Risk Factors Dashboard

Once a year, publicly traded companies issue a comprehensive report of their business, called a 10-K. A component mandated in the 10-K is the ‘Risk Factors’ section, where companies disclose any major potential risks that they may face. This dashboard highlights all major changes and additions in new 10K reports, allowing investors to quickly identify new potential risks and opportunities.

Risk Factors - SKLZ

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$SKLZ Risk Factor changes from 00/03/12/21/2021 to 00/08/29/24/2024

Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report and those described elsewhere in this Annual Report or in our other SEC filings. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We may also be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or other advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.BASIS OF PRESENTATIONThe Company is a smaller reporting company as defined in the Securities and Securities Exchange Act, as amended.

Accordingly, it has utilized certain accommodations provided for scaled disclosures in its Annual Report on Form 10-K and proxy statement. Accommodations utilized include (i) a two-year presentation of the audited financial statements and related notes, and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations; (ii) reduced disclosures of certain executive compensation and stock performance information; and (iii) not disclosing quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk.3TABLE OF CONTENTSITEM 1. BUSINESSIn this Annual Report, when we use the terms the “Company,” “Skillz,” “we,” “us” and “our,” unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, we are referring to Skillz Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.OverviewWe were founded on one simple belief: competition holds the power to unleash possibilities in all of us . We are all born with skills and when we are able to apply those skills through competition, we can achieve great things. That is the guiding principle behind why we are building the competition layer of the internet by re-inventing competitive mobile gaming. Our company’s mission is to bring out the best in everyone through competition. We are creating opportunities for all people to experience an epic win and for game developers to turn their craft into financial success.Our proprietary platform revolutionizes and democratizes the mobile gaming industry by “leveling the playing field” for developers worldwide, enabling us to deliver gaming experiences that our player community trusts and loves.The trust and fairness we foster with our player community is part of the foundation upon which our business is built.Fair PlayOur proprietary platform provides certainty that every player is fairly matched against another real player. That is the bedrock of competition, and a critical tenet of skill-based gaming. Unfortunately, we believe there are competitors that do not follow ethical fairness practices and utilize bots to deceive players, often matching their consumers against bots instead of real opponents. In 2024, following a jury verdict finding AviaGames willfully infringed one of Skillz’s patents, the Company entered into a settlement. The evidence we made public at trial showed the competitor and their executives are using bots to build their business, which we believe deceives consumers and harms our company’s competitive position. Instead of being matched with real opponents, as advertised, the evidence showed that consumers were unknowingly competing against bots. We believe the evidence made public at trial showed the competitor’s use of bots allowed it to engineer the outcome of the matches and directly pocket the consumers’ money. Winning this first case was a big milestone, but we are far from done in our quest to uphold fair play and protect consumers from what we believe is fraudulent inducement, misrepresentation and the outright theft of billions of hard-earned consumer dollars.Existing and future laws that permit skill-based gaming may be accompanied in the future by regulatory and/or licensing requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, growth prospects and reputation. We will continue to do everything in our power to help stop those dishonest practices. We are 100% committed to this effort and believe that in addition to the trial verdict and settlement award won in 2024, we will prevail in similar circumstances in the future while at the same time, eliminating ‘bad actors’ from the gaming industry. Additionally, the Company is in the early stages of two lawsuits filed against our competitors, Papaya Gaming (as defined below) and Voodoo (as defined below), alleging that those competitors engaged in false advertising and unfair business practices in connection with their use of bots in mobile games, unbeknownst to customers. We also note that class action lawsuits have already been filed against two of our competitors (AviaGames and Voodoo). We are hopeful that government authorities will take note of Skillz’s progress identifying fraudulent bot use in the industry and take action to protect consumers.As we uncover proof of fraudulent use of bots at any company in this industry we intend to initiate additional actions that help protect both Skillz and consumers. Our goal is not to reduce competition, but rather to ensure that all organizations in our industry maintain the same level of commitment to providing a transparent and fair player experience. Skillz will continue to combat the deceptive usage of bots until all systemic fraud in our industry is eliminated. Our Turnaround EffortsTo propel Skillz toward sustained top-line growth and positive cash flow, we've established four strategic pillars. First, enhancing our platform to improve consumer and developer engagement and retention. Second, upleveling our organization. Third, improving our go-to-market efficiency. Fourth, demonstrating a clear path to profitability. Our successful execution against the first three pillars then leads to the progress we are making with achieving our fourth key pillar: demonstrating a clear path to profitability with a goal of generating positive Adjusted EBITDA by the end of 2024.4TABLE OF CONTENTSWhile our progress to-date is encouraging and we remain confident in our ability to continue improving the business, progress takes time to fully achieve our business turnaround objectives.Our SegmentsSkillzSkillz is a leading eSports gaming platform. Its platform enables game developers to monetize their content through multi-player competition. By utilizing Skillz’ monetization services, developers can enhance their end-user experiences by enabling them to compete in head-to-head matches, live tournaments, leagues, and charity events while also increasing player retention through referral bonus programs, loyalty perks, on-system achievements, and rewards / prizes. Skillz provides its monetization services to developers via a downloadable software development kit (“SDK”). The SDK integrates with developers’ existing games. Monetization services include end-user registration, player matching, fraud & fair play monitoring, and settlement for player billings and payouts. Skillz is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV with offices in Los Angeles, CA, Canada, and India.AarkiAarki is an AI company that delivers advertising solutions to drive revenue growth for mobile app developers. Aarki enables brands to effectively engage audiences in a privacy-first world by using billions of contextual bidding signals coupled with proprietary machine learning and behavioral models. Aarki works with hundreds of advertisers globally and manages approximately 5 million mobile ad requests per second from over 10 billion devices. Aarki is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.Our PlatformOverviewWe are re-inventing competitive mobile gaming and thereby expanding the mobile gaming market. Our technology platform aligns the interests of developers and gamers with respect to user monetization, rather than putting them at odds. Traditional mobile games utilize in-game advertisements or purchases, which we believe creates friction in the user experience, hurting engagement and retention. By monetizing user engagement primarily through prizes, we create a compelling alternative for both developers and users of competitive games. With our system, the more users enjoy playing in contests for prizes and the longer they play, the more revenue we generate for developers. We believe this dynamic generates significantly stronger monetization for developers compared to traditional mobile game monetization.Gamer Competition EngineOur end-to-end technology platform enables mobile game developers to improve gameplay experiences and drive improved engagement, retention and revenue from their content. Our easy-to-integrate software development kit, or “SDK,” contains over 200 features in a smaller than 16-megabyte package, which allows for seamless over-the-air updates.Rating and matching users is a challenging technical problem, as the fastest match is the next user in line to play, while the fairest match (i.e., a theoretically perfectly matched skill rating) could take a much longer time to find. User retention is sensitive to both fair matching and time to match and, therefore, we have invested significantly in technology to optimize these competing objectives.Our SDK includes many social features such as in-game chat, friends, tournaments and leagues which allow players to interact and build relationships, strengthening the Skillz player community. Our players enjoy social experiences around our games, by communicating during and after competitions, on topics ranging from sharing gameplay strategies to building healthy rivalries and making personal connections. Our “Friends” feature allows players to challenge a friend to a match and broadcasts that player’s affinity for Skillz to their social network.5TABLE OF CONTENTSDeveloper ConsoleOur intuitive developer dashboard enables our developer partners to rapidly integrate and monitor the performance of their games on our platform. The first step for a game developer integrating our tournament management system is to sign up for a free account on our developer portal. Developer onboarding has been optimized to enable developers to quickly and easily set up an account, access technical documentation, download the SDK and access customer support. Our developer portal has been built such that an average game developer can implement our SDK in about a day, with little or no technical support. Once a game goes live on our platform, the developer portal provides game developers with a single system through which they can access analytics on user behavior and monetization for their games.Live OperationsDelivering live operations in games is critical to user retention and engagement. Our live operations, or LiveOps, system manages and optimizes user experience across the thousands of games on our platform. We have built a highly automated system to power LiveOps on our platform. LiveOps in mobile games on our platform encompasses everything from generating new events to creating new and exciting tournament formats in which users can compete in brand and influencer-sponsored events. With our highly automated system, we are able to run LiveOps for the games on our platform with what we believe is a fraction of the resourcing required by a typical game developer.We run multivariate testing on our system settings to optimize user engagement and retention for games on our platform. Our system manages the presentation of tournament formats, frequency of events and merchandising of the Ticketz store, which is our in-game store that allows users to redeem prizes in exchange for tickets earned in gameplay on our platform (“Ticketz”). Ticketz can be redeemed within our loyalty program for prizes or credits to be used towards future paid-entry tournaments. With our segment manager tool, we can administer important system settings for users on the platform, including the types of tournaments a user sees and is eligible to enter, deposit offers and promotions available to a user, and incentives and achievements presented to a user at various moments along their gaming journey.Payment InfrastructureWe have developed a robust payments infrastructure and have achieved a system uptime of greater than 99.99%. We believe our technology capabilities are critical to building and maintaining trusted relationships with our developers and users.Data ScienceOur algorithms and machine learning technologies augment all facets of our platform. Key features of our proprietary data science technologies include anti-cheat, anti-fraud, player rating and matching, and segmentation engine. We believe our technology capabilities are industry-leading and have helped to differentiate our product offerings and fuel our growth and promote fair play.Strong anti-cheat and anti-fraud protections are among the most critical elements required to foster a healthy fair-play competitive ecosystem. Our systems need to continuously evolve to stay ahead of sophisticated attempts to defraud or stack the odds against users. As a component of our proprietary security systems, we use our robust data to analyze and build statistical maps to predict users’ probable next outcome. This probability modeling then enables us to statistically detect anomalies, which are escalated for further review and remediation, where needed.High personalization is an integral element to enhancing the gamer experience on our platform. For example, we invented a technology for creating user segments based on dynamically linking behaviors. Our technology allows us to overlap, concatenate and exclude different behaviors to create new user journeys through game environments. We have identified 65 different behavior sets, which enables us to increase the number of potential unique user journeys exponentially and dynamically adjust for a significantly more personalized experience.We give gamers confidence to transact on our platform by delivering on our values of trust and fairness. We enable game developers to focus on what they do best: build great content. We provide developers of all sizes with a comprehensive technology platform enabling them to compete with the largest and most sophisticated mobile game developers in the world.6TABLE OF CONTENTSOur Developer CommunityThe global video game market size was estimated at $217.1 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% from 2023 to 2030. The market's expansion is attributed to the ongoing trend of online gaming, the emergence of high bandwidth network connectivity, and the continuous demand for 3D games. In addition, an upsurge in the penetration of smartphones has made video games more accessible, portable, and social. This has further driven the industry’s growth with the emergence of technologically advanced and more powerful smartphones. Market players are also focusing on developing advanced gaming products and services to attract a larger customer base, which is positively influencing the overall industry. However, mobile video game developers increasingly struggle to get their content discovered and monetized. The introduction of standardized game development platforms and universally known distribution platforms such as the AppStore, Google Play, and Galaxy Store have resulted in a flood of game content to the market. Meanwhile, traditional methods used by game developers to monetize their content (e.g., via Ads or In-Game Purchase) have not kept pace. As a result, a massive amount of great game content is not being discovered or monetized to its fullest potential.Skillz provides a service to the game developers aimed at improving the monetization of their game content. The monetization service provided by Skillz allows developers to offer multiplayer competition to their end-users which increases end-user retention and engagement. We have a growing community of developers using our platform to bring their art to the world. Content creation has been democratized in recent years with the introduction of standardized game development and distribution platforms. As of December 31, 2023, we had over 16,000 registered game developers launch game integration on our system. As of December 31, 2023 over 600 developers had a game on our platform with at least one installed user. Our self-serve platform enables our developer customers to integrate and monitor their game performance through sophisticated dashboards. This allows the developers to do what they do best — build great games — while we help them on all other fronts by delivering services such as payments, analytics, LiveOps, prize fulfillment and customer service. Historically, a small number of games have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue.A limited number of games historically have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. Games on our platform initially go live with free-to-play capabilities, before applying for prized competitions. We carefully curate which games are enabled for prizes based on a number