Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following
discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the consolidated financial statements and the
related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates,
and beliefs that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under the “Risk Factors”
and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary” sections and elsewhere in this Annual Report,
our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Overview
We are a leading provider of
domestic and international lottery products and services. As an independent third-party lottery game service, we offer the Platform, which
we architected, developed, and operate to enable the remote purchase of legally sanctioned lottery games in the U.S. and abroad. Our revenue
generating activities are consist of (i) offering the Platform via our BC2 Platform to users located in the U.S. and abroad where
the sale of lottery games is legal and our services are enabled for the remote purchase of sanctioned lottery games; (ii) selling LotteryLink
Credits that can be exchanged for flexible promotion packages that include our marketing collateral, prepaid advertising, development
services, account management, and prepaid lottery games for use in promotions to our Master Affiliates for use by them and by their Sub
Affiliates in undertaking affiliate marketing activities and promoting our B2C Platform; (iii) offering an internally developed,
created, and operated business-to-business API of the Platform, or our B2B API, that enables our commercial partners, in permitted U.S.
and international jurisdictions, to purchase certain legally operated lottery games from us and resell them to users located within their
respective jurisdictions; and (iv) providing our Data Service, which entails delivering global lottery data, such as winning numbers
and results, to commercial digital subscribers and subscriptions to data sets of our proprietary, anonymized transaction data pursuant
to multi-year contracts.
We currently derive substantially
all of our revenue from service fees paid to us by users of our B2C Platform, sale of LotteryLink Credits, revenue share arrangements
with commercial partners participating in our B2B API, and subscription fees from users of our Data Service. We intend to pursue growth
by implementing new products and features within our B2C Platform services, growing our LotteryLink program, expanding our B2C offering
into new domestic and international jurisdictions, entering into additional agreements with new commercial partners for our B2B API, growing
our LotteryLink Credit program, executing on strategic acquisitions and other synergistic opportunities, including gaining access to complementary
and new technology through such acquisitions, and investing in and developing new technology and enhancing our existing technology in
each of our business lines, including distributed ledger technology. In December 2021, we finalized the acquisition of the domain name
https://sports.com and are exploring opportunities for the intended strategic entry into legal sports gaming verticals, which may include
the distribution of sports lottery games.
In addition, we also expect
to grow our brand and commitment to social awareness through our affiliation with WinTogether. WinTogether is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable
trust that supports charitable, educational and scientific causes. Messrs. DiMatteo and Clemenson formed WinTogether and continue to act
as trustees. We operate the WinTogether Platform on behalf of WinTogether, as well as the sweepstakes offered through the WinTogether
Platform, which support charitable causes selected by the trustees of WinTogether. These sweepstakes work to incentivize participants
to donate to those chosen causes. Donors to each campaign are automatically entered into the sweepstakes for the chance to win cash prizes,
luxury items, and exceptional experiences. In exchange for operating the WinTogether Platform and the sweepstakes on behalf of WinTogether,
we receive a fee from the gross donations from each sweepstakes. While the revenue received from the Company’s services relating
to the WinTogether Platform are currently nominal, we believe that our operation of the WinTogether website and sweepstakes could be a
scalable source of revenue in the future as well as a mechanism to increase our brand reputation and recognition by sweepstake participants,
which could result in the acquisition and monetization of new users to our B2C Platform.
Recent Developments
Business Combination
On October 29, 2021, we
consummated the Business Combination with Trident Acquisitions Corp. (“TDAC” and after the Business Combination described
herein, the “Company”), pursuant to the terms of that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated as of February 21,
2021 (the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among TDAC, Trident Merger Sub II Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary
of TDAC (“Merger Sub”) and AutoLotto. Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, Merger Sub merged with
and into AutoLotto with AutoLotto surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of TDAC, which was renamed “Lottery.com Inc.”
The aggregate value of the consideration paid by TDAC to the holders of AutoLotto common stock in the Business Combination (excluding
shares that may be issued to former AutoLotto stockholders (the “Sellers”) as earnout consideration) was approximately $440 million,
consisting of approximately 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock valued at $11.00 per share. In addition, the Sellers and TDAC’s founders
are also entitled to receive up to 3 million and 2 million additional shares of Common Stock, respectively, to the extent that certain
share price targets are achieved following the Closing.
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Impacts of COVID-19
The continued outbreak of COVID-19,
including its variant strains, and efforts to control its spread has significantly impacted, and continues to impact, economic conditions
worldwide. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic U.S. federal, state, local and international governments continue to institute restrictive
measures to mitigate the spread of the virus and its variants and combat this public health crisis. The preventative measures that have
primarily impacted us include limitations on individual and business activities through stay-at-home orders, operational and travel restrictions
and physical distance requirements.
In a typical year, the sales
volume of draw games depends heavily on the development of a few notably large jackpots. Suppression of sales (owing, for instance, to
restricted visits by players to locations where tickets are sold as a result social distancing or other measures put in place as a result
of COVID-19, even if the drawings are themselves continued as scheduled) works against the continued development of these notable jackpots.
