424B3 1 elys_2021june15-424b.htm 424B3

 

 

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)

Registration No. 333-256815

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

$100,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

 

We may offer and sell up to $100,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.

 

Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

 

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

 

Our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ELYS.” On June 14, 2021, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $4.63 per share.

 

 

This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and in any free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is June 14, 2021 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
     
About this Prospectus   i
Industry and Market Data   ii
Prospectus Summary   1
Risk Factors   7
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements   8
Use of Proceeds   9
Dividend Policy   10
Description of Our Capital Stock   11
Description of Debt Securities   17
Description of Warrants   23
Description of Units   25
Legal Ownership of Securities   26
Plan of Distribution   29
Legal Matters   31
Experts   31
Where You Can Find More Information   31
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference   31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000 of securities as described in this prospectus. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the prospectus supplement. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”

 

THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONSUMMATE A SALE OF SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

Neither we, nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. This prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor does this prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

 

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or securities are sold, on a later date.

 

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Information contained in, and that can be accessed through, our web site www.elysgame.com shall not be deemed to be part of this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference and should not be relied upon by any prospective investors for the purposes of determining whether to purchase the securities offered hereunder.

 

Except where the context requires otherwise, in this prospectus references to the “Company,” “Elys” “Newgioco,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Elys Game Technology, Corp., a Delaware corporation formed in 1998 (formerly known as Newgioco Group, Inc.), and, where appropriate, its current subsidiaries, Ulisse GmbH, a company organized under the laws of Austria, Odissea Betriebsinformatik Beratung GmbH, a company organized under the laws of Austria, Multigioco Srl., a company organized under the laws of the Republic of Italy, Newgioco Group Inc., a company organized under the laws of Canada, Virtual Generation Limited, a company organized under the laws of Republic of Malta, Elys Technology Group Limited, a company organized under the laws of Republic of Malta, Newgioco Colombia SAS, a company organized under the laws of Colombia, and Elys Gameboard Technologies, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, and its prior subsidiaries Rifa Srl, a company organized under the laws of the Republic of Italy, that was amalgamated into Multigioco with effect on January 20, 2020, and Naos Holding Limited, a company organized under the laws of Republic of Malta that was discontinued with effect on December 31, 2019.

 

This prospectus and the information incorporated herein by reference include trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or other companies. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

 

 

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INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

 

This prospectus contains estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other data about our industry. We obtained the industry and market data in this prospectus from our own research as well as from industry and general publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations and contains projections and estimates of the future performance of the industries in which we operate that are subject to a high degree of uncertainty, including those discussed in “Risk Factors.” We caution you not to give undue weight to such projections, assumptions and estimates. Further, industry and general publications, studies and surveys generally state that they have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. While we believe that these publications, studies and surveys are reliable, we have not independently verified the data contained in them. In addition, while we believe that the results and estimates from our internal research are reliable, such results and estimates have not been verified by any independent source.

 

 

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

The items in the following summary are described in more detail elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein. This summary provides an overview of selected information and does not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our securities. Therefore, you should carefully read the entire prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, including the “Risk Factors” section and other documents or information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement before making any investment decision.

 

Overview

 

 

We are an international, vertically integrated commercial-stage company engaged in two principal aspects of the leisure gaming industry as (1) a business-to-consumer (“B2C”) licensed retail gaming operator (known as an “Operator”) offering our products through two sales distribution channels in (i) retail land-based or on-site physical venues and (ii) online through PC, tablet and mobile distribution, and (2) as a business-to-business (“B2B”) betting technology provider (known as a “Provider”) offering our proprietary betting technology either (1) directly to licensed operators or (2) through value-added re-sellers or systems integrators in the leisure betting industry.

 

As an Operator in the regulated Italian leisure betting market, we operate on a single-tier distribution strategy by collecting wagers on leisure betting products including a variety of lottery, casino gaming and sports bets through two channels: (i) online through websites on internet browsers and mobile solutions and also through relationships with affiliated physical venues known as “web-shops” (internet cafes; kiosks, coffee-shops, convenience stores, restaurants and bars, etc.) where patrons can open a game account, deposit funds and by using public Internet access to play online with their personal password protected gaming account through PC’s situated at each venue, and (ii) land-based through physical land-based retail venues. We currently provide our gaming services in Italy through our subsidiary, Multigioco Srl (“Multigioco”), which operations are carried out via both land-based or online retail gaming licenses regulated by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (“ADM”) that permits us to distribute leisure betting products such as sports betting, and virtual sports betting products through both physical, land-based retail locations as well as online through our licensed website www.newgioco.it or commercial webskins linked to our licensed website and through mobile devices. Our Austria Bookmaker license that is regulated by the Austrian Federal Finance Ministry (“BMF”) permits us to operate online sports betting in certain European jurisdictions outside of Italy through our subsidiary Ulisse GmbH (“Ulisse”) under the free-trade principles incorporated within bilateral Intra-EU trade agreements that refers to all trade, including e-commerce transactions in most goods, services and products between member states of the European Union (“EU”).

 

As a Provider, we own and operate a Gaming Laboratories International (“GLI”) and ADM certified betting software designed with a unique “distributed model” architecture colloquially named Elys Game Board and virtual gaming software (the “Platform”). The Platform is a fully integrated “omni-channel” framework that combines centralized technology for updating, servicing and operations with multi-channel functionality to accept all forms of customer payment through the distribution channels described above. The omni-channel software design is fully integrated with a built in player gaming account management and a built-in sports book. As a Provider, we employ a multi-tier distribution strategy on both a direct to customer channel and on a shared infrastructure basis.

