AGS PlayAGS Inc

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Description of Business

PlayAGS, Inc. (the "Company," "PlayAGS," "we," "us," or "our") is a leading designer and supplier of gaming products and services for the gaming industry. We operate in legalized gaming markets across the globe and provide state-of-the-art, value-add products in three distinct segments: Electronic Gaming Machines (“EGM”), which includes server-based systems and back-office systems that are used by Class II Native American and Mexico gaming jurisdictions and Class III Native American, commercial and charitable jurisdictions; Table Products (“Table Products”), which includes live felt table games, side-bets and progressives as well as card shufflers including our newly introduced card shuffler, “Pax S”; and Interactive Games (“Interactive”), which provides game content and access to our remote gaming server to real-money gaming ("RMG") online casino operators as well as social casino games available for desktop and mobile devices. Each segment’s activities include the design, development, acquisition, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, installation and servicing of a distinct product line.

Electronic Gaming Machines

Our EGM segment offers a library of proprietary video slot titles developed for the global marketplace, and EGM cabinets which include our premium lease-only cabinets of Spectra UR43 Premium, Orion Starwall, Orion Curve Premium and Big Red as well as cabinets available for sale or lease notably the Spectra UR43, Spectra UR49C, Orion Portrait, Orion Slant, Orion Curve, Orion Upright, and ICON cabinets. In addition to providing complete EGM units, we offer conversion kits that allow existing game titles to be converted to other game titles offered within that operating platform.

Table Products

Our Table Products include both internally developed and acquired proprietary table products, side-bets, progressives, and table technology related to blackjack, poker, baccarat, craps and roulette. We have acquired a number of popular proprietary brands, including In Bet Gaming (“In Bet”), Buster Blackjack, Double Draw Poker and Criss Cross Poker that are based on traditional well-known public domain games such as blackjack and poker; however, these proprietary games provide intriguing betting options that offer more excitement and greater volatility to the player, ultimately enhancing our casino customers’ profitability. In addition, we offer a single deck card shuffler for poker tables, Dex S, as well as our new second shuffler, the Pax S single-deck shuffler.

Interactive

We specialize in providing a Business-to-Business ("B2B") game aggregation platform catering to the rapidly growing online RMG sector. Our remote gaming server empowers us to deliver an extensive library of games developed by our internal game development studios. Our catalog encompasses various game types, including slots, table games, and progressive technology. Our RMG solutions resonate with a diverse and widespread player base, positioning us as a trusted partner for operators seeking to thrive in the competitive global gaming landscape.

AGS also offers Business-to-Consumer (“B2C”) free-to-play social casino apps that players across the globe can enjoy anytime online or on their mobile devices. Our most popular app, Lucky Play Casino, offers mobile players all the thrills of Vegas casinos. Players can choose from dozens of AGS player-favorite slot games and other casino classics like video poker, blackjack, and bingo. Our apps also feature in-app tournaments, rumbles, VIP bonuses, and unique interactive challenges.

NOTE 2. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):

Gaming equipment and other property and equipment are depreciated over the respective useful lives of the assets ranging from one to five years. Depreciation expense was $10.1 million and $10.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. 

NOTE 3. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLES

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows (in thousands):

⁽¹⁾ As of March 31, 2024, accumulated goodwill impairment charges for the Interactive segment taken prior to the fiscal year 2024 were $8.4 million. 

Intangible assets consist of the following (in thousands):

Intangible assets are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives ranging from one to twelve years. Amortization expense related to intangible assets was $9.4 million and $8.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. 

The Company enters into development agreements and placement fee agreements with certain customers to secure floor space under lease agreements for its gaming machines. Amounts paid in connection with the development agreements are repaid to the Company in accordance with the terms of the agreement, whereas placements fees are not reimbursed. Amounts paid against the placement fee agreements with payment terms greater than ninety days are disclosed in the financing section of the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. Amounts paid for the placement fee agreements with the agreement terms less than ninety days, are disclosed in the Investing section of the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. 

