EBET (EBET) 10-Q2024 Q1 Quarterly report

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended December 31, 2023

OR

For the Transition Period From                  to

Commission File Number: 001-40334

EBET, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(888) 411-2726

(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year, if Changed Since Last Report)

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

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 ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions 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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The registrant had 14,979,642 shares of common stock outstanding on February 12, 2024.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

The forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q include, but are not limited to those described under the “Risk Factors” section and include, among other things:

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information.

We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, collaborations, joint ventures or investments we may make or enter into.

EBET, Inc.

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarter Ended December 31, 2023

INDEX

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

EBET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

EBET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

EBET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 AND 2022

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

EBET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 and 2022

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

EBET, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

NOTE 1 – ORGANIZATION, NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN

Organization

EBET, Inc. (“EBET” or “the Company”) was formed on September 24, 2020 as a Nevada corporation. EBET is a technology company operating platforms focused on igaming including casino, sportsbook and esports events. The Company operates under an operating services agreement with Aspire Global plc (“Aspire”) allowing EBET to provide online betting services to various countries around the world.

Acquisition of the B2C business of Aspire Global plc

On October 1, 2021, the Company, and Esports Product Technologies Malta Ltd. (“Esports Malta”) entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Acquisition Agreement”) with Aspire and various Aspire group companies to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Karamba Limited. The Acquisition Agreement closed on November 29, 2021. The total acquisition price was €65,000,000 paid as follows: (i) cash amount of €50,000,000; (ii) €10,000,000, payable in accordance with the terms of an unsecured subordinated promissory note (the “Note”); and (iii) shares of Company common stock, which are valued at €5,000,000 (based on the weighted-average per-share price of the ten days prior to the execution date of the Acquisition Agreement (the “Exchange Shares”).

Going Concern

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the ability of the Company to obtain equity or debt financings to continue operations. The Company has a history of and expects to continue to report negative cash flows from operations and a net loss. The Company's forecasts for 2024 and beyond indicate that it will need additional funding in order to have sufficient financial resources to continue to settle its debts as they fall due. The Company has taken significant measures in an attempt to increase the profitability of its business in the short term. These actions include optimizing the efficiency of marketing campaigns, reducing the total number of employees and contractors, terminating software and other immaterial contracts as well as generally reducing the operating costs of the business. These efforts have also resulted in an increased focus on the Company’s i-gaming business and a significant reduction in the investment of the Company’s esports products and technologies, which resulted in the recognition of an impairment losses on certain goodwill, intangible assets and fixed assets in prior periods. As a result of the Company’s actions as referenced above, it does not expect to launch its esports products in the foreseeable future. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The Company may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, commercialization, marketing and distribution arrangements, other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements and delay planned cash outlays or a combination thereof. Management cannot be certain that such events or a combination thereof can be achieved.

NOTE 2 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The significant accounting policies followed in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements are as follows:

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited financial statements of the Company, include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim unaudited financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. The unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary in order to make the condensed financial statements not misleading. Operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2023, are not necessarily indicative of the final results that may be expected for the year ended September 30, 2024. For more complete financial information, these unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2023 included in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Notes to the consolidated financial statements which would substantially duplicate the disclosures contained in the audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal period, as reported in the Form 10-K, have been omitted. All intercompany accounts, transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current year presentation.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivables are recorded at amortized cost, less any allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable consists primarily of amounts due from our platform provider. The receivable balance owed to the Company represents the net amount owed to the Company by Aspire related to the strategic agreement for the Company’s i-gaming platform and is stated at historical cost less any allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $0 as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023.

Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets consist primarily of customer relationships, trademarks and internet domain names. Certain intangible assets have a defined useful life and others are classified as indefinite-lived intangible assets. Other intangible assets with a defined useful life are amortized over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight-line basis. An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. In testing for impairment, the Company has the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative impairment test is not necessary. If the Company concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets consist of software and equipment, finite-lived acquired intangible assets, such as license agreements, and indefinite-lived assets such as internet domain names. Long-lived assets are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be fully recoverable. Impairment expense is recognized to the extent an asset’s expected undiscounted future cash flows are less than the asset’s carrying amount.

Liabilities to Users

The Company records liabilities for user account balances at a given reporting period based on deposits made by players either to the Company or the sales affiliate, less any losses on wagers and payout made to players. Liabilities to users amounts are not required to be backed by cash reserves of the Company. The user balances are maintained by the Company’s third-party platform provider, and the Company has an asset of an equivalent amount included within Prepaid expense and other current assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue From Contracts With Customers, which requires companies to recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, the standard requires disclosures of the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized based on the following five step model:

No single customer accounted for more than 10% of revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2023 or 2022. In addition, no disaggregation of revenue is required because all current revenue is generated from gaming revenue.

i-gaming, or online casino, typically includes digital versions of wagering games available in land-based casinos, such as blackjack, roulette and slot machines. For these offerings, the Company functions similarly to land-based casinos, generating revenue through casino hold, as users play against the house. i-gaming revenue is generated from user wagers net of payouts made on users’ winning wagers and incentives awarded to users.

Sportsbook or sports betting involves a user wagering money on an outcome or series of outcomes occurring. When a user’s wager wins, the Company pays the user a pre-determined amount known as fixed odds. Sportsbook revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports wagering opportunity offered to users. Sportsbook revenue is generated from users’ wagers net of payouts made on users’ winning wagers and incentives awarded to users.

Performance Obligations

The Company owns an online betting platform allowing users to bet on a variety of i-gaming or casino-style games online. Each wager placed by users create a single performance obligation for the Company to administer each event wagered. The performance obligation is satisfied once the event wagered on has been completed. Gross gaming revenue is the aggregate of gaming wins and losses based on results of each event that customers wager bets on.

Transaction Price Considerations

Variability in the transaction price arises primarily due to market-based pricing, cash discounts, revenue sharing and usage-based fees. The Company offers loyalty programs, free plays, deposit bonuses, discounts, rebates and other rewards and incentives to its customers. Revenue for Sportsbook and i-gaming is collected prior to the contest or event and is fixed once the outcome is known. Prizes paid and payouts made to users are recognized when awarded to the player.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists of third-party costs associated with the betting software platform and gaming taxes.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of expenses associated with amounts paid to affiliates, advertising and related software, strategic league and team partnerships and costs related to free to play contests, and the compensation of sales and marketing personnel, including stock-based compensation expenses. Variable commission fees are paid to sales affiliates based on a percentage of revenue generated from the affiliate. The commissions rebated to affiliates are recorded as a component of marketing expense. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred.

Product and Technology Expenses

Product and technology expenses consist primarily of expenses which are not subject to capitalization or otherwise classified within Cost of Revenue. Product and Technology expenses include software licenses, depreciation of hardware and software and costs related to the compensation of product and technology personnel, including stock-based compensation.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses include costs related to the compensation of the Company’s administrative functions, insurance costs, professional fees and consulting expense.

