker business is clarified and employees and other key partners in the poker business may choose to leave the poker business due to uncertainties inherent in the Sale Transaction process.

Moreover, while the Stock Purchase Agreement is in effect and subject to limited exceptions, the Company is prohibited from soliciting, initiating, encouraging, taking actions designed to facilitate any inquiries or the making of any proposal or offer that could lead to, or entering into discussions or negotiations with regard to, an acquisition proposal with any third party, subject to specified exceptions. Any such acquisition proposal could be favorable to the Company’s stockholders. Bally’s Corporation has in the past made unsolicited proposals to acquire the WPT business, and the provisions of the Stock Purchase Agreement prohibit us from continuing or initiating new discussions with Bally’s Corporation, subject to the limited exceptions set forth in the Stock Purchase Agreement.

The Company will incur significant expenses in connection with the Sale Transaction and could be required to make significant payments if the Stock Purchase Agreement is terminated under certain conditions.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding a termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company may be required to pay a $3.45 million termination fee to Buyer, and we may be required to reimburse Buyer for up to $1.0 million of its documented out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with the authorization, preparation, negotiation, execution and performance of the Stock Purchase Agreement and the Sale Transaction. In addition, the Company expects to pay legal fees, accounting fees and financial and other advisory fees and expenses whether or not the Sale Transaction is completed. As a result, we may have difficulty recouping the costs incurred in connection with pursuing the Sale Transaction, and our cash position would be adversely impacted.

The WPT business will be subject to the terms of a license agreement for real money gaming in Asia if the Stock Purchase Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances.

Effective upon any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, other than a termination in which Buyer is required to pay a termination or non-performance fee to us, Buyer (or its affiliate) and Peerless Media Limited, an indirect subsidiary of the Company that owns intellectual property related to the WPT Business, will enter into a 3-year brand license for Buyer’s (or its affiliate’s) use of the WPT brand in the territory of Asia for real-money gaming in exchange for revenue-based royalty payments of 20% of qualifying revenues, and minimum annual guaranteed royalty payments of $4.0 million, $6.0 million and $8.0 million for the first, second and third years, respectively. Such license will be subject to further customary terms and conditions, and provide Peerless Media Limited with a $2.0 million buy-out right after the first year. In the event of any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement under any circumstance in which the Buyer is required to pay a termination fee to us, the Company will have the option, but not obligation, to require the Buyer to into such license agreement with Peerless Media Limited. The form of the agreement governing the license is attached as Exhibit B to the Stock Purchase Agreement. The existence of the license will prevent us from pursuing and entering into a similar license in the Asian territory with another third party that may have contained terms that are more advantageous to us. In addition, if we wish to pursue a sale of the WPT Business to another purchaser after termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the existence of this license may deter another otherwise interested third party purchaser from pursuing an acquisition of the WPT Business, or reduce the consideration such a party would be will to pay for it.

The announcement and pendency of the Sale Transaction, whether or not completed, may adversely affect us.

The announcement and pendency of the Sale Transaction may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, our business or our relationships with clients, customers, suppliers and employees. Third parties may be unwilling to enter into material agreements with respect to the WPT Business. Additionally, employees working in the WPT Business may become concerned about the future of the WPT Business, and lose focus or seek other employment. In addition, while the completion of the Sale Transaction is pending, we may be unable to attract and retain key personnel and our management’s focus and attention and employee resources may be diverted from operational matters or the exploration of strategic operations for our esports business, including its possible sale.

Simultaneously

The Stock Purchase Agreement limits our ability to pursue alternatives to the Sale Transaction.

The Stock Purchase Agreement contains provisions that may make it more difficult for us to sell our entire company or the WPT Business to any party other than Element Partners, LLC. These provisions include the prohibition on our ability to solicit competing proposals and the requirement that we pay Buyer a termination fee of $3.45 million if we terminate the Stock Purchase Agreement to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to a superior proposal. These provisions could make it less advantageous for a third party that might have an interest in acquiring us or all of or a significant part of the WPT Business to consider or propose an alternative transaction, even if that party were prepared to pay consideration with a higher value than the consideration to be paid by Buyer. Bally’s Corporation has in the past made unsolicited proposals to acquire the WPT Business, and the provisions of the Stock Purchase Agreement prohibit us from continuing or initiating new discussions with Bally’s Corporation, subject to the limited exceptions set forth in the Stock Purchase Agreement.

Risks Related to us if the Sale Transaction is Completed

Buyer may not honor all of its obligations under the Stock Purchase Agreement.

Effective upon any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement, other than a termination in which Buyer is required to pay a termination or non-performance fee to us, Buyer (or its affiliate) and Peerless Media Limited, an indirect subsidiary of the Company that owns intellectual property related to the WPT Business, will enter into a 3-year brand license for Buyer’s (or its affiliate’s) use of the WPT brand in the territory of Asia for real-money gaming in exchange for revenue-based royalty payments of 20% of qualifying revenues, and minimum annual guaranteed royalty payments of $4.0 million, $6.0 million and $8.0 million for the first, second and third years, respectively. Such license will be subject to further customary terms and conditions, and provide Peerless Media Limited with a $2.0 million buy-out right after the first year. In the event of any termination of the Stock Purchase Agreement under any circumstance in which the Buyer is required to pay a termination fee to us, the Company will have the option, but not obligation, to require the Buyer to into such license agreement with Peerless Media Limited. The form of the agreement governing the license is attached as Exhibit B to the Stock Purchase Agreement. Buyer may not honor all of its obligations under the Stock Purchase Agreement and the licensing agreement.

The Company will become a company with cash, investments, and our esports business, which may prove difficult for investors to evaluate our ability to achieve stated business objectives.

After the Sale Transaction is completed, we will have disposed of substantially all of our operating assets other than cash, investments and our esports business. The Company recently announced that its Board of Directors has decided to explore strategic options for the esports business in order to maximize its value to stockholders, including a possible sale, and the Company has engaged a financial advisor to assist with the process. If the Company pursues and ultimately completes a sale of the esports business, we would then become a development stage company with no historic operating results. In that situation we would expect to proceed (likely under a new name) as a publicly traded holding company focused on using our cash resources to explore opportunities in online entertainment, including but not limited to, real money gaming and other gaming sectors; however, we do not plan to limit ourselves to any particular industry or geographic location in its efforts to identify prospective target businesses. Currently, however, we have no specific merger, asset acquisition, reorganization or other business combination under consideration or contemplation. We have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. We may be unsuccessful in pursuing acquisition targets, or acquisition targets, if acquired, may not prove to have successful operations.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock with the proceeds of the Sale Transaction; as a result, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We have no current plans to pay dividends on our common stock with the proceeds of the Sale Transaction. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

Following the closing of the initial public offering, including the exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated the private placement of 445,000 private units at a price of $10.00 per private unit, all of which were sold to the Sponsor, and the sale of the representative’s purchase options to purchase 600,000 units to EBC and its designees, the representative of the underwriters in the initial public offering, for $100.

An aggregate of $138,690,000 million ($10.05 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the initial public offering, the overallotment units, and the private units was placed in the Trust Account currently at Morgan Stanley and maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, and is invested in U.S. government treasury bills, until the earlier of (i) the consummation of the initial business combination or (ii) the Company’s failure to consummate a business combination by July 10, 2019. The remaining net proceeds (not held in the Trust Account) may be used to pay for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective merger or acquisition candidates and continuing general and administrative expenses. Additionally, the interest earned on the Trust Account balance may be released to us for any amounts that are necessary to pay the Company’s income tax obligations and up to $50,000 of interest earned on the Trust Account balance may be released to us to pay for our liquidation expenses if we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within the required time period.

Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally towards consummating a business combination.

Results of Operations

We have not generated any revenues to date, andSale Transaction, we will not be generating any operating revenues untilsubject to five-year non-solicitation and non-competition covenants under the closing and completion ofStock Purchase Agreement, which will limit our initial business combination. Our entire activity upability to December 31, 2017 has beenoperate in poker related to our company’s formation, the initial public offering, and sincefields.