For development agreements in the form of a loan, interest income is recognized on the repayment of the notes based on the stated rate or, if not stated explicitly in the development agreement, on an imputed interest rate. If the stated interest rate is deemed to be other than a market rate or zero, a discount is recorded on the note receivable as a result of the difference between the stated and market rate and a corresponding intangible asset is recorded. The intangible asset is recognized in the condensed consolidated financial statements as a contract right under development agreement and amortized as a reduction in revenue over the term of the agreement. Placement fees can be in the form of cash paid upfront or free lease periods and are accreted over the life of the contract and the expense is recorded as a reduction of revenue. We recorded a reduction of gaming operations revenue from the accretion of contract rights under development agreements and placement fees of $1.6 million and $1.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

NOTE 4. ACCRUED LIABILITIES

Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

NOTE 5. LONG-TERM DEBT

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

First Lien Credit Facilities

On  February 15, 2022, AP Gaming I, LLC (the “Borrower”), a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company and AP Gaming Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company (“Holdings”) entered into the Amended Credit Agreement with certain of the Borrower’s subsidiaries, the lenders party thereto and Jefferies Finance LLC, as administrative agent (the "Amended Credit Agreement"). The Amended Credit Agreement amends and restates the existing credit agreement, among the Borrower, Holdings, the lenders party thereto from time to time, the Administrative Agent and the other parties named therein.

The Borrower is a direct subsidiary of AP Gaming Holdings, LLC, which is a direct subsidiary of AP Gaming, Inc., which is a direct subsidiary the Company. These entities between the Borrower and the Company are holding companies with no other operations, cash flows, material assets or liabilities other than the equity interests in the Borrower.

The Amended Credit Agreement provides (i) a senior secured first lien term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $575.0 million (the “New Term Loan Facility”), the proceeds of which, together with cash on hand of the Borrower and its subsidiaries, were used by the Borrower to repay all amounts outstanding under the existing term loan facilities to pay related fees and expenses, and (ii) a $40.0 million senior secured first lien revolving facility, with a $7.5 million letter of credit subfacility and a $5.0 million swingline subfacility (the “New Revolving Credit Facility”).

Borrowings under the Amended Credit Agreement bear interest at a per annum rate equal to, at the Borrower’s election, either (a) an adjusted term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") for the interest period in effect, subject to a floor of (i) in the case of term loan borrowings, 0.75% and (ii) in the case of revolver borrowings, 0.00% or (b) a base rate determined by the highest of (i) the prime rate in effect, (ii) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50% and (iii) an adjusted term SOFR with an interest period of one month plus 1.00%, in each case plus an applicable margin of 4.00% for adjusted term SOFR loans and 3.00% for base rate loans.

The New Term Loan Facility will mature on  February 15, 2029 and, commencing with the quarter ending  June 30, 2022, will amortize in quarterly installments equal to 0.25% of the original aggregate principal amount of the term loans, with the balance due at maturity. The commitments under the New Revolving Credit Facility will terminate on  February 15, 2027.

The Borrower  may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the Amended Credit Agreement at any time, without prepayment premium or penalty, except in connection with a repricing event in respect of the New Term Loan Facility, subject to customary breakage costs with respect to adjusted term SOFR loans.

The Amended Credit Agreement includes customary mandatory prepayment events, affirmative covenants, negative covenants and events of default. In addition, the New Revolving Credit Facility requires the Borrower to comply on a quarterly basis, with a maximum net first lien senior secured leverage ratio of 6.70 to 1.00 if the aggregate amount of funded loans and issued letters of credit (excluding up to $5.0 million of undrawn letters of credit under the New Revolving Credit Facility and letters of credit that are cash collateralized) under the New Revolving Credit Facility on such date exceeds 35% of the then-outstanding commitments under the New Revolving Credit Facility.

On February 5, 2024, the Borrower and Holdings, entered into an amendment (the “Seventh Amendment”) to amend that certain First Lien Credit Agreement, dated as of June 6, 2017 (as amended on December 6, 2017, as amended and restated on February 7, 2018, as amended and restated as of October 5, 2018, as amended as of August 30, 2019, as amended and restated on May 1, 2020, as amended as of August 4, 2021, as amended and restated as of February 15, 2022), among the Borrower, Holdings, the lenders party thereto from time to time, Jefferies Finance LLC, as administrative agent, and the other parties named therein (as so amended, the “Amended Credit Agreement”).

Among other things, the Seventh Amendment (i) removes the credit spread adjustment with respect to term loan borrowings in Term SOFR (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) and (ii) reduces the Applicable Margin (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) on the Borrower’s existing term loan to 3.75% for Term SOFR borrowings and 2.75% for ABR (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) borrowings. Additionally, in conjunction with entry into the Seventh Amendment, the Company elected to repay $15 million of its total debt outstanding.