By contrast, the betting opportunities offered through instant win games, such as scratchers, are typically unaffected by the volume of
play, and therefore, tickets for instant win games are considered more like merchandise (similar to canned goods) that may be “bought
ahead,” even during the curtailment of retail, or person-to-person, visits. According to the World Lottery Association, during 2020,
sales of instant win games remained within 1% of the 2019 levels for such sales, despite pandemic-related restrictions that resulted in
the temporary closure of retail locations that are the primary point of sale for instant win games.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,
sales of Online Lottery games via digital channels experienced more ticket sales growth than the alternative, person-to-person sales.
The proportion of all sales occurring through digital channels reached 17% across World Lottery Association membership in 2021, an increase
of 11% over the same figure in 2020.
The shift in consumer purchasing
activity toward online purchasing has catalyzed demand for the mobile and online delivery of lottery games. As an early entrant in the
delivery of digitized representation of lottery games with an established and growing user base in the U.S. and abroad, we believe that
we remain well-positioned to capitalize on what we expect to be a continued shift towards a new demography of customers who rely on mobile
and online means for acquisition of consumer goods, including lottery games and other forms of online gaming. For example, we experienced
a 123% year-over-year increase in our worldwide sale of unique lottery games between 2020 and 2021, which we primarily attribute to the
shift in consumer purchasing habits to mobile and online purchases due to COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic remains
ongoing, we continue to take steps to ensure the health and safety of our employees by having an entirely remote workforce. We also reassess
our business continuity programs on an ongoing basis and in light of new developments and governmental mandates to ensure that our employees
remain protected, our business is able to function with minimal disruptions to normal work operations while employees work remotely, and
that demand for our products and services remains consistent. For more information on the COVID-19-related impacts we may experience,
see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — We face risks related to health epidemics and other widespread outbreaks of contagious
disease, which could disrupt our operations and impact our operating results.”
International Expansion
In June 2021, we closed
the acquisition of Global Gaming, which holds 80% of the equity of each of Aganar and JuegaLotto. Aganar operates in the licensed Online
Lottery market in Mexico and is licensed to sell Mexican National Lottery draw games, instant win tickets, and other games of chance online
with access to a federally approved online casino and sportsbook gaming license. JuegaLotto is licensed by Mexico authorities to commercialize
international lottery games in Mexico through an authorized gaming portal and to commercialize games of chance in other countries throughout
Latin America. As of December 31, 2020, Latin America’s estimated lottery market was approximately $9.1 billion across 26 countries.
As of December 31, 2020, (the most recent date available) the addressable market in the countries that JuegaLotto and Aganar cover includes
664 million people and potential customers. We believe these acquisitions will provide inroads for the Company throughout Mexico
and Latin America as we expand our international operations, expand our portfolio of products, and expose our existing products to new
markets.
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In the first quarter of 2022,
we announced the signing of an agreement with ICARO pursuant to which ICARO will join LotteryLink as a Master Affiliate. As part of this
agreement, ICARO has agreed to market and promote the Company’s products to its customers in jurisdictions where ICARO operates,
including markets outside of the U.S. ICARO expects to launch its marketing efforts in one of the Latin American markets where it operates.
Launch of LotteryLink
Our success relies, in part,
on our ability to attract new customers to our B2C Platform and convert such customers to ongoing users of the B2C Platform. To further
this objective, in the third quarter of 2021, we launched LotteryLink, an affiliate marketing program. See below for more information.
Launch of Project Nexus
We are developing a proprietary,
blockchain-enabled gaming platform, which we have named Project Nexus. The Project Nexus platform is designed to handle high volumes of
user traffic with the goal of improving users’ experience through enhancing the security speed of our platforms and making them
more reliable. The initial phase of Project Nexus is expected to be implemented in the second quarter of 2022. See below for more information.
Key Elements of our Business
Mobile Lottery Game Platform Services
Both our B2C Platform and our
B2B API provide users with the ability to purchase legally sanctioned draw lottery games via a mobile device or computer, securely maintain
their acquired lottery game, automatically redeem a winning lottery game, as applicable, and receive support, if required, for the claims
and redemption process. Our registration and user interfaces are designed to be easy to use, provide for the creation of an account and
purchase of a lottery game with minimum friction and without the creation of a mobile wallet or requirement to pre-load minimum funds
and — importantly — to provide instant confirmation of the user’s lottery game numbers, whether
selected at random or picked by the user. In consideration of our B2C Platform services, users pay a service fee and, in certain non-U.S.
jurisdictions, a mark-up on the purchase price. We generate revenue from that service fee and mark-up.