Following the closing of the initial public offering, a search for aSale Transaction, we will be subject to five-year non-solicitation and non-competition covenants made in the Stock Purchase Agreement. During such five-year period, we will be prohibited from participating or engaging in, in any manner or capacity, the Restricted Business, and from soliciting the customers, suppliers or employees of the WPT Business. For this purpose, the “Restricted Business” means, generally, any business combination candidate. We have,involving variants of the game of poker specified in the Stock Purchase Agreement and expectany activities ancillary or related to such variants of poker, including, without limitation, (i) organizing, hosting, operating, promoting, and/or conducting events relating to poker, (ii) broadcasting or distributing content relating to such events, (iii) organizing, hosting, operating, promoting, and/or conducting clubs or organizations related to poker, and (iv) commercializing products and merchandise relating to poker. While we do not believe these limitations will negatively affect our esports business, these restrictions may adversely impact our future opportunities.

Risks Related to the Current Business

In addition to the other information contained in this Report, you should carefully consider each of the risks described below. Until the close of the Sale Transaction, the Company expects to continue to generate small amountsexecute its current business strategy with respect to its esports and poker-related business. Except as specifically described below, the following discussion of non-operating incomerisks related to the Company does not reflect changes to the Company’s business that may occur if it consummates the Sale Transaction. Allied Esports International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates the esports-related businesses of AESE, and are collectively referred to as “Allied Esports.”. Peerless Media Limited, CSI and WPT Enterprises, Inc. operate the poker-related business of AESE and are collectively referred to herein as “World Poker Tour” or “WPT.”

Allied Esports Risk Factors

Allied Esports is subject to risks associated with operating in a rapidly developing industry and a relatively new market.

Many elements of Allied Esports’ business are unique, evolving and relatively unproven. Its business and prospects depend on the continuing development of live streaming of competitive esports gaming. The market for esports gaming competition is relatively new and rapidly developing and is subject to significant challenges. Allied Esports’ business relies upon its ability to grow and garner an active gamer community, and successfully monetize this community through tournament fees, live event ticket sales, and advertising and sponsorships. In addition, Allied Esports’ continued growth depends, in part, on its ability to respond to constant changes in the formesports gaming industry, including technological evolution, shifts in gamer trends and demands, introductions of interest incomenew games, game publisher intellectual property right practices, and industry standards and practices. While change in this industry may be inevitable, and Allied Esports will try to adapt its business model as needed to accommodate change and remain on cashthe forefront of its competitors, Allied Esports may be unsuccessful in doing so and cash equivalents. We expectdoes not provide any guarantees or assurances of success as the industry continues to continueevolve.

Allied Esports may not be able to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability.

For the period from May 9, 2017 (inception) through December 31, 2017, we had net income of $93,150, which consisted ofAllied Esports expects its operating expenses of $130,159, offset by other income from our Trust Account (interest income offset by unrealized losses on our assets heldto increase significantly as it continues to expand its marketing efforts and operations in trust) of $290,353existing and including a provision for income taxes of $67,044.

Liquiditynew geographies and Capital Resources

We presently have no revenue; our net operating expenses were $130,159 for the period from May 9, 2017 (inception) through December 31, 2017,vertical markets (including its online esports tournament and consisted primarily of formation costs priorgaming subscription platform it intends to our initial public offering and of management fees paid to our sponsor, professional fees and other costs related to our search for a business combination subsequent to our initial public offering. Through December 31, 2017, our liquidity needs were satisfied through receipt of approximately $518,000 held outside of the Trust Account from the sale of Units upon closing of the initial public offering, $25,000 from the sale of the founders’ shares, and proceeds from notes payable from the Sponsor in an aggregate amount of $125,000 which was repaid at the time of the initial public offering.

develop). In order to meet our ongoing working capital needs, the Sponsor, or its affiliates, or certain executive officers and directors, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. The loans would either be repaid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside of the Trust Account.

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates, among other things, the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $346,000 in working capital (including cash and cash equivalents held outside Trust Account) approximately $110,000 in interest income available from our investments in the Trust Account to pay our income tax and franchise fee obligations. Further, we have incurred and expectaddition, Allied Esports expects to continue to incur significant costslegal, accounting and other expenses related to being a public company. If its revenue declines or fails to grow at a rate faster than these increases in pursuitoperating expenses, it will not be able to achieve profitability in future periods. As a result, Allied Esports may generate losses. Allied Esports cannot assure you that it will achieve profitability.

Allied Esports generates a portion of its revenues from advertising and sponsorship. If it fails to attract more advertisers and sponsors to its live events, tournaments or content, or if advertisers or sponsors are less willing to advertise with or sponsor Allied Esports, its revenues may be adversely affected.

Allied Esports generates revenue from advertising and sponsorship, and it expects to further develop and expand its focus on these revenues in the future. These revenues partly depend on the advertisers’ willingness to advertise in the esports gaming industry. If the esports gaming advertising and sponsorship market does not continue to grow, or if Allied Esports is unable to capture and retain a sufficient share of that market, Allied Esports’ ability to achieve profitability may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, with unfavorable economic external factors, sponsors and advertisers may not have enough budget allocations for spending in sponsorship and advertising in esports, which would also lead to an adverse impact on Allied Esports’ revenue stream.

Allied Esports’ business model may not remain effective and it cannot guarantee that its future monetization strategies will be successfully implemented or generate sustainable revenues and profit.

Allied Esports generates revenues from advertising and sponsorship of its live events, its content, the sale of merchandising, and the operation of its esports arenas. Allied Esports has generated, and expects to continue to generate, a substantial portion of revenues using this revenue model in the near term. Although Allied Esports anticipates growth in Allied Esports’ business utilizing this revenue model, there is no guarantee that growth will continue in the future, and the demand for its offerings may change, decrease substantially or dissipate, or it may fail to anticipate and serve esports gamer demands effectively. The COVID-19 outbreak may also continue to cause the demand for our financingin-person events to reduce and acquisition plans. Our plansshift demand to raise capitalonline gaming. Allied Esports may determine to enter into new opportunities to expand its business, including online gaming platforms, which may or to consummate the initial business combination may not be successful. Any such expansions involve additional risks and costs that could materially and adversely affect its business.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the long-term growth plans of Allied Esports, and we may not be able to implement and grow our three-pillar objectives for long-term success in the near future, or event at all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in our long-term growth plans for Allied Esports, and although our long-term strategy remains to fully implement the three-pillar strategy, we are currently focused on continuing our in-person experiences at our current arenas and developing multiplatform content. There is no guarantee that we will be able in the near future or at any point to be able to expand our in-person experience to arenas beyond those in which we are currently operating or develop a develop an esports platform.

Allied Esports’ long-term growth strategy depends on the availability of suitable locations for its proprietary and licensed esports arenas and its ability to open new locations and operate them profitably.

A key element of Allied Esports’ long-term growth strategy is to extend its brand by opening additional flagship arenas throughout the world and licensing the Allied Esports brand to third party esports arena operators, which it believes will provide attractive returns on investment. However, desirable locations may not be available at an acceptable cost. Opening these additional locations will depend upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond Allied Esports’ control, including its ability or the ability of the selected licensee to:

If Allied Esports succeeds in opening new arenas on a timely and cost-effective basis, it may nonetheless be unable to attract enough gamers or spectators to the new location (or to existing locations of affiliated arenas) because its entertainment and menu options might not appeal to them. Failure to do so could have a significant adverse effect on Allied Esports’ overall operating results.

Allied Esports has not entered into definitive license agreements with all game publishers that it currently has relationships with, and it may never do so.

Although Allied Esports has relationships with many game publishers for tournament event and content experiences involving their respective intellectual properties and enters into definitive license agreements with such game publishers from time to time, Allied Esports does not have definitive license agreements in place with all of its game publishers. No assurances can be given as to when or if it will be able to come to agreeable terms with game publishers for any future license agreements. If Allied Esports is unable to come to mutually agreeable terms and enter into definitive license agreements with game publishers, game publishers may unilaterally choose to discontinue its relationship with Allied Esports, thereby preventing Allied Esports from offering tournament event and content experiences using their game intellectual property. Should game publishers choose not to allow Allied Esports to offer tournament event and content experiences involving their intellectual property to Allied Esports’ customers, the popularity of Allied Esports’ tournaments and content may decline, which could materially and adversely affect its results of operations and financial condition.

Even if Allied Esports is able to license its brand to third party esports operators, there is a risk that those operators could damage its brand by operating esports arenas that are not at Allied Esports’ standards of operation.