An additional $1.6 million in loan costs including the write-off of deferred loan costs and third-party costs were incurred related to the Seventh Amendment. Given the composition of the lender group, the transaction was accounted for as a debt modification for existing lenders. As a result of the Seventh Amendment, approximately $1.6 million in costs were expensed and included in the loss on extinguishment and modification of debt.

As of March 31, 2024, there were no required financial covenants for our debt instruments.

Finance Leases

The Company has entered into leases for vehicles and equipment that are accounted for as finance leases.

NOTE 6. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Our amended and restated articles of incorporation provide that our authorized capital stock will consist of 450,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of March 31, 2024, we have 39,378,705 shares of common stock and zero shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

Voting Rights

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted for action by the stockholders, and do not have cumulative voting rights with respect to the election of our directors. 

Dividend and Distribution Rights

All shares of our common stock are entitled to share equally in any dividends and distributions our board of directors may declare from legally available sources, subject to the terms of any outstanding preferred stock.

Share repurchase program

During 2019, our board of directors approved a share repurchase program that will permit the Company to repurchase up to $50.0 million of the Company’s shares of common stock. During the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the board approved extending this share buyback program to August 11, 2025. As of  March 31, 2024, $44.5 million of the $50.0 million authorized by our board of directors is still available for repurchasing of the Company's shares of common stock.

NOTE 7. WRITE-DOWNS AND OTHER CHARGES

The condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss include various transactions, such as loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration that have been classified as write-downs and other charges.

During the three months ended  March 31, 2024, the Company did not recognize any meaningful write-downs and other charges. During the three months ended  March 31, 2023, the Company recognized $0.2 million in write-downs and other charges primarily related to the impairment of intangible assets (the Company used level 3 fair value inputs based on projected cash flows) and the disposal of long-lived assets.

NOTE 8. BASIC AND DILUTED INCOME (LOSS)

The Company computes net income (loss) per share in accordance with accounting guidance that requires presentation of both basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) on the face of the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Basic EPS is computed by dividing net income (loss) for the period by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Basic EPS includes common stock weighted for average number of shares issued during the period. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing net income (loss) for the period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, increased by potentially dilutive common shares that were outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS excludes all potential dilutive shares if their effect is anti-dilutive. Potentially dilutive common shares include stock options and restricted stock (see Note 10. "Stock-Based Compensation").

Excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS for the three months ended March 31, 2024 were 1,027,242 restricted shares, subject to performance vesting conditions that have not been met yet. The earnings per share calculations for the three months ended March 31, 2024 include the dilutive effect for 140,798 stock options and 3,195,064 participating securities.

Excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS for the three months ended  March 31, 2023 were 1,221,370 restricted shares, subject to performance vesting conditions that have not been met yet, and 1,162,088 underwater stock options. Excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS for the three months ended  March 31, 2023 were 3,269,247 restricted shares because the Company reported a net loss in this period. 

NOTE 9. BENEFIT PLANS

The Company has established a 401(k) plan (the “401(k) Plan”) for its employees. The 401(k) Plan allows employees to contribute a portion of their earnings, and the Company may match a percentage of the contributions on a discretionary basis. The expense associated with the 401(k) Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 was $0.6 million and $0.7 million, respectively. 

On  April 28, 2014, our board of directors approved the 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”). Under the LTIP, the Company is authorized to grant nonqualified stock options, rights to purchase shares of common stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other awards to be settled in, or based upon, shares of common stock to persons who are directors and employees of and consultants to the Company or any of its subsidiaries on the date of the grant. The LTIP will terminate ten years after approval by the board. Subject to adjustments in connection with certain changes in capitalization, the maximum number of shares of common stock that  may be delivered pursuant to awards under the LTIP is 2,253,735. However, remaining awards for issuance under this plan will not be issued, and awards granted by the Company in the future are expected to be from the 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "Omnibus Incentive Plan") only. 