Fair value of financial instruments

The Company discloses fair value measurements for financial and non-financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value. Fair value is based on the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

The accounting standard establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair value into three broad levels, which are described below:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs.

Level 2: Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets but are corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. The fair value hierarchy gives the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs.

The following tables set forth the fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023 based on the three-tier fair value hierarchy:

Foreign Currency

The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. Dollar. Certain subsidiaries of the Company have a functional currency other than the U.S. Dollar, and are translated to the Company’s reporting currency at each reporting date. Non-monetary items are translated at historical rates. Monetary assets and liabilities are translated from British pounds and Euro into U.S. Dollars, at the period-end exchange rate, while foreign currency expenses are translated at the exchange rate in effect on the date of the transaction. The net effect of translation is reflected as other comprehensive income. The gains or losses on transactions denominated in currencies other than an entity’s functional currency are included in the consolidated statement of operations.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. When assessing goodwill for impairment, the Company uses qualitative and if necessary, quantitative methods in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, Goodwill. The Company also considers its enterprise value and if necessary, discounted cash flow model, which involves assumptions and estimates, including the Company’s future financial performance, weighted average cost of capital and interpretation of currently enacted tax laws.

Circumstances that could indicate impairment and require the Company to perform a quantitative impairment test include a significant decline in the Company’s financial results, a significant decline in the Company’s enterprise value relative to its book value, an unanticipated change in competition of the Company’s market share and a significant change in the Company’s strategic plans.

Embedded Conversion Features

The Company evaluates embedded conversion features within convertible debt under ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging” to determine whether the embedded conversion feature(s) should be bifurcated from the host instrument and accounted for as a derivative at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings. If the conversion feature does not require derivative treatment under ASC 815, the instrument is evaluated under ASC 470-20 “Debt with Conversion and Other Options.” Under the ASC 470-20, an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for our convertible debt instruments is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of stockholders’ equity on the consolidated balance sheets and the value of the equity component is treated as original issue discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the notes. As a result, the Company is required to record non-cash interest expense as a result of the amortization of the discounted carrying value of the convertible debt to their face amount over the term of the convertible debt. We report higher interest expense in our financial results because ASC 470-20 requires interest to include both the current period’s amortization of the debt discount and the instrument’s coupon interest.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies that the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. The Company does not believe that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

NOTE 3 – BORROWINGS

The following is a summary of borrowings outstanding as at December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023: 

Senior Notes

On November 29, 2021, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with CP BF Lending, LLC (“Lender”), pursuant to which the Lender agreed to make a single loan to the Company of $30,000,000 (the “Loan”). The Loan bears interest on the unpaid principal amount at a rate per annum equal to 15.0% as follows: (1) cash interest on the unpaid principal amount of the Loan at a rate equal to 14.0% per annum, plus (2) payable-in-kind interest (“PIK Interest”) on the unpaid principal amount of the Loan at a rate equal to 1.0% per annum. The Company paid to Lender on the closing date a non-refundable origination fee in an amount equal to $750,000.

The Senior Note matures in 36 months, provided that the Company may receive two 12-month extensions of the maturity date by paying to the Lender (1) an extension fee equal to 1.0% of the unpaid principal balance of the Loan as of the date of such extension, and (2) all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses paid or incurred by Lender, in each case in connection with the extension request, including but not limited to fees and expenses for appraisals, collateral exams and audits, and legal counsel. The foregoing extension right is subject to, among other items, (i) the Loan not being in default, (ii) the representations and warranties contained in Credit Agreement being true and correct; and (iii) the Lender granting its written approval thereof in its sole discretion. 

The Senior Note may be prepaid by the Company at any time. In addition, the Credit Agreement provides that in the event there shall be excess cash flow from the Aspire Business (as such concept is defined in the Credit Agreement) for any calendar month, commencing with the month ended December 31, 2022, the Company shall apply a portion of such excess cash flow amount to prepay the outstanding principal balance of the Loan; provided that no such prepayment shall be required once the unpaid principal balance of the Loan has been reduced to $15,000,000.

The Credit Agreement requires the Company to meet certain financial covenants. The Loan is secured by all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Loan may be accelerated by the Lender upon an event of default, which in addition to customary events of default include: (i) if (1) any of the Company or its subsidiaries shall fail to maintain in full force and effect any gaming approval (as defined in the Credit Agreement) required for the operation of its business or (2) any gaming regulator shall impose any condition or limitation on any of the foregoing entities that could be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect; or (ii) the suspension from trading or failure of the Company’s common stock to be trading or listed on the Nasdaq exchange for a period of three consecutive trading days.

As of March 31, 2022, the Company had not maintained compliance with the covenants of the Senior Notes and obtained a waiver from its lender which waiver was contingent on the completion of an equity raise of $3.5 million, which was completed in June 2022. In consideration for obtaining a waiver from the compliance with certain covenants, the Company agreed to amend the Senior Notes such that $5 million of principal loan balance becomes convertible at $107.40 per share commencing after the Company raises the $5,000,000 of common equity (including the foregoing $3.5 million). On February 2, 2023, the conversion option became exercisable upon closing of the offering that generated $6,500,000 of gross proceeds.

In connection with the Loan, the Company issued the Lender a warrant (the “Lender Warrant”) to purchase 52,262 shares of Company common stock at an initial exercise price of $750 per share expiring on the earlier to occur of (i) five years following the issue date or (ii) the second anniversary of the satisfaction of all obligations of the Company under the Credit Agreement. The exercise price is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting the Company’s common stock. In addition, the exercise price of the Lender Warrant is subject to “weighted-average” anti-dilution protection for issuances by the Company below the exercise price (other than certain defined exempt issuances), and, upon shareholder approval, which was received on February 9, 2022, the number of shares underlying the Lender Warrant shall also be adjusted for issuances to which the “weighted-average” anti-dilution protection applies. Pursuant to the foregoing anti-dilution provision, in connection with the $3.5 million offering completed in June 2022, the number of shares underlying the warrant increased to 55,152 and the exercise price was reduced to $710.70. Pursuant to the foregoing anti-dilution provision, in connection with the $6.5 million offering completed in February 2023, the number of shares underlying the warrant increased to 77,082 and the exercise price was reduced to $508.50. The Lender will not have the right to exercise any portion of the Lender Warrant if the Lender (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of Company common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Lender Warrant, which beneficial ownership amount, at the election of the Lender may be increased to any other percentage not in excess of 19.99% as specified by the Lender. If a fundamental transaction occurs, then the successor entity will succeed to, and be substituted for the Company, and will assume all of the Company’s obligations under the Lender Warrant with the same effect as if such successor entity had been named in the Lender Warrant itself. On December 29, 2023, the Lender agreed to cancel all 77,082 outstanding common stock warrants it held.