 

The Platform is certified by the ADM, the Malta Gaming Authority (“MGA”) in Malta and GLI and is owned by our subsidiary Odissea Betriebsinformatik Beratung GmbH (“Odissea”). The software architecture was developed and built on the latest Microsoft.Net Core framework, supporting both online customer gaming accounts as well as land-based bet processing capability with multi-channel functionality accepting all forms of payment methods (i.e., cash, e-wallet, bank card and wire transfer, etc.) backed by a real-time customer relationship management (“CRM”) and business intelligence (“BI”) program for streamlined cross-platform marketing as well as a synchronized financial accounting processes. Additionally, we are a Provider of virtual gaming software on a B2B basis through our subsidiary Virtual Generation Limited (“VG”). Data processed through our Platform is communicated directly to on-the-ground sales and marketing agents that manage and maintain both our online and land-based retail distribution. The Platform allows our independent B2B customers to (i) rapidly and effectively model their gaming businesses and manage gaming accounts, (ii) monitor and analyze performance on an ongoing basis, (iii) share dashboards, and (iv) generate management reports all within a fully integrated solution. In addition, our clients can use the built-in business intelligence modules to evaluate actual performance and leverage insights from analytics to make informed, timely decisions to drive future business. The unique ‘shop-client’ architecture of the Platform is to our knowledge a one-of-a-kind solution in the leisure betting industry and was built around the specific demands of leisure betting operators and proven through our existing Multigioco operations throughout Italy. 

 

 

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 Development of Foreign Markets

 

  · The North America Sports Betting Market. Until 2018 the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 combined with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (“PASPA” or the “Bradley Act”), prohibited sports betting in the U.S. in all but four grandfathered states (Montana, Oregon, Nevada, Delaware). In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned PASPA in a 6-3 decision that found the law conflicted with the Tenth Amendment leaving individual states to decide whether to allow its residents to bet on sports. As described below under the section “United States Operations Development”, many states, such as New Jersey, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and others, have moved quickly to establish sports betting as a means to increase their respective capital resources. While several states have recently passed legislation to allow online gambling, we believe that the U.S. sports betting market will take 5 – 10 years to fully develop. We believe that the United States represents a large addressable market opportunity for us with our Elys betting Platform. Additionally, in Canada we are observing promising legislative developments and we expect a new digital gaming regulatory framework, combined with the permission of single-event sports wagering, to be in place soon. This additional jurisdiction could represent a meaningful opportunity for our gaming solution.

 

  · Mergers and Acquisition in the Global Gaming Industry. In an effort to scale and grow the business, we intend to evaluate potential acquisitions that can be easily integrated into our business. Our acquisition of VG has allowed us to expand our product offerings in additional countries. The global gaming industry is still very much fragmented. There has been a significant number of noteworthy consolidations such as: (1) The Stars Group/SkyBet (July 2018) and CrownBet/William Hill Australia (April 2018); (2) Paddy Power/Betfair (February 2016) and with Stars Group (April 2020); (3) GVC/BWIN Ladbrokes/Coral (March 2018), and (4) in gaming machine and lottery concentration (IGT/GTECH (April 2015); as well as others such as Pollard/Innova (July 2017); NYX Gaming Group/Scientific Games (January 2018) which we believe provides us with an opportunity to capitalize on the acquisition of smaller operators forced to compete against newly formed larger players. In addition to the above, and specifically in the US, we observed consolidations and acceleration of gaming operators acquiring sports betting technology providers like (1) DraftKings acquiring SBTech (April 2020) (2) Caesars Entertainment acquiring William Hill (September 2020) and (3) Bally’s Corporation acquiring Bet.Works (November 2020) which strengthens our position as one of few remaining, truly independent sport betting providers in the market.

 

Further Penetration in the Italian Market

 

  · Acquisitions of Smaller Operators. Government legislated consolidation of the regulated Italian lottery and gaming market have driven smaller regional operators in Italy to our licensed brand “New Gioco”TM in both the online and land-based sales channels. The Italian regulated gaming market is the largest in the European Union (“EU”) and is extremely fragmented. Recent new regulations in Italy have made it more difficult for smaller regional operators throughout Italy to operate and we believe that our innovative and cost-effective Platform is an attractive alternative for such smaller regional operators throughout Italy that will not be able to maintain the new standards set out by the Italian regulator on their own.

 

  · Organic Growth. The Italian online gaming market continues to drive substantial growth in our core operations. From January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, we increased the number of registered online accounts to over 100,000 players and we operate in Italy approximately 1,000 webshop locations (reload centers), 7 corners and 3 agency locations and believe that there is continued growth opportunity in the Italian market.

 

 

Expansion and New Markets

 

United States Operations Development

 

 

In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”) ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”) was unconstitutional as it violated the Tenth Amendment prohibition against forcing states to implement federal laws. Enacted in 1992, PASPA generally prohibited states from authorizing, licensing or sponsoring betting on competitive games in which amateur or professional athletes participate. The SCOTUS decision opens the door for all states to legalize and regulate sports gambling within their borders. States such as Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Montana, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee, New York, New Mexico, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Michigan, Mississippi, Colorado and the District of Columbia had passed laws that were ready to be enacted once the federal ban on sports betting was lifted. In addition, legislation to authorize sports betting is pending in 13 states: Alabama; California; Connecticut; Florida; Kansas; Louisiana; Maine; Massachusetts; Minnesota; Missouri; Nebraska; Texas; and Vermont. Legislation to expand or reform existing state laws is pending in nine states: Illinois; Iowa; New Hampshire; Nevada; New Jersey; North Carolina; Oregon; Rhode Island; and Tennessee. Meanwhile, bills that would require a study of sports betting are pending in Hawaii and South Carolina.