On January 16, 2018, our board of directors adopted and our stockholders approved the Omnibus Incentive Plan pursuant to which equity-based and cash incentives may be granted to participating employees, directors and consultants. On May 8, 2020, our board of directors approved an amendment to the Omnibus Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance thereunder from 1,607,389 shares to 4,607,389 shares, an increase of 3,000,000 shares (the “2020 Plan Amendment”), which was approved by the stockholders on July 1, 2020 at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

On April 28, 2022, our board of directors approved an amendment to the Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended by the 2020 Plan Amendment, to increase the number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance thereunder from 4,607,389 shares to 9,607,389 shares, an increase of 5,000,000 shares (the “2022 Plan Amendment”), which was approved by the stockholders on July 1, 2022 at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. As a result of the 2022 Plan Amendment, awards that were previously accounted for as liability awards were reclassified to equity as they are expected to be settled with equity. Prior to the 2022 Plan Amendment, there were insufficient shares available to settle the liability awards with equity. As of March 31, 2024, we had 3,798,582 shares available for issuance under the Omnibus Incentive Plan. 

NOTE 10. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

The Company has granted equity or equity-based awards to eligible participants under its incentive plans. The awards include options to purchase the Company’s common stock, restricted stock and phantom stock units. These awards include time-based vesting awards as well as awards that include a combination of service and market conditions, as further described below. 

We recognize stock-based compensation on a straight-line basis over the total requisite service period for the entire award for the time-based restricted stock units; for the awards with market conditions, we recognize the expense over the service period derived from the related valuation; for the time-based phantom stock units, we concurrently recognize compensation cost over the requisite service period for each separately-vesting tranche using the graded vesting method.

The following provides the total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense under all programs as of the following dates:

Stock Options

The Company calculates the grant date fair value of stock options that vest over a service period using the Black Scholes model. For stock options and other stock awards that contain a market condition related to the return on investment that the Company’s stockholders achieve or obtaining a certain stock price, the awards are valued using a lattice-based valuation model. The assumptions used in these calculations are the expected dividend yield, expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected term (in years). Expected volatilities are based on implied volatilities from comparable companies. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve for a term equivalent to the estimated time to liquidity. There were no options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2023. 

Stock option awards represent options to purchase common stock and are granted pursuant to the Company’s incentive plans, and include options that the Company primarily classifies as Tranche A or time based, Tranche B and Tranche C.

Tranche A or time-based options are eligible to vest in equal installments of 20% or 25% on each of the first five or four anniversaries of the date of the grant, subject to continued employment with the Company or its subsidiaries. In the event of a termination of employment without cause or as a result of death or disability, any such time-based options which would have vested on the next applicable vesting date shall become vested, and the remaining unvested time-based options shall be forfeited. In addition, upon a Change in Control (as defined in the incentive plans), subject to continued employment through the date of the Change in Control, all outstanding unvested time-based options shall immediately vest. An initial public offering does not qualify as a Change in Control as it relates to the vesting of stock options.

All other option awards, comprised of Tranche B and Tranche C, are eligible to vest upon the satisfaction of certain performance conditions (collectively, “Performance Options”). These performance conditions included the achievement of investor returns or common stock trading prices. These performance conditions were achieved in October of 2018 for all Performance Options that have been granted and there are currently 487,922 Performance Options exercisable and outstanding.

A summary of the changes in stock options outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2024, is as follows:

Restricted Stock Units

Restricted stock units are typically eligible to vest in equal installments of 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of the date of the grant, subject to continued employment with the Company or its subsidiaries. In the event of a termination of employment without cause or as a result of death or disability, any such unvested time-based awards shall become vested. In the event of a change in control, certain awards vest immediately and certain awards vest only upon termination within 12 months of the change in control event.

Certain restricted stock units are eligible to vest upon the satisfaction of certain performance conditions. Vesting occurs on the first day that the average price per share of our common stock for a specified number of consecutive trading days exceeds certain stock prices, subject to continued employment with the Company or its subsidiaries. The performance-based restricted stock units will be forfeited if the performance target is not achieved within four years of the grant date. 

A summary of the changes in restricted units outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2024, is as follows:

Phantom Stock Units

Phantom stock units are typically eligible to vest in equal installments of 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of the date of the grant, subject to continued employment with the Company or its subsidiaries. In the event of a termination of employment without cause upon or as a result of death or disability, any such unvested units shall become vested. In the event of a change in control, certain awards vest immediately and certain awards vest only upon termination within 12 months of the change in control event. The phantom stock units outstanding at  March 31, 2024  may be settled in cash or stock at the Company’s discretion. The phantom stock units that the Company intends to settle in cash are accounted for as liability awards and are re-measured at fair value each reporting period until they become vested with compensation expense being recognized over the requisite service period. The liability associated with such awards is included in “Accrued Liabilities” within the Consolidated Balance Sheets. All other stock-based awards are classified as equity.