As Allied Esports licenses the Allied Esports brand to third party esports arena operators around the world, it will depend on those operators to run those arenas at a quality level similar to Allied Esports’ owned and operated arenas. Allied Esports’ strategy depends on customers associating the third party esports arenas as part of Allied Esports’ network of affiliated arenas, which it believes will expand its brand recognition and increase customers, revenue, and growth. If Allied Esports’ affiliate arenas are poorly operated, or if those operators fail to use Allied Esports’ name and branding in a manner consistent with Allied Esports’ corporate messaging and branding, or if there are safety issues or other negative occurrences at affiliate arenas, Allied Esports’ name and brand could be significantly damaged, which would make its expansion difficult and materially adversely affect its results of operations and financial condition.

Allied Esports’ long-term growth strategy includes deploying additional mobile arenas in the U.S. and Europe to host its tournaments and events and it must operate them profitably.

A key element of Allied Esports’ long-term growth strategy is to extend its brand by increasing and adding to its portfolio of mobile arenas in the U.S. and Europe, as we believe doing so will provide attractive returns on investment. Adding these mobile arenas will depend upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond Allied Esports’ control, including but not limited to our ability, or the ability of our licensees, to:

The nature of hosting esports events exposes Allied Esports to negative publicity or customer complaints, including in relation to, among other things, accidents, injuries or thefts at the arenas, and health and safety concerns.

Allied Esports’ business of hosting esports events inherently exposes it to negative publicity or customer complaints as a result of accidents, injuries or, in extreme cases, deaths arising from incidents occurring at our arenas, including health, safety or security issues, and quality and service standards. Even isolated or sporadic incidents or accidents may have a negative impact on Allied Esports’ brand image and reputation, the arenas’ popularity with gamers and spectators or the ability to host esports events at all.

Allied Esports’ marketing and advertising efforts may fail to resonate with gamers.

Allied Esports’ live events, tournaments and competitions are marketed through a diverse spectrum of advertising and promotional programs such as online and mobile advertising, marketing through websites, event sponsorship and direct communications with the esports gaming community including via email, blogs and other electronic means. An increasing portion of Allied Esports’ marketing activity is taking place on social media platforms that are either outside, or not totally within, its direct control. Changes to gamer preferences, marketing regulations, privacy and data protection laws, technology changes or service disruptions may negatively impact its ability to reach target gamers. Allied Esports’ ability to market its tournaments and competitions is dependent in part upon the success of these programs.

The esports gaming industry is competitive, and gamers may prefer competitors’ arenas, leagues, competitions or tournaments over those offered by Allied Esports.

The esports gaming industry is competitive. Competitors range from established leagues and championships owned directly, as well as leagues franchised by well-known and capitalized game publishers and developers, interactive entertainment companies, diversified media companies and emerging start-ups. New competitors will likely continue to emerge. Many of these competitors may have greater financial resources than Allied Esports. If Allied Esports’ competitors develop and launch competing arenas, leagues, tournaments or competitions, Allied Esports’ revenue and margins could decline.

Allied Esports may not provide events or tournaments with games or titles for which the esports gaming community is interested.

Allied Esports must attract and retain the popular esports gaming titles in order to maintain and increase the popularity of its live events, leagues, tournaments and competitions. Allied Esports must identify and license popular games that resonate with the esports gamer community on an ongoing basis. Allied Esports cannot assure you that it can attract and license popular esports games from their publishers, and failure to do so would have a material and adverse impact on Allied Esports’ results of operations and financial conditions.

If Allied Esports fails to keep its existing gamers engaged, acquire new gamers and expand interest in its live events, leagues, tournaments and competitions, its business, its ability to achieve profitability and its prospects may be adversely affected.

Allied Esports’ success depends on its ability to maintain and grow the number of gamers attending its live events, tournaments and competitions, and keep its gamers and attendees highly engaged. In order to attract, retain and engage gamers and remain competitive, Allied Esports must continue to develop and expand its live events, leagues, produce engaging tournaments and competitions, and implement new content formats, technologies and strategies to improve its product offerings. There is no assurance it will be able to do so.

A decline in the number of gamers may adversely affect the engagement level of gamers with Allied Esports’ tournament and entertainment platform under development may reduce our revenue opportunities and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

It is vital to Allied Esports’ operations that its planned online esports tournament and gaming subscriptions platform be responsive to evolving gamer preferences and offer first-tier esports game content and other services that attracts gamers. Allied Esports must also keep providing gamers new features and functions to enable superior content viewing and interaction, or the number of gamers utilizing the platform will likely decline. Any decline in the number of gamers will likely have a material and adverse effect on our operations.

There is no guarantee that Allied Esports will be able to complete its planned online esports tournament and gaming subscription platform, or that such platform once completed will be or remain popular.

Allied Esports cannot assure you that the online esports tournament and gaming subscription platform it intends to develop will be completed in a timely manner or, if completed, become popular with gamers to offset the costs incurred to operate and expand it. This will require substantial costs and expenses. If such increased costs and expenses do not effectively translate into improved gamer engagement, Allied Esports’ results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

If Allied Esports fails to maintain and enhance its brands, its business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Allied Esports believes that maintaining and enhancing its brands is important for its business to succeed by increasing the number of gamers and engagement by the esports community. Since Allied Esports operates in a highly competitive market, brand maintenance and enhancement directly affects its ability to maintain and enhance its market position. As Allied Esports expands, it may conduct various marketing and brand promotion activities using various methods to continue promoting its brands, but it cannot assure you that these activities will be successful. In addition, negative publicity, regardless of its veracity, could harm Allied Esports’ brands and reputation, which may materially and adversely affect Allied Esports’ business, results of operations and prospects.

If Allied Esports fails to anticipate and successfully implement new esports technologies or adopt new business strategies, technologies or methods, its business may suffer.

Rapid technology changes in the esports gaming market requires Allied Esports to anticipate, sometimes years in advance, which technologies it must develop, implement and take advantage of in order to be and remain competitive in the esports gaming market. Allied Esports has invested, and in the future may invest, in new business strategies including its to-be-developed online esports tournament and entertainment subscription platform, technologies, products, or games to engage a growing number of gamers and deliver the best gaming experiences possible. These matters,endeavors involve significant risks and uncertainties, and no assurance can be given that the technology it adopts and the features it pursues will be successful. If Allied Esports does not successfully implement these new technologies, its reputation may be materially adversely affected and its financial condition and operating results may be impacted.

Allied Esports uses third-party services in connection with its business, and any disruption to these services could result in a disruption to its business, negative publicity and a slowdown in the growth of its users, materially and adversely affecting its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Allied Esports’ business depends on services provided by, and relationships with, various third parties, including cloud hosting, server operators, broadband providers, and computing peripheral suppliers, among others. The failure of any of these parties to perform in compliance with our agreements may negatively impact Allied Esports’ business.

Additionally, if such third parties increase their prices, fail to provide their services effectively, terminate their service or agreements or discontinue their relationships with Allied Esports, Allied Esports could suffer service interruptions, reduced revenues or increased costs, any of which may have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Allied Esports may not be able to procure the necessary permits and licenses to operate its arenas.

Allied Esports must obtain certain permits and licenses, including liquor licenses, to operate its arenas. Often these processes can be expensive and time consuming. There is no guarantee that Allied Esports will be able to obtain such permits and licenses on a timely or cost-effective basis. Any delays could jeopardize the ability of Allied Esports to operate the arenas and host events. As a result, Allied Esports’ business could suffer.

Rules and regulations governing sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways vary by state and country and these rules and regulations could restrict or eliminate Allied Esports’ ability to generate revenues on its esports gaming platform it intends to develop, which could materially and adversely impact the viability of this business.

As part of its esports gaming platform to be developed, Allied Esports intends to offer subscribers the chance to win cash and prizes when playing esports games and tournaments on the platform. Awarding cash and prizes would require compliance with the laws or regulations in various states or countries over sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways, which are complex and constantly changing. Any negative finding of law regarding the characterization of the type of online activity carried out on the esports gaming platform could limit or prevent Allied Esports’ ability to obtain subscribers in those jurisdictions, which in turn could significantly impact Allied Esports’ ability to generate revenue. The ability or willingness to work with Allied Esports by payment processors and other service providers necessary to conduct the esports gaming platform business also may be limited due to such changes in laws or any perceived negative consequences of engaging in the business of sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways that will be utilized by the esports gaming platform.