 

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As of mid-April 2021, we are expecting eight to 12 states to pass bills to authorize sports betting during 2021. States we still see moving forwards by year-end 2021 include Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Ohio. We also expect to see online sports betting legalized in North Carolina and sportsbooks launched under tribal-state compacts in North Dakota and Wyoming, with or without new legislation. Longer-term, we expect legal sports betting to spread to 40-46 states before 2025.

 

We believe that the U.S. sports betting and online gaming market presents a large opportunity to deploy our Platform on a B2B2C basis to several potential independent commercial and tribal casino and gaming operators throughout the United States. In September 2020, our retail sports betting solution obtained GLI certification allowing our technology to be ready for deployment in the U.S. land-based gaming segment. Furthermore, we have analyzed the technical specifications checklist supplied by GLI to verify that coding in our online product meets the functional specifications set forth in the GLI-33 standards (The Gaming Laboratories International technical standard for event wagering systems). We believe that our online Platform currently meets the majority of the GLI-33 certification standards and we expect to be in a position to send our software to GLI for certification in 2021. Upon obtaining GLI-33 certification and obtaining regulatory approvals to operate in the digital segment, we also expect to be well-positioned to commence processing online sports bets in the U.S. on a B2B2C basis through our Platform.

 

Corporate Information 

 

 

Elys Game Technology, Corp. is a Delaware corporation incorporated on August 26, 1998. On November 2, 2020, we filed a Certificate of Amendment (the “Certificate of Amendment”) to our Certificate of Incorporation to reflect our corporate name change from “Newgioco Group, Inc.” to “Elys Game Technology, Corp.” On November 6, 2020, we filed a Certificate of Correction (“Certificate of Correction”) to the Certificate of Amendment to correct and delete the errant references in the Certificate of Amendment regarding a stockholder meeting.

 

We currently maintain an executive suite situated at 611 Gateway Blvd., Suite 210 San Francisco, CA, 94080, and the offices of our wholly-owned subsidiaries are located in Canada, Italy, Malta, Colombia and Austria. Our current subsidiaries include: Multigioco Srl (acquired on August 15, 2014), Ulisse GmbH and Odissea Betriebsinformatik Beratung GmbH (both acquired on July 1, 2016), Virtual Generation Limited (acquired on January 30, 2019), Newgioco Group Inc. formed on January 17, 2017 for potential future operations in Canada, Elys Technology Group Limited, a company organized under the laws of Republic of Malta on April 4, 2019 for future business opportunities in Europe, Newgioco Colombia SAS, a company organized under the laws of Colombia on November 26, 2019 to develop our operations through South and Central America, and Elys Gameboard Technologies a limited liability company organized in the State of Delaware on May 28, 2020 to develop our U.S. business operations. Our prior subsidiaries included, Rifa Srl from January 1, 2015 that was amalgamated into Multigioco with effect on January 20, 2020 and Naos Holding Limited a non-operating holding company from January 30, 2019 that was discontinued with effect on December 31, 2019. Our telephone number is 1-628-258-5148. Our corporate website address is www.elysgame.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this registration statement, and you should not consider any information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this registration statement or in deciding whether to purchase or sell our securities.

 

We have proprietary rights to a number of trademarks, service marks and trade names used in this registration statement which are important to our business including “New Gioco”, “NewAleabet”, “OriginalBet”, “LovingBet” and “Elys”. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names in this registration statement are referred to without the ® and TM symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. All other trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this registration statement are the property of their respective owners. 

 

 

Summary Risk Factors

 

Our business faces significant risks and uncertainties of which investors should be aware before making a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks are realized, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. The following is a summary of the more significant risks relating to the Company. A more detailed description of our risk factors is set forth below under the caption “Risk Factors” and under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A in Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on April 13, 2021. 

 

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Risks Related to our Financial Condition

 

 

  · The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have strained and negatively impact our businesses and operations, and the duration and extent to which COVID-19 may impact our future results of operations and overall financial performance remains uncertain.
  · Because we have a limited operating history, we may not be able to successfully manage our business or achieve profitability.
  · We have incurred substantial losses in the past and it may be difficult to achieve profitability.
  · We have material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedure.

 

  

Risks Related to our Business

 

  · If we should lose our online or land-based licenses, or if the licenses are not renewed for any reason, including our failure to successfully bid for location rights at the renewal auction, or if we fail to obtain our license in the District of Columbia, our business would be materially adversely impacted and it could result in the impairment of the carrying value of a substantial portion of assets.

 

  · In order to expand our land-based operations in Italy, we will be required to acquire additional location rights under our licenses or acquire operators that have location rights under their licenses and our inability to acquire such additional rights or operators or restrictions from using any licenses associated with such acquired operators, will result in an adverse effect on our operating results.
  · If we do not have sufficient capital resources to complete acquisitions and manage our operations, our ability to implement our business plan could be adversely affected.

 

  · A decline in the popularity of our gaming websites or those of our Platform clients will negatively impact our business and risk our future growth.

 

  · Because our gaming operations are concentrated within Italy, we are subject to greater risks than a gaming company that is more geographically and internationally diversified.

 

  · Our current expansion strategy, which includes expansion through Virtual Generation Limited in the various countries in which it operates and in the United States through the use of our Platform certifications, may be difficult to implement because the licensing and certification requirements to operate in the United States and other countries are currently indeterminable.