Certain phantom stock units are eligible to vest upon the satisfaction of certain performance conditions. Vesting occurs on the first day that the average price per share of our common stock for a specified number of trading days exceeds certain stock prices, subject to continued employment with the Company or its subsidiaries.

A summary of the changes in phantom stock units outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2024 is as follows:

NOTE 11. INCOME TAXES

The Company's effective income tax rate for the three months ended  March 31, 2024, was an expense of 13.2%. The difference between the federal statutory rate of 21.0% and the Company's effective tax rate for the three months ended  March 31, 2024, is primarily due to changes in our valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. The Company's effective income tax rate for the three months ended  March 31, 2023, was a benefit of 78.1%. The difference between the federal statutory rate of 21.0% and the Company's effective tax rate for the three months ended  March 31, 2023, is primarily due to changes in our valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations for certain uncertain tax positions.

NOTE 12. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company is subject to federal, state and Native American laws and regulations that affect both its general commercial relationships with its customers, as well as the products and services provided to them. Periodically, the Company reviews the status of each significant matter and assesses the potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be estimated, the Company accrues a liability for the estimated loss. If a potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered reasonably possible, the Company discloses an estimate of the possible loss or range of possible loss, or a statement that such an estimate cannot be made. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and the determination as to whether an exposure is reasonably estimable. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based only on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, the Company reassesses the potential liability related to their pending claims and litigation and  may revise their estimates. Such revisions in the estimates of the potential liabilities could have a material impact on the results of operations and financial condition.

On  June 25, and  July 31, 2020, putative class action lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada (the "Court"), by two separate plaintiffs against the Company and certain of its officers, individually and on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Company securities between  August 2, 2018 and  August 7, 2019. The complaints alleged that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), by making false and misleading statements concerning the Company’s forward-looking financial outlook and accounting for goodwill and intangible assets in its iGaming reporting unit, resulting in injury to the purported class members when the value of the Company’s common stock declined following its release of its Second Quarter 2019 results on  August 7, 2019. 

On  August 4, 2020, a third plaintiff (“OPPRS”) filed a putative class action lawsuit in the same court asserting similar claims to those alleged in the first two class action complaints, based on substantially the same conduct, on behalf of a slightly larger class (stretching back to  May 3, 2018). Specifically, OPPRS claimed that the Company, certain of its officers, and certain entities that allegedly beneficially held over 50% of the Company’s common stock at the beginning of the class period, violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act by allegedly making false and misleading statements concerning the Company’s forward-looking financial outlook and accounting for goodwill and intangible assets in its iGaming reporting unit, and the adequacy of its internal controls over financial reporting, resulting in injury to the purported class when the Company’s common stock price declined following the release of its Second Quarter 2019 results. In addition, based on substantially similar alleged false or misleading statements, OPPRS asserted claims under Sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on behalf of all persons who purchased Company common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Company’s  August 2018 and  March 2019 secondary public offerings. These secondary-offering claims were brought against the same defendants identified above, plus certain of the Company’s directors and the underwriters. 

On  October 28, 2020, the Court consolidated these three related putative class actions into In re PlayAGS, Inc. Securities Litigation and appointed OPPRS as lead plaintiff. On  January 11, 2021, the lead plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint in the consolidated action against the same set of defendants, again asserting claims (i) under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, with an even larger putative class period ( May 3, 2018 through  March 4, 2020), and (ii) under Sections 11, 12(a)(2) and 15 of the Securities Act on behalf of the same putative class as in OPPRS’s previous complaint. The Amended Complaint alleges that statements the defendants made about, among other things, the Company’s growth, financial performance, and forward-looking financial outlook were materially false or misleading because the Company omitted to state that, according to plaintiffs, its market strength was declining, its growth strategies were unsustainable, and it was experiencing challenges in the Oklahoma market. Plaintiffs claim that the purported class was injured when the common stock price declined after the alleged “truth” was revealed following release of the Company’s financial reports on  August 7, 2019,  November 7, 2019, and  March 4, 2020. Plaintiffs also assert that the Company violated Regulation S-K Items 303 and 105 by failing to disclose these same alleged negative trends and significant risks in the registration materials for the Company’s secondary offerings. Unlike the previous complaints, the Amended Complaint does not allege false or misleading statements concerning the Company’s accounting for the iGaming reporting unit or the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