of criteria, to ensure we provide an enticing competitive mobile gaming experience. We actively monitor metrics such as, but not limited to, player liquidity inside each game (based on number of daily active users), the stability of each game (based on crash rates), user satisfaction (based on app store ratings), and user issues (as reported on support tickets). Games that do not meet our quality thresholds or are not determined by our proprietary algorithm to be skill-based are not prize enabled. We maintain player data and handle all communications with the players on behalf of our developers. This data model allows us to deliver effective monetization for the benefit of developers on our platform.7TABLE OF CONTENTSGames on Our PlatformWe offer a wide range of gaming experiences for users. We enable game genres that can be played: (i) asynchronously; (ii) synchronously; or (iii) turn-based synchronously. An example of an asynchronous game would be a match-3 puzzle game or bingo game where users play the exact same game at different times and then the scores are compared when both contestants have played to determine the winner. An example of a turn-based synchronous game would be a dominoes game in which users take turns in real-time and the winner is determined when the game ends. An example of a synchronous game would be a real-time strategy game where users are making multiple moves simultaneously and then the winner is determined when the game ends.Our DistributionOur developers distribute their games through direct app downloads from our websites, as well as third-party platforms, such as the Apple App Store, which traditionally has been the main distribution channel for our developers’ games. In accordance with the Apple App Store policy, Apple does not take any share of the end-user deposits on our system; however, Apple does receive a fee for end-user deposits made through Apple Pay.Our MarketingOur ability to cost-effectively acquire new users is important to our success. We leverage software tools, analytics and data science to efficiently acquire, engage and retain users while reinforcing our trusted consumer-facing brand with both end-users and our developer partners. We acquire and engage users primarily through digital ad networks, our game developers and affiliate partners. We use paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers and exciting games, to achieve our objectives. We optimize our marketing investment across channels in order to generate targeted returns on our marketing spending.In addition to traditional paid advertising channels, we cross-promote our product offerings to our existing user base across our gaming ecosystem using a combination of content, contests and special offers.8TABLE OF CONTENTSWe have significant opportunities to extend our marketing channels to offline media and deploy omni-channel marketing strategies to further expand our business. For example, partnerships with celebrities and influencers have the potential to cost-effectively reach new users. Moreover, we intend to opportunistically engage in brand marketing to drive broader consumer and developer awareness of our platform.With existing users, we seek to improve engagement and retention through engagement marketing programs that provide rewards and awards for players active on our platform. Players earn loyalty currency, called Ticketz, every time they play a paid entry contest. The frequency and amount of entry fees determine the amount of Ticketz that are earned. Players can earn trophies as awards for performing certain actions or achieving milestones in games, for which they receive Ticketz or credits, to be used towards future paid-entry tournaments. Tickets earned through the loyalty rewards and awards programs can be redeemed in our in-app Ticketz Store for various prizes ranging from Skillz-branded apparel to luxury goods and vehicles. Primarily, our users convert Ticketz to bonus cash. Approximately 96% and 94% of Ticketz were converted to bonus cash in 2023 and 2022, respectively.Our Customer AdvocacyWe provide 24/7 support and trust and safety services to our developers’ end-users. The customer support team responds to all user inquiries including support for game crashes, payment issues, and loyalty program inquiries. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our customer support team achieved a 95% Player customer satisfaction score (CSAT) for cash players. Our Trust & Safety team reviews any suspicious payments and chargebacks, and investigates anomalous scoring patterns and user reports of cheating, among other things. These suspected bad actors are reviewed on a case-by-case basis with several escalating levels of review, which ultimately may require an in-person play test on a Skillz-provided mobile device administered by a third-party security vendor to confirm the user’s ability.Our PeopleWe were founded in 2012 by Andrew Paradise and Casey Chafkin. At Skillz, we believe that every employee contributes to shaping the future of interactive entertainment. We are a multinational technology company with over 225 employees located in 11 countries as of December 31, 2023. Our business success is driven in large part by our highly skilled workforce. Additionally, we rely on independent contractors and temporary personnel to supplement our workforce from time to time. None of our employees are represented by a labor organization or are a party to any collective bargaining agreement with respect to their employment by us.Culture and Engagement. Skillz was founded on strong ethical principles, and we have intentionally grown and continue to grow values-first – scaling our workforce, services, customer portfolio, and investment partners purposefully. To ensure our culture remains positive and strong, we conduct periodic engagement surveys to gain a better understanding of what is important to our employees. We believe that as a result of our values, we have been able to identify, attract, engage and retain great people. Our seven core values define who we are, who we would like to be, and how we make decisions:Building a World Class Team. At Skillz, we believe a team with diverse business and geographic backgrounds leads to greater innovation, performance and engagement, enabling differential business growth. We believe that hiring employees in countries that have significant talent in gaming is important as we continue to make progress in our turnaround. As such, we have opened an office in India to attract and retain top gaming talent. 9TABLE OF CONTENTSCompetitive Compensation and Benefits. Skillz offers industry competitive wages and benefits. We also offer our employees a holistic total rewards package, with premier health and welfare programs for employees and family members. We believe our employees should have the support they need to maintain a strong work/life balance, grow personally and professionally, and save for their future. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits vary regionally due to local regulations and preferences. In addition, nearly every employee at Skillz is eligible for equity awards to share in the Company’s financial success.Our CompetitionWe primarily compete with alternative monetization services for mobile game content. This includes platforms that facilitate in-app advertisements and purchases. We principally compete on a number of factors, including a robust technology toolset designed with the ability to convert, engage and retain users. Our developers compete for end-users with other forms of consumer discretionary entertainment that vie for the users’ time and disposable income. This includes companies that provide video entertainment, music entertainment, social networking and other forms of leisure entertainment. The large companies in our ecosystem may play multiple roles, given the breadth of their businesses. Examples of these larger companies include Sony, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Alphabet, and Unity. Most of these companies are also our partners.Our Intellectual PropertyOur business relies substantially on the creation, use and protection of intellectual property. We protect our intellectual property by relying on international, federal, state and common law rights. We control access to our proprietary technology by entering into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors. We actively seek patent protection covering our inventions and as of December 31, 2023, we had over 130 patents granted or pending worldwide.Government Regulation and ComplianceRegulationWe are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad that affect our business, including state and federal laws regarding skill-based gaming, consumer protection, electronic marketing, data protection and privacy, competition, taxation, intellectual property, export and national security, which are continuously evolving. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly outside of the U.S. It is also likely that as our business grows and evolves, particularly if we expand to other countries, we will become subject to laws and regulations in additional jurisdictions or other jurisdictions may claim that we are required to comply with their laws and regulations.State and federal laws in the U.S. and many other jurisdictions distinguish between games of skill and games of chance. We only enable games for paid entry-fee contests in jurisdictions in which skill-based gaming is permitted and not required to be licensed as gambling under applicable law. We only enable games for paid entry-fee contests in states in which skill-based gaming is permitted and not required to be licensed as gambling under applicable state law. As of December 31, 2023, we enabled cash prizes in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Skillz enables cash prizes in all states except for Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana and South Dakota. We use proprietary algorithms and data science tools designed to ensure that the degree of skill involved in affecting the outcome of a contest is sufficient to comply with applicable state laws. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to the determination as to whether a contest is skill-based, and therefore beyond the scope of a state’s gambling laws and licensing requirements, are subject to interpretation and evolving. We have not received any licenses, authorizations or approvals confirming that the paid entry-fee contests hosted on our platform comply with applicable laws. Our compliance is based on our interpretation of existing state and federal laws regarding skill-based gaming. There is a risk that existing or future laws in the states in which we operate may be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with our current practices, and could have an adverse impact on our business and prospects. Additionally, existing and future laws that permit skill-based gaming may be accompanied in the future by restrictions or taxes that make it less feasible or impractical to operate in these jurisdictions.10TABLE OF CONTENTSIt is possible that a number of laws and regulations may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and mobile industries, including with respect to player privacy, taxation, content suitability, copyright, distribution and antitrust.It is possible that a number of laws and regulations may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and mobile gaming industries, including player privacy, taxation, content suitability, copyright, distribution and antitrust. Furthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours conducting business through the Internet and mobile devices. 18TABLE OF CONTENTSFurthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours conducting business through the Internet and mobile devices. We anticipate that scrutiny and regulation of our industry will increase and we will be required to devote legal and other resources to addressing such prospective regulation. For example, existing laws or new laws regarding the marketing of in-app purchases, or regulation of currency, banking institutions, unclaimed property or money transmission, may be interpreted to cover the games featured on our platform and the entry fees paid in respect of such contests. For example, existing laws or new laws regarding the marketing of in-app purchases, or regulation of currency, banking institutions, unclaimed property or money transmission may be interpreted to cover the games and contests featured on our platform and the entry fees paid in respect of such contests. If that were to occur we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements, and we may be subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could significantly increase our operating costs. If that were to occur we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements and we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could significantly increase our operating costs. Changes in current laws or regulations or the imposition of new laws and regulations in the U.S. or elsewhere regarding these activities may impede the growth of social game services and impair our business, financial condition or results of operations. or elsewhere regarding these activities may lessen the growth of social game services and impair our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. ComplianceBecause we handle, collect, store, receive, transmit and otherwise process certain personal information of users and employees, we are also subject to federal, state and foreign laws related to the privacy and protection of such data, including the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (“GDPR”) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). The scope of data privacy laws and regulations worldwide continues to evolve, and we anticipate that the number of data privacy laws and the scope of individual data privacy and protection rights will increase.We have developed internal compliance programs in an effort to comply with legal and regulatory requirements for skill-based gaming and with respect to data privacy and security. We use geofencing technology designed to restrict user access to paid entry fee contests to only those jurisdictions where video game contests of skill are permitted. While we are firmly committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and have developed appropriate policies and procedures in order to comply with the requirements of the evolving regulatory regimes, we cannot ensure that our compliance program will prevent the violation of one or more laws or regulations, or that a violation by us or an employee will not result in the imposition of a monetary fine.Corporate InformationWe were originally incorporated in the State of Delaware on January 15, 2020 as a special purpose acquisition company, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. In December 2020, we completed the transactions (the “FEAC Business Combination”) contemplated by that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 1, 2020, by and among Flying Eagle Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“FEAC”), FEAC Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of FEAC (“Merger Sub”), Old Skillz (which we define as Skillz Inc. prior to the FEAC Business Combination and Skillz Platform Inc. after the FEAC Business Combination), and solely in his capacity as the representative of the Old Skillz stockholders, Andrew Paradise as stockholder representative (the “Merger Agreement”), including the merger of Merger Sub with and into Old Skillz, pursuant to which (i) Old Skillz survived the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Skillz Inc. (“New Skillz”) and (ii) the Old Skillz stockholders and the holders of Old Skillz options and warrants exchanged their Old Skillz capital stock and Old Skillz options for equity interests in New Skillz.On June 23, 2023, the Company’s effectuated the one-for twenty reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock. As a result of the reverse stock split, every 20 shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock were combined and converted into one issued and outstanding share of Common Stock, and the number of authorized shares of Common Stock was reduced proportionately. The par value per share of Common Stock remains unchanged. The Company’s Class A Common Stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on the NYSE at market open on June 26, 2023. All share and per-share amounts have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the impact of the reverse stock split.Our mailing address is 6625 Badura Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89118, and our telephone number is (415) 762-0511. Our Class A common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “SKLZ.” Unless the context requires otherwise, the words “Skillz,” “we,” “Company,” “us” and “our” refer to Skillz Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries.11TABLE OF CONTENTSAvailable InformationOur website is located at www.skillz.com, and our investor relations website is located at http://investors.skillz.com/.com.