 

  · We depend upon our officers and other key employees. Our inability to retain such officers and key employees or recruit additional qualified personnel may have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

  · If we have a security incident or breach involving unauthorized access to customer data, our platform may be perceived as lacking sufficient security, customers may reduce their use of, or stop using our betting software and we may incur significant liabilities.

 

  · If we fail or are unable to protect our intellectual property effectively, we may be unable to prevent third parties from using our technologies, which could impair our competitive advantage, proprietary technology and our brand.

 

  · Our research and development efforts are costly and subject to international risks and may not contribute significantly to revenues for several years, if at all.

 

  · If we fail to manage our technical operations infrastructure, our customers may experience service outages and delays, which may adversely affect our business.

 

 

 

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Risks Related to our Industry

 

  · Economic conditions, particularly in Italy and Europe, that have an adverse effect on the gaming industry may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

  · Intense competition in the leisure gaming industry may adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

 

  · We expect that competition from internet gaming will continue to grow and intensify in the United States.

 

  · Regulators at the federal and provincial level in Italy are monitoring and restricting the issuance and renewal of gaming licenses which could have an adverse effect on our growth.

 

  · We might be required to acquire additional location rights under our licenses or acquire operators that have existing location rights under their licenses in order to remain in compliance with laws that are required to operate in Italy. Our inability to acquire such additional location rights or operators or any restrictions from using our licenses to operate in Italy or elsewhere in Europe, could result in an adverse effect on our operating results.

 

  · Our current operations are international in scope and we are planning further geographic expansion, creating a variety of potential operational challenges.

 

Risks Related to Ownership of our Securities

 

  · Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile and may be volatile in the future, and as a result, investors in our common stock could incur substantial losses.

 

  · Future sales of shares of our common stock or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

 

  · Because certain of our stockholders control a significant number of shares of our common stock, they may have effective control over actions requiring stockholder approval.

 

  · The issuance, exercise or conversion of currently outstanding securities would further dilute holders of our common stock.

 

  · Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a de-listing of our common stock.

 

 

 

 

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The Securities That May Be Offered

 

We may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and /or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in combination with other securities or as units, with a total value of up to $100,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of any offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

 

• designation or classification;

 

• aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;

 

• maturity;

 

• original issue discount;

 

• rates and times of payment of interest or dividends;

 

• redemption, conversion, exercise, exchange or sinking fund terms;

 

• ranking;

 

• restrictive covenants;

 

• voting or other rights;

 

• conversion or exchange prices or rates and, if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the conversion or exchange prices or rates and in the securities or other property receivable upon conversion or exchange; and

 

• a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations, if any.

 

The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

We may sell the securities directly to investors or to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We, and our agents, underwriters or dealers reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities to or through agents, underwriters or dealers, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

 

• the names of those agents, underwriters or dealers;

• applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

• details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

• the net proceeds to us.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K/10-K/A and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus in its entirety, together with other information in this prospectus, and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before you make a decision to invest in our securities. If any of these events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward looking information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, regulation and availability of resources. Such forward-looking statements include those that express plans, anticipation, intent, contingency, goals, targets or future development and/or otherwise are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and projections about future events and they are subject to risks and uncertainties known and unknown that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

 

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology, such as “may,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “potential” and similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus.

 

You should read this prospectus and the documents we have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents.

 

Risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be different from those expressed or implied in our written or oral forward-looking statements may be found in this prospectus under the heading “Risk Factors.”

 

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

 

New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of the information presented in this prospectus particularly our forward-looking statements, by these cautionary statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds, if any, from the sales of securities offered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, working capital. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to invest in or acquire other businesses or products, although we have no commitments or agreements with respect to any such licenses, acquisitions or investments as of the date of this prospectus.

 

The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including our expansion efforts in the United States, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We therefore cannot estimate with certainty the amount of net proceeds to be used for the purposes described above. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds. Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

 

 

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have never declared nor paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and currently intend to retain all of our cash and any earnings for use in our business and, therefore, do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will be dependent upon our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant.

 

 

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DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

 

Authorized Capital

 

Our authorized capital consists of 80,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of June 3, 2021, 22,011,109 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding, and no shares of preferred stock were issued and outstanding.

 

Description of Common Stock

 

Authorized Shares of Common Stock. We currently have authorized 80,000,000 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2020, we had 20,029,834 issued and outstanding shares of common stock. As of June 3, 2021, we had 22,011,109 issued and outstanding shares of common stock.

 

Voting Rights. The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders.

 

Dividend Rights. Holders of common stock are entitled, subject to the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions attaching to any other class of shares ranking in priority to the common stock, to receive any dividend declared by the Board of Directors.

 

Liquidation Rights. In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, the holders of common stock will be entitled to receive, after distribution in full of preferential amounts, if any, all the remaining assets available for distribution ratably in proportion to the number of shares of common stock held by them.

 

Other Rights and Preferences. The holders of our common stock have no redemption or conversion rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of shares of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

 

Fully Paid and Nonassessable. All of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

 

Reverse Stock Split

 

As described in more detail below, on December 12, 2019, we effected a one-for-eight reverse stock split of our authorized, issued and outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”).

 

On November 22, 2019, our Board of Directors approved the Reverse Stock Split of our authorized, issued and outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of one (1) share of common stock for every eight (8) shares of common stock. On December 9, 2019, we filed a Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to effectuate the Reverse Stock Split at the Effective Time (as defined below). The Reverse Stock Split was effective as of 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) on December 12, 2019 (the “Effective Time”) and our common stock began trading on a post-split basis when the market opened for trading on December 12, 2019.