On  February 23, 2021, the Court granted the lead plaintiff’s unopposed motion to file a Second Amended Complaint. The Second Amended Complaint was filed on  March 25, 2021 and asserts substantially the same claims as the Amended Complaint but extends the beginning of the putative class period back to  January 26, 2018. On  May 24, 2021, the defendants filed motions to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint, and on  December 2, 2022, the court granted in part and denied in part those motions. It dismissed each of the five claims in the second amended complaint—including all claims under the Securities Act—but the court carved out from the dismissal a “scheme liability” claim under Section 10(b), brought only against the Company, David Lopez, and Kimo Akiona, which the court felt was insufficiently briefed. The lead plaintiff was granted leave to file a further amended complaint but chose not to, and instead seeks to move forward on the sole remaining scheme liability claim.

On  January 17, 2023, the Company, Mr. Lopez, and Mr. Akiona filed an answer to the remaining claim, along with a motion to temporarily stay discovery and a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that the legal findings contained in the court’s  December 2, 2022 decision require dismissal of the scheme liability claim as well and termination of the action. Those motions were fully briefed as of  March 22, 2023. On  March 23, 2023, the Court decided the motion to temporarily stay discovery in favor of the defendants, holding that all discovery is stayed pending resolution of the motion for judgment on the pleadings. On  February 13, 2024, the Court granted the motion for judgment on the pleadings and dismissed the securities class action in full with prejudice. On March 14, 2024, Plaintiff's filed a notice of appeal. The Company, Mr. Lopez, and Mr. Akiona intend to oppose the appeal and will file their opposition prior to the deadline of July 3, 2024 (which includes an automatic 30-day extension). The defendants believe all claims in the action are without merit, and will continue to defend vigorously against them, but there can be no assurances as to the outcome.

On  March 18, 2022, a shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada by putative stockholder, Manjan Chowdhury, allegedly on behalf of the Company, that piggy-backs on the consolidated securities class action referenced above and currently pending before the same Court. The derivative complaint names David Lopez, Kimo Akiona, and members of the Board as defendants, and generally alleges that they breached their fiduciary duties by causing or failing to prevent the same allegedly false and misleading statements asserted in the securities class action. The derivative complaint also alleges claims for contribution against Mr. Lopez and Mr. Akiona under Sections 10(b) and 21D of the Exchange Act. On  June 9, 2022, the court stayed the derivative action, pursuant to a stipulation between the parties, pending resolution of the motion to dismiss the consolidated securities class action. On  January 27, 2023, at the request of the parties, the court ordered that the derivative action remain stayed pending resolution of the motion for judgment on the pleadings in the securities class action. The Company and the individual defendants believe the claims in the shareholder derivative action are without merit and intend to defend vigorously against them, but there can be no assurances as to the outcome.

At this time, we are unable to estimate the probability or the amount of liability, if any, related to the securities class action or the shareholder derivative matter.

In  January 2021, we obtained the results of an audit conducted by the Alabama Department of Revenue (“ADOR”), in which the ADOR assessed $3.3 million including interest in unpaid state and local rental taxes on participation revenues and licensing fees that we received from the leasing of EGMs to a Native American tribe in the state of Alabama in the period from  May 2016 through  August 2019. ADOR claims that such revenues constitute a lease rental payment and are deemed taxable in nature even in situations involving Native American tribe lessees.

We believe that we were not required to collect and remit Alabama state and local lease/rental tax on our leases of EGMs in the state as those leases are on federally designated Indian reservation land and because federal Indian trading laws and Indian gaming laws, as well as the U.S. Constitution, preempt application of the rental tax to these transactions with the Native American tribe. We have disputed ADOR’s audit findings in accordance with applicable state and local tax procedures and ADOR rules. Our dispute is currently in the discovery phase at the Alabama Tax Tribunal, which is the independent tax court for the state of Alabama. A merits trial for this dispute has been rescheduled to  August 2024.