Negotiations with unionized employees could delay opening or operating Allied Esports’ arenas.

Certain of Allied Esports’ employees are represented by one or more unions. Allied Esports will need to engage such unions to seek to employ the services of the employees on mutually acceptable terms. However, Allied Esports cannot guarantee that such negotiations will be timely concluded to avoid interruption in its tournament schedule, or that such negotiations will ultimately result in an agreement. Any failure to timely conclude the negotiations could cause a delay in Allied Esports’ ability to timely open arenas or host events. Either of these events would adversely affect Allied Esports’ ability to achieve profitability.

Allied Esports’ business is subject to regulation, and changes in applicable regulations may negatively impact its business.

Allied Esports is subject to a number of foreign and domestic laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the Internet. In addition, laws and regulations relating to user privacy, data collection, retention, electronic commerce, consumer protection, content, advertising, localization, and information security have been adopted or are being considered for adoption by many jurisdictions and countries throughout the world. These laws could harm Allied Esports’ business by limiting the products and services it can offer consumers or the manner in which it offers them. The compliance costs for these laws may increase in the future as a result of changes in interpretation. Furthermore, Allied Esports’ failure to comply with these laws or the application of these laws in an unanticipated manner may harm its business and result in penalties or significant legal liability.

Allied Esports’ ability to attract esports events to its flagship arena may become difficult if the Nevada legislature establishes a Nevada Esports Commission, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

The Nevada state legislature is currently in its 81st Session and has introduced Senate Bill 165 relating to the creation of the Nevada Esports Commission, which if passed would be tasked with creating regulations overseeing esports competitions within the State. Such a move is the first of its kind in the U.S. and would promulgate regulations in areas such as integrity of competition, testing for controlled substances, qualifications for tournament organizers and participating players. The Bill's intention is to make Nevada a more attractive destination for hosting esports tournaments. However, game publishers, tournament organizers and players may not look favorably on additional regulatory requirements that result from the bill, if passed, and it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to attract esports events to Nevada, and on our operations. To date, Senate Bill 165 has not been passed.

Risks Related to Allied Esports’ Intellectual Property

Allied Esports licenses certain brand names under agreements that will expire and may also be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.

Allied Esports has a three-year license with a third party, ending in July 2021, to use the names “Esports Arena Las Vegas” and “Esports Arena Drive”, which are part of the branding for its Las Vegas flagship esports arena location and its US-based mobile arena, respectively. Once that license expires, there is no assurance that Allied Esports will be able to further license those names or purchase them on satisfactory terms. Although Allied Esports intends to market and promote its esports arenas using intellectual property it owns and controls, there are no assurances that those efforts will be fruitful and that it will be able to maintain brand awareness once the license expires.

Furthermore, third parties may claim that Allied Esports has infringed their intellectual property rights. Although Allied Esports takes steps to avoid violating the intellectual property rights of others, it is possible that third parties still may claim infringement. Infringement claims against us, whether valid or not, may be expensive to defend and divert the attention of Allied Esports’ management and employees from business operations. Such claims or litigation could require Allied Esports to pay damages, royalties, legal fees and other costs. Allied Esports also could be required to stop offering, distributing or supporting esports games, its to-be-developed gaming platform or other features or services which incorporate the affected intellectual property rights, redesign products, features or services to avoid infringement, or obtain a license, all of which could be costly and harm its business.

Allied Esports’ technology, content and brands are subject to the threat of piracy, unauthorized copying and other forms of intellectual property infringement.

Allied Esports regards its technology, content and brands as proprietary and takes measures to protect it from infringement. Piracy and other forms of unauthorized copying and use of technology, content and brands are persistent, and policing is difficult. Further, the laws of some countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, or are poorly enforced. Legal protection of Allied Esports’ rights may be ineffective in such countries, which could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Allied Esports may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of its intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.

Allied Esports regards its registered trademark and pending trademarks, service marks, pending patents, domain names, trade secrets, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as critical to its success. Allied Esports relies on trademark and patent law, trade secret protection and confidentiality and license agreements with its employees and others to protect its proprietary rights.

Allied Esports has invested significant resources to develop its own intellectual property and acquire licenses to use and distribute the intellectual property of others. Failure to maintain or protect these rights could harm its business. In addition, any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect its current and future revenues.

Allied Esports may not be able to develop compelling intellectual property content or secure media content distributors to promote, sell, and distribute such content, which could harm its business and competitive position.

Allied Esports intends to produce licensable content from the various live events, tournaments, and its own initiatives and brands to sell to viewers worldwide. There is no guarantee that it will be able to develop content that is compelling to its targeted customers. Media and gaming company competitors, many of which are better funded, are also creating content from esports events, and it will be difficult to create content that stands out and attracts customers. Furthermore, to carry out Allied Esports’ worldwide distribution plans, film and media distribution partners will be needed and, in the event, Allied Esports is not able to secure content distributors on terms acceptable to Allied Esports, this will have a significant adverse impact on revenue streams from the sale or licensing of intellectual property.

Risks Related to WPT’s Current Business

WPT’s broadcast agreement with Fox Sports Net (“FSN”) sets a minimum level of distribution that is significantly less than the current distribution level. If WPT’s current level of distribution is reduced, the reduction could materially and adversely affect WPT’s results of operations.

Currently, WPT broadcasts certain of its worldwide Main Tour events throughout the United States on FSN (whose regional sports networks, or “RSN’s” were purchased by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, Inc. (collectively, “Sinclair”), and they are also available on ClubWPT.com on demand, and on various digital streaming platforms. WPT’s programming agreement to broadcast the television series does not provide for any license fees to be paid to WPT for the broadcast rights, and contains a minimum level of distribution. Currently, WPT’s programming is broadcast significantly more frequently that the minimum threshold under the programming agreement. With no license fee in place for the distribution, WPT benefits from the program’s distribution and promotion of WPT’s online products (ClubWPT) and generates fees from sponsors by integrating sponsor logos and other advertising materials into its programs and around the broadcast of the shows through music royalties and distribution of the shows in other markets. The Season 17 sponsors included Hublot S.A., a luxury watch maker, Rockstar, Inc., an energy drink company, Baccarat, Inc., a manufacturer and retailer of fine crystal, Faded Spade Poker, LLC, a playing card manufacturer, and Zynga Inc., a social gaming operator. If WPT’s level of distribution were reduced by Sinclair, the value of the foregoing would be significantly reduced and it may be difficult for WPT to find sponsors on terms acceptable to WPT, or at all.

WPT’s production costs may increase.

In May 2016, WPT entered into a programming agreement for FSN (now Sinclair) to broadcast Seasons 15 through 18 of the WPT television series through calendar year 2021 on terms that are similar to the prior programming agreement discussed above. WPT may be required to pay the cost to produce these shows for Sinclair and depending on the amount of the related revenues it is able to generate, the lack of license fees could have a material adverse effect on WPT’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

WPT’s production of its television show has been halted, and it is not known when production may resume.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, WPT has been unable to film and produce final tables from some of its previous main tour events. Although WPT anticipates filming those final tables in 2021, there is no way to predict when or if WPT will be able to film those final tables. Furthermore, the casino partners from whose events those final tables derive, as well as the players that are waiting to play such final tables, may decide not to play the final table and split the prize money, or enter into other arrangements that will make it difficult to film such final tables. If WPT cannot film those final tables, and if its production of future final tables remain in jeopardy due to COVID-19 or other factors, WPT may not be able to meet its obligations to the distributors of its content, its sponsors, or its casino partners, which could have a material adverse effect on WPT’s financial condition and future business prospects.

Sinclair’s acquisition of FSN could have negative consequences on World Poker Tour.