 

As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, each eight (8) pre-split shares of common stock outstanding were automatically combined into one (1) new share of common stock without any action on the part of the holders, and the number of outstanding shares of common stock on December 12, 2019 was reduced from 86,178,070 shares to 10,772,259 shares (subject to rounding of fractional shares).

 

 

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Preferred Stock

 

Our Board of Directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. On September 18, 2018, we filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, among other things, specifies that the authority of the Board of Directors with respect to each series of preferred stock shall include, but not be limited to, determination of the following: (a) the number of shares constituting the series and the distinctive designation of the series; (b) the dividend rate (or the method of calculation of dividends) on the shares of the series, whether dividends will be cumulative, and if so, from which date or dates, and the relative rights of priority, if any, of payment of dividends on shares of the series; (c) whether the series shall have voting rights, in addition to the voting rights required by law, and if so, the terms of such voting rights; (d) whether the series shall have conversion rights, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion, including provision for adjustment of the conversion rate in such events as the Board of Directors shall determine; (e) whether or not the shares of that series shall be redeemable or exchangeable, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such redemption or exchange, as the case may be, including the date or dates upon or after which they shall be redeemable or exchangeable, as the case may be, and the amount per share payable in case of redemption, which amount may vary under different conditions and at different redemption dates; (f) whether the series shall have a sinking fund for the redemption or purchase of shares of that series, and if so, the terms and amount of such sinking fund; (g) the rights of the shares of the series in the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, and the relative rights or priority, if any, of payment of shares of the series; and (h) any other relative rights, preferences, powers and limitations of that series.

 

Preferred stock could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change of control or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock.

 

We currently have no shares of preferred stock issued. At present, we have no plans to issue any shares of preferred stock following this offering.

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

 

In September 2018, our stockholders approved our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, which initially provided for a maximum of 1,150,000 shares of common stock that may be issued as options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, stock units, other equity awards or cash awards. In November 2020, our stockholders approved an amendment to the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (Amendment No. 1) to increase by 1,850,000 the number of shares that may be granted as awards under the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. To date, options to purchase 974,938 shares of common stock have been granted under the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

The 2018 Plan is administered by our Board of Directors and permits the discretionary award of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock appreciation rights, other equity awards and/or cash awards to selected participants. The 2018 Plan will remain in effect until the earlier of (i) August 2, 2028 and (ii) the date upon which the 2018 Plan is terminated pursuant to its terms, and in any event subject to the maximum share limit of the 2018 Plan.

 

Warrants

 

As of March 31, 2021, there were outstanding warrants to purchase up to 567,336 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $2.66 per share exercisable between May 31, 2020 and September 3, 2025. The warrants provide for adjustment to the exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrant in the case of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, scheme, arrangement or otherwise).

 

Warrants Issued in the August 2020 Public Offering

 

Overview. The following summary of certain terms and provisions of the Warrants issued in connection with the August 2020 public offering is not complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the provisions of the Warrant Agency Agreement between us and the Warrant Agent, and the form of warrant, both of which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

The Warrants entitle the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price equal to $2.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, immediately following the issuance of such warrant and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the closing of the offering.

 

 

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The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances, including in the event of a stock dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at prices below its exercise price.

 

Exercisability. The Warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance and at any time up to the date that is five (5) years after their original issuance, subject to our call option described below. The Warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the Warrant Agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of Warrants being exercised. Under the terms of the Warrant, we must use our best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement and current prospectus relating to common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants until the expiration of the Warrants. If we fail to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement and current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, the holders of the Warrants shall have the right to exercise the Warrants solely via a cashless exercise feature provided for in the Warrants, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and current prospectus.

 

Exercise Limitation. A holder may not exercise any portion of a warrant to the extent that the holder, together with its affiliates and any other person or entity acting as a group, would own more than 4.99% of the outstanding common stock after exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the warrant, except that upon prior notice from the holder to us, the holder may elect to increase such limitation to a percentage not in excess of 9.99%.

 

Exercise Price. The exercise price per whole share of common stock purchasable upon exercise of the Warrants is $2.50. The exercise price is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our common stock.

 

Call Option. If there is a registration statement that covers the resale of the shares underlying the common Warrants or all of such shares may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 upon cashless exercise without restrictions, including volume restrictions, we have the option to “call” the exercise of any or all of the common Warrants, from time to time by giving a call notice to the holder only after any 10-consecutive trading day period during which the daily VWAP of the common stock is not less than 250% of the exercise price for the common Warrants in effect for such 10-consecutive trading day period and the average daily volume for such period exceeds 100,000 shares per trading day. During the call period, the holder may exercise the common warrant and purchase the called common stock underlying the common warrant. If the holder fails to timely exercise the common warrant or a number of shares of common stock equal to number of called shares of common stock during the call period, our sole remedy will be to cancel an amount of called shares of common stock underlying the common warrant equal to such shortfall, with the common warrant no longer being exercisable with respect to such shares of common stock. The call period is a period of 30 trading days following the date on which the call notice is deemed given and effective.

 

Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of common stock will be issued upon exercise of the Warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrant, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, pay a cash adjustment in respect of such fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the exercise price. If multiple Warrants are exercised by the holder at the same time, we shall pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the exercise price.

 

Transferability. Subject to applicable laws, the Warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.

 

Exchange Listing. There is no established trading market for the Warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for the listing of the Warrants on any national securities exchange or other trading market. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the Warrants will be limited.

 

Warrant Agent; Global Certificate. The Warrants were initially issued in registered form under a Warrant Agent Agreement between the Warrant Agent, Signature Stock Transfer, Inc., and us. The Warrants are represented only by one or more global warrants deposited with the Warrant Agent, as custodian on behalf of The Depository Trust Company (DTC) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.