We have not accrued the $3.3 million assessed by ADOR, as we do not believe that it is probable that a liability has occurred. However, if we do not prevail in the dispute with ADOR, we  may be required to accrue this amount as well as applicable interest. It is also possible that ADOR  may similarly audit the participation revenues and licensing fees that we received from the leasing of EGMs to a Native American tribe in the state of Alabama subsequent to  August 2019. While we cannot reasonably calculate the amount that ADOR would assess for the revenues from such subsequent periods due to the types of revenues and rates that apply, based solely on the amount assessed for the period from  May 2016 through  August 2019, we estimate that ADOR’s assessment for taxable lease rental payments for subsequent periods through  December 31, 2023 would not exceed $2.9 million, excluding interest. There is no assurance that ADOR will assess our revenues from subsequent periods or that such assessment will not materially differ from our estimate.

In  May 2023, we obtained the initial results of an audit conducted by Servicio de Administracion Tributaria (“SAT”) regarding the compliance of our EGMs imported into Mexico with the requirements of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). SAT has concluded that EGMs we imported during certain periods do not comply with their documentation standards to demonstrate compliance with NAFTA and that therefore certain taxes were omitted when the machines were imported. 

In  December 2023, we entered into discussions with SAT and the Mexican taxpayer advocate, Procuraduría de la Defensa del Contribuyente, to reach an agreement with SAT regarding its final assessment which we expected to receive during these discussions. The discussions concluded in  January 2024 with no resolution of the matter and with no fixed amount of the potential assessment. In  February 2024, SAT made an assessment of the omitted taxes together with interest, fines, and surcharges of approximately $10.1 million, which has been translated into US dollars at the quarter end exchange rate. We believe that the EGMs qualify under NAFTA and that the documentation we have provided to SAT has been sufficient to demonstrate this qualification. We also believe that SAT has not conducted its audit in compliance with Mexican law and regulations. Therefore, we have filed nullity petitions before the Federal Tax Court in Mexico to invalidate SAT’s resolutions in this matter.

We have not accrued any amount related to this matter, as we cannot accurately estimate the potential loss within the range of up to $9.9 million, including the possibility of the full reduction of the assessment based on our petitions.

NOTE 13. OPERATING SEGMENTS

We report our business segment results by segment in accordance with the “management approach.” The management approach designates the internal reporting used by our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), who is our Chief Executive Officer, for making decisions and assessing performance of our reportable segments.

See Note 1. "Description of the Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" for a detailed discussion of our three segments. Each segment’s activities include the design, development, acquisition, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, installation and servicing of its product lines. We evaluate the performance of our operating segments based on revenues and segment Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA"), which is defined in the paragraph below.

Segment revenues include leasing, licensing, or selling of products within each reportable segment. Segment Adjusted EBITDA includes the revenues and operating expenses from each segment adjusted for:

Revenues in each segment are attributable to third parties and segment operating expenses are directly associated with the product lines included in each segment such as research and development, product approval costs, product-related litigation expenses, sales commissions and other directly-allocable sales expenses. Cost of gaming operations and cost of equipment sales primarily include the cost of products sold, service, manufacturing overhead, shipping and installation.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA excludes other income and expense, income taxes and certain expenses that are managed outside of the operating segments.

The following provides financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 (amounts in thousands): 

The Company’s CODM does not receive a report with a measure of total assets or capital expenditures for each reportable segment as this information is not used for the evaluation of segment performance. The CODM assesses the performance of each segment based on Adjusted EBITDA and not based on assets or capital expenditures due to the fact that two of the Company’s reportable segments, Table Products and Interactive, are not capital intensive. Any capital expenditure information is provided to the CODM on a consolidated basis. Therefore, the Company has not provided asset and capital expenditure information by reportable segment.

NOTE 14. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS 

On May 8, 2024, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Bingo Holdings I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Parent”), and Bingo Merger Sub, Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), providing for, among other things, the merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company (the “Merger”) with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Parent and Merger Sub were formed by affiliates of Brightstar Capital Partners.

Upon the closing of the Merger, each share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (except for shares (A) held by the Company (including in the Company’s treasury) or any direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; and (B) held by Parent, Merger Sub or any other direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, which will be cancelled and retired for no consideration, will automatically be canceled and converted into the right to receive $12.50 in cash.

Consummation of the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including but not limited to: (i) the approval of the Merger by the Company’s stockholders, (ii) expiration or termination of any waiting periods applicable to the consummation of the Merger under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, (iii) absence of any legal requirement, order or injunction enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the consummation of the Merger and (iv) receipt of certain gaming regulatory approvals. The Merger is expected to be completed in the second half of calendar year 2025 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals, which include gaming regulatory approvals and gaming licenses, and approval by a majority of AGS stockholders.