The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”) recently acquired 21^st Century Fox (“FOX”). Under the terms of the acquisition, FOX’s non-regional news and sports assets, including FSN, were spun off into a new company, Fox Corporation (which is commonly referred to as “New Fox”), which remains owned by the prior FOX shareholders. The Department of Justice required Disney to sell all RSNs obtained as part of the acquisition within ninety (90) days after the closing of the Disney/FOX acquisition. WPT’s programming agreement with FSN’s owner requires FSN to ensure WPT’s programming reaches a certain amount of households, which requires FSN’s owner to ensure we are broadcast on the RSNs. The FSN agreement also has other important broadcast requirements to ensure that WPT’s programming remains “appointment television” and airs at particular times on both the FSN networks and the RSNs. The RSNs (including FSN) were ultimately purchased by a joint venture company owned by Sinclair. Although Sinclair purchased all or substantially all of FOX’s RSNs, it will be difficult to ensure WPT’s programming is carried on all of the RSNs, or at the times and dates WPT finds desirable. Even though WPT’s FSN programming agreement will remain an enforceable obligation against Sinclair, there is no assurance that Sinclair will continue to broadcast WPT’s programming on FSN on terms WPT finds reasonable, if at all. Furthermore, the sale of the RSN’s to Sinclair and the changes to the FOX and the FSN business could negatively affect WPT’s ability to find other traditional television network distribution of the WPT shows in the United States. Any reduction or change of WPT’s distribution footprint has the potential to negatively affect its brand and associated sponsorship, marketing and promotional efforts.

There is no assurance that Sinclair will broadcast future seasons of the World Poker Tour, which would materially and adversely affect WPT’s results of operations.

In May 2016, WPT entered into an agreement for FSN (now Sinclair) to broadcast Seasons 15 through 18 of the WPT television series through calendar year 2021. If Sinclair elects to discontinue airing either series and WPT cannot replace its programming agreement with an agreement with a comparable U.S. broadcaster, it may be difficult for WPT to obtain sponsorship funds, it will be detrimental to the viability of the WPT brand and, consequently, would have a material adverse effect on WPT’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Consumers shifting to online video on-demand services like Hulu and Netflix and away from cable could have negative consequences on World Poker Tour.

Historically, WPT has relied on traditional television network distribution in order to build its brand and generate sponsorship revenue. As online video on-demand services such as Hulu and Netflix have become increasingly popular compared to traditional cable subscriptions, WPT has increased its digital distribution. If these “cable-cutting” trends intensify, however, there is no assurance that WPT can maintain or increase its total distribution and if it cannot, it may be difficult for WPT to obtain sponsorship funds, it will be detrimental to the viability of the WPT brand and, consequently, it would have a material adverse effect on WPT’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The ClubWPT.com business is currently heavily dependent upon television as a major source for the generation of new monthly subscribers and WPT continually seeks cost effective online and traditional marketing to generate new subscribers, which if not achieved could materially and adversely affect its results of operations.

ClubWPT is the official subscription online poker club of the World Poker Tour. VIP users pay a monthly subscription fee for exclusive access to full episodes from every past season of the WPT television show, plus magazine access, coupons, and more. Each month, members can play poker to win a share of cash and prizes, including seats to WPT events. In addition, in January 2019, WPT added free-to-play (also known as “freemium”) social poker and casino gaming on the platform, whereby free chips are offered for play, but additional chips can be purchased (there are no cash prizes offered for freemium play). WPT has produced ClubWPT.com-branded television shows that aired on FSN (such as our “King of the Club” television shows), as well as incorporating significant branding and advertising of ClubWPT into the WPT television shows to build awareness and drive traffic to ClubWPT.com. In order for the ClubWPT business (including its freemium offering) to continue as a viable business, WPT needs to continuously identify cost efficient marketing tools to generate new subscribers for ClubWPT. Traditionally, WPT has marketed by using its large library of content online as a driver to the platform, or through its social media footprint. The number of paid subscribers at ClubWPT grew throughout 2019 as a result of a significant promotion by FSN, while daily active users of our freemium products has increased since we introduced them in January 2019. The number of paid subscribers could decrease in future quarters due to the lack of current spending on marketing for new players. WPT will need to increase its marketing and promotion of ClubWPT through alternative means, such as social media, in person at WPT live events, via cross-promotion with the Allied Esports business, and via other means to ensure ClubWPT remains viable.

WPT’s reliance on Pala Interactive LLC (“Pala”) as a third-party systems provider is subject to system security risks and business viability risks that could disrupt services provided to ClubWPT.com customers, and any such disruption could reduce WPT’s revenue, increase its expenses and harm its reputation.

Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate Pala’s network security and misappropriate confidential information, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. In addition, computer programmers and hackers may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs that attack their products or otherwise exploit security vulnerabilities in their products. As a result, WPT could lose its existing or potential customers. Pala is a third-party vendor whose business is dependent upon the real money gaming and social gaming business environment. Any business interruption or failure by Pala would directly affect WPT’s online business as WPT would need to find a suitable alternative platform provider.

Rules and regulations governing sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways vary by state and country and these rules and regulations could restrict or eliminate WPT’s ability to generate revenues at ClubWPT.com, which could materially and adversely impact the viability of this business.

Changes in laws or regulations in various states or countries over sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways or a negative finding of law regarding the characterization of the type of online activity carried out on ClubWPT.com could result in WPT’s inability to obtain subscribers in those jurisdictions, which in turn could significantly impact WPT’s ability to generate revenue. The ability or willingness to work with WPT by payment processors and other service providers necessary to conduct the ClubWPT.com business also may be limited due to such changes in laws or any perceived negative consequences of engaging in the business of sweepstakes, promotions and giveaways that are utilized by ClubWPT.com.

WPT’s success depends in part on our brands and any future brands it may develop, and if the value of its brands were to diminish, its business would be adversely affected. Licensees of WPT’s brands may diminish the value of its brands.

WPT’s success depends on its World Poker Tour and Alpha 8 brands, which consist of a portfolio of trademarks, service marks and copyrighted materials. WPT’s intellectual property portfolio includes, but is not limited to, existing and future episodes of the televised programming produced in connection with its existing and future brands and certain elements of these episodes, trade names and other intellectual property rights. In connection with WPT’s branding and licensing operations, WPT entered into agreements with certain licensors to utilize the WPT brand and intellectual property in connection with mobile, social media and casual games, horse racing, amateur poker leagues, governmental lottery games, and in-person and online education and training poker workshops. While specific contractual provisions require that the licensees maintain the quality of WPT’s licensed brands, WPT cannot be certain that its licensees or their manufacturers and distributors will honor their contractual obligations or that they will not take other actions that will diminish the value of WPT’s brands prior to its ability to detect and prevent any such actions.

WPT may not be able to protect the format of its episodes, its current and future brands and its other proprietary rights.

WPT is susceptible to others imitating its television show format and other products and infringing on its intellectual property rights. Litigation may be necessary to enforce WPT’s intellectual property rights and to determine the validity and scope of its proprietary rights. Any litigation could result in substantial expense, may reduce WPT’s profits and may not adequately protect its intellectual property rights upon which it is substantially dependent. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries do not always protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. Imitation of WPT’s television show formats and other products or infringement of its intellectual property rights could diminish the value of its brands or otherwise adversely affect its revenues.

Any litigation or claims against WPT based upon its intellectual property or other third-party rights, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and harm its reputation. In addition, such litigation or claims could force WPT to do one or more of the following: to cease exploitation of the WPT television series and related products or portions thereof that violate the potentially infringed third party rights or intellectual property, which would adversely affect WPT’s revenue; to negotiate a license from the holder of the intellectual property or other right alleged to have been infringed, which license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all; or to modify the WPT television series and related products or portions thereof to avoid infringing the intellectual property or other rights of a third party, which may be costly and time-consuming or impossible to accomplish.

Early termination of WPT’s agreements with member casinos or violation by member casinos of the restrictive covenants contained in these agreements could negatively affect the size of telecast audiences and lead to declines in the performance of WPT’s other lines of business.

WPT entered into written agreements with all of the “member casinos” that host WPT tournament stops. However, any member casino may elect to withdraw its tournament from the WPT lineup and terminate the agreement by giving WPT notice by a specified date or, if earlier, a specified length of time before the date of the tournament, which is generally four to six months. While each agreement remains in effect and, in some cases, for varying periods of time thereafter, the member casino is prohibited from televising the tournament itself, permitting any third party to televise the tournament or licensing its name, trademarks or likeness to any other party in conjunction with the telecast of a poker tournament. If a significant number of these member casinos were to terminate their agreements and/or allow a competing company to telecast their tournaments after their expiration for the restricted time period, this could result in a decline in WPT’s future telecast audiences, which in turn would lead to declines in the performance and success of WPT’s other lines of business. If one or more member casinos were to breach the exclusivity provisions of their contracts with WPT by letting a competing company telecast their tournaments within the restricted time period, litigation may be necessary to enforce those rights. Any litigation could result in substantial expense.