LotteryLink Credits
In the third quarter of 2021,
we launched LotteryLink, our affiliate marketing program. As part of LotteryLink, we pay each of our Affiliates a percentage of the revenues
derived from each new customer they refer to us and, if such customer is located in a jurisdiction in which they may lawfully use our
B2C Platform, is converted to a user. These commissions are paid for a contractually specified duration of such user’s activity
on the B2C Platform. In support of their promotional activities, our Master Affiliates purchase credits, referred to as a LotteryLink
Credit, from us that can be redeemed for flexible promotion packages, consisting of marketing collateral, prepaid advertising, development
services, account management, and prepaid lottery games that can be used in promotions. We generate revenue from the sale of the LotteryLink
Credits and we believe that we may generate additional revenue through LotteryLink in the future by these Affiliates purchasing more LotteryLink
Credits.
Data Services
Our application and websites
offer comprehensive multi-jurisdiction lottery result information, without the requirement to create an account. Additionally, our Data
Service delivers daily results of domestic and international lottery games from more than 40 countries to over 400 digital publishers
and media organizations, pulled from real time primary source data.
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We generate revenue from the
subscription fees paid by our subscribers for annual access and also additional per record fees. We also generate fees from multi-year
contracts pursuant to which we sell proprietary, anonymized transaction data.
The WinTogether Platform
Unlike lottery games and other
games of chance, participation in sweepstakes is permissible in every state within the U.S. and most international jurisdictions and sweepstakes
offered on the WinTogether Platform are open to participants within the U.S. and internationally, unless prohibited by local law or regulation.
When a participant donates to a campaign cause on the WinTogether Platform, they are automatically entered to win a prize; provided, however,
in accordance with the sweepstakes requirements of most jurisdictions and the terms of service for each sweepstakes, no purchase or donation
is required for entry into sweepstakes offered on the WinTogether Platform.
We are the operator and administrator
of all sweepstakes on the WinTogether Platform. In consideration of our operation of the WinTogether Platform and administration of the
sweepstakes, we receive a percentage of the gross donations to a campaign, from which we pay certain dividends and all administration
costs. We expect that participation in the sweepstakes offered on the WinTogether Platform will continue to grow as we and WinTogether’s
trustees continue to develop its offerings. In addition to the benefit of the philanthropic opportunities generated by the WinTogether
Platform, we view its operation as a scalable source of revenue as well as a mechanism to increase the Company’s brand reputation
and recognition.
Synergistic Growth
In addition to organic growth
of our current revenue generating activities, we intend to grow our business through synergistic acquisitions, as evidenced by our acquisition
of Global Gaming in June 2021, which we believe provides growth potential for us in the Mexican and Latin American markets, and our recent
acquisition of the “Sports.com” domain as part of our plan to enter sports betting in December 2021.
Performance Measures
In managing our business and
assessing financial performance, we supplement the information provided by our financial statements with other operating metrics. We use
these metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate projections and make
strategic decisions. The primary operating metrics we use are:
● transactions per user;
● tickets per transaction;
● gross revenue per transaction;
● gross profit per transaction; and
● gross margin per transaction.
These metrics help enable us
to evaluate pricing, cost and customer profitability. We believe it is useful to provide investors with the same metrics that we use internally
to make comparisons of our historical operating results, identify trends in our operating results and evaluate our business. These metrics
track our B2C business and exclude users who were referred by an affiliate or who made purchases through an API partner.
Year Ended December 31,
Tickets Per Transaction 3.91 3.57
Gross Revenue Per Transaction $ 9.66 $ 8.63
Gross Profit Per Transaction $ 1.57 $ 1.19
Gross Margin per Transaction 16.29 % 13.81 %
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Transactions Per User
Transactions per user is the
average number of individual transactions per user in a given period. An individual transaction is defined as the placement of an order
by a user on our Platform. We use this measure to determine the overall performance of our products on a per user basis. When considered
with the other operating metrics, transactions per user provides insight into user stickiness and buying patterns and is a useful tool
to identify our most active users, which enables us to deploy more targeted marketing and other strategic initiatives. This metric also
gives us the ability to categorize users based on their performance and determine where to expend marketing and/or operational resources.
Transactions per user may be subject to variables that are outside of our control, for instance the size and popularity of a particular
lottery game.
Tickets Per Transaction
Tickets per transaction is
the average number of lottery game tickets purchased by a user per transaction. We use this measure to analyze the impact of product performance
with our customers on the number of tickets sold in one transaction. We believe this metric is useful for our investors because it gives
insight into the buying habits of our users. Similar to transactions per user, tickets per transaction may be subject to variables that
are outside of our control, for instance the size and popularity of a particular lottery game.
Gross Revenue Per Transaction
Gross revenue per transaction
is the average gross amount of revenue per transaction. We use this measure to determine how our top line revenue is performing on a per
transaction basis, which helps us to identify and evaluate pricing trends. We believe this metric is useful for our investors because
it provides insight into our revenue growth potential on a per transaction basis.
Gross Profit Per Transaction
Gross profit per transaction
is our average gross profit per transaction, calculated as gross revenue less the cost of the lottery game ticket and any processing fees,
including labor, printing and payment processing, per transaction. We believe this metric to be useful to evaluate and analyze our costs
and fee structure across product offerings and user cohorts, and additionally, helps our investors because it provides insight into our
profit growth potential on a per transaction basis.