Between September 2, 2022 and June 20, 2023, the Lender provided the Company with multiple limited waivers of the Senior Note covenants in exchange for aggregate payments of $609,558 which were added to the principal amount of the Senior Note. During this period, the Company made a principal repayment of $3,000,000 which reduced the minimum cash balance requirement from $5,000,000 to $2,000,000.

On June 30, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into a forbearance agreement (the “Forbearance Agreement”). Pursuant to the Forbearance Agreement, the Company acknowledged, among other items, that, as June 30, 2023, it was in default under the Credit Agreement, the Lender had the right to accelerate the Loan, and the Lender had the right to impose the default rate of interest under the Credit Agreement. Pursuant to the Forbearance Agreement, the Lender agreed to forbear from exercising its rights and remedies against the Company and the Guarantors under the Credit Documents until the earlier of September 15, 2023 or a termination event. A termination event under the Forbearance Agreement consists of the filing of a bankruptcy proceeding by the Company or any Guarantor, the occurrence of a new event of default under the Credit Agreement, or the failure by the Company or any Guarantor to perform any material requirement, covenant, or obligation under the Forbearance Agreement. During the forbearance period, the Lender agreed, among other items, not to accelerate the Loan, initiate any bankruptcy filings, or apply any default rates of interest. As partial consideration for the Lender agreeing to enter into the Forbearance Agreement, the Company paid a forbearance fee equal to 50 basis points of the outstanding principal amount of the Loan (or $130,425), which amount was added to the principal balance of the loan. In addition, on June 30, 2023, the Company made a prepayment of the Loan in the amount of $2.0 million, which in turn reduced the minimum cash balance requirement under the Credit Agreement to $0. On September 15, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into an amendment number 1 to the Forbearance Agreement (the “Forbearance Amendment No. 1”). The Forbearance Amendment No. 1 extended the Forbearance Date from September 15, 2023 until October 31, 2023.

On October 1, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into an amendment number 2 to the Forbearance Agreement (the “Forbearance Amendment No. 2”). The Forbearance Amendment No. 2 extended the Forbearance Date from October 31, 2023 until June 30, 2025, and provides that instead of interest being payable monthly in cash, such interest shall accrue in arrears and can be added to the outstanding principal balance of the Loan and Revolving Note. The interest rate on the Loan and the Revolving Note was increased to 16.5% per annum. The Forbearance Amendment No. 2 further adds that the Company’s suspension from trading or failure to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market for more than 30 calendar days will constitute a Termination Event under the Forbearance Agreement as amended. On November 11, 2023, Lender provided the Company with an extension of the Nasdaq Capital Market delisting/suspension Termination Event for an additional 40 calendar days up to December 23, 2023, and on December 19, 2023, the Lender provided the Company with an additional extension of 40 days. Effective January 31, 2023, the Lender provided the Company with an additional extension of 90 days. Pursuant to Forbearance Amendment No. 2, the Company agreed that to the extent it receives net proceeds from or in connection with a judgment, settlement or other in or out of court resolution of a commercial tort claim, the Company will: (i) make a prepayment on the Loan or the Revolving Note (discussed below) of 100% of such net proceeds; and (ii) make an additional payment to the Lender equal to 5% of any such net proceeds (prior to the payments set forth in subsection (i)) in excess of $50.0 million.

In connection with the Forbearance Agreement, the Lender agreed to provide the Company with a revolving line of credit in the amount of $2.0 million (the “Revolving Note”), with any advances under the Revolving Note to be made in the sole discretion of the Lender. On September 29, 2023, the Lender agreed to increase the maximum available amount of the Revolving Loan to $4.0 million. The Company paid Lender a fee of $40,000 in connection with the increase. The Revolving Note will have a maturity date of November 29, 2024 and carry an interest rate of 15.0% per annum, provided that upon an occurrence of default the interest rate will increase to the default rate under the Loan. The Revolving Note shall be an Obligation as defined in the Credit Agreement and as such shall be secured by the collateral in which the Company and the Guarantors have granted liens and security interests to the Lender in connection with the Loan. All discretionary advances shall terminate automatically and all outstanding principal together with accrued but unpaid interest and fees shall become immediately due and payable, without notice to or action by any party, on the earlier of the termination date of the Forbearance Agreement, or the maturity date of the Revolving Note, unless otherwise extended by the Lender.

Effective October 1, 2023, the Company entered into an amended and restated note conversion option agreement (the “Option Agreement”) with the Lender. Pursuant to the Option, the Company agreed that Lender have the right to convert any amounts due pursuant to the Loan and the Revolving Note into shares of Company common stock at a conversion price of $1.25 per share with respect to the initial $5.0 million and at a conversion price of $2.50 per share with respect to the remaining amounts. In addition, the Company agreed to file a registration statement registering the resale of the shares of Company common stock underlying the Loan within 45 days of the date of the Option and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 120 days of the date of the Option.

The Option Agreement provides that the Lender (together with its affiliates) may not convert any portion of the Loan or Revolving Loan during an initial 45-day lockup or to the extent that the Lender would own more than 9.99% of the Company’s outstanding common stock immediately after exercise, except that upon prior notice from the Lender to the Company, the Lender may increase or decrease the amount of ownership of outstanding stock after conversion of the Loan, provided that any modification will not be effective until 61 days following notice to the Company.

On January 9, 2024, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into a Third Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “Amendment No. 3”). The Amendment No. 3 increased the maximum available amount of the Revolving Loan from $4.0 million to $6.5 million and provided such additional loan availability under a use of proceeds that including working capital as well as funding for our litigation matters, materially including our litigation against Aspire. In connection with entering into Amendment No. 3, the Company and the Lender entered in a second amended and restated note conversion option agreement (the “Conversion Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company agreed that the Lender shall have the right to convert the principal balance and accrued interest under the Loan and Revolving Note into shares of Company common stock at a conversion price of $0.116 per share (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends and other similar events). The foregoing conversion price is subject to future adjustment to the lowest price per share referenced in any equity related instrument the Company issues to any other person until the Lender has exercised its conversion rights. Pursuant to the Conversion Agreement, the Lender is prohibited from converting its debt to the extent that such conversion would result in the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Lender and its affiliates exceeding 9.99% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the conversion, which percentage may be increased or decreased at the holder’s election provided any adjustment would not become effective for 61 days. The Company agreed to file a resale registration statement providing for the resale by the Lender of the shares of common stock that may be received upon the foregoing conversion within 30 calendar days of the Lender’s request, and to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 90 days of such request. To the extent that the Company does not have sufficient authorized shares of common stock to allow for the full conversion permitted by the Conversion Agreement, upon the Lender’s request, the Company will be required to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain approval of an increase in the Company's authorized shares from its shareholders. During any period of time that the Company does not have sufficient authorized shares to allow for the full conversion permitted by the Conversion Agreement, the Company will be prohibited from issuing any shares of common stock or common stock equivalents. As a result of Amendment No. 3, the exercise price of the warrants issued to the holders of Preferred Stock was reset to $0.116 per share.