 

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Fundamental Transactions. In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding common stock, the holders of the Warrants will be entitled to receive the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction.

 

Rights as a Stockholder. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock or any voting rights until they exercise their Warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

 

Governing Law. The Warrants and the Warrant Agent Agreement are governed by the laws of the State of New York law.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law, our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws

 

We are incorporated in the State of Delaware. As a result, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

  the transaction was approved by the Board of Directors prior to the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder;

 

  upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding shares owned by directors who are also officers of the corporation and shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

  at or subsequent to the time the stockholder became an interested stockholder, the business combination was approved by the Board of Directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

In general, Section 203 defines a “business combination” to include mergers, asset sales and other transactions resulting in financial benefit to a stockholder and an “interested stockholder” as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years did own, 15% or more of the corporation's outstanding voting stock. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing changes in control of our company.

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended, and our Bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our Board of Directors or management team, including the following:

 

(1) Potential Effects of Authorized but Unissued Stock

 

We have shares of common stock and preferred stock available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may utilize these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including securities public offerings and other financings to raise additional capital, to facilitate corporate acquisitions or payment as a dividend on the capital stock.

 

The existence of unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock may enable our Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management or to issue preferred stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage a third-party attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. In addition, the Board of Directors has the discretion to determine designations, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences of each series of preferred stock, all to the fullest extent permissible under the Delaware General Corporation Law and subject to any limitations set forth in our Certificate of Incorporation. The purpose of authorizing the Board of Directors to issue preferred stock and to determine the rights and preferences applicable to such preferred stock is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.

 

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(2) Limitations of Director Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers and Employees

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended, limits the liability of directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware General Corporation Law. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability for any:

 

  breach of their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

 

  act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

  unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law; or

 

  transaction from which the directors derived an improper personal benefit.

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended, also provides that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the extent permitted by law, and may indemnify employees and other agents. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended, also provides that we may advance expenses incurred by a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding.

 

 

We have also entered into separate indemnification agreements with certain of our directors and officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify such persons, to the fullest extent provided by law for any and all losses, claims, actions, proceedings, awards, judgments, fines, penalties, liabilities, damages, obligations, costs, charges, legal fees and disbursements and expenses, including without limitation, all amounts paid to settle any action or satisfy any judgment reasonably incurred by or on behalf of the director or officer in respect of any civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding to which the director or officer is made a party (or any such proceeding which might be threatened in respect of which the director or officer is threatened to be made a party) by reason of such individual being or having been one of our directors or officers, or any of our subsidiaries, provided that such person follows the procedures for determining entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in the indemnification agreement. We believe that these provisions and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers. 

 

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might provide a benefit to us and our stockholders. Our results of operations and financial condition may be harmed to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Board of Directors Vacancies

 

Our Bylaws authorize only our Board of Directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats.

 

No Cumulative Voting. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that stockholders are not entitled to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting.

 

 

 

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Choice of Forum

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended, provides that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, all Internal Corporate Claims (as defined therein) shall be brought solely and exclusively in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have jurisdiction, the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, or, if such other court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware).

 

A Delaware corporation is allowed to mandate in its corporate governance documents a chosen forum for the resolution of state law based shareholder class actions, derivative suits and other intra-corporate disputes.

 

This exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or other federal securities laws for which there is exclusive federal or concurrent federal and state jurisdiction.

 

The Company’s management believes limiting state law based claims to Delaware will provide the most appropriate outcomes as the risk of another forum misapplying Delaware law is avoided. Delaware courts have a well-developed body of case law and limiting the forum will preclude costly and duplicative litigation and avoids the risk of inconsistent outcomes. Additionally, Delaware Chancery Courts can typically resolve disputes on an accelerated schedule when compared to other forums.

 

While management believes limiting the forum for state law based claims is a benefit, shareholders could be inconvenienced by not being able to bring a state law based action in another forum they find favorable.

 

Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

 

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Signature Stock Transfer, Inc. Its address is 14673 Midway Road, Suite #220, Addison, Texas 75001 and its telephone number is (972) 612-4120.

 

The warrant agent and registrar for the Warrants is Signature Stock Transfer, Inc. Its address is 14673 Midway Road, Suite 220, Addison, Texas 75001 and its telephone number is (972) 612-4120.

 

Listing

 

Our shares of common stock trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “ELYS.”

 

On December 23, 2019, our common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NWGI.” Prior to that, our common stock traded on the OTCQB Venture Market. On November 10, 2020, our shares of common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “ELYS” and ceased trading under the ticker symbol “NWGI.”

 

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

 

We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indenture, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

 

We will issue the debt securities under the indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the indenture. The indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We have filed the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

 

The following summary of material provisions of the debt securities and the indenture is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities.

 

General

 

The indenture will not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. It provides that we may issue debt securities up to the principal amount that we may authorize and may be in any currency or currency unit that we may designate. Except for the limitations on consolidation, merger and sale of all or substantially all of our assets contained in the indenture, the terms of the indenture do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to give holders of any debt securities protection against changes in our operations, financial condition or transactions involving us.

 

We may issue the debt securities issued under the indenture as “discount securities,” which means they may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. These debt securities, as well as other debt securities that are not issued at a discount, may be issued with “original issue discount,” or OID, for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of interest payment and other characteristics or terms of the debt securities. Material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities issued with OID will be described in more detail in any applicable prospectus supplement.