We file reports with the SEC, and copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available, free of charge, on our investor relations website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material electronically with or furnish it to the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website that contains our SEC filings. The address of the site is www.sec.gov. We use our http://investors.skillz.com/ and www.skillz.com websites as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.The contents of, or information accessible through, our websites are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORSWe have identified the following risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. The risks described below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are not material may also significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. Our business could be harmed by any of these risks. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. SUMMARY RISK FACTORSOur business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, all of which are more fully described in the Risk Factors below. These risks include, but are not limited to:•Our ability to attract and retain end-users, and do so in a cost-effective manner;•Our ability to manage our growth effectively;•Our ability to achieve profitability given our history of losses;•Our reliance on our third-party developer partners to continue to offer a competitive experience in existing and new games on our platform;•Risks related to the fact that a limited number of games account for a substantial portion of our revenue;•Our reliance on third-party service providers including cloud computing services, payment processors, and infrastructure service providers, and our ability to manage our relationships with such providers or lose access to such services;•Our ability to maintain our brand and reputation;•The competitiveness of the broader entertainment industry, and the potential that our existing and potential users may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment;•Risk related to a variety of U.S. and foreign laws which our business is subject to, and which are subject to change and could adversely affect our business;•Our ability to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights;•Risks related to economic downturns and political and market conditions beyond our control;•Risk related to the occurrence of a data breach or other failure of our cybersecurity;•Failure to properly contain a global pandemic in a timely manner and any related impact on how we and our business partners are operating; •Our ability to timely and effectively remediate the material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or additional material weaknesses or other deficiencies in the future; and•Our ability to mitigate the commercial, reputational and regulatory risks to our business that may arise as a consequence of our need to restate our financial statements.12TABLE OF CONTENTSRisks Related to Our Business and IndustryWe identified certain misstatements to our previously issued financial statements and have restated certain of our Consolidated Financial Statements, which has created additional risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.We restated our previously issued unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements the first three quarters of 2022 and the second quarter of 2023. We concluded that these previous periods should be restated to correct (i) an understatement of end-user liability, (ii) reserves for potential indirect tax liabilities, (iii) impairment of long-lived assets, (iv) other adjustments and (v) income tax adjustments related to the aforementioned errors.As a result of these errors and the restatement, we have become subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties and unanticipated costs for accounting, legal and other fees and expenses. We may become subject to legal proceedings brought by regulatory or governmental authorities, or subject to other legal proceedings, as a result of the errors or the related restatement, which could result in a loss of investor confidence or other reputational harm, the loss of key employees, additional defense and other costs. Any of the foregoing impacts, individually or in aggregate, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and stock price. If that were to occur we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements and we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could significantly increase our operating costs. As discussed in Part II – 9A, ”Controls and Procedures”, of this Annual Report, our management concluded that material weaknesses existed as of December 31, 2023.A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting, our business and operating results could be harmed.If we are unable to remediate the material weaknesses timely and sufficiently or if we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such a case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting, our ability to obtain additional financing may be impaired and our stock price may decline as a result. We could also become subject to investigations or sanctions by the SEC, the stock exchange on which our securities are listed or other regulatory authorities. Likewise, failure to timely file our financial statements could cause us to be ineligible to utilize short form registration statements, which could impair our ability to obtain capital in a timely fashion to execute our business strategies or issue shares to effect an acquisition. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.Competition within the broader entertainment industry is intense and our existing and potential users may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other entertainment and gaming options on the internet. If our platform and games available through our platform do not continue to be popular, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially adversely affected. If our platform and games available through our platform do not maintain or increase their popularity, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially adversely affected. We operate in the global entertainment and gaming industries within the broader entertainment industry. Our end-users face a vast array of entertainment choices. Other forms of entertainment, such as television, movies, sporting events and casinos, are more well established and may be perceived by the users to offer greater variety, affordability, interactivity and enjoyment. Other forms of entertainment, such as television, movies, sporting events and casinos, are more well established and may be perceived by users to offer greater variety, affordability, interactivity and enjoyment. We compete with these other forms of entertainment for the discretionary time and income of the users. If we are unable to sustain sufficient interest in our gaming platform in comparison to other forms of entertainment, including new forms of entertainment, our business model may not be viable.13TABLE OF CONTENTSThe specific industries in which we operate are characterized by dynamic customer demand and technological advances, and there is intense competition among online gaming and entertainment providers.The specific industries in which we operate are characterized by dynamic customer demand and technological advances, and there is intense competition among online gaming and entertainment providers. A number of established, well-financed companies producing online games, and/or interactive entertainment products and services compete with our platform, and other well-capitalized companies may introduce competitive services. Such competitors may spend more money and time on developing and testing products and services, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing or promotional policies, including with third-party developers, or otherwise develop more commercially successful products or services than ours, which could negatively impact our business. Our competitors may also develop products, features or services that are similar to ours or that achieve greater market acceptance. Such competitors may also undertake more far-reaching and successful product development efforts or marketing campaigns, or may adopt more aggressive pricing policies. Competition may be further impacted by advancements in artificial intelligence, and our ability to compete in the future may be dependent, in part, on our ability to further develop artificial intelligence into our products and services. Furthermore, new competitors may enter the gaming industry. There has also been considerable consolidation among competitors in the entertainment and gaming industries and such consolidation and future consolidation could result in the formation of larger competitors with increased financial resources and altered cost structures, which may enable them to offer more competitive products, gain a larger market share, expand offerings and broaden their geographic scope of operations. If we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, or if the offerings on our platform do not continue to be popular, our business could suffer. If we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, or if the offerings on our platform do not maintain or increase their popularity, our business could suffer. We rely on our third-party developer partners to develop and update all of the game features on our platform.•We rely on our third-party developer partners to continue to offer a competitive experience in existing and new games on our platform. The decision of developers to remove the Skillz Software Development Kit, or "SDK" from their games or changes in the terms of our commercial relationship with third-party developers could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The decision of developers to remove the Skillz Software Development Kit, or “SDKs” from their games or changes in the terms of our commercial relationships with third-party developers could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations and prospects. In addition, the failure of developers to provide timely and reliable updates to their games could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.We rely on third-party game developers to develop the games that we host on our platform. Accordingly, our business depends on our ability to promote, enter into and maintain successful commercial relationships with such developers. In general, we rely on our standard terms of service for third-party developers which govern the distribution, operations and fee sharing arrangements for hosting a game on our platform. In some cases, we rely on negotiated agreements with third-party developers that modify our standard terms of service. Quality third-party game developers are continually in high demand and there can be no assurance that the developers that have developed games for our platform historically will continue to maintain games on our platform or be willing to provide new games for our platform in the future. If we are unable to attract and maintain these third-party developer relationships, if the terms and conditions of such commercial relationships become less favorable to Skillz or if a developer decides to remove their games from our platform, our results of operations and prospects would suffer.In addition, we rely on our developer partners to manage and maintain their games, including updating their games to include the latest version of the Skillz SDK. The failure of our developer partners to provide timely and reliable updates could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Our focus on our third-party developers and willingness to focus on the long-term benefits of our relationships with such developers may conflict with the short-term interests of our business. We believe our third-party developer partners are essential to our success and establishing mutually successful relationships with such developers serves the best long-term interests of Skillz and our stockholders. Therefore, we have made in the past, and we may make in the future, significant investments or changes to the terms of our relationships with our developer partners that we believe will benefit us in the long term, even if our decision has the potential to negatively impact our operating results in the short term. In addition, our decisions may not result in the long-term benefits that we expect, in which case the success of our platform, business, financial condition or results of operations could be harmed.14TABLE OF CONTENTSHistorically, a limited number of games have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue.A limited number of games historically have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. If these games were to become less popular or be removed from our platform and we are unable to identify and market suitable replacements, our business and prospects could suffer.Historically, our top games and related developers have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue earned from the Skillz platform.Historically, a small number of games and related developers have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Solitaire Cube and 21 Blitz (each developed by Tether Studios, LLC (“Tether”)) and Blackout Bingo (developed by Big Run Studios Inc. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Solitaire Cube and 21 Blitz (each developed by Tether) together with Blackout Bingo (developed by Big Run) accounted for 79% of our revenue. (“Big Run”)) combined accounted for 70% of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Tether accounted for 44% of our revenue and Big Run accounted for 36% of our revenue. These games, and the related developers, are subject to our standard terms of service, which include, among other things, developer exclusivity for certain periods of time, as modified by negotiated agreements. These games, and the related developers, are subject to our standard terms of service, which include, among other things, developer exclusivity, as modified by negotiated agreements. The negotiated agreements provide Skillz with the discretion, but not the obligation, to provide marketing support for specified games and for revenue sharing with the developers that is more favorable to Skillz than our standard terms. These negotiated agreements restrict the removal of the applicable games from our platform for at least 12 months following termination. During the post-termination period, Skillz has the option, but not the obligation, to host paid competitions for such games on the platform. If these games were to become less popular or be removed from our platform and we are unable to identify and market suitable replacements, our business and prospects could suffer.Our growth will depend on the ability to attract and retain end-users who participate in paid-entry fee contests, and the loss of such end-users, or failure to attract new end-users in a cost-effective manner, would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Our growth will depend on our ability to attract and retain end-users who participate in paid entry-fee contests, and the loss of such end-users, failure to attract new end-users in a cost-effective manner, or failure to effectively manage our growth could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our business depends on maintaining a successful platform for third-party developed games that end-users will download and pay entry fees to compete in.Our business depends on maintaining a successful platform for third-party developed games that end-users will download and pay entry fees to compete in for cash or other prizes of real world value with other end-users. As a result, our business relies on our ability to engage with players by consistently and timely making available through our platform games that are engaging, trustworthy and competitive with compelling content, features and events. As a result, our business relies on our ability to engage with players by consistently and timely making available through our platform games that are engaging, trustworthy and competitive and encouraging our developer partners to create and enhance games with compelling content, features and events. The success of the games featured on our platform depends, in part, on unpredictable and volatile factors beyond our control, including consumer preferences, competing games, new mobile platforms and the availability of other entertainment experiences. Our end-users have accounts in which they make deposits and hold prior winnings. Our end-users have accounts in which they make deposits and hold prior cash winnings that have not been withdrawn. Prior winnings represented more than 81% of total paid-entry fees for the year ended December 31, 2023. If the games offered on our platform do not meet consumer expectations, if they are not marketed in a timely and effective manner, or if end-users decide to withdraw prior winnings rather than apply such winnings as entry fees to enter subsequent paid contests on our platform our revenue cash flow and financial performance will be negatively affected. If the games offered on our platform do not meet consumer expectations, if they are not marketed in a timely and effective manner, or if end-users decide to withdraw prior cash winnings rather than apply such winnings as entry fees to enter subsequent paid contests on our platform our revenue and financial performance will be negatively affected. End-user liability as of December 31, 2023 amounted to $6.6 million and is reflected on our balance sheet within other current liabilities.8 million and are reflected on our balance sheet within other current liabilities. Typically, these funds are returned to end-users if they choose to withdraw them from their account.In addition to the market factors noted above and elsewhere in these risk factors, our ability to successfully attract games to our platform and the ability of such games to achieve commercial success will depend on our ability to:•achieve benefits from player acquisition costs;•achieve viral organic growth and gain user interest in our featured games through free or paid channels;•adapt to changing player preferences;•adapt to new technologies and feature sets for mobile and other devices;•attract, retain and motivate talented and experienced third-party game developers to our platform;•partner with mobile platforms and obtain featuring opportunities;•continue to adapt to an increasingly diverse set of mobile devices, including various operating systems and specifications, limited bandwidth, and varying processing power and screen sizes;•achieve and maintain successful end-user engagement;•host games that can build upon or become franchise games;•accurately forecast the timing and expense of our operations, including costs to secure and retain game developers and end-user adoption;•minimize and quickly resolve bugs or outages negatively impacting our platform or games on our platform; and•acquire and successfully integrate high quality mobile game assets, personnel or companies.In addition to the market factors noted above, our ability to successfully attract games to our platform and the ability of such games to achieve commercial success will depend on our ability to:•effectively market such games to existing and new players;•achieve benefits from our player acquisition costs;•achieve viral organic growth and gain user interest in our featured games through free or paid channels;•adapt to changing player preferences;•adapt to new technologies and feature sets for mobile and other devices;•attract, retain and motivate talented and experienced third-party game developers to our platform;•partner with mobile platforms and obtain featuring opportunities;•continue to adapt to an increasingly diverse set of mobile devices, including various operating systems and specifications, limited bandwidth, and varying processing power and screen sizes;•achieve and maintain successful end-user engagement;14TABLE OF CONTENTS•maintain a quality, trustworthy and entertaining game experience for players;•host games that can build upon or become franchise games;•compete successfully against a large and growing number of existing market participants;•accurately forecast the timing and expense of our operations, including costs to secure and retain game developers and end-user adoption;•minimize and quickly resolve bugs or outages negatively impacting our platform or games on our platform; and•acquire and successfully integrate high quality mobile game assets, personnel or companies. 