As a result of the event of default on the Senior Note, the Company amortized all remaining debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the Senior Note. During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized interest expense of $0 and $1,264,933, respectively, from the amortization debt discount and debt issuance costs related to the Senior Note. There was no unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the Senior Note as of December 31, 2023.

Note due to Aspire

In connection with the Acquisition of Aspire in October 2021, the Company entered into a €10,000,000 unsecured subordinated Promissory Note with the seller (the “Note”). The Note provides for an interest rate of 10% per annum. The maturity date of the Note will be the earlier of that date which is four years from the issuance date or a liquidity event. The Note will require repayment of the principal amount plus any accrued interest in three equal installments, payable annually starting on the second anniversary after issuance. No interest payment shall be due until that date which is the last day of the end of the second-year anniversary of issuance should the Note remain unpaid at such time. Should the Note remain unpaid at the second-year anniversary, the total accrued interest due at that time shall be paid at the second-year anniversary for accrued interest for the period from the issuance date through the second-year anniversary date. Thereafter, and on each annual anniversary date thereafter, the interest due for the prior annual period shall be paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company owes greater than $15,000,000 under the Credit Agreement, then the parties agree that the Company shall repay any principal amount plus any accrued interest due through the issuance of Company common stock in lieu of any cash payment and the amount of said common stock shares to be issued by the Company shall be determined by using the Conversion Price as defined below. Should an event of default occur on the Note, then at the election of Aspire, either (i) the Operator Services Agreement will be amended such that the fees payable shall increase by 5% during the continuation of the event of default, or (ii) Aspire may elect to convert the entire outstanding principal amount plus any accrued interest into shares of common stock of the Company at a price per share based on the weighted-average per-share price for the ten trading days prior to the date of the occurrence of the event of default (“Conversion Price”). In no event shall the Conversion Price be lower than $540.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, or similar events occurring after the date hereof) and the total maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued to Aspire upon any such conversion in the aggregate shall be 21,667 shares (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, or similar events occurring after the date hereof). As a result of the default on the Senior Note and the Forbearance Agreement described above, a potential event of default exists pursuant to the terms of the Note, and as such as classified all principal and interest as a current liability.

Convertible Notes and other

On September 1, 2020, ESEG Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into three promissory notes, with a combined principal amount of $2,100,000. The notes bore interest at the rate of 10% per annum through maturity and matured on March 1, 2022 and are now convertible at the noteholder’s option. The Company also agreed to pay two of the lenders a total of $675,000 on September 1, 2025, bearing no interest. The Company issued each of the lenders a conversion option at a fixed price of $15 per share and issued 67,167 warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $9.00 per share, each with a term of five years. The holder may convert the note into shares of common stock at any time, to the extent and provided that no holder of the notes was or will be permitted to convert such notes so long as it or any of its affiliates would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the Company’s common stock after such conversion.

The Company evaluated the conversion option and concluded a beneficial conversion feature was present at issuance. The Company recognized the beneficial conversion feature and relative fair value of the warrants as a debt discount and additional paid in capital. The fair value of the warrants at the grant date was estimated using a Black-Scholes model and the following assumptions: 1) volatility of approximately 85% based on a peer group of companies; 2) dividend yield of 0%; 3) risk-free rate of 0.26%; and 4) an expected term of five years. The $2,100,000 debt discount will be amortized through the maturity date of the convertible notes payable. During the twelve months ended September 30, 2021, a total of $187,500 of principal was converted into 12,500 shares of common stock. During the year ended September 30, 2022, a total of $305,609 of principal and $106,891 of accrued interest was converted into 27,500 shares of common stock. During the year ended September 30, 2023, a total of $989,391 of principal and $138,266 of accrued interest was converted into 75,179 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2023, the outstanding principal and accrued interest balance of the convertible notes was $617,500 and $62,681, respectively.

During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded a charge of $13,290 and $12,083, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations from the amortization of its debt discount related to the convertible notes payable and other liabilities described above.

NOTE 4 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

On July 26, 2023, the Company increased its authorized common shares to 500,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001. In addition, the Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001. The specific rights of the preferred stock, when so designated, shall be determined by the board of directors.

At the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders completed on July 26, 2023, the stockholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation (the “Amendment”) to effect the reverse stock split at a ratio in the range of 1-for-2 to 1-for-30, with such ratio to be determined in the discretion of the Company’s board of directors and with such reverse stock split to be effected at such time and date, if at all, as determined by the Company’s board of directors in its sole discretion prior to the one-year anniversary of the annual meeting. 

Pursuant to such authority granted by the Company’s stockholders, the Company’s board of directors approved a one-for-thirty (1:30) reverse stock split (the “Reverse Stock Split”) of the Company’s common stock and the filing of the Amendment to effectuate the Reverse Stock Split. The Amendment was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada and the Reverse Stock Split became effective in accordance with the terms of the Amendment at 4:01 p.m. Eastern Time on September 29, 2023 (the “Effective Time”). The Amendment provides that, at the Effective Time, every thirty shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock will automatically be combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock, without any change in par value per share, which will remain $0.001. The Reverse Stock Split is presented retroactively.

Acquisition of the B2C segment of Aspire Global plc

On October 1, 2021, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (the “Investors”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase, and the Company agreed to issue and sell to such Investors, simultaneous with the closing of the Acquisition Agreement, an aggregate of 37,700 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) for a purchase price of $1,000.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $37,700,000 (the “Private Placement”). For each share of Preferred Stock issued, the Company issued the Investor a warrant to purchase 150% of the shares of Company common stock initially underlying the Preferred Stock (the “Warrants”).

During the year ended September 30, 2023, the Preferred stock was fully converted by the holders. There were no shares of Preferred Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023.

The Warrants are exercisable and expire on the fifth anniversary thereafter. The Warrants were initially to be exercisable at an exercise price of $900.00 per share, provided that the exercise price is subject to anti-dilution protection upon any subsequent transaction at a price lower than the exercise price then in effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing anti-dilution provision, in connection with the $3.5 million offering completed in June 2022, the exercise price was reduced to $45.00. In February 2023, the warrants exercise price was reset to $30.60 in connection with the February 2023 equity financing. As a result of Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement, the exercise price of the warrants issued to the holders of Preferred Stock was reset to $0.116 per share on January 9, 2024. The Warrants can be exercised on a cashless basis if there is no effective registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for, the resale of the ordinary shares underlying the Warrants.

The holders of the Warrants will not have the right to exercise any portion of the Warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such conversion, such holder (together with certain related parties) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion or exercise.

Warrants

As discussed above, the Company has issued common stock warrants in connection with its fundraising activities to preferred shareholders, its lender and convertible notes issued during previous years. The following table summarizes warrant activity during the three months ended December 31, 2023:

At December 31, 2023, the outstanding and exercisable common stock warrants had no intrinsic value.