Gross Margin Per Transaction
Gross margin per transaction
is calculated by dividing gross profit per transaction by gross revenue per transaction. We consider this metric to be a measure of overall
performance that provides useful information about the profitability of our B2C Platform and B2B API businesses.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Our Revenue
Revenue from B2C Platform. Our
revenue is the retail value of the acquired lottery game and the service fee charged to the user, which we impose on each lottery game
purchased from our B2C Platform. The amount of the service fee is based upon several factors, including the retail value of the lottery
game purchased by a user, the number of lottery games purchased by a user, and whether such user is located within the U.S. or internationally.
Currently, in the U.S, the minimum service fee is $0.50 for the purchase of a $1 lottery game and $1 for the purchase of a $2 lottery
game; the service fee for additional lottery games purchased in the same transaction is 6% of the face value of all lottery games purchased.
For example, the service fee for the purchase of five $2 tickets is $1.60, being the $1 base service fee, plus 6% of the aggregate value
of the face value of all lottery games purchased. In 2021, our domestic B2C Platform users purchased an average of 4.0 lottery games per
transaction at an average service fee of $0.37 per lottery game. In 2021, we had an average gross profit per domestic B2C Platform user,
where the definition of gross profit is the same as defined under “Gross Profit per Transaction”, of approximately
$16.08. The Company did not conduct any digital marketing spending in 2021. The average customer acquisition cost during 2020 was $4.01
per new user. Average customer acquisition costs per new user include digital marketing costs, but exclude non-digital market costs and
exclude any user referred by an affiliate. We had a year-over-year retention rate of domestic users of 72%, excluding any customers referred
by an affiliate or API partner, which results in a lifetime user value, on average, of $57.43.
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Internationally, we impose
a mark-up on the cost to be imposed on the sale of each lottery game together with a service fee to be charged to the user. In 2021, our
international B2C Platform users purchased an average of 2.1 lottery games per transaction at an average service fee and ticket price
mark-up of $2.30 per lottery game. We typically charge a higher service fee on lottery games in our international jurisdictions, and,
as a result, in 2021, the average service fee per international transaction was 90% higher than domestic transactions. In 2021, our average
gross profit per international user of our B2C Platform was $31.71. The Company did not conduct any digital marketing spending in 2021.
The average customer acquisition cost during 2020 was $4.26 per new user. The year-over-year retention rate was slightly lower internationally,
at 69%, resulting in a user lifetime value of $102.92. Although revenues from our international jurisdictions comprised 10% of our total
revenues in 2021, we are focused on the growth of this business organically and through the pursuit of strategic acquisitions and other
synergistic opportunities.
In 2021, we delivered approximately
2,585,000 lottery games to users of our B2C Platform worldwide.
Revenue from Sale of LotteryLink
Credits. We sell LotteryLink Credits to our third-party Affiliates, which may be redeemed for advertising credits, marketing collateral,
development services, account management services and prepaid lottery games for promotional activities. In 2021, we sold $47.1 million
in LotteryLink Credits for prepaid advertising, prepaid lottery games, marketing materials and development services.
Revenue from B2B API. Together
with our third-party commercial partner, we agree on the amount of the mark-up on the cost to be imposed on the sale of each lottery game
purchased through the B2B API, if any, together with a service fee to be charged to the user; we receive up to 50% of the net revenues
from such mark-up and service fee pursuant to our commercial agreement with each commercial partner. In the U.S., the Company’s
average gross revenue per such lottery game sale was $2.59. Internationally, the Company’s average gross revenue per lottery game
sale was $3.96. We currently do not charge our commercial partners a fee for the use of the B2B API.
In the third quarter of 2021,
we launched LotteryLink, which is intended to leverage third party Affiliates across multiple industries and marketing channels to acquire
users on our behalf. The initial phase of this program involved the sale and transfer of LotteryLink Credits to a Master Affiliate for
use in providing affiliate marketing packages to other third party Affiliates. Affiliate marketing packages include the LotteryLink Credits,
which, in the next phase of this program, such third party Affiliates will be able to use to promote and distribute our products on their
platforms. We believe that we may generate additional revenue through LotteryLink in the future by these third party Affiliates purchasing
more LotteryLink Credits.
In 2021, we had agreements
to acquire and sell lottery games through the B2B API with three international third-party commercial partners, including a French betting
solution and one U.S. third-party commercial partner, which operates a proprietary mobile wallet for use at traditionally coin-operated
machines, such as arcade games, vending machines, and laundry machines, which enabled our offerings on its mobile application. Collectively,
these agreements provided us with access to over 420,000 unique points of sale for users to acquire lottery games via our B2B API.
In 2021, we delivered 333,485
lottery games to end users of our B2B API, worldwide.