Refusal of any gaming commission to register WPT as a non-gaming vendor for its branded casino tournaments could jeopardize the ability of WPT to continue holding its events at member casinos.

Some states require WPT to register with the state’s gaming commissions as a non-gaming vendor of the member casino that runs a WPT-branded tournament. If such gaming commissions refuse to provide the necessary vendor license, the member casino may not be able to hold WPT’s tournaments, and WPT’s business could suffer.

Termination or impairment of WPT’s relationships with key licensing and strategic partners could adversely affect its revenues and results of operations.

WPT has developed relationships with key strategic partners in many areas of its business, including poker tournament event sponsorship, merchandise licensing, social poker and casino games, corporate sponsorship and international distribution. WPT hopes to derive significant income from its licensing arrangements and its agreements with its strategic partners are vital to finding these licensing arrangements. If WPT were to fail to manage its existing licensing relationships, this failure could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations. WPT would also be materially adversely affected if it were to lose rights under any of its other key contracts or if the counterparty to any of these contracts were to breach its obligations to WPT. WPT relies on a limited number of contracts under which third parties provide it with services vital to WPT’s business.

These agreements include WPT’s agreements with:

If WPT’s relationship with any of these or certain other third parties were to be interrupted, or the services provided by any of these third parties were to be delayed or deteriorate for any reason without being adequately replaced, WPT’s business could be materially adversely affected. If WPT is forced to find a replacement for any of these strategic partners, this could create disruption in its business and may result in reduced revenues, increased costs or diversion of management’s attention and resources.

In addition, while WPT has significant control over its licensed products and advertising, WPT does not have operational and financial control over these third parties, and it has limited influence with respect to the manner in which they conduct their businesses. If any of these strategic partners experiences a significant downturn in its business or were otherwise unable to honor its obligations to WPT, WPT’s business could be materially disrupted.

The loss of the services of Adam Pliska or other key employees or on-air talent, or WPT’s failure to attract key individuals, could adversely affect its business.

WPT is highly dependent on the services of Adam Pliska, who currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of WPT, as well as President of the Company.

WPT’s continued success is also dependent upon retention of other key management executives and upon its ability to attract and retain employees and on-air talent to implement its corporate development strategy and its branding and licensing efforts. The loss of some of its senior executives, or an inability to attract or retain other key individuals, could materially adversely affect WPT. Growth in WPT’s business is dependent, to a large degree, on its ability to retain and attract such employees. WPT seeks to compensate and provide incentives to its key executives, as well as other employees, through competitive salaries, stock ownership and bonus plans, but it can make no assurance that these programs will allow WPT to retain key employees or hire new employees. In addition, WPT’s future success may also be affected by the potential need to replace its key on-air talent.

Any disputes with the IATSE 700 Editors Union could delay finishing production of shows needing to be delivered to Sinclair or increase WPT’s costs to produce the shows.

From time to time, certain of WPT’s employees involved in producing the WPT series are members of IATSE 700 Editors Union, and WPT renewed its contract with such union in August 2019 for a three-year term. Although WPT has a current union agreement in place, there is no guarantee that future disagreements with WPT’s unionized employees will not lead to any interruption in services. Any failure to timely negotiate and/or settle any such disagreements could cause a delay in WPT’s ability to timely produce the WPT series for Sinclair, and the costs to do so could increase. Either of these events would adversely affect WPT’s profitability.

WPT’s quarterly results may fluctuate, which may negatively affect the value of the common stock.

Under sponsorship agreements for WPT, revenues are recognized as each episode is aired. Therefore, WPT’s quarterly revenue can fluctuate significantly depending on the number of episodes aired in any one quarter. In addition, the sales of consumer products that utilize WPT’s licensed intellectual property vary greatly, due to holiday seasons, school schedules and other outside factors. As a result, WPT’s financial results can be expected to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, leading to volatility and a possible adverse effect on the market price of the common stock.

Risks Related to WPT’s Current Industry

WPT’s television programming may be unable to maintain a sufficient audience for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond its control.

Television production is a speculative business because revenues and income derived from television depend primarily upon the continued acceptance of that programming by the public, which is difficult to predict. Public acceptance of particular programming is dependent upon, among other things, the quality of the programming, the strength of networks on which the programming is telecast, the promotion and scheduling of the programming and the quality and acceptance of competing television programming and other sources of entertainment and information. Popularity of programming can also be negatively impacted by excessive telecasting of the programming beyond viewers’ saturation thresholds.

WPT’s ability to create and sponsor its television programming profitably may be negatively affected by adverse trends that apply to the television production business generally.

Television revenues and income may be affected by a number of factors, many of which are not within WPT’s control. These factors include a general decline in television viewers, pricing pressure in the television advertising industry, strength of the stations on which its programming is telecast, general economic conditions, increases in production costs and availability of other forms of entertainment and leisure time activities. Furthermore, as the popularity of streaming content over the Internet increases and more consumers “cut the cord” and cease watching traditional broadcast television, the audience for WPT’s programming will be dispersed across multiple platforms and its programming could have less overall impact and watchability. All of these factors, as well as others, may quickly change and these changes cannot be predicted with certainty. WPT’s future sponsorship opportunities may also be adversely affected by these changes. Accordingly, if any of these changes were to occur, the revenues WPT generates from television programming could decline.

A decline in general economic conditions or the popularity of WPT’s brand of televised poker tournaments could adversely impact its business.

Because WPT’s operations are affected by general economic conditions and consumer tastes, its future success is unpredictable. The demand for entertainment and leisure activities tends to be highly sensitive to consumers’ disposable incomes and thus a decline in general economic conditions could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on WPT’s business, operating results and financial condition and the price of the Company’s common stock. An economic decline, including the current economic decline as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, could also adversely affect WPT’s corporate sponsorship business, sales of its branded merchandise and other aspects of its business.

The continued popularity of WPT’s type of poker entertainment is vital in maintaining the ability to leverage its brand and develop products or services that appeal to its target audiences, which, in turn, is important to WPT’s long-term results of operations. Public tastes are unpredictable and subject to change and may be affected by changes in the political and social climates of those countries and territories in which WPT operates. A change in public opinion could have a material adverse effect on WPT’s business, operating results and financial condition and, ultimately, the price of the Company’s common stock.

The political or social climate regarding gaming and poker could negatively impact WPT’s ability to negotiate future telecast license arrangements and could negatively impact its chances of renewal.

Although the popularity of poker, in particular, and gaming, in general, has continued to grow in the U.S. and abroad, gaming has historically experienced backlash from various constituencies and communities. Currently, the legal operational status of Internet-based casinos and card rooms remains unclear in some countries. The U.S. government has taken steps to curb activities that it believes constitutes unlawful online gaming through legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and through arrests of off-shore online gaming operators traveling in the U.S. Also, on November 2, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) issued an opinion that interprets the federal Wire Act as prohibiting any gambling that crosses state lines, including non-sports related gambling. This opinion expands the prior opinion issued by the DOJ in 2011 that interpreted the Wire Act as prohibiting interstate sports gambling only.

Based on the uncertain regulatory environment surrounding the marketing and promotion of Internet-based casinos and card rooms to viewers in the U.S., Sinclair has final edit rights to the shows that it broadcasts. Sinclair had indicated that it will only display the “dot com” names or logos of Internet-based casinos and card rooms in its telecasts that are explicitly legal in select territories in the United States. However, if Sinclair elects not to allow the display of “dot com” logos on the WPT show, whether because of the recent DOJ opinion or otherwise, WPT may not be able to attract other Internet-based casino sponsors or retain existing online card rooms sponsoring WPT’s tour. Additionally, increased regulatory scrutiny on Internet gambling sites may eliminate these sites as sources of advertising revenue for television networks that exhibit poker-related programming, thereby potentially impacting the value of such programming to these networks. Additionally, many participants in WPT’s tournament events are sponsored by Internet-based casino sponsors and existing online card rooms. If such sponsors’ revenues are reduced, they may not be able to sponsor WPT’s tournament participants at the same level or at all, which could cause WPT’s tournament participation to decline (in terms of numbers and professional players) and the quality and distribution of our WPT series could suffer.