2020 Stock Plan

In December 2020, the Company adopted the 2020 Stock Plan, or the 2020 Plan. The 2020 Plan is a stock-based compensation plan that provides for discretionary grants of stock options, stock awards, stock unit awards and stock appreciation rights to key employees, non-employee directors and consultants.

Under the 2020 Plan, the aggregate value of all compensation granted or paid to any individual for service as a non-employee director with respect to any calendar year, including awards granted under the 2020 Plan and cash fees paid to such non-employee director, will not exceed $300,000 in total value. For purposes of this limitation, the value of awards is calculated based on the grant date fair value of such awards for financial reporting purposes.

The number of shares of the common stock that may be issued under the 2020 Plan is 5,000,000. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had awarded a total 45,841 shares under the 2020 Plan, with 204,159 remaining under the 2020 Plan.

Common Stock Awards

The Company has awarded restricted stock units and shares of common stock to various employees, consultants and officers under the 2020 Plan. The majority of these awards will vest equally over terms of up to four years. At December 31, 2023, the Company had 6,974 restricted stock units in issuance.

During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized a total of $170,548 and $372,790, respectively of stock-based compensation expense related to common stock awards and expects to recognize additional compensation cost of $1,354,434 upon vesting of all awards.

Options

The following table summarizes option activity during the three months ended December 31, 2023:

During the three months ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $68,404 related to common stock options awarded. The exercisable common stock options had no intrinsic value as of December 31, 2023. The Company expects to recognize an additional $263,728 of compensation cost related to stock options expected to vest.

NOTE 5 – LONG-LIVED ASSETS

Fixed Assets

The Company’s fixed assets consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023:

Depreciation expense was $35,380 and $24,639 for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Intangible Assets – Aspire b2C Acquisition

As disclosed in Note 3, the Company acquired intangible assets as part of the Aspire B2C Business acquisition. The acquired intangibles consisted of the following as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023:

The Karamba trademarks and tradenames represent approximately 75% of the total of the acquired intangibles and have an indefinite useful life. The remaining trademarks and tradenames and customer relationships are amortized over an estimated useful life of three years. Amortization expense on the Aspire intangible assets was $313,564 and $1,623,448, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Amortization for the year ended September 30, 2024 and 2025 is expected to be approximately $1,340,598 and $220,366, respectively.

NOTE 7 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Financial Advisor’s Claims

The Company’s previous financial advisor, Boustead Securities LLC (“Advisor”) has alleged a breach by the Company over the termination of their engagement and the timing of the payment and amount of the fees owed to the Advisor (collectively the “Claims”). On June 2, 2022, the Advisor named EBET in an arbitration proceeding with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the Claims. The Statement of Claim alleged damages of $5.7 million and sought a declaration that the Company be required to utilize the Advisor for a certain follow-on offering pursuant to an alleged right of first refusal between the parties. On August 4, 2022, EBET, Inc. counterclaimed against Boustead Securities, LLC for tortious interference with prospective economic advantage and demanded damages and attorneys’ fees in an amount to be determined. Boustead Securities, LLC’s current Second Amended Statement of Claim, filed on May 24, 2023, alleges $12 million in damages and no longer seeks declaratory relief. In response to Boustead Securities, LLC’s Second Amended Statement of Claim, Company maintains its counterclaim and all affirmative defenses previously asserted. The arbitration occurred on November 6, 2023, ended on November 8, 2023. On January 5, 2024, the arbitration panel awarded the Advisor $15.2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees. The Company has accrued the awarded amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet, included in Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities. The Company recognized expense of $11,597,240 related to this award during the year ended September 30, 2023, included in general and administrative expenses.

Other Contingencies

On June 26, 2023, a former vendor of the Company, Litebox USA, LLC filed a Complaint against EBET, Inc. alleging causes of action including Breach of Contract; Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Unjust Enrichment; Quantum Meruit; Promissory Estoppel; Open Book Account/Account Stated; and other causes of action. The action stems from an alleged nonpayment pursuant to a Master Service Agreement and three separate Statements of Work for the alleged development of software thereunder. EBET, Inc. filed a demurrer to this Complaint and the hearing on same is set for June 2024. EBET intends to vigorously defend this matter.

On September 28, 2023, EBET, INC. filed a lawsuit in the State of Nevada against Aspire Global PLC, AG Communications and affiliated entities asserting damages in an amount of no less than 65,000,000 Euro plus punitive and other damages proven at trial (“Aspire Litigation”) and including causes of action against Aspire and the other defendants for fraud and material breach of the share purchase agreement whereon the Company had acquired the i-gaming B2C assets including the Karamba, Hopa, Griffon Casino, BetTarget, Dansk777, and GenerationVIP domains, sites, player database and other related assets and also related to the operator service agreements and Promissory Note entered concurrent with the closing of the share purchase agreement. On November 7, 2023, Aspire and the other defendants removed the subject matter to the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. The Aspire Litigation is material to the Company and the result of such litigation is highly likely to have a material impact on the Company going forward.

Other Commitments

On June 30, 2023, the Company agreed to enter into amendments to the employment agreements (each, a “Retention Letter”), with each of Aaron Speach, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and Matthew Lourie, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.

Pursuant to the Retention Letters,

In addition, pursuant to the Retention Letters, each of Mr. Speach and Mr. Lourie will be eligible to receive a cash transaction bonus equal to 0.95% of the gross proceeds of any strategic transaction (a “Transaction”), provided that the net proceeds from the Transaction are at least $26.0 million; and further provided that the executive may receive an additional 0.25% of the gross proceeds if the net proceeds from the Transaction are not less than the amount that would result in (a) the Company repaying its outstanding debt and all trade creditors, and (b) the Series A preferred holders and common shareholders receiving consideration of not less than the value of their equity holdings as of June 30, 2023 (the “Deal Threshold”).

If Mr. Speach and Mr. Lourie are terminated without “cause” prior to June 30, 2024, the Company agreed to pay a cash severance payment of:

In addition to the amounts payable to Messrs. Speach and Lourie set forth above, the Company also agreed on June 30, 2023 to pay additional retention bonuses under the executive retention plan to two consultants and advisors of up to $310,000, in the aggregate, and additional cash transaction bonuses equal to 1.9% of the gross proceeds of any Transaction, provided that the net proceeds from the Transaction are at least $26.0 million; and provided further that an additional 0.50% of the gross proceeds will be payable if the net proceeds from the Transaction are not less than the Deal Threshold.

NOTE 8 – LOSS PER COMMON SHARE

The basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing the Company's net loss available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares during the year. The diluted net loss per common share is calculated by dividing the Company's net loss available to common shareholders by the diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. The diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding is the basic weighted number of common shares adjusted for any potentially dilutive debt or equity. For the three months ended December 31, 2023, common shares issuable under preferred stock (0 and 50,361 shares), convertible debt, (45,346 and 100,523 shares), stock options (20,012 and 28,146 shares) and common stock warrants (435,491 and 201,137 shares) were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share due to their antidilutive effect.