Data Services. Commercial
acquirers of our Data Service pay a subscription for access to the Data Service and, for acquisition of certain large data sets, an additional
per record fee. The Company additionally enters into multi-year contracts pursuant to which it sells proprietary, anonymized transaction
data pursuant to multi-year agreements and in accordance with our Terms of Service in consideration of a fee.
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Our Operating Costs and Expenses
Personnel Costs. Personnel
costs include salaries, payroll taxes, health insurance, worker’s compensation and other benefits for management and office personnel.
Professional Fees. Professional
fees include fees paid for legal and financial advisors, accountants and other professionals related to the Business Combination and other
transactions.
General and Administrative. General
and administrative expenses include marketing and advertising, expenses, office and facilities lease payments, travel expenses, bank fees,
software dues and subscriptions, expensed research and development (“R&D”) costs and other fees and expenses.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation
and amortization expenses include depreciation and amortization expenses on real property and other assets.
Key Trends and Factors Affecting Our Results
The following describes the
trends associated with our business that have impacted, and which we expect will continue to impact, our business and results of operations
in a material way:
COVID-19. For the
trends and other impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic that may continue to impact our business and results of operations, please see
“Recent Developments—Impacts of COVID-19,” above.
International
operations. We face challenges related to expanding our footprint globally and the related process of obtaining the licenses
and regulatory approvals necessary to provide services and products within new and emerging markets. Largely as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic and more recently as a result of the war in Ukraine, the international jurisdictions where we operate and seek to expand have
been subject to increasing foreign currency fluctuations against the U.S. dollar, soaring inflation and political and economic instability.
We expect these trends to continue during fiscal 2022 and believe they are likely to cause a material decrease in consumer spending, which
could have a material impact on our revenues. We expect that it will take a longer period of time to achieve revenue gains or generate
cash in the new regions or any new international jurisdictions in which we expand, outside of our domestic geographies.
Introduction
of a new gaming platform. We have developed a proprietary, blockchain-enabled gaming platform, which we have named Project Nexus.
Project Nexus is designed to handle high levels of user traffic and transaction volume, while maintaining expediency, security, and reliability
in processing lottery game sales, the retail requirements of the B2C Platform, the administrative and back-office functionality required
by the B2B API, and the claims and redemption process. We expect to utilize this platform to launch new products, including any proprietary
products we may introduce. The introduction of new technology like Project Nexus is subject to risks including, for example, implementation
delays, issues successfully integrating the technology into our solutions, or the possibility that the technology does not produce the
expected benefits.
Our
growth plans and the competitive landscape. Our direct competitors operate in the global entertainment and gaming industries
and, like us, seek to expand their product and service offerings with integrated products and solutions. Our short-to-medium term focus
is on increasing our penetration in our existing U.S. jurisdiction by increasing direct to consumer marketing campaigns, introducing our
B2C Platform into new U.S. and international jurisdictions, growing our LotteryLink program through the addition of new Affiliates, and
acquiring synergistic regulated and sports betting enterprises domestically and abroad. Competition in the sale of online lottery games
has significantly increased in recent years, is currently characterized by intense price-based competition, and is subject to changing
technology, shifting needs and frequent introductions of new games, development platforms and services. To maintain our competitive edge
alongside other established industry players (many of which have more resources, or capital), we expect to incur greater operating expenses
in the short-term, such as increased marketing expenses, increased compliance expenses, increased personnel and advisory expenses associated
with being a public company, additional operational expenses and salaries for personnel to support expected growth, additional expenses
associated with our ability to execute on our strategic initiatives including our aim to undertake merger and acquisition activities,
as well as additional capital expenditures associated with the ongoing development and implementation of Project Nexus.
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Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared
to Year Ended December 31, 2020
The following table summarizes
our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
Years Ended December 31,
Operating expenses:
Other expenses
Other comprehensive loss
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net (655 ) -
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest 136,924 -
Net loss per common share
Basic and diluted $ (0.43 ) $ (0.26 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Revenues.
Revenue. Revenue
for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $68.5 million, an increase of $61.0 million, or 819%, compared to revenue of $7.5 million
for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in revenue was driven by the sale of $47.1 million in LotteryLink Credits for
prepaid advertising, prepaid lottery games, marketing materials and development services in the third and fourth quarters of 2021. We
also experienced increased lottery game sales as a result of the availability of large multi-state lottery game jackpots in the first
quarter of 2021. Additionally, we believe that our increased brand recognition resulted in an increasing number of users on our Platform,
as well as increased lottery game sales during 2021.
Cost of Revenue. Cost
of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $19.2 million, an increase of $16.2 million, or 549%, compared to cost of revenue
of $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in the cost of revenue was driven by the increase in the
number of lottery games sold in 2021. Cost of revenue includes product costs, commission expense to affiliates and commercial partners,
and merchant processing fees. Additionally, the sale of LotteryLink Credits for prepaid advertising, prepaid lottery games, marketing
materials and development services also increased cost of revenue in 2021, as there were no sales of LotteryLink credits in 2020.