The television entertainment market in which WPT operates is highly competitive and competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence may enter this market to WPT’s detriment.

WPT competes with other poker-related television programming, including ESPN’s coverage of the “World Series of Poker” and its “World Series of Poker” Circuit Events, among others. These and other producers of poker-related programming may be well established and may have significantly greater resources than WPT does. Based on the popularity of these poker-related televised programs, WPT believes that additional competing televised poker programs may currently be in development or may be developed in the future. WPT’s programming also competes for telecast audiences and advertising revenue with telecasts of mainstream professional and amateur sports, as well as other entertainment and leisure activities. These competing programs and activities, and the brands that they build may decrease the popularity of the WPT television series and dilute the WPT’s brand. This would adversely affect WPT’s operating results and financial condition and, ultimately, the price of the Company’s common stock.

Risks Related to the Businesses of Both Allied Esports and WPT

Allied Esports and WPT have historically operated at a net loss on a consolidated basis, and there is no guarantee that that the consolidated company will be able to be profitable.

The consolidated operations of Allied Esports and the WPT have resulted in net losses of $45,058,830 and $16,738,729 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We do not know with any degree of certainty whether or when the consolidated operations of Allied Esports and the WPT will become profitable. Even if we are able to achieve profitability in future periods, we may not be able to sustain or increase our profitability in successive periods.

We have formulated our business plans and strategies based on certain assumptions regarding the acceptance of our business model and the marketing of our products and services. Nevertheless, our assessments regarding market size, market share, market acceptance of our products and services and a variety of other factors may prove incorrect. Our future success will depend upon many factors, including factors beyond our control and those that cannot be predicted at this time.

Forecasts of our market and market growth may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, there can be no assurance that our business will grow at similar rates, or at all.

Growth forecasts included in SEC filings relating to our market opportunities and the expected growth in those markets are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates which may prove to be inaccurate. We also plan to operate in a number of foreign markets, and a downturn in any of those markets could have a significant adverse effect on our businesses. Even if these markets meets our size estimate and experiences the forecasted growth, we may not grow our business at a similar rate, or at all. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, the forecasts of market growth should not be taken as indicative of our future growth.

Any actual or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies or legal or regulatory requirements in one or multiple jurisdictions could result in proceedings, actions or penalties against us.

Allied Esports and WPT have implemented various features intended to better comply with applicable privacy and security requirements in the collection and use of customer data, but these features do not ensure compliance and may not be effective against all potential privacy and data security concerns. A wide variety of domestic and foreign laws and regulations apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer, disposal and other processing of personal data. These data protection and privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving and may result in regulatory and public scrutiny and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions. Our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or to protect any personal data, could result in enforcement actions against us, including fines, claims for damages by customers and other affected individuals, damage to our reputation and loss of goodwill (both in relation to existing customers and prospective customers), any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results, financial performance and prospects.

Evolving and changing definitions of personal data and personal information within the EU, the United States and elsewhere may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business. In jurisdictions outside of the United States, we may face data protection and privacy requirements that are more stringent than those in place in the United States. We are at risk of enforcement actions taken by certain EU data protection authorities until such point in time that we may be able to ensure that all transfers of personal data to us in the United States from the EU are conducted in compliance with all applicable regulatory obligations, the guidance of data protection authorities and evolving best practices. The European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) may impose additional obligations, costs and risks upon our business. The GDPR may increase substantially the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance. In addition, we may incur substantial expense in complying with the obligations imposed by the GDPR and we may be required to make significant changes in our business operations, all of which may adversely affect our revenues and our business overall.

Loss, retention or misuse of certain information and alleged violations of laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security, and any relevant claims, may expose us to potential liability and may require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to and defending such allegations and claims. In addition, future laws, regulations, standards and other obligations, and changes in the interpretation of existing laws, regulations, standards and other obligations could impair our ability to collect, use or disclose data relating to individuals, which could increase our costs and impair our ability to maintain and grow our customer base and increase our revenue.

Allied Esports and WPT publicly post their privacy policies and practices concerning processing, use and disclosure of the personally identifiable information provided to them by website visitors. Publication of such privacy policies and other statements published that provide promises and assurances about privacy and security can subject us to potential state and federal action if they are found to be deceptive or misrepresentative of actual policies and practices or if actual practices are found to be unfair. Evolving and changing definitions of what constitutes “Personal Information” and “Personal Data” within the EU, the United States and elsewhere, especially relating to classification of IP addresses, machine or device identification numbers, location data and other information, may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting technology alliance relationships that may involve the sharing of data.

Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to pay debt, expand our operations and invest in new business initiatives in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our operating results.

In the future we need to raise additional funds, and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise additional equity financing, our security holders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests. If we engage in debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. If we cannot raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, we may not be able to, among other things:

Although we have been able to fund our current working capital requirements through operations, debt and equity financing, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future. As a result, our auditors have indicated that the above-mentioned conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Based

Our business depends substantially on the foregoing,continuing efforts of our executive officers, key employees and qualified personnel, and our business operations may be severely disrupted if we currentlylose the services of such personnel.

Our future success depends substantially on the continued efforts of our executive officers and key employees. If one or more of our executive officers or key employees are unable or unwilling to continue their services with us, we might not be able to replace them easily, in a timely manner, or at all. Since the esports gaming and poker industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent, we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain qualified staff or other highly skilled employees. If any of our executive officers or key employees terminate their services with us, our business may be severely disrupted, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected and we may incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel.

We may experience security breaches and cyber threats.

We face cyber risks and threats that could damage, disrupt or allow third parties to gain improper access to our networks and platforms, supporting infrastructure, intellectual property and other assets. In addition, we rely on technological infrastructure, including third party cloud hosting and broadband, provided by third party business partners to support the functionality of our platforms and content distribution. These business partners are also subject to cyber risks and threats. Such cyber risks and threats may be difficult to detect. The techniques that may be used to obtain unauthorized access or disable, degrade, exploit or sabotage these networks and gaming platforms change frequently and often are not detected. Our systems and processes and those of our third-party business partners may not be adequate. Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches or cyber risks, or respond adequately to a security breach or cyber risk, could result in interruptions to our platforms, degrade the gamer/user experiences, cause gamers/users to lose confidence in our platforms and cease utilizing them, as well as significant legal and financial exposure. This could harm our business and reputation, disrupt our relationships with partners and diminish our competitive position.

Global health threats, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely affect the operations of our Allied Esports and WPT businesses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of a widespread outbreak of contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory illness first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. A significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products and services. Specifically, as a global entertainment company that hosts numerous live events with spectators and participants in destination cities, outbreaks may cause such people to avoid traveling to our destination cities and attending our events. Sponsors of such events may also cancel such events as precautionary measures or based on guidelines from local or federal health agencies. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, live events to be hosted by both of our Allied Esports and WPT businesses have been cancelled. Allied Esports and WPT businesses started conducting live events again on a limited basis in June 2020. However, many other previously scheduled live events remain indefinitely postponed or have been cancelled. And at this time, we cannot determine the extent that such outbreak will continue to have on our future operations.

General Risk Factors

The market price of shares of our common stock may be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.

The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our common stock regardless of our operating performance. In addition, our operating results could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including variations in our quarterly operating results or dividends, if any, to stockholders, additions or departures of key management personnel, failure to meet analysts’ earnings estimates, publication of research reports about our industry, litigation and government investigations, changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof affecting our business, adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, changes in market valuations of similar companies or speculation in the press or investment community, announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments, adverse publicity about the industries we participate in or individual scandals, and, in response, the market price of shares of our common stock could decrease significantly. You may be unable to resell your shares of common stock at or above a price you feel is appropriate.

In the past few years, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock; as a result, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We have no current plans to pay dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions, general business conditions and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends is restricted by the terms of our debt financing arrangements, and any future debt financing arrangement likely will contain terms restricting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our common stock. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

If our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the guidance that we provide to the public, the market price of our common stock may decline.