15TABLE OF CONTENTSThese and other uncertainties make it difficult to know whether our platform will succeed in continuing to host successful games and new games and features in accordance with our operating plan.These and other uncertainties make it difficult to know whether our platform will succeed in continuing to host successful games and new games and features in accordance with our operating plan. If we do not succeed in doing so, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could suffer.It may become increasingly difficult and more expensive for us to acquire players for our games and we may not achieve a positive return on investment on our user acquisition efforts.It may become increasingly difficult and more expensive for us to acquire players for our games for a variety of reasons, including the increasingly competitive nature of the mobile gaming industry as well as the proliferation of other real money gaming options available for players. Furthermore, we acquire and engage users primarily through digital ad networks, our game developers and affiliate partners. We use paid marketing channels to achieve our objectives. We optimize our marketing investment across all our channels in order to generate strong returns on our marketing spending. If the number of players who download new title launches on our platform does not meet our expectations, our revenue and operating results will suffer. Furthermore, our spending on user acquisition is designed so that we will achieve a positive return on investment – that is, we expect that the amount we spend to acquire users in our games will be less than the revenue we ultimately generate from such acquired users. In order to determine the expected revenue from acquired users who may play our games for multiple years, we often must make certain assumptions about their projected spending behavior, and these assumptions may turn out to be incorrect. To the extent that we do not achieve a positive return on investment on our user acquisition spending, it will negatively impact our operating results.If users engage in criminal, inappropriate or fraudulent activities that seek to exploit our platform and users, our ability to attract and retain developers and users may be harmed, which could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results. If we fail to detect fraud or theft, including by end-users and employees, our reputation and brand may suffer, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and can subject us to investigations and litigation.If we fail to detect fraud or theft, including by end-users and employees, our reputation may suffer, which could harm our brand and reputation and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and can subject us to investigations and litigation. We have in the past incurred, and may in the future incur, losses from various types of financial fraud, including use of stolen or fraudulent credit card data, claims of unauthorized payments by a user and attempted payments by users with insufficient funds. Bad actors use increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities involving personal information, such as unauthorized use of another person’s identity, account information or payment information and unauthorized acquisition or use of credit or debit card details, bank account information and mobile phone numbers and accounts. Under current credit card practices, we may be liable for use of funds on our platform with fraudulent credit card data, even if the associated financial institution approved the credit card transaction. Acts of fraud may involve various tactics, including collusion.Acts of fraud may involve various tactics, including collusion. Successful exploitation of our systems could have negative effects on our product offerings, services and user experience and could harm our reputation. Failure to discover such acts or schemes in a timely manner could result in harm to our operations. In addition, negative publicity related to such schemes could have an adverse effect on our reputation, potentially causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In the event of the occurrence of any such issues with our existing platform or product offerings, substantial engineering and marketing resources and management attention may be diverted from other projects to correct these issues, which may delay other projects and the achievement of our strategic objectives. Our failure to adequately detect or prevent fraudulent transactions could harm our reputation or brand, result in litigation or regulatory action and lead to expenses that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Further, unrelated third parties have developed, and may continue to develop, “cheating” programs that enable players to exploit vulnerabilities in the games featured on our platform, play them in an automated way, collude to alter the outcome of such games or obtain unfair advantages.Unrelated third parties have developed, and may continue to develop, “cheating” programs that enable players to exploit vulnerabilities in the games featured on our platform, play them in an automated way, collude to alter the outcome of such games or obtain unfair advantages. These programs and practices undermine the integrity of our platform and harm the experiences of players who play fairly, and may lead players or third-party developers to stop engaging with our platform. We devote significant resources to discover and disable these cheating programs and activities. However, if we are unable to do so in a timely and effective manner, our operations may be disrupted and our reputation may be damaged. These cheating programs could result in lost revenue from paid competitions, disrupt our in-game economies, divert time from our personnel, increase costs of developing technological measures to combat these programs and activities, increase our customer service costs needed to respond to dissatisfied players, and lead to legal claims. This type of activity may subject us to liability and negative publicity, which would increase our operating costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, reputation and future prospects.16TABLE OF CONTENTSMaintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation is critical to our business prospects.Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation is critical to our business prospects. Failure to maintain or grow our brand and reputation could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to grow our brand and reputation could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. We believe that our brand, identity and reputation have significantly contributed to the success of our business. We also believe that maintaining and enhancing the “Skillz” brand and reputation is critical to retaining and growing our third-party developer and user base. We strive to establish and maintain our brand by obtaining trademark rights. However, if our trademarks or trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our competitive position, business, financial condition or results of operations may be harmed. However, if our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our competitive position, business, financial condition or results of operations may be harmed. Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation also depends largely on our continued ability to provide, through our platform, high-quality, relevant, reliable and trustworthy games developed by our third-party partners, which may require substantial investment, may not be successful, and may contain errors, bugs, flaws, corrupted data, effects and other vulnerabilities that could adversely affect our users’ gaming experience, violate applicable security standards or cause users to stop using our platform, any of which could harm our reputation. We may also need to introduce new products or services that require developers or users to agree to new terms of service that they do not like, which may cause them to stop using our platform, which may negatively affect our brand and reputation. We may also need to introduce new products or services that require developers or users to 13TABLE OF CONTENTSagree to new terms of service that they do not like, which may cause them to stop using our platform, which may negatively affect our brand and reputation. Our brand and reputation may also be negatively affected by the actions of users acting under false or unauthentic identities and by the use of our platform for illicit, illegal or objectionable ends. We may also fail to respond expeditiously to the illicit efforts of third parties to gain an unfair advantage in games through cheating or other fraudulent activity or to otherwise address developer or user concerns, which could erode confidence in our brand and platform and damage our reputation. We may also fail to respond expeditiously to the illicit efforts of third parties to gain unfair advantage in games through cheating or other fraudulent activity or to otherwise address developer or user concerns, which could erode confidence in our brand and platform and damage our reputation. Any governmental or regulatory inquiry, investigation or action, including based on the appearance of illegal, illicit or objectionable activity or content on our platform, our business practices, or our failure to comply with laws and regulations, could damage our brand and reputation, regardless of the outcome.We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, media, legislative, governmental, regulatory, investor and other third-party scrutiny of our business decisions. Any scrutiny, inquiry, investigation or action, including regarding the quality and trustworthiness of the games featured on our platform, data privacy, copyright, employment or other practices, workplace culture, product changes, service quality, litigation or regulatory action or regarding the actions of our employees, may harm our brand and reputation. Any scrutiny, inquiry investigation or action, including regarding the quality and trustworthiness of the games featured on our platform, data privacy, copyright, employment or other practices, workplace culture, product changes, service quality, litigation or regulatory action or regarding the actions of our employees, may harm our brand and reputation. Economic downturns and political and market conditions beyond our control could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Unfavorable economic conditions have had, and may continue to have, far-reaching adverse consequences across many industries, including the global entertainment and gaming industries, which may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Economic recessions have had, and may continue to have, far-reaching adverse consequences across many industries, including the global entertainment and gaming industries, which may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, changes in the general market, economic and political conditions in domestic and foreign economies or financial markets, including fluctuation in stock markets resulting from, among other things, trends in the economy as a whole may reduce users’ disposable income.In addition, changes in general market, economic and political conditions in domestic and foreign economies or financial markets, including fluctuation in stock markets resulting from, among other things, trends in the economy as a whole may reduce users’ disposable income. Political instability or adverse political developments could also harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in Israel and Gaza and the conflict in the Red Sea Region and any business interruptions or other spillover effects from such conflicts could adversely affect our operations. Additionally, it is possible that the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conflict in Israel and Gaza and the conflict in the Red Sea Region may escalate or expand, and the scope, extent and duration of the military action, current or future sanctions and resulting market and geopolitical disruptions could be significant. While to date these sanctions and export controls have not had a material impact on our business, it is possible that these measures, as well as any countervailing responses from Russia, could adversely affect us and/or our supply chain, business partners or customers.Further, our games and contests may be considered discretionary items for users. Factors affecting the level of consumer spending for such discretionary items include general economic conditions, and other factors, such as consumer confidence in future economic conditions, fears of recession, the availability and cost of consumer credit, levels of unemployment, tax rates, interest rates, and inflationary pressure. In recent years, the United States and other significant economic markets have experienced cyclical downturns and worldwide economic conditions remain uncertain. As global economic conditions continue to be volatile or economic uncertainty remains, trends in consumer discretionary spending also remain unpredictable and subject to reductions. 17TABLE OF CONTENTSOur operations and business may be materially and adversely impacted by future pandemics, epidemics and other health emergencies.The Company faces risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks of communicable diseases, which could significantly disrupt operations and may materially and adversely affect its business, financial conditions and results of operations. The full extent to which pandemics and epidemics may impact our business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic or epidemic, including any potential future waves of the pandemic or epidemic; governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and will be taken in the future in response to such pandemic or epidemic; the effect on players and their willingness and ability to pay entry fees for the games on our platform; the effect on our third party developers and their willingness and ability to engage with our services and our platform; disruptions or restrictions on our employees’ ability to work and travel; and interruptions related to our cloud networking and platform infrastructure and partners, and developer and user service and support providers.The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and the various responses to it impact our business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic, including any potential future waves of the pandemic; governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic; the effect on players and their willingness and 11TABLE OF CONTENTSability to pay entry fees for the games on our platform; the effect on our third party developers and their willingness and ability to engage with our services and our platform; disruptions or restrictions on our employees’ ability to work and travel; and interruptions related to our cloud networking and platform infrastructure and partners, and developer and user service and support providers. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively, our business may be harmed.While substantially all of our business operations can be performed remotely in the case of a pandemic or epidemic, in the past, many of our employees would be required to juggle additional work-related and personal challenges, including adjusting communication and work practices to collaborate remotely with work colleagues and business partners, managing technical and communication challenges of working from home on a daily basis, looking after children as a result of remote-learning and school closures, making plans for childcare and caring for themselves, family members or other dependents who are or may become ill which have impacted and may impact in the future, our business and operations. While a pandemic or epidemic may lead to increased player engagement with the games on our platform relative to historic trends, these increases in player activity may not be indicative of our financial and operating results in future periods. Our business model depends upon the proliferation of mobile devices, the continued compatibility between the games featured on our platform and major mobile gaming operating systems and upon third-party platforms for the distribution of such games. If such third parties interfere with the distribution of our products or offerings, or if our expectations with respect to mobile devices and our compatibility with third party operating systems are incorrect, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be adversely affected.The number of people using mobile internet-enabled devices has increased dramatically over time and we expect that this trend will continue.The number of people using mobile Internet-enabled devices has increased dramatically over time and we expect that this trend will continue. However, the mobile market, particularly the market for mobile games, may not grow in the way we anticipate. Our future success is substantially dependent upon the continued growth of the market for mobile games. In addition, we do not currently offer our games on all mobile devices. If the mobile devices on which our games are available decline in popularity or become obsolete faster than anticipated, we could experience a decline in revenue and Gross Marketplace Volume (“GMV”) and may not achieve the anticipated return on our development efforts. If the mobile devices on which our games are available decline in popularity or become obsolete faster than anticipated, we could experience a decline in revenue and GMV and may not achieve the anticipated return on our development efforts. Any such decline in the growth of the mobile market or in the use of mobile devices for games could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any such declines in the growth of the mobile market or in the use of mobile devices for games could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The substantial majority of users access the games featured on our platform through the direct download on their mobile devices of apps developed by our developer partners. Our business model depends upon the continued compatibility between these apps and the major mobile operating systems, technologies, networks and standards that we do not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems, and any changes, bugs, security, technical or regulatory issues in such systems, changes to our relationships with mobile manufacturers or carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that degrade our offerings’ functionality, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our offerings, give preferential treatment to competitive products, limit our ability to deliver high quality offerings, or impose fees or other charges related to delivering our offerings, could adversely affect our product usage and monetization on mobile devices. We are dependent on the interoperability of our platforms with popular mobile operating systems, technologies, networks and standards that we do not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems, and any changes, bugs, security, technical or regulatory issues in such systems, changes to our relationships with mobile manufacturers and carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that degrade our offerings’ functionality, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our offerings, give preferential treatment to competitive products, limit our ability to deliver high quality offerings, or impose fees or other charges related to delivering our offerings, could adversely affect our product usage and monetization on mobile devices. Third parties with whom we do not have any formal relationships control the design of mobile devices and operating systems. These parties frequently introduce new devices, and from time to time they may introduce new operating systems or modify existing ones. Network carriers may also impact the ability of users to download apps or access specified content on mobile devices.18TABLE OF CONTENTSIn addition, we rely upon third-party platforms, such as the Apple App Store, for distribution of the games featured on our platform.In addition, we rely upon third-party platforms, such as the Apple App Store, for distribution of the games featured on our platform. The promotion, distribution and operation of apps are subject to the respective distribution platforms’ standard terms and policies for application developers, which are very broad and subject to frequent changes and differing interpretations. Furthermore, the distribution platforms may not enforce their standard terms and policies for application developers consistently and uniformly across all applications and with all publishers. A platform provider may also change its fee structure, add fees associated with access to and use of its platform and alter how developers and publishers are able to advertise on the platform. Such terms and policy changes may decrease the visibility or availability of the games featured on our platform, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we may be subject to changes in the policies or structures of online platforms for purchase and download mobile applications that may negatively impact the number of organic downloads of our games.If the growth of high-bandwidth capabilities, particularly for mobile devices, is slower than we expect, end-user growth, retention, and engagement may be seriously harmed. Additionally, to deliver high-quality content over mobile cellular networks, the games offered through our platform must work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks, regulations, and standards that we do not control. In addition, the adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity, or use of the Internet, including laws governing Internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our platform and increase our cost of doing business. Specifically, any laws that would allow mobile providers in the United States or abroad to impede access to content, or otherwise discriminate against our content, such as providing for faster or better access to our competitors, over their data networks, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Specifically, any laws that would allow mobile providers in the United States to impede access to content, or otherwise discriminate against our content, such as providing for faster or better access to our competitors, over their data networks, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We rely on information technology (“IT”) and other systems and platforms, and any failures, errors, defects or disruptions in our or our vendors’ or other partners’ systems or platforms could diminish our brand and reputation, subject us to liability, disrupt our business, affect our ability to scale our technical infrastructure and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and growth prospects.We rely on information technology and other systems and platforms, and any failures, errors, defects or disruptions in our or our vendors’ or other partners’ systems or platforms could diminish our brand and reputation, subject us to liability, disrupt our business, affect our ability to scale our technical infrastructure and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and growth prospects. Our technology infrastructure is critical to the performance of our platform and offerings and to the satisfaction of our developer partners and users.Our technology infrastructure will be critical to the performance of our platform and offerings and to the satisfaction of our developer partners and users. We devote significant resources to network and data security to protect our systems and data, including resources devoted to the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and especially as we continue to operate under a hybrid working model under which employees can work and access our technology infrastructure remotely. However, cybersecurity incidents, including breaches, computer malware, computer hacking and insider threats have become more prevalent in our industry, and our systems may not be adequately designed with the necessary reliability and redundancy to avoid performance delays or outages that could be harmful to our business. We cannot assure you that the measures we take to prevent or hinder cybersecurity incidents, protect our systems, data and user information and to prevent outages, data or information loss, fraud and to prevent or detect security breaches, including a disaster recovery strategy for server and equipment failure and back-office systems and the use of third parties for certain cybersecurity services, will provide sufficient security. We cannot assure you that the measures we take to prevent or hinder cyber-attacks, protect our systems, data and user information and to prevent outages, data or information loss, fraud and to prevent or detect security breaches, including a disaster recovery strategy for server and equipment failure and back-office systems and the use of third parties for certain cybersecurity services, will provide sufficient security. Any cybersecurity breach caused by hacking, which involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems, or to cause intentional malfunctions, loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, or the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses or other unauthorized access to our systems caused by employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation and could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and regulatory penalties, disruption of our operations and the services we provide to users. Any cybersecurity breach caused by hacking, which involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems, or to cause intentional malfunctions, loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, or the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses or other unauthorized access to our systems caused by employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. We have experienced and will continue to experience hacking attacks of varying degrees from time to time. Because of our prominence in the gaming industry, we believe we are a particularly attractive target for hackers. Additionally, rapidly evolving technology and capabilities (including artificial intelligence), evolving changes in the sources, capabilities and targets for cybersecurity attacks, as well as the increasing sophistication of cyber criminals increase the risk of material data compromise or business disruption. Additionally, rapidly evolving technology and capabilities, evolving changes in the sources, capabilities and targets for cybersecurity attacks, as well as the increasing sophistication of cyber criminals increase the risk of material data compromise or business disruption. Our vendors and other third parties with whom we do business with, such as our developer partners, are also subject to the foregoing risks, and we do not have any control over them. Our vendors and other third parties with whom we do business, such as our developer partners, are also subject to the foregoing risks, and we do not have any control over them. We have experienced, and we may in the future experience, system disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors and capacity constraints. Such disruptions have not had a material impact, individually or in the aggregate to date; however, future disruptions from unauthorized access to, fraudulent manipulation of, or tampering with our computer systems and technological infrastructure, or those of third parties, could result in a wide range of negative outcomes, including violations of applicable privacy laws which can result in significant fines, governmental investigations and enforcement actions, legal and financial exposure, contractual liability and damage to our reputation, each of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.19TABLE OF CONTENTSAdditionally, the games offered through our platform may contain errors, bugs, flaws or corrupted data, and these defects may only become apparent after their launch.Additionally, the games offered through our platform may contain errors, bugs, flaws or corrupted data, and these defects may only become apparent after their launch. If a particular game is unavailable when users attempt to play it or navigation through our platform is slower than they expect, users may be unable to properly engage in the games we host. Furthermore, programming errors, defects and data corruption could disrupt our operations, adversely affect the experience of end-users, harm our reputation, cause end-users to stop utilizing our platforms, divert our resources and delay market acceptance of our offerings, any of which could result in legal liability to us or harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.If our developer and the end-user base and engagement continue to grow, and the amount and types of games offered through our platform continue to grow and evolve, we will need an increasing amount of technical infrastructure, including network capacity and computing power, to continue to satisfy end-users’ needs. Such infrastructure expansion may be complex, and unanticipated delays in completing these projects or availability of components may lead to increased project costs, operational inefficiencies, or interruptions in the delivery or degradation of the quality of our platform. In addition, there may be issues related to this infrastructure that are not identified during the testing phases of design and implementation, which may only become evident after we have started to fully use the underlying equipment or software, that could further degrade the user experience or increase our costs. As such, we could fail to continue to effectively scale and grow our technical infrastructure to accommodate increased demands. In addition, our business may be subject to interruptions, delays or failures resulting from adverse weather conditions, other natural disasters, power loss, terrorism, cyber-attacks, public health emergencies or other catastrophic events.We believe that if our third-party developers or users have a negative experience with our platform or services, or if our brand or reputation is negatively affected, developers and users may be less inclined to continue or to engage with our platform. As such, a failure or significant interruption in our service would harm our reputation, business and operating results.In addition, as we expand our business and acquire more users, it is important that we continue to maintain a high level of customer service and satisfaction. As our paying user base continues to grow, we will need to expand our customer service and personnel, which will require more complex management and systems. If we are not able to continue to provide high levels of customer service, we may lose acquired users.Our business is subject to a variety of U.S. and foreign laws, many of which are unsettled and still developing and which could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Any change in existing laws, or their interpretation, or the regulatory climate applicable to our platform and services, or changes in tax laws or interpretation thereof related to our platform and services, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as currently conducted or as we seek to operate in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Any change in existing regulations or their interpretation, or the regulatory climate applicable to our platform and services, or changes in tax rules and regulations or interpretation thereof related to our platform and services, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as currently conducted or as we seek to operate in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. We are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad that affect our business, including state and federal laws regarding skill-based gaming, consumer protection, electronic marketing, data protection and privacy, competition, taxation, intellectual property, export and national security, which are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly outside the U.S. In 2022, the Australian Taxation Office completed a comprehensive review of the Company’s tax obligations and determined the Company was required to register for the Goods and Service Tax in Australia. The Company then conducted a review of other foreign jurisdictions and determined it was liable for indirect taxation in various countries. See Note 10, Commitments and Contingencies, for further details. There is a risk that existing or future laws may be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with our current practices, and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. It is also likely that as our business grows and evolves, particularly if we expand to other countries, we will become subject to laws in additional jurisdictions or other jurisdictions may claim that we are required to comply with their laws. It is also likely that as our business grows and evolves, particularly if we expand to other countries, we will become subject to laws and regulations in additional jurisdictions or other jurisdictions may claim that we are required to comply with their laws and regulations. 