Gross Profit. Gross
profit for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $49.4 million, compared to $4.5 million for the year ended December 31,
2020, an increase of $44.9 million, or 995%. This increase was due to the sale of $47.1 million of LotteryLink Credits for prepaid advertising,
prepaid lottery games, marketing materials and development services in 2021, which generated significant gross profit, the sale of $9
million worth of Data Services, which did not incur any costs, and an overall increase in the number of lottery games sold.
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Operating Costs and Expenses.
Years Ended December 31,
Operating expenses
Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $39.2
million, an increase of $31.0 million, or 377%, compared to $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase
was primarily driven by increased professional and administrative expenses associated with the Business Combination, increased stock compensation
expense, increased headcount to support the Company’s growth, increased marketing spends resulting from the use of Gatehouse Media
credits, which we received several years ago in exchange for warrants, and increased amortization expenses driven by acquisitions made
during the 2021 fiscal year.
Personnel Costs. Personnel costs increased by $17.1 million, or 382%, from $4.5 million
for the year ended December 31, 2020, to $21.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was due to increases in
headcount to support the growth of the Company’s business operations and to support public company functions as well as stock compensation
expense.
Professional Fees. Professional
fees increased by $7.2 million, or 639%, from $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $8.3 million for the year
ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven by legal and professional fees associated with the Business Combination
Sales and Marketing. Sales
and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $1.9 million, compared to $0.3 million for the year ended December 31,
2020, an increase of $1.6 million, or 502%. The Company used $1.0 million of Gatehouse media credits in 2021 as compared to
$0.3 million used in 2020, which credits were received by the Company in consideration of the issuance of the Company’s warrants.
Additionally, spend on non-digital advertising and public relations activities increased throughout the year in conjunction with our growth
plans.
General and Administrative. General
and administrative expenses increased $2.4 million, or 306%, from $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to
$3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. These costs increased in general with the growth of the business and can be broken
down further into: increased travel of $0.4 million for business development opportunities, increased business licensing, bank fees, and
insurance of $0.9 million, and $0.8 million of additional office and software-related costs to support the increased headcount.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation
and amortization increased $2.8 million, or 180%, from $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $4.3 million
for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven by the acquisition of the sports.com domain name in 2021 as well as the
intangibles created through the purchase of Global Gaming.
Other Expense, Net.
Years Ended December 31,
Other expenses
Interest Expense. Interest expense increased by $18.6 million, or 1,519%, for the
year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase relates to amortization of debt
discounts and beneficial conversion features for additional convertible debt and short-term loans issued in 2021, most of which was converted
into equity at the time of the Business Combination or settled in cash following the Closing.
Other Expense. Other
expense increased by $2.0 million, or 231%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31,
2020. This increase was driven primarily by $1.7 million of additional revenue share expense based on increased revenue in 2021 as compared
to 2022. Additionally, there was $0.5 million in fees incurred during 2021 as part of a settlement with a subsidiary’s former shareholders.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary need for liquidity
is to fund working capital requirements of our business, growth, capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes. Our primary
source of liquidity has historically been funds generated by financing activities. For 2022, we expect to fund our operations, undertake
anticipated growth activities and make planned capital expenditures utilizing primarily the proceeds from the Business Combination and
cash flows from operating activities, although our ability to do so depends on our future operating performance, which is subject to prevailing
economic conditions and financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control.
Upon the Closing on October
29, 2021, we received net proceeds of approximately $42.8 million in cash. As of December 31, 2021, we had $62.6 million of cash
and cash equivalents and $88.3 million of working capital (current assets minus current liabilities), compared with $10.8 million
of cash and negative $0.5 million of working capital as of December 31, 2020. The increase of $88.3 million in our working
capital was primarily due to $30.0 million in cash received the sale of LotteryLink Credits in the third quarter of 2021, $42.8 million
in net proceeds from the Business Combination, $12.2 million reduction on in current notes payable and a $8.9 million reduction in current
net convertible debt from 2020 to 2021.
We expect that our cash on
hand and cash provided by operations will allow us to meet our capital requirements and operational needs for the next twelve months.
As of December 31, 2021, there were no regulatory capital requirements applicable to our industry.
We expect to deploy capital
to fund our growth through implementing new products and features within our B2C Platform services; expanding our B2C offering into new
domestic and international jurisdictions; entering into additional agreements with new commercial partners for our B2B API and LotteryLink
credits; executing on strategic acquisitions and other synergistic opportunities; investing in and developing new technology; and enhancing
our existing technology in each of our business lines, including distributed ledger technology.
Execution of our growth plans,
including further expansion of our business to new U.S. states and international jurisdictions, may require additional capital, which
we may seek through the issuance of equity or debt securities. If we are not able to secure the necessary capital, or if the terms of
financing are less desirable than we expect, we could be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product launches and related
marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, each of which could have an adverse impact on our business, results of
operations and financial prospects. For more information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — We may require
additional capital to support our growth plans, including in connection with our expansion into new markets and our strategic acquisitions,
and such capital may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. This could hamper our growth and adversely affect our business.”