NOTE 9 – TRANSACTION WITH RELATED PARTIES

The Company engaged a firm owned by Matthew Lourie, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer to provide financial reporting services. For the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company incurred consulting fees of $19,729 and $22,063, respectively.

item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This section of this report includes forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Forward looking statements are often identified by words like, believe, expect, estimate, anticipate, intend, project and similar expressions or words which, by their nature, refer to future events. You should not place undue certainty on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or our predictions.

Overview

We operate platforms to provide a real money online gambling experience focused on i-gaming including casino, sportsbook and esports events. The Company operates under an operating services agreement with Aspire Global plc (“Aspire”) allowing EBET to provide online betting services to various countries around the world.

Acquisition of Aspire Global Plc’s (“Aspire”) Business to Consumer (“B2C”) Business

In order to accelerate /the growth and expand market access for our esports product offerings, on November 29, 2021, we acquired Aspire’s B2C Business.

The acquisition of Aspire’s B2C business was intended to provide the following benefits:

On April 27, 2023, the Company was notified by its gaming platform operator services provider Aspire Global plc (“Aspire”) that the gaming regulatory authority in Germany had sent a letter received by Aspire on April 25, 2023 stating that Aspire would be required to shut down activity of its gaming operations in Germany effective as of 10 days from receipt of said letter until such time as Aspire was otherwise granted a license to operate in Germany. Aspire informed the Company that although it sought an extension of the requested shutdown deadline, it was not successful in receiving an extension of time and/or any form of other relief from this request. In order to meet the subject German regulator requirement, Aspire shut down its activities in Germany on May 7, 2023 and as a result the gaming websites owned by the Company that operate in Germany were shut down on that date.  During the year ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 revenue generated in German markets was $9,686,372 and $17,555,683, respectively.  During the same periods gross profit contributed from the German markets was $2,775,605 and $3,741,443, respectively.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023, compared to the Three Months Ended December 31, 2022

 Results of operations in dollars and as a percentage of net revenue were as follows:

Revenue

For the three months ended December 31, 2023, we generated $4,284,055 in revenue compared to $14,407,964 in revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in revenue in the three months ended December 31, 2023, when compared with the same period in the prior year, was driven by the Company’s restructuring of the business to improve its immediate profitability, certain inefficient sales and marketing efforts have been curtailed, which have adversely impacted revenue growth since the restructuring. The current period revenue was also impacted by the loss of the Company’s German business which occurred in April 2023, which represented approximately $4.7 million of revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2022.

Cost of Revenue

During the three months ended December 31, 2023, cost of sales was $2,241,465 as compared with $8,518,622 in the same period in the prior year. The decrease in cost of sales is due primarily to the loss of the Company’s German business which occurred in April 2023 and the Company’s restructuring of the business described above, and consists of third-party costs associated with the betting software platform and gaming taxes. 

Sales and Marketing Expense

Sales and marketing expense was $1,785,180 for the three months ended December 31, 2022 compared to $4,367,395 for the three months ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $2,582,215. The decrease in sales and marketing expense is primarily driven by the revenue volume declines described above. Sales and marketing expenses also included $74,400 and $225,564 of stock-based compensation costs to employees and consultants for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, payroll costs of $239,217 and $373,094, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We expect sales and marketing expenses to increase in future periods as our marketing campaigns increase in both number and volume.

Product and Technology Expense

Product and technology expense was $132,964 for the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to $294,073 for the three months ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $259,223. The decrease is due to decreased spending related to development of the Company’s sites. Product and technology expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2023, included payroll-related costs of $78,035, stock-based compensation of $13,419 and other development costs of $41,510 consisting primarily of consulting and other development costs. Product and technology expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2022, included payroll-related costs of $166,932, stock-based compensation of $43,571 and other development costs of $83,570 consisting primarily of consulting and other development costs.

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense was $2,659,176 for the three months ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $3,382,793 for the same period in the prior year. General and administrative expense for the three months ended December 31, 2023 included depreciation and amortization of intangible assets of $348,944, payroll-related costs of $457,192, stock-based compensation cost of $153,009, consulting, professional fees and restructuring costs of $1,501,345 including legal, accounting, investor relations and other professional fees, depreciation and amortization of intangible assets. General and administrative expense for the three months ended December 31, 2022 included amortization of intangible assets of $1,623,448, payroll-related costs of $523,633, stock-based compensation cost of $225,564, and professional fees of $150,736 including legal, accounting, investor relations and other professional fees, depreciation and amortization of intangible assets.

Interest and Other Expenses

During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized interest expense of $1,586,388 and $3,031,348, respectively, which included amortization of debt discounts and deferred finance costs of $13,290 and $1,277,016 related to the Senior Notes issued to acquire the Aspire business, and convertible debt issued to acquire certain intangible assets in the previous years. During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 we also incurred a foreign currency gain of $301,741and a loss of $2,229,311, respectively, due to fluctuations in the Euro compared to the US dollar.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $539,327, and had a working capital deficit of $64,924,990. We have historically funded our operations from proceeds from debt and equity sales, and funds received from operations. Our forecasts for fiscal year 2024 indicate that we will need additional near term funding in order to have sufficient financial resources to satisfy our outstanding debts and to continue to settle our debts as they fall due. We do not have any commitments for equity funding and are reliant on the Revolving Note to fund our operations. Pursuant to the Revolving Note, our Lender is not required to provide us with any specific amount of financing and we are dependent on our Lender agreeing to provide us with future working capital. To the extent our Lender determines not to provide us with additional working capital, we do not believe we will be able to raise alternative funding, and we will not have the ability to settle our current obligations or satisfy our outstanding payables. In such event, we will likely be required to cease operations or seek protection from creditors under applicable bankruptcy laws.