 

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:

 

  the title of the series of debt securities;

 

  any limit upon the aggregate principal amount that may be issued;

 

  the maturity date or dates;

 

  the form of the debt securities of the series;

 

 

  the applicability of any guarantees;

 

  whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;

 

  whether the debt securities rank as senior debt, senior subordinated debt, subordinated debt or any combination thereof, and the terms of any subordination;

 

  if the price (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount thereof) at which such debt securities will be issued is a price other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, or if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such debt securities that is convertible into another security or the method by which any such portion shall be determined;

 

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  the interest rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

 

  our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

 

 

  if applicable, the date or dates after which, or the period or periods during which, and the price or prices at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;

 

  the date or dates, if any, on which, and the price or prices at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

 

  the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

  any and all terms, if applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the debt securities of that series and any security for our obligations with respect to such debt securities and any other terms which may be advisable in connection with the marketing of debt securities of that series;

 

  whether the debt securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of a global security or securities; the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such global security or securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for other individual securities; and the depositary for such global security or securities;

 

  if applicable, the provisions relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of the series and the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at our option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, the applicable conversion or exchange period and the manner of settlement for any conversion or exchange;

 

  if other than the full principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of debt securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof;

 

  additions to or changes in the covenants applicable to the particular debt securities being issued, including, among others, the consolidation, merger or sale covenant;

 

 

  additions to or changes in the events of default with respect to the securities and any change in the right of the trustee or the holders to declare the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, with respect to such securities to be due and payable;

 

  additions to or changes in or deletions of the provisions relating to covenant defeasance and legal defeasance;

 

  additions to or changes in the provisions relating to satisfaction and discharge of the indenture;

 

  additions to or changes in the provisions relating to the modification of the indenture both with and without the consent of holders of debt securities issued under the indenture;

 

  the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars;

 

  whether interest will be payable in cash or additional debt securities at our or the holders’ option and the terms and conditions upon which the election may be made;

 

  the terms and conditions, if any, upon which we will pay amounts in addition to the stated interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the debt securities of the series to any holder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes;

 

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  any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the debt securities of the series; and

 

  any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, any other additions or changes in the provisions of the indenture, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.

 

 

 

Conversion or Exchange Rights

 

We will set forth in the prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities. We will include provisions as to settlement upon conversion or exchange and whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock or our other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

 

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

 

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indenture will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of our assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets (other than a subsidiary of ours) must assume all of our obligations under the indenture or the debt securities, as appropriate.

 

Events of Default under the Indenture

 

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indenture with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 

  if we fail to pay any installment of interest on any series of debt securities, as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment period by us in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose;

 

  if we fail to pay the principal of, or premium, if any, on any series of debt securities as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to such series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such debt securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of principal or premium, if any;

 

  if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement contained in the debt securities or the indenture, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such is a notice of default thereunder, from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

 

  if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

 

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the principal amount of and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.

 

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

 

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Subject to the terms of the indenture, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

  the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

 

  subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

 

A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indenture or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:

 

  the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

 

  the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request;

 

  such holders have offered to the trustee indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred by the trustee in compliance with the request; and

 

  the trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

 

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.

 

We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indenture.

 

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

 

We and the trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters:

 

  to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture or in the debt securities of any series;

 

  to comply with the provisions described above under “Description of Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger or Sale;”

 

  to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities;

 

  to add to our covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us in the indenture;

 

  to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture;

 

  to make any change that does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series in any material respect;

 

  to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided above under “Description of Debt Securities—General” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

 

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  to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under any indenture by a successor trustee; or

 

  to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

 

 

In addition, under the indenture, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

 

  extending the fixed maturity of any debt securities of any series;
     
  reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any series of any debt securities; or
     
  reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

 

Discharge

 

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:

 

  provide for payment;

 

  register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

 

  replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

 

  pay principal of and premium and interest on any debt securities of the series;

 

  maintain paying agencies;

 

  hold monies for payment in trust;

 

  recover excess money held by the trustee;

 

  compensate and indemnify the trustee; and

 

  appoint any successor trustee.

 

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

 

Form, Exchange and Transfer

 

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indenture provides that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. To the extent the debt securities of a series are issued in global form and as book-entry, a description of terms relating such securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount. 

 

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Subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will impose no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

 

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

 

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

  issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

  register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

 

Information Concerning the Trustee

 

The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indenture at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

 

Payment and Paying Agents

 

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

 

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

 

All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

 

Governing Law

 

The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

 

Warrants

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or in combination with other securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as any warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, that contain the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of such warrants.

 

Any warrants issued under this prospectus may be evidenced by warrant certificates. Warrants also may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.

 

The following description, together with the additional information that we include in any applicable prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be distributed to you, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which may be issued in one or more series. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be distributed to you. The following description of warrants will apply to the warrants offered by this prospectus unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement for a particular series of warrants may specify different or additional terms.

 

The summary below and that contained in any prospectus supplement is qualified in its entirety by reference to all of the provisions of the warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, applicable to a particular series of securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, that contains the terms of the warrants.

 

General

 

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants being offered, including:

 

  the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

  the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

 

  if applicable, the number of warrants issued with each such security;

 

  the number of shares of common stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

  the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;

 

  the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

  any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

  the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

 

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  the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified;

 

  a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations of holding or exercising the warrants;

 

  the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

 

  any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

 

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including the right to receive dividends, if any, or payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

 

Exercise of Warrants

 

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. The warrants may be exercised as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants offered. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants offered thereby. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

 

Upon receipt of payment and the warrant or warrant certificate, as applicable, properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent, if any, or any other office, including ours, indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the warrants (or the warrants represented by such warrant certificate) are exercised, a new warrant or a new warrant certificate, as applicable, will be issued for the remaining warrants.