Convertible Debt Obligations
Prior to the Closing, we funded
our operations through the issuance of convertible promissory notes.
From August to October 2017,
the Company entered into seven Convertible Promissory Note Agreements with unaffiliated investors for an aggregate amount of $821,500.
The notes bore interest at 10% per year, were unsecured, and were due and payable on June 30, 2019. The Company and the noteholders
executed amendments in February 2021 to extend the maturity date to December 21, 2021. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31,
2020, the balance of these notes was $771,500 and $821,500, respectively.
From November 2019 through
October 28, 2021, we issued approximately $48.2 million in aggregate principal amount of Series B convertible promissory notes.
The notes bear interest at 8% per year, were unsecured, and were due and payable on dates ranging from December 2020 to December 2022.
For those promissory notes that would have matured on or before December 31, 2020, the parties extended the maturity date to December 21,
2021 through amendments executed in February 2021. The amendments also allowed for automatic conversion to equity as a result of
the Business Combination. Nearly all of the aforementioned promissory notes automatically converted into shares of Common Stock or were
terminated pursuant to their terms, as applicable, in connection with the Closing. Those that remain outstanding do not have conversion
terms that were triggered by the Closing.
Immediately prior to the Closing,
approximately $60.0 million of convertible debt was converted into equity of AutoLotto. As of December 31, 2021, we had no convertible
debt outstanding.
Cash Flows
Net cash provided by operating activities was $8.1 million for
the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $4.7 million for the year ended December 31,
2020. Factors affecting changes in operating cash flows were increased revenue from operations which were offset by increased expenses
for professional fees, personnel costs, and sales and marketing activities in 2021 as compared to 2020. Net cash used in investing activities
during the year ended December 31, 2021 were $15.2 million, compared to $0.0 million for the prior year. The increase was
primarily the result of the acquisition of the sports.com domain name as well as the acquisition of Global Gaming completed on June 30,
2021. Net cash provided by financing activities was $59.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.0 million
for the year ended December 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the issuance of debt and proceeds from the Business Combination
offset by repayments during 2021.
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Changes in or Adoption of Accounting Practices
The following U.S. GAAP
standards have been recently issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”). We are in the process of
assessing the impact of these new standards on future consolidated financial statements. Pronouncements that are not applicable or where
it has been determined do not have a significant impact to the Company have been excluded herein.
ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with
Customers
Between May 2014 and
December 2016, the FASB issued several Accounting Standards Updates (“ASUs”)’s on ASC 606, which updates superseded
nearly all previous revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle is to recognize revenues when promised
goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled
for those goods or services. A five-step process has been defined to achieve this core principle, and, in doing so, more judgment and
estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing U.S. GAAP. The standards are
effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full
retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standards in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical
expedients; or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the standards recognized at the date
of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). The Company adopted these standards effective on January 1, 2018, and
management concluded the adoption of this standard did not result in any financial statement impacts or changes to revenue recognition
policies or processes as revenue is primarily derived from arrangements in which the transfer of control coincides with the fulfillment
of performance obligations.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our financial statements are
prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Certain of our accounting policies require that management apply significant judgments
and estimates in defining the appropriate assumptions integral to financial estimates. Judgments are based on historical experience and
other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, such as terms of contracts, industry trends and information available
from outside sources, as appropriate. However, by their nature, judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty, and therefore
actual results could differ from our estimates. We have applied significant estimates and assumptions related to the following:
Revenue and Cost Recognition
Revenue
In May 2014, the Financial
Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from
Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASC 606”), amending revenue recognition guidance and requiring
a more structured approach to measuring and recognizing revenue as well as provide more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial
statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.
The amended guidance is effective for accounting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2018.
We have applied ASC 606
to all revenue contracts. The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity recognizes revenue to depict 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. Revenues are generally recognized upon the transfer of control of promised products provided to our users, customers
and subscribers, reflecting the amount of consideration we expect to receive for those products. We enter into contracts that can include
various products, which are generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations. Revenue is recognized
net of any taxes collected from users, commercial partners and subscribers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.
The revenue recognition policy is consistent for sales generated directly with users and sales generated indirectly through affiliates,
other solution partners, and our commercial partners.
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Revenues are recognized upon the application of the following steps:
2. Identification of performance obligation(s) in the contract;
3. Determination of the transaction price;
5. Recognition of revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied.
Contracts with users and customers
for lottery game sales are at the point of sale and may include transfer of multiple products to a user or a customer and generally do
not require future obligations. In these situations, the Company generally considers each transferred product as a separate performance
obligation. The Company also has contracts with subscribers for the continued delivery of lottery and anonymized transaction data over
a defined period of time. In accounting for these contracts, the Company generally considers each set of data as a separate performance
obligation and recognizes revenue on their delivery ratably over the service period of the agreement. The Company’s products are
sold without a right of return or refund; the Company’s terms of service and contracts generally include specific language that
disclaims any warranties.