The following is a summary of borrowings outstanding as at December 31, 2023:

On November 29, 2021, we entered a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with CP BF Lending, LLC (“Lender”), pursuant to which the Lender agreed to make a single loan to us of $30.0 million (the “Senior Note”). The Senior Note bears interest on the unpaid principal amount at a rate per annum equal to 15.0% as follows: (1) cash interest on the unpaid principal amount of the Senior Note at a rate equal to 14.0% per annum, plus (2) payable-in-kind interest (“PIK Interest”) on the unpaid principal amount of the Senior Note at a rate equal to 1.0% per annum. On June 30, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into a forbearance agreement (the “Forbearance Agreement”). Pursuant to the Forbearance Agreement, the Company acknowledged, among other items, that, as June 30, 2023, it was in default under the Credit Agreement, the Lender had the right to accelerate the Loan, and the Lender had the right to impose the default rate of interest under the Credit Agreement. Pursuant to the Forbearance Agreement, the Lender agreed to forbear from exercising its rights and remedies against the Company and the Guarantors under the Credit Documents until the earlier of September 15, 2023. A termination event under the Forbearance Agreement consists of the filing of a bankruptcy proceeding by the Company or any Guarantor, the occurrence of a new event of default under the Credit Agreement, or the failure by the Company or any Guarantor to perform any material requirement, covenant, or obligation under the Forbearance Agreement. During the forbearance period, the Lender agreed, among other items, not to accelerate the Loan, initiate any bankruptcy filings, or apply any default rates of interest. As partial consideration for the Lender agreeing to enter into the Forbearance Agreement, the Company paid a forbearance fee equal to 50 basis points of the outstanding principal amount of the Loan (or $130,425), which amount was added to the principal balance of the loan. In addition, on June 30, 2023, the Company made a prepayment of the Loan in the amount of $2.0 million, which in turn reduced the minimum cash balance requirement under the Credit Agreement to $0. On September 15, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into an amendment number 1 to the Forbearance Agreement (the “Forbearance Amendment No. 1”). The Forbearance Amendment No. 1 extended the Forbearance Date from September 15, 2023 until October 31, 2023.

In connection with the Forbearance Agreement, the Lender agreed to provide the Company with a revolving line of credit in the amount of $2.0 million (the “Revolving Note”), with any advances under the Revolving Note to be made in the sole discretion of the Lender. On September 29, 2023, the Lender agreed to increase the maximum available amount of the Revolving Loan to $4.0 million. The Company paid Lender a fee of $40,000 in connection with the increase. The Revolving Note will have a maturity date of November 29, 2024 and carry an interest rate of 15.0% per annum, provided that upon an occurrence of default the interest rate will increase to the default rate under the Loan. The Revolving Note shall be an Obligation as defined in the Credit Agreement and as such shall be secured by the collateral in which the Company and the Guarantors have granted liens and security interests to the Lender in connection with the Loan. All discretionary advances shall terminate automatically and all outstanding principal together with accrued but unpaid interest and fees shall become immediately due and payable, without notice to or action by any party, on the earlier of the termination date of the Forbearance Agreement, or the maturity date of the Revolving Note, unless otherwise extended by the Lender.

On June 28, 2023, based on the approval of the Strategic Alternatives Committee, that committee’s favorable recommendation to the Board, and the Board’s subsequent approval, the Company hired Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. (“Houlihan”) as the Company’s exclusive financial advisor to provide financial advisory and investment banking services in connection with one or more of a sale, recapitalization, restructuring or any other financial transactions involving the Company. The continued engagement of Houlihan was required by the Lender during the term of the Forbearance Agreement. On January 31, 2024, the Company and Houlihan agreed to terminate the engagement with approval of the Lender.

Effective on October 1, 2023, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into an amendment number 2 to the Forbearance Agreement (the “Forbearance Amendment No. 2”). The Forbearance Amendment No. 2 extended the Forbearance Date from October 31, 2023 until June 30, 2025, and provides that instead of interest being payable monthly in cash, such interest shall accrue in arrears and can be added to the outstanding principal balance of the Loan. The interest rate on the Loan and the Revolving Note was increased to 16.5% per annum. The Forbearance Amendment No. 2 further adds that the Company’s suspension from trading or failure to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market for more than 30 calendar days will constitute a Termination Event under the Forbearance Agreement as amended. On November 11, 2023, Lender provided the Company with an extension of the Nasdaq Capital Market delisting/suspension Termination Event for an additional 40 calendar days up to December 23, 2023, and on December 19, 2023, the Lender provided the Company with an additional extension of 40 days. Effective January 31, 2023, the Lender provided the Company with an additional extension of 90 days. Pursuant to Forbearance Amendment No. 2, the Company agreed that to the extent it receives net proceeds from or in connection with a judgment, settlement or other in or out of court resolution of a commercial tort claim, the Company will: (i) make a prepayment on the Loan or the Revolving Note (discussed below) of 100% of such net proceeds; and (ii) make an additional payment to the Lender equal to 5% of any such net proceeds (prior to the payments set forth in subsection (i)) in excess of $50.0 million.

Effective on October 1, 2023, the Company entered into an amended and restated note conversion option agreement (the “Option Agreement”) with the Lender. Pursuant to the Option Agreement, the Company agreed to permit the Lender the right to convert any amounts due pursuant to the Loan and the Revolving Note into shares of Company common stock at a conversion price of $1.25 per share with respect to the initial $5.0 million and at a conversion price of $2.50 per share with respect to the remaining amounts.

The Option Agreement provides that the Lender (together with its affiliates) may not convert any portion of the Loan or Revolving Loan during an initial 45-day lockup or to the extent that the Lender would own more than 9.99% of the Company’s outstanding common stock immediately after exercise, except that upon prior notice from the Lender to the Company, the Lender may increase or decrease the amount of ownership of outstanding stock after conversion of the Loan, provided that any modification will not be effective until 61 days following notice to the Company.

On January 9, 2024, the Company, the subsidiaries of the Company and the Lender entered into a Third Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “Amendment No. 3”). The Amendment No. 3 increased the maximum available amount of the Revolving Loan from $4.0 million to $6.5 million and provided such additional loan availability under a use of proceeds that including working capital as well as funding for our litigation matters, materially including our litigation against Aspire. In connection with entering into Amendment No. 3, the Company and the Lender entered in a second amended and restated note conversion option agreement (the “Conversion Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company agreed that the Lender shall have the right to convert the principal balance and accrued interest under the Loan and Revolving Note into shares of Company common stock at a conversion price of $0.116 per share (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends and other similar events). The foregoing conversion price is subject to future adjustment to the lowest price per share referenced in any equity related instrument the Company issues to any other person until the Lender has exercised its conversion rights. Pursuant to the Conversion Agreement, the Lender is prohibited from converting its debt to the extent that such conversion would result in the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Lender and its affiliates exceeding 9.99% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the conversion, which percentage may be increased or decreased at the holder’s election provided any adjustment would not become effective for 61 days. The Company agreed to file a resale registration statement providing for the resale by the Lender of the shares of common stock that may be received upon the foregoing conversion within 30 calendar days of the Lender’s request, and to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 90 days of such request. To the extent that the Company does not have sufficient authorized shares of common stock to allow for the full conversion permitted by the Conversion Agreement, upon the Lender’s request, the Company will be required to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain approval of an increase in the Company's authorized shares from its shareholders. During any period of time that the Company does not have sufficient authorized shares to allow for the full conversion permitted by the Conversion Agreement, the Company will be prohibited from issuing any shares of common stock or common stock equivalents. As a result of Amendment No. 3, the exercise price of the warrants issued to the holders of Preferred Stock was reset to $0.116 per share.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. Our continuation as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain equity or debt financings to continue operations. We have a history of and expect to continue to report negative cash flows from operations and a net loss.  Our forecasts for 2024 and beyond indicate that we will need additional funding in order to have sufficient financial resources to continue to settle our debts as they fall due. We have taken significant measures to increase the profitability of our business in the short term, but we are not currently generating sufficient cash from our operations to settle our debts as they fall due and continue to require near term financing. These actions include optimizing the efficiency of marketing campaigns, reducing the total number of employees and contractors, terminating software and other immaterial contracts as well as generally reducing the operating costs of the business. These efforts have also resulted in an increased focus on our i-gaming business and a significant reduction in the investment of our esports products and technologies, which resulted in the recognition of an impairment loss on certain intangible assets and fixed assets. As a result of our actions as referenced above, we do not expect to launch our esports products in the short or medium term. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. These financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. We may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, commercialization, marketing and distribution arrangements, other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements and delay planned cash outlays or a combination thereof. Management cannot be certain that such events or a combination thereof can be achieved.