20TABLE OF CONTENTSState and federal laws in the U.S. distinguish between games of skill and games of chance. We only enable games for paid entry-fee contests in states in which skill-based gaming is permitted and not required to be licensed as gambling under applicable state law. As of December 31, 2023, we are permitted to operate skills-based gaming in 45 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2020, we operated in 41 states and the District of Columbia, covering approximately 90% of the U. We use proprietary algorithms and data science tools designed to ensure that the degree of skill involved in affecting the outcome of a contest is sufficient to comply with applicable state laws. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to the determination as to whether a contest is skill-based, and therefore beyond the scope of a state’s gambling laws and licensing requirements, are subject to interpretation and evolving. There is a risk that existing or future laws in the states in which we operate may be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with our current practices, and could have an adverse impact on our business and prospects. Additionally, existing and future laws that permit skill-based gaming may be accompanied in the future by restrictions, licensing requirements or taxes that make it impractical or less feasible to operate in these jurisdictions. Additionally, existing and future laws that permit skill-based gaming may be accompanied in the future by restrictions or taxes that make it impractical or less feasible to operate in these jurisdictions. It is possible that a number of laws may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and mobile gaming industries, including player privacy, taxation, content suitability, copyright, distribution and antitrust.It is possible that a number of laws and regulations may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and mobile gaming industries, including player privacy, taxation, content suitability, copyright, distribution and antitrust. Furthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours conducting business through the Internet and mobile devices. 18TABLE OF CONTENTSFurthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours conducting business through the Internet and mobile devices. We anticipate that scrutiny and regulation of our industry will increase and we will be required to devote legal and other resources to addressing such regulation. For example, existing laws or new laws regarding the marketing of in-app purchases, or regulation of currency, banking institutions, unclaimed property or money transmission may be interpreted to cover the games and contests featured on our platform and the entry fees paid in respect of such contests. If that were to occur, we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements and we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could be time consuming and significantly increase our operating costs. If that were to occur we may be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements and we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could significantly increase our operating costs. Any delays in obtaining or difficulty in maintaining regulatory approvals needed for expansion within existing jurisdictions or into new jurisdictions may negatively affect our opportunities for growth, including the growth of our customer base, or delay our ability to recognize revenue from our offerings in any such jurisdictions. Regulatory authorities may have broad powers with respect to the regulation and licensing of skill- based gaming operations and may revoke, suspend, condition or limit such licenses, impose substantial fines on us or take other actions, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.Regulatory authorities may have broad powers with respect to the regulation and licensing of skill- based gaming operations and may revoke, suspend, condition or limit such licenses, impose substantial fines on us or take other actions, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We will strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our business. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules. Non-compliance with any such law or regulations could expose us to claims, proceedings, litigation and investigations by private parties and regulatory authorities, as well as substantial fines and negative publicity, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, growth prospects and reputation.Governmental authorities could view us as having violated applicable laws, despite our efforts to comply.Governmental authorities could view us as having violated local laws, despite our efforts to comply. There is also a risk that civil and criminal proceedings, including class actions brought by or on behalf of prosecutors or public entities or incumbent providers of entertainment and gaming services, or private individuals, could be initiated against us, Internet service providers, credit card and other payment processors, advertisers and others involved in the skill-based gaming industries. Such potential proceedings could involve substantial litigation expense, penalties, fines, seizure of assets, injunctions or other restrictions being imposed upon us or our business partners, while diverting the attention of key executives. Such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as impact our reputation.There can be no assurance that legally enforceable legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to prohibit, restrict, or regulate various aspects of the skill-based gaming industry (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively by governmental authorities).There can be no assurance that legally enforceable legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to prohibit, legislate or regulate various aspects of the skill-based gaming industry (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively). Compliance with any such legislation may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition results of operations and prospects, either as a result of our determination that a jurisdiction should be blocked, or because a local license or approval may be costly for us or our business partners to obtain and/or such licenses or approvals may contain other commercially undesirable conditions.21TABLE OF CONTENTSChanges in tax laws or tax rulings could materially affect our effective tax rates, financial position and results of operations.Changes in tax laws or tax rulings could materially affect our effective tax rates, financial position and results of operations. The tax regimes we are subject to or operate under are unsettled and may be subject to significant change. In the course of our business, there will be many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Changes in tax laws or tax rulings, or changes in interpretations of existing laws, could cause us to be subject to additional income-based taxes and non-income taxes (such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, digital tax, net worth, property, and goods and services taxes), which in turn could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. Changes in tax laws (including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic) or tax rulings, or changes in interpretations of existing laws, could cause us to be subject to additional income-based taxes and non- income taxes (such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, digital tax, net worth, property, and goods and services taxes), which in turn could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. In December 2017, the U.S. federal government enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“2017 Tax Act”). The 2017 Tax Act significantly changed the existing U.S. corporate income tax laws by, among other things, lowering the corporate tax rate, implementing a partially territorial tax system, and imposing a one-time deemed repatriation toll tax on cumulative undistributed foreign earnings. There is no guarantee that the tax regime to which we are subject in the U.S. and abroad will not change to our detriment. In addition, from time to time, various legislators and other government officials have proposed and adopted changes in tax laws, or in the administration or interpretation of such laws, affecting the gaming industry. For example, many countries in the European Union, as well as a number of other countries and organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, have recently proposed or recommended changes to existing tax laws or have enacted new laws that could impact our tax obligations. Any significant changes to our future effective tax rate may result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any worsening of economic conditions and the large number of jurisdictions with significant current or projected budget deficits could intensify the efforts of governments to raise revenues through increases in gaming taxes and/or other taxes. It is not possible to determine with certainty the likelihood of changes in tax laws or in the administration or interpretation or enforcement of such laws. Any material increase, or the adoption of additional taxes or fees, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, tax authorities may impose indirect taxes on internet-related commercial activity based on existing statutes and regulations which, in some cases, were established prior to the advent of the Internet. Tax authorities may interpret laws originally enacted for mature industries and apply it to newer industries, such as the skill-based gaming industry. The application of such laws may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operationsUnder Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (1) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (2) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act. In addition, we believe that we are not an investment company under Section 3(b)(1) of the Investment Company Act because we are primarily engaged in a non-investment company business.We intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any such security breach could require us to comply with various breach notification laws, may affect our ability to operate and may expose us to litigation, remediation and investigation costs, increased costs for security measures, loss of revenue, damage to our reputation and potential liability, each of which could be material. Companies and governmental agencies may restrict access to platforms, our website, mobile applications or the Internet generally, which could lead to the loss or slower growth of players on the Skillz platform.Players generally need to access the Internet and in particular platforms or our website to play the games available on the Skillz platform.Our players generally need to access the Internet and in particular platforms or our website to play the games available on the Skillz platform. Companies and governmental agencies could block access to any platform, our website, mobile applications or the Internet generally for a number of reasons such as security or confidentiality concerns or regulatory reasons, or they may adopt policies that prohibit employees from accessing Apple or Google and our website or any social platform. If companies or governmental entities block or limit such or otherwise adopt policies restricting players from playing the games available on the Skillz platform, our business could be negatively impacted and could lead to the loss or slower growth of players on the Skillz platform.22TABLE OF CONTENTSWe primarily rely, and expect to continue to rely, on Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) to deliver our offerings to users on our platform and any failure or disruption of or interference with our use of AWS could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.We primarily rely, and expect to continue to rely, on Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) to deliver our offerings to users on our platform and any failure, disruption of or interference with our use of AWS could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our technology infrastructure is critical to the performance of our platform and to the satisfaction of our developer partners and users, as well as our corporate functions. Our platform and company systems run on a complex distributed system, or what is commonly known as cloud computing. We own, operate and maintain elements of this system, but significant elements of this system are operated by third parties that we do not control and which would require significant time and expense to replace. We expect this dependence on third parties to continue. We have suffered interruptions in service in the past, including when releasing new software versions or bug fixes, and we may in the future experience disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors and capacity constraints. We have suffered interruptions in service in the past, including when releasing new software versions or bug fixes, and if any such interruption were significant and/or prolonged it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, future prospects, results of operations or reputation. If any such interruption were significant and/or prolonged it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, future prospects, results of operations or reputation. If such third parties interfere with the distribution of our products or offerings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be adversely affected. Further, if a particular game is unavailable when players attempt to access it or navigation through a game is slower than they expect, players may stop playing the game and may be less likely to return to the game as often, if at all. If a particular game is unavailable when players attempt to access it or navigation through a game is slower than they expect, players may stop playing the game and may be less likely to return to the game as often, if at all. In particular, a significant portion of our game traffic, data storage, data processing and other computing services and systems is hosted by AWS. AWS provides us with computing and storage capacity pursuant to an agreement that continues until terminated by either party. The agreement requires AWS to provide us their standard computing and storage capacity and related support in exchange for timely payment by us.To the extent we or our third-party service providers do not effectively respond to any interruptions, upgrade systems as needed and continually develop technology and network architecture to accommodate traffic, our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. To the extent we or our third-party service providers do not effectively respond to any such interruptions, upgrade systems as needed and continually develop technology and network 15TABLE OF CONTENTSarchitecture to accommodate traffic, our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. We do not maintain insurance policies covering losses relating to our systems and we do not have business interruption insurance. In addition, we do not maintain insurance policies covering losses relating to our systems and we do not have business interruption insurance. Furthermore, our disaster recovery systems and those of third parties with which we do business may not function as intended or may fail to adequately protect our critical business information in the event of a significant business interruption, which may cause interruption in service of our games, security breaches or the loss of data or functionality, leading to a negative effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.In addition, in the event that any of our agreements with these third party service providers are terminated, we may experience significant costs or downtime in connection with the transfer to, or the addition of, new hosting or cloud computing providers. Although alternative providers could host our platform on a substantially similar basis, such transition could potentially be disruptive and we could incur significant costs in connection with such transition.23TABLE OF CONTENTSOur use of third-party open source software could negatively affect our ability to offer our products and services through our platform and subject us to possible litigation.Our use of third-party open source software could negatively affect our ability to offer our products and services through our platform and subject us to possible litigation. We have incorporated, and may in the future incorporate, third-party open source software in our technologies. Open source software is generally licensed by its authors or other third parties under open source licenses. From time to time, companies that use third-party open source software have faced claims challenging the use of such open source software and requesting compliance with the open source software license terms. Accordingly, we may be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or claiming non-compliance with the applicable open source licensing terms. Some open source software licenses require end-users who use, distribute or make available across a network software and services that include open source software to offer to the public aspects of the technology that incorporates the open source software for no cost, make publicly available source code (which in some circumstances could include valuable proprietary code) for modifications or derivative works created based upon incorporating or using the open source software and/or to license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of the particular open source license. If we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open source licenses, be required to release or license the source code of our proprietary software to the public. Additionally, if a third-party software provider has incorporated open source software into software that we license from such provider, we could be required to disclose any of our source code that incorporates or is a modification of our licensed software. While we have internal processes and use tools designed to help us monitor and comply with the licenses of third-party open source software and protect our valuable proprietary source code, we may inadvertently use third-party open source software in a manner that exposes us to claims of non-compliance with the terms of their licenses, including claims of intellectual property rights infringement or for breach of contract. While we use tools designed to help us monitor and comply with the licenses of third-party open source software and protect our valuable proprietary source code, we may inadvertently use third-party open source software in a manner that exposes us to claims of non-compliance with the terms of their licenses, including claims of intellectual property rights infringement or for breach of contract. Furthermore, there exists today an increasing number of types of open source software licenses, almost none of which have been tested in courts of law to provide guidance of their proper legal interpretations, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our use of the open source software. If we were to receive a claim of non-compliance with the terms of any of these open source licenses, we may be required to publicly release certain portions of our proprietary source code, expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some of our software, or pay damages, settlement fees or a royalty to use certain open source software. Any of the foregoing could disrupt and harm our business.In addition, the use of third-party open source software typically exposes us to greater risks than the use of third-party commercial software because open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, controls, indemnification or other contractual protections regarding the functionality or origin of the software. Use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the public availability of such software may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to compromise our platform. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could help our competitors develop products and services that are similar to or better than ours.We rely on other third-party service providers and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.19TABLE OF CONTENTSWe rely on other third-party service providers and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Our success depends in part on our relationships with our third-party service providers. If those providers do not perform adequately, end-users may experience issues or interruptions with their experiences on our platform. Furthermore, if any of our partners terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate provider, and we may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such providers in an acceptable time frame. We also rely on software and services supplied by third parties, such as game content, and our business may be adversely affected to the extent such game content does not meet our expectations, contains errors or vulnerabilities, is compromised or experiences outages. Any of these risks could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Further, any negative publicity related to any of our third-party partners, including any publicity related to regulatory concerns, could adversely affect our reputation and brand, and could potentially lead to increased regulatory or litigation exposure.24TABLE OF CONTENTSWe incorporate technology from third parties into our platform. We cannot be certain that our licensors are not infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others or that our suppliers and licensors have sufficient rights to such technology in all jurisdictions in which we may operate. In addition, some of our license agreements may be terminated by our licensors for convenience. If we are unable to obtain or maintain rights to any of this technology because of intellectual property infringement claims brought by third parties against our suppliers and licensors or against us, or if we are unable to continue to obtain such technology or enter into new agreements on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to develop our platform could be severely limited and our business could be harmed. Additionally, if we are unable to obtain necessary technology from third parties, we may be forced to acquire or develop alternate technology, which may require significant time and effort and may be of lower quality or performance standards. This would limit and delay our ability to provide new or competitive offerings and increase our costs. If alternate technology cannot be obtained or developed, we may not be able to offer certain functionality as part of our offerings, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects.We rely on third-party providers to validate the identity and identify the location of end-users, and if such providers fail to perform adequately, or if we do not maintain business relationships with them, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.We rely on third-party providers to validate the identity and identify the location of end-users, and if such providers fail to perform adequately or fail to provide accurate information, or if we do not maintain business relationships with them, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected. There is no guarantee that the third-party geolocation and identity verification systems that we rely on will perform adequately, or be effective. We rely on our geolocation and identity verification systems to ensure we are in compliance with certain laws and regulations, and any service disruption to those systems would prohibit us from operating our platform in compliance with law, or at all, and would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We rely on our geolocation and identity verification systems to ensure we are in compliance with certain laws and regulations, and any service disruption to those systems would prohibit us from operating our platform, and would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, incorrect or misleading geolocation and identity verification data with respect to current or potential users received from third-party service providers may result in us inadvertently allowing access to our offerings to individuals who should not be permitted to access them, or otherwise inadvertently deny access to individuals who should be able to access our offerings. Additionally, incorrect or misleading geolocation and identity verification data with respect to current or potential users received from third-party service providers may result in us inadvertently allowing access to our offerings to individuals who should not be permitted to access them, or otherwise inadvertently deny access to individuals who should be able to access our offerings, in each case based on inaccurate identity or geographic location determination. Our third-party geolocation services provider relies on its ability to obtain information necessary to determine geolocation from mobile devices, operating systems, and other sources. Changes, disruptions or temporary or permanent failure to access such sources by our third-party services providers may result in their inability to accurately determine the location of end-users. Moreover, our inability to maintain our existing contracts with third-party services providers, or to replace them with equivalent third parties, may result in our inability to access geolocation and identity verification data necessary for our day-to-day operations. If any of these risks materializes, we may be subject to disciplinary action, fines, lawsuits, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and reputation could be adversely affected.We rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by end-users on the platform, and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.We rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by end-users into the platform, and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, we may have difficulty accessing the services of banks, credit card issuers and payment processing services providers, which may make it difficult to sell our products and services.We may have difficulty accessing the services of banks, credit card issuers and payment processing services providers, which may make it difficult to sell our products and services. We rely on a limited number of third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by end-users on our platform. If any of our third-party payment processors terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we may need to find an alternate payment processor, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such payment processor in an acceptable time frame. If any of our third-party payment processors terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would need to find an alternate payment processor, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such payment processor in an acceptable time frame. Further, the software and services provided by our third-party payment processors may not meet our expectations, and may contain errors or vulnerabilities, be compromised or experience outages. Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment transactions or make timely payments to users on our platform, any of which could make our platform less trustworthy and convenient and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain end-users. Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept online payments or other 20TABLE OF CONTENTSpayment transactions or make timely payments to users on our platform, any of which could make our platform less trustworthy and convenient and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain end-users. Nearly all of our payments are made by credit card, debit card or through other third-party payment services, which subjects us to certain regulations and to the risk of fraud. We may in the future offer new payment options to users that may be subject to additional regulations and risks. We are also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from end-users, including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties, fines and/or higher transaction fees and may lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our offerings less convenient and attractive to end-users. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected.25TABLE OF CONTENTSAdditionally, our payment processors require us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks.Additionally, our payment processors require us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or reinterpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain offerings to some users, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We have agreed to reimburse our payment processors for fines they are assessed by payment card networks if we or the users on our platform violate these rules. Although financial institutions and payment processors are permitted to provide services to us and others in our industry, banks, credit card issuers and payment processing service providers may be hesitant to offer banking and payment processing services to gaming businesses.Although financial institutions and payment processors are permitted to provide services to us and others in our industry, banks, credit card issuers and payment processing service providers may be hesitant to offer banking and payment processing services to gaming businesses. Consequently, we may encounter difficulties in establishing and maintaining banking and payment processing relationships with a full scope of services and generating market interest rates. If we were unable to maintain Skillz’s bank accounts or end-users were unable to use their credit cards, bank accounts or e-wallets to make deposits and withdrawals from our platforms it would make it difficult for us to operate our business, increase our operating costs, and pose additional operational, logistical and security challenges which could result in an inability to implement our business plan. A disruption in our ability to process payments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Our strategy to expand internationally will be subject to increased challenges and risks; our growth prospects and market potential will depend on our ability to operate in a number of jurisdictions and if we fail to do so our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be impaired. We rely on our geolocation and identity verification systems to ensure we are in compliance with certain laws and regulations, and any service disruption to those systems would prohibit us from operating our platform, and would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our ability to grow our business will depend on our ability to offer our product offerings in a large number of jurisdictions or in heavily populated jurisdictions. If we fail to remain in large jurisdictions or in a greater number of mid-market jurisdictions, this may prevent us from expanding the footprint of our product offerings, increasing the end-user base and/or generating revenues. We cannot be certain that we will be able to conduct our skill-based gaming operations in any particular jurisdiction. Any failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.One of our growth strategies is to expand our business outside the United States. An important part of targeting international markets is developing offerings that are localized and customized for the players in those markets. Our ability to expand our business and to attract talented employees and players in international markets will require considerable management attention and resources and is subject to the particular challenges of supporting a rapidly growing business in an environment of multiple languages, cultures, customs, legal systems, alternative dispute systems, regulatory systems and commercial infrastructures. Expanding our international focus may subject us to risks that we have not faced before or increase risks that we currently face, including risks associated with:•inability to host certain games in certain foreign countries;•challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences;•developing and customizing games and other offerings that appeal to the tastes and preferences of players in international markets;•competition from local game makers with significant market share in those markets and with a better understanding of player preferences;•utilizing, protecting, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights;•negotiating agreements with local distribution platforms that are sufficiently economically beneficial to us and protective of our rights;•the inability to extend proprietary rights in our brand, content or technology into new jurisdictions;•implementing alternative payment methods for virtual items in a manner that complies with local laws and practices and protects us from fraud;•compliance with applicable foreign laws and regulations, including privacy laws and laws relating to content and consumer protection (for example, the United Kingdom’s Office of Fair Trading’s 2014 principles relating to in-app purchases in free-to-play games that are directed toward children 16 and under);•compliance with anti-bribery laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;•credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud;•currency exchange rate fluctuations;26TABLE OF CONTENTS•protectionist laws and business practices that favor local businesses in some countries;•double taxation of our international earnings and potentially adverse tax consequences due to changes in the tax laws of the U. Expanding our international focus may subject us to risks that we have not faced before or increase risks that we currently face, including risks associated with:•inability to host certain games in certain foreign countries;•recruiting and retaining talented and capable management and employees in foreign countries;•challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences;•developing and customizing games and other offerings that appeal to the tastes and preferences of players in international markets;•competition from local game makers with significant market share in those markets and with a better understanding of player preferences;•utilizing, protecting, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights;•negotiating agreements with local distribution platforms that are sufficiently economically beneficial to us and protective of our rights;•the inability to extend proprietary rights in our brand, content or technology into new jurisdictions;•implementing alternative payment methods for virtual items in a manner that complies with local laws and practices and protects us from fraud;•compliance with applicable foreign laws and regulations, including privacy laws and laws relating to content and consumer protection (for example, the United Kingdom’s Office of Fair Trading’s 2014 principles relating to in-app purchases in free-to-play games that are directed toward children 16 and under);•compliance with anti-bribery laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;•credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud;•currency exchange rate fluctuations;•protectionist laws and business practices that favor local businesses in some countries;•double taxation of our international earnings and potentially adverse tax consequences due to changes in the tax laws of the U. S. or the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate;•political, economic and social instability;•public health crises, which can result in varying impacts to our employees, players, vendors and commercial partners internationally;•higher costs associated with doing business internationally;•export or import regulations; and•trade and tariff restrictions. or the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate;•political, economic and social instability;•public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which can result in varying impacts to our employees, players, vendors and commercial partners internationally;•higher costs associated with doing business internationally;30TABLE OF CONTENTS•export or import regulations; and•trade and tariff restrictions. If we are unable to manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. Additionally, our ability