In addition, the Company’s
performance obligation in agreements with certain third parties is to transfer previously acquired Affiliate Marketing Credits. The payment
for these credits by the third parties is priced on a per-contract basis. The performance obligation in these agreements is to provide
title rights of the previously acquired credits to the third party. This transfer is point-in-time when the revenue is recognized, and
there are no variable considerations related to this performance obligation.
Income Taxes
For both financial accounting
and tax reporting purposes, the Company reports income and expenses based on the accrual method of accounting.
For federal and state income
tax purposes, the Company reports income or loss from their investments in limited liability companies on the consolidated income tax
returns. As such, all taxable income and available tax credits are passed from the limited liability companies to the individual members.
It is the responsibility of the individual members to report the taxable income and tax credits, and to pay any resulting income taxes.
Therefore, in relation to the income and losses incurred by the limited liability companies, they have been consolidated in the Company’s
tax return and provision based upon its relative ownership.
Income taxes are accounted
for in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), using the asset and liability method.
Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary
differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred
income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which
these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in
tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided for those deferred
tax assets for which it is more likely than not that the related benefit will not be realized.
The Company records uncertain
tax positions in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process in which (i) the Company determines whether it is
more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position; and (ii) for
those tax positions that meet the more likely than not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit
that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company’s policy
is to recognize interest and penalties related to the underpayment of income taxes as a component of income tax expense or benefit. To
date, there have been no interest or penalties charged in relation to the unrecognized tax benefits.
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Generally, the taxing authorities
can audit the previous three years of tax returns and in certain situations audit additional years. For federal tax purposes,
the Company’s 2018 through 2020 tax years generally remain open for examination by the tax authorities under the normal three-year
statute of limitations. For state tax purposes, the Company’s 2018 through 2020 tax years remain open for examination by the
tax authorities under the normal four-year statute of limitations.
Business combination
In a business combination,
substantially all identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired are recorded at the date of acquisition at their
respective fair values. One of the most significant areas of judgment and estimation relates to the determination of the fair value of
these assets and liabilities, including the fair value of contingent consideration, if applicable. If any intangible assets are identified,
depending on the type of intangible asset and the complexity of determining its fair value, an independent external valuation expert may
develop the fair value, using appropriate valuation techniques, which are generally based on a forecast of the total expected future net
cash flows. These valuations are linked closely to the assumptions made by our management regarding the future performance of the assets
concerned and any changes in the discount rate applied.
Fair value of financial assets and financial
liabilities
Fair value of financial assets
and financial liabilities recorded in the consolidated statements of financial position, which cannot be derived from active markets,
are determined using a variety of techniques including the use of valuation models. The inputs to these models are derived from observable
market data where possible, but where observable market data is not available, judgment is required to establish fair values. Judgment
includes, but is not limited to, consideration of model inputs such as volatility, estimated life and discount rates.
Fair value of stock options and warrants
We use the Black-Scholes option-pricing
model to calculate the fair value of stock options and warrants. Use of this method requires management to make assumptions and estimates
about the expected life of options and warrants, anticipated forfeitures, the risk-free rate, and the volatility of our share price. In
making these assumptions and estimates, management relies on historical market data.
Estimated useful lives, depreciation of
property, plant and equipment, and amortization of intangible assets
Depreciation of property, plant
and equipment and amortization of intangible assets is dependent upon estimates of useful lives based on management’s judgment.
The assessment of any impairment of these assets is dependent upon estimates of recoverable amounts that consider factors such as economic
and market conditions and the useful lives of assets.
Goodwill and intangible assets
Goodwill and indefinite life
intangible asset impairment testing require us to make estimates in the impairment testing model. On an annual basis, we test whether
goodwill and indefinite life intangible assets are impaired. Impairment is influenced by judgment in defining a cash-generating unit (“CGU”)
and determining the indicators of impairment, and estimates used to measure impairment losses. The recoverable amount is the greater of
value in use and fair value less costs to sell. The recoverable value of goodwill, indefinite and definite long-lived assets is determined
using discounted future cash flow models, which incorporate assumptions regarding projected future cash flows and capital investment,
growth rates and discount rates.
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Deferred Tax Asset and Valuation Allowance
Deferred tax assets, including
those arising from tax loss carry-forwards, requires management to assess the likelihood that we will generate sufficient taxable earnings
in future periods in order to utilize recognized deferred tax assets. Assumptions about the generation of future taxable profits depend
on management’s estimates of future cash flows. In addition, future changes in tax laws could limit our ability to obtain tax deductions
in future periods. To the extent that future cash flows and taxable income differ significantly from estimates, the ability of the Company
to realize the net deferred tax assets recorded at the reporting date could be impacted.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of
the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until
private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company
can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth
companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. We are an “emerging growth
company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and have elected to take advantage
of the benefits of this extended transition period. We expect to remain an emerging growth company through the end of the 2023 fiscal
year and we expect to continue to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period. This may make it difficult or impossible