As of December 31, 2023, we have incurred an accumulated deficit of $154,977,817 since inception and have not yet generated any meaningful income from operations.

Cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $683,698 for the three months ended December 31, 2023, as compared to cash used in operating activities of $1,820,902 for the same period in the prior year. Net cash used in operating activities during the three months ended December 31, 2023, included payments made for employee costs, professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants for services. The decrease in cash used in operations compared to the prior period is due to the Company’s efforts to streamline operations and reduce costs.

Cash used in investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $0 during the three months ended December 31, 2023. Net cash used in investing activities was $8,204 for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and was related to the purchase of fixed assets. 

Cash used provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1,900,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2023 due to proceeds from the Revolving Note. Net cash provided by financing activities was $973,965 for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and was related to the settlement of derivative instruments.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

None.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the appropriate time periods, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely discussions regarding required disclosure. We, under the supervisions of and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer, who is our principal executive officer, and Chief Financial Officer, who is our principal financial officer, have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon such evaluation, our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer have concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting due to a lack of segregation of duties and the lack of formal documentation of our control environment.

In light of the material weakness described above, we continue to perform additional analysis and other post-closing procedures to ensure our financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, we believe that the financial statements included in this report fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.

There were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended December 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonable likely to materially effect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

The Company’s previous financial advisor, Boustead Securities LLC (“Advisor”) has alleged a breach by the Company over the termination of their engagement and the timing of the payment and amount of the fees owed to the Advisor (collectively the “Claims”). On June 2, 2022, the Advisor named EBET in an arbitration proceeding with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the Claims. The Statement of Claim alleged damages of $5.7 million and sought a declaration that the Company be required to utilize the Advisor for a certain follow-on offering pursuant to an alleged right of first refusal between the parties. On August 4, 2022, EBET, Inc. counterclaimed against Boustead Securities, LLC for tortious interference with prospective economic advantage and demanded damages and attorneys’ fees in an amount to be determined. Boustead Securities, LLC’s current Second Amended Statement of Claim, filed on May 24, 2023, alleges $12 million in damages and no longer seeks declaratory relief. In response to Boustead Securities, LLC’s Second Amended Statement of Claim, Company maintains its counterclaim and all affirmative defenses previously asserted. The arbitration occurred on November 6, 2023, ended on November 8, 2023. On January 5, 2024, the arbitration panel awarded the Advisor $15.2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees.  The Company has accrued the awarded amounts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

On June 26, 2023, a former vendor of the Company, Litebox USA, LLC filed a Complaint against EBET, Inc. alleging causes of action including Breach of Contract; Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Unjust Enrichment; Quantum Meruit; Promissory Estoppel; Open Book Account/Account Stated; and other causes of action. The action stems from an alleged nonpayment pursuant to a Master Service Agreement and three separate Statements of Work for the alleged development of software thereunder. EBET, Inc. filed a demurrer to this Complaint and the hearing on same is set for June 2024. EBET intends to vigorously defend this matter.

On September 28, 2023, EBET, INC. filed a lawsuit in the State of Nevada against Aspire Global PLC, AG Communications and affiliated entities asserting damages in an amount of no less than 65,000,000 Euro plus punitive and other damages proven at trial (“Aspire Litigation”) and including causes of action against Aspire and the other defendants for fraud, material breach of the share purchase agreement whereon the Company had acquired the i-gaming B2C assets including the Karamba, Hopa, Griffon Casino, BetTarget, Dansk777, and GenerationVIP domains, sites, player database and other related assets and also related to the operator service agreements and Promissory Note entered concurrent with the closing of the share purchase agreement, and other causes of action.   On November 7, 2023, Aspire and the other defendants removed the subject matter to the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. On December 12, 2024, Aspire filed a Motion to Dismiss our Complaint in the matter and on January 9, 2024 we filed an Opposition to Aspire’s Motion to Dismiss. The Aspire Litigation is material to the Company and the result of such litigation is highly likely to have a material impact on the Company going forward.

Other than as described above, we are not at this time involved in any additional legal proceedings that we believe could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

For a discussion of potential risks or uncertainties, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K on file with the SEC. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in such annual report.

Our current operations are dependent on the market access rights secured with the Aspire acquisition, and if we do not retain these rights or if Aspire do not maintain their rights, we will not be able to operate.

We previously held a Curacao gaming sublicense pursuant to which we could accept wagers from residents of a limited number of jurisdictions, primarily in parts of Asia and South America. Given our focus on pursuing a direct gaming license in Curacao, we allowed our Curacao gaming sub-license to expire without material consequent to our business on January 29, 2024 We intend to pursue a direct license in Curacao in the future, although there is no assurance we will be successful in obtaining such license. We do not believe the loss of our sublicenses will materially affect our operations.

The acquisition of the Aspire B2C business included sublicenses to allow us to operate in several western European markets. We and our operator service platform provider Aspire are required to comply with requirements of each of these licenses to maintain market access. If we and our operator service platform provider Aspire fail to comply with the various regulations, we may be unable to conduct any gaming business in that jurisdiction and our business would be materially harmed. In April 2023, we were notified by Aspire that the gaming regulatory authority in Germany had sent a letter to Aspire stating that Aspire would be required to shut down activity of its gaming operations in Germany until such time as Aspire was otherwise granted a license to operate in Germany. In order to meet the subject German regulator requirement, Aspire shut down its activities in Germany on May 7, 2023 and as a result the gaming websites owned by us that operate in Germany were shut down on that date. There is no assurance that similar actions will not be taken by additional jurisdictions in the future.

In order to expand our operations in the future, particularly into the United States and additional European countries, we will need to obtain gaming licenses in such jurisdictions or partner with companies already operating in such jurisdictions. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to obtain future gaming licenses.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

There were no sales of equity securities during the period covered by this Quarterly Report that were not registered under the Securities Act and were not previously reported on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosure

Not Applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

During the period covered by this Quarterly Report, none of the Company’s directors or executive officers has adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (each as defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended).

Item 6. Exhibits

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, there unto duly authorized.