 

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

 

Each warrant agent, if any, will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A warrant agent may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

 

Governing Law

 

Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, the warrants and any warrant agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

 

Units

 

We may issue units consisting of any combination of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, and warrants. We will issue each unit so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. As a result, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

 

The summary below and that contained in any prospectus supplement is qualified in its entirety by reference to all of the provisions of the unit agreement and/or unit certificate, and depositary arrangements, if applicable. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete unit agreement and/or unit certificate, and depositary arrangements, as applicable, that contain the terms of the units.

 

We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement and/or unit certificate, and depositary arrangements, as applicable, that contain the terms of the particular series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of such units.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference or free writing prospectus may describe:

 

  the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

  any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer, or exchange of the units or of the securities composing the units;

 

  whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form; and

 

  any other terms of the units.

 

The applicable provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” above, will apply to each unit and to each security included in each unit, respectively.

 

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LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

 

We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee or depositary maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

 

Book-Entry Holders

 

We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

 

Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Global securities will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for global securities, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

 

As a result, investors in a global security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not legal holders, of the securities.

 

Street Name Holders

 

We may terminate a global security or issue securities that are not issued in global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

 

For securities held in street name, we or any applicable trustee or depositary will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we or any such trustee or depositary will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.

 

Legal Holders

 

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee or third party employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.

 

For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with its participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a particular provision of an indenture, or for other purposes. In such an event, we would seek approval only from the holders, and not the indirect holders, of the securities. Whether and how the legal holders contact the indirect holders is up to the legal holders.

 

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Special Considerations for Indirect Holders

 

If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form because the securities are represented by one or more global securities or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

 

  how it handles securities payments and notices;

 

  whether it imposes fees or charges;

 

  how it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever required;

 

  whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the future;

 

  how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and

 

  if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and procedures will affect these matters.

 

Global Securities

 

A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

 

Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we issue to, deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

 

A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “—Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and legal holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a legal holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

 

If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued as a global security, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

 

Special Considerations for Global Securities

 

As an indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

 

If securities are issued only as global securities, an investor should be aware of the following:

 

  an investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below;

 

  an investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe above;

 

 

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  an investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form;

 

  an investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in the global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective;

 

  the depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s interest in the global security;

 

  we and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in the global security, nor will we or any applicable trustee supervise the depositary in any way;

 

  the depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in the global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may require you to do so as well; and

 

  financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in the global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities.

 

There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

 

Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated

 

In a few special situations described below, a global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own names, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

 

A global security will terminate when the following special situations occur:

 

  if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days;

 

  if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or

 

  if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and neither we nor any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

 

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. We may distribute securities from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

  · at a fixed price or prices which may be changed;
  · at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
  · at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or
  · at negotiated prices.

 

We may also sell equity securities covered by this registration statement in an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. Such offering may be made into an existing trading market for such securities in transactions at other than a fixed price on or through the facilities of the Nasdaq Capital Market or any other securities exchange or quotation or trading service on which such securities may be listed, quoted or traded at the time of sale.

 

Such at the market offerings, if any, may be conducted by underwriters acting as principal or agent.

 

A prospectus supplement or supplements (and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

 

  · the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents, if any;
  · the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;
  · any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;
  · any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;
  · any public offering price;
  · any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and
  · any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

 

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

 

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

 

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities, and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

 

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

 

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We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against civil liabilities related to this offering, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

 

All securities we offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

 

Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on any exchange or over-the-counter market or otherwise.

 

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on the Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at anytime.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus, and any supplement thereto, will be passed upon for us by Gracin & Marlow, LLP, New York, New York. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of Elys Game Technology, Corp. as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for the years then ended incorporated by reference in this registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of BDO AG, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Neither we nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the securities offered by this prospectus.

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information about Elys Game Technology Corp. is contained at our website, www.elysgame.com. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We make available on our website our SEC filings as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are filed with the SEC. The following Corporate Governance documents are also posted on our website: Code of Ethics and the Charters for the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors.

 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information that we have filed with it, meaning we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents already on file with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and the accompanying base prospectus except for any information that is superseded by other information that is included in this prospectus or the accompanying base prospectus.

 

This filing incorporates by reference the following documents, which we have previously filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act (other than Current Reports on Form 8-K, or portions thereof, furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K):

 

 

   

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on April 12, 2021 as amended by our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on April 13, 2021 (File No. 001-39170);

 

   

Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on May 13, 2021 (File No. 001-39170);

 

    Our Current Reports on Form 8-K and Form 8-K/A (File No. 001-39170) filed with the SEC on January 5, 2021, January 26, 2021, January 26, 2021 (Form 8-K/A), February 16, 2021, March 19, 2021, April 20, 2021, May 13, 2021 and June 4, 2021: and

 

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  The description of our common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A12B, filed with the SEC on December 23, 2019 (File No. 001-39170), as updated by the description of our common stock filed as Exhibit 4.15 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2020, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of this offering. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

 

We will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus and the accompanying base prospectus are delivered, on the written or oral request of such person, a copy of any or all of the reports or documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the accompanying base prospectus, but not delivered with this prospectus and the accompanying base prospectus. Any request may be made by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

 

Elys Game Technology, Corp.

Attention: Corporate Secretary

130 Adelaide Street West, Suite 701

Toronto, Ontario Canada M5H 2K4

Tel: (628) 258-5148

 

You may also access the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus at our website address at www.elysgame.com. The other information and content contained on or linked from our website are not part of this prospectus or the accompanying base prospectus. 

 

 

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