We may, but are not obligated to, provide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Any such guidance will be comprised of forward-looking statements subject to the risks and uncertainties described in our public filings and public statements. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed any guidance we have provided, especially in times of economic uncertainty. If, in the future, our operating or financial results for a particular period do not havemeet any guidance we provide or the expectations of investment analysts, or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our common stock may decline as well. Even if we do issue public guidance, there can be no assurance that we will continue to do so in the future.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and working capitalmay be forced to meettake other actions to satisfy our needs for one yearobligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled interest payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. In some cases, we will also be required to obtain the consent our lenders to refinance material portions of our indebtedness. We cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the dateprincipal, premiums, and interest, if any, on our indebtedness. Some of our indebtedness is maturing in the financial statements are issued unless our sponsor provides us funds for our working capital needs or we obtain other financing.

The accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessarynear term, and if we are unable to continueraise sufficient capital or generate cash through our operations, we will be unable to meet our debt obligations at maturity.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends, sell assets, seek additional capital or seek to restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. If our operating results and available cash are insufficient to meet our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to attempt to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or consummate dispositions at prices that we believe are fair, and the proceeds that we do receive may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

We incur increased costs and are subject to additional regulations and requirements as a going concern.result of being a public company, which could lower our profits or make it more difficult to run our business.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that are not incurred by private companies, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also have incurred and will continue to incur costs associated with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and related rules implemented by the SEC and the Nasdaq Capital Market. The expenses generally incurred by public companies for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. These laws and regulations also may make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, on our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock on the Nasdaq market, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

Related Party Transactions

Sponsor Shares

In connection with the organizationThrough its wholly-owned subsidiary Primo Vital Limited, Ourgame International Holdings Limited (“Ourgame”) owns a significant percentage of our company, a total of 3,450,000 sharesoutstanding common stock, as adjusted for a stock dividend declared on October 4, 2017, were soldenabling it to exert significant influence over our operations and activities, which may affect the Sponsor at a price of approximately $0.007 per share for an aggregate of $25,000 (‘‘Founder Shares’’).

Subject to certain limited exceptions, 50% of the Founder Shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold until the earlier of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closingtrading price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after the initial business combination,stock.

According to its SEC filings, Ourgame, through Primo Vital Limited, beneficially owns and the remaining 50% of the Founder Shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold until six months after the date of the consummationcontrols approximately 35.7% of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequentoutstanding common stock. Primo Vital Limited is entitled to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in allfull voting rights with respect to the shares of shareholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Note Payable - Related Party

Prior to our initial public offering, the Sponsor had loaned to us an aggregate of $125,000 to cover expenses related to our formation and the initial public offering. This note was repaid in full simultaneous with the initial public offering.

Other General and Administrative Services

We pay our Sponsor a management fee of $10,000 per month for general and administrative services which includes the cost of the space we occupy and the costs of the personnel dedicated to us from our Sponsor. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, are reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses, particularly travel, incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, including but not limited to identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

Critical Accounting Policies

Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rightsit owns. This concentrated ownership enables Ourgame to exert significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder votes, including: the election of directors; mergers, consolidations, acquisitions and other strategic transactions; the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and other decisions affecting our capital structure; amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation or our bylaws; and our winding up and dissolution. The interests of Ourgame may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of our other stockholders, and Ourgame’s influence may delay, deter or prevent acts that are either withinwould be favored by us or our other stockholders. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of the holderCompany. Also, Ourgame may seek to cause us to take courses of action that, in its judgment, could enhance its investments in us, but which might involve risks to our other stockholders or subjectadversely affect us or our other stockholders. As a result, the market price of our shares could decline. In addition, this concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our shares because prospective investors may perceive disadvantages in owning shares in a company such as our company with such a significant stockholder.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and the reduced public company reporting requirements applicable to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times,emerging growth companies may make our common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are consideredless attractive to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2017, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.

investors.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2017.

JOBS Act

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an ‘‘emerging“emerging growth company’’ and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, andcompany,” as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

Additionally, we aredefined in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if,For so long as we remain an ‘‘emerging growth company’’,company, we chooseare permitted and plan to rely on such exemptions we mayfrom certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not be requiredemerging growth companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to: being permitted to among other things, (i) providehave only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related selected financial data and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations disclosure; an auditor’sexemption from compliance with the auditor attestation report onrequirement in the assessment of our system of internal controlscontrol over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may beSarbanes-Oxley Act; not being required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii)to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certainstatements; reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation related items such asarrangements in our periodic reports, registration statements and proxy statements; and exemptions from the correlation betweenrequirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and performance and comparisonsstockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, the JOBS Act permits emerging growth companies to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We intend to take advantage of the CEO’s compensationexemptions discussed above. As a result, the information we provide will be different than the information that is available with respect to medianother public companies. In our SEC filings, we do not include all of the executive compensation-related information that would be required if we were not an emerging growth company. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. 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 market price of our common stock may be more volatile.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the end of our 2022 fiscal year, (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (iii) the date on which we have, during the immediately preceding three-year period, issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year.

Our failure to achieve and maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our financial position and lower our stock price.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of the applicable listing standards of Nasdaq. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. Nevertheless, all internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.

Management identified the following material weaknesses in internal controls as of December 31, 2019, which persist as of December 31, 2020:

As a company with limited accounting resources, a significant amount of management’s time and attention has been and will be diverted from our business to work toward compliance with these regulatory requirements. This diversion of management’s time and attention may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

These material weaknesses and any significant deficiencies could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting also could adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and any annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting that we may be required to include in our periodic reports that will be filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to maintain our common stock listing on Nasdaq.

Increases in interest rates may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

While interest rates are falling and have in recent years been at record low levels, any return to increases in interest rates may cause a corresponding decline in demand for equity investments. Any such increase in interest rates or reduction in demand for our common stock resulting from other relatively more attractive investment opportunities may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or publish negative reports, the market price of our common stock could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one of more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume of our common stock to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrades our common stock or if our reporting results do not meet their expectations, the market price of our common stock could decline.

You will be diluted by the future issuance of common stock, preferred stock, or securities convertible into common or preferred stock, in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions, capital raises or otherwise.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue these shares of common stock and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise.

In the future, we expect to obtain financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing additional shares of our capital stock or offering debt or other equity securities, including senior or subordinated notes, debt securities convertible into equity or shares of preferred stock. Issuing additional shares of our capital stock or other equity securities or securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our common stock or both. Debt securities convertible into equity could be subject to adjustments in the conversion ratio pursuant to which certain events may increase the number of equity securities issuable upon conversion. Preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference with respect to liquidating distributions or a preference with respect to dividend payments that could limit our ability to pay dividends to the holders of our common stock. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may adversely affect the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. As a result, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our common stock and dilute their stockholdings in us.

Additionally, we have reserved an aggregate of 3,463,305 shares of common stock for issuance under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”). Any common stock that we issue, including under our Incentive Plan or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, would dilute the percentage ownership held by our common stockholders. We have filed an effective registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock issued pursuant to our Incentive Plan. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statement will be available for sale in the open market upon issuance.

The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain legal actions between the Company and its stockholders, which could limit the Company’s stockholders’ ability to obtain a judicial forum viewed by the stockholders as more favorable for disputes with the Company or the Company’s directors, officers or employees.

The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee compensation.of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or the Company’s Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another state court located within the State of Delaware, or if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) in all cases subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. This exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. It could apply, however, to a suit that falls within one or more of the categories enumerated in the exclusive forum provision and asserts claims under the Securities Act, inasmuch as Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rule and regulations thereunder. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision with respect to claims under the Securities Act, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions. These exemptionsexclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees.

If a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to the Company’s management.

Our Board of Directors’ ability to issue undesignated preferred stock and the existence of anti-takeover provisions may depress the value of our common stock.

The Company’s authorized capital includes 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock. Our Board has the power to issue any or all of the shares of preferred stock, including the authority to establish one or more series and to fix the powers, preferences, rights and limitations of such class or series, without seeking stockholder approval, subject to certain limitations on this power under Nasdaq listing requirements. Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law regarding “business combinations.” We may, in the future, consider adopting additional anti-takeover measures. The authority of our Board to issue undesignated stock and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law, as well as any future anti-takeover measures adopted by us, may, in certain circumstances, delay, deter or prevent takeover attempts and other changes in control of our company that are not approved by our Board. As a result, our stockholders may lose opportunities to dispose of their shares at favorable prices generally available in takeover attempts or that may be available under a merger proposal and the market price, voting and other rights of the holders of common stock may also be affected.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.