to successfully gain market acceptance in any particular market is uncertain, and the distraction of our senior management team could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.Our results of operations may fluctuate due to seasonality and other factors and, therefore, our periodic operating results will not be guarantees of future performance.Our financial results and operations in any given period may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which we are unable to predict or are outside of our control, including the impact of seasonality, and the other risks and uncertainties set forth herein, and therefore may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. We are subject to a number of laws, rules and regulations requiring us to provide notification to players, investors, regulators and other affected parties in the event of a security breach of certain personal data, or requiring the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement. Consumer engagement with our gaming platform may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including the popularity of the underlying games, the user’s level of satisfaction with our platform, the ability of our developer partners to improve and innovate games, our ability to adapt our platform, outages and disruptions of online services, the availability of alternative live events or entertainment, the services offered by our competitors, our marketing and advertising efforts or declines in consumer activity generally as a result of economic downturns, among others. Any decline or fluctuation in the recurring portion of our business may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.We may invest in or acquire other businesses, and our business may suffer if we miscalculate the value or benefits of such acquired businesses, if we are unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our company or otherwise manage the growth associated with multiple acquisitions.We may invest in or acquire other businesses, and our business may suffer if we are unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our company or otherwise manage the growth associated with multiple acquisitions. We intend to evaluate and pursue acquisitions and strategic investments. Each of these acquisitions will require unique approaches to integration due to, among other factors, the structure of the acquisitions, their locations and cultural differences among their teams and ours. Each of these acquisitions will require unique approaches to integration due to, among other reasons, the structure of the acquisitions, their locations and cultural differences among their teams and ours, and has required, and will continue to require, attention from our management team. If we are unable to obtain the anticipated benefits from these acquisitions and strategic investments, or we encounter difficulties in integrating their operations with ours, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially harmed. Challenges and risks from such investments and acquisitions include:•negative effects on business initiatives and strategies from the changes and potential disruption that may follow the acquisition;•diversion of our management’s attention;•declining employee morale and retention issues resulting from changes in compensation, or changes in management, reporting relationships, or future prospects;•the need to integrate the operations, systems, technologies, products and personnel of each acquired company, the inefficiencies and lack of control that may result if such integration is delayed or not implemented, and unforeseen difficulties and expenditures that may arise in connection with integration;•the difficulty in determining the appropriate purchase price of acquired companies may lead to the overpayment for certain acquisitions and the potential impairment of intangible assets and goodwill acquired in the acquisitions;•the difficulty in successfully evaluating and utilizing the acquired products, technology or personnel;•the potential incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses or restructuring charges in connection with any acquisition;27TABLE OF CONTENTS•the need to implement controls, procedures and policies appropriate for a larger, U.Challenges and risks from such investments and acquisitions include:•negative effects on business initiatives and strategies from the changes and potential disruption that may follow the acquisition;•diversion of our management’s attention;•declining employee morale and retention issues resulting from changes in compensation, or changes in management, reporting relationships, or future prospects;•the need to integrate the operations, systems, technologies, products and personnel of each acquired company, the inefficiencies and lack of control that may result if such integration is delayed or not implemented, and unforeseen difficulties and expenditures that may arise in connection with integration;•the difficulty in determining the appropriate purchase price of acquired companies may lead to the overpayment of certain acquisitions and the potential impairment of intangible assets and goodwill acquired in the acquisitions;•the difficulty in successfully evaluating and utilizing the acquired products, technology or personnel;•the potential incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses or restructuring charges in connection with any acquisition;•the need to implement controls, procedures and policies appropriate for a larger, U. S.-based public company at companies that prior to acquisition may not have as robust controls, procedures and policies, in particular, with respect to the effectiveness of cyber and information security practices and incident response plans, compliance with privacy and other regulations protecting the rights of developers and users, and compliance with U.S.-based economic policies and sanctions which may not have previously been applicable to the acquired company’s operations;•the difficulty in accurately forecasting and accounting for the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges and integrating and reporting results for acquired companies that have not historically followed U.S. GAAP;•the fact that we may be required to pay contingent consideration in excess of the initial fair value, and contingent consideration may become payable at a time when we do not have sufficient cash available to pay such consideration;•under purchase accounting, we may be required to write off deferred revenue which may impair our ability to recognize revenue that would have otherwise been recognizable which may impact our financial performance or that of the acquired company;•risks associated with our expansion into new international markets and doing business internationally, including those described under the risk factor caption “Our strategy to expand internationally will be subject to increased challenges and risks”;•in the case of foreign acquisitions, the need to integrate operations across different cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries;•the need to transition operations, third-party developers and players onto our existing or new platforms and the potential loss of, or harm to, our relationships with employees, third-party developers, players and other suppliers as a result of integration of new businesses;•the implications of our management team balancing levels of oversight over acquired businesses which continue their operations under contingent consideration provisions in acquisition agreements;•our dependence on the accuracy and completeness of statements and disclosures made or actions taken by the companies we acquire or their representatives, when conducting due diligence and evaluating the results of such due diligence; and•liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including intellectual property and other litigation claims or disputes, cyber and information security vulnerabilities, violations of laws, rules and regulations, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities. GAAP;•the fact that we may be required to pay contingent consideration in excess of the initial fair value, and contingent consideration may become payable at a time when we do not have sufficient cash available to pay such consideration;•under purchase accounting, we may be required to write off deferred revenue which may impair our ability to recognize revenue that would have otherwise been recognizable which may impact our financial performance or that of the acquired company;22TABLE OF CONTENTS•risks associated with our expansion into new international markets and doing business internationally, including those described under the risk factor caption “Our strategy to expand internationally will be subject to increased challenges and risks”;•in the case of foreign acquisitions, the need to integrate operations across different cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries;•the need to transition operations, third-party developers and players onto our existing or new platforms and the potential loss of, or harm to, our relationships with employees, third-party developers, players and other suppliers as a result of integration of new businesses;•the implications of our management team balancing levels of oversight over acquired businesses which continue their operations under contingent consideration provisions in acquisition agreements;•our dependence on the accuracy and completeness of statements and disclosures made or actions taken by the companies we acquire or their representatives, when conducting due diligence and evaluating the results of such due diligence; and•liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including intellectual property and other litigation claims or disputes, cyber and information security vulnerabilities, violations of laws, rules and regulations, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities. The benefits of an acquisition or investment may also take considerable time to develop, and we cannot be certain that any particular acquisition or investment will produce the intended benefits, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects or reputation. In July 2021, we completed the acquisition of Aarki, Inc. (“Aarki”) and acquired 100% of its outstanding equity and voting interests, and in 2023, we made the determination to allow certain key employees of Aarki to receive equity awards in Aarki. There were no awards granted in 2023. Our ability to grow through future acquisitions will depend on the availability of suitable acquisition and investment candidates at an acceptable cost, our ability to compete effectively to attract these candidates and the availability of financing to complete larger acquisitions. Acquisitions could result in potential dilutive issuances of equity securities, use of significant cash balances or incurrence of debt (and increased interest expense), contingent liabilities or amortization expenses related to intangible assets or write-offs of goodwill and/or intangible assets, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and dilute the economic and voting rights of our stockholders. During the year ended December 31, 2022 we impaired all intangible assets and goodwill associated with the Aarki acquisition.28TABLE OF CONTENTSWe are subject to laws and regulations concerning privacy, information security, data protection, consumer protection and protection of minors, and these laws and regulations are continually evolving.We are subject to laws and regulations concerning privacy, information security, data protection, consumer protection and protection of minors, and these laws and regulations are continually evolving. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with these laws and regulations could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects.We receive, store and process personal information and other data relating to our employees and business contacts, as well as player data, and we enable our players to share their personal information with each other and with third parties, including on the Internet and mobile platforms. There are numerous federal, state and local laws around the world regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information and other player data on the Internet and mobile platforms, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent between countries or conflict with other rules. A number of these laws, rules and regulations require us to provide notification to players, investors, regulators and other affected parties in the event of a security breach of certain personal data, or require the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement. We are subject to a number of laws, rules and regulations requiring us to provide notification to players, investors, regulators and other affected parties in the event of a security breach of certain personal data, or requiring the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement. Various government and consumer agencies have called for new regulation and changes in industry practices and are continuing to review the need for greater regulation for the collection of information concerning consumer behavior on the Internet, including regulation aimed at restricting certain targeted advertising practices.Various government and consumer agencies have called for new regulation and changes in industry practices and are continuing to review the need for greater regulation for the collection of information concerning consumer behavior on the Internet, including regulation aimed at restricting certain targeted advertising practices. In the United States, there are numerous federal and state data privacy laws, data breach notification laws and consumer protection laws. For example, the State of California’s passage of the CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020 and created new privacy rights for consumers residing in the state. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA allows for the California Attorney General to impose civil penalties and also provides a privacy right of action for certain data breaches. California voters also recently passed the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which went into effect on January 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly modifies the CCPA, including by imposing additional obligations on covered companies and expanding California consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. Other states, such as Virginia, have also adopted similar privacy laws that became enforceable in 2023, or are considering adopting similar data privacy laws, which may go into effect throughout 2024 and beyond. In addition, laws in all 50 states require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal information has been disclosed as a result of a data breach. There is also increased attention being given to the collection of data from minors. For instance, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) requires companies to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. For instance, the Children’s Online Privacy 24TABLE OF CONTENTSProtection Act (“COPPA”) requires companies to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. 29TABLE OF CONTENTSWe are also subject to international laws, regulations and standards in many jurisdictions, which apply broadly to the collection, use, retention, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information.We are also subject to international laws, regulations and standards in many jurisdictions, which apply broadly to the collection, use, retention, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information. For example, the GDPR, which became effective in May 2018, greatly increased the European Commission’s jurisdictional reach of its laws and adds a broad array of requirements for handling personal data. The European Union (“EU”) member states are tasked under the GDPR to enact, and have enacted, certain implementing legislation that adds to and/or further interprets the GDPR requirements and potentially extends our obligations and potential liability for failing to meet such obligations. EU member states are tasked under the GDPR to enact, and have enacted, certain implementing legislation that adds to and/or further interprets the GDPR requirements and potentially extends our obligations and potential liability for failing to meet such obligations. The GDPR, together with national legislation, regulations and guidelines of the EU member states and the United Kingdom governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, use, retain, protect, disclose, transfer and otherwise process personal data. In particular, the GDPR includes obligations and restrictions concerning data transparency and consent, the overall rights of individuals to whom the personal data relates, the transfer of personal data out of the European Economic Area ("EEA") or the United Kingdom, security breach notifications and the security and confidentiality of personal data. The GDPR authorizes fines for certain violations of up to 4% of global annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is greater. Recent legal developments in Europe have created further complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal data from the EEA and the United Kingdom to the United States. Most recently, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) invalidated the EU-U. Most recently, in July 2020, the Court of Justice the European Union (“CJEU”) invalidated the EU-U. S. Privacy Shield Framework (“Privacy Shield”) under which personal data could be transferred from the EEA to the United States. While the CJEU upheld the adequacy of standard contractual clauses, a standard form of contract approved by the European Commission as an adequate personal data transfer mechanism and potential alternative to the Privacy Shield, it made clear that reliance on them alone may not necessarily be sufficient in all circumstances. Further, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. As of January 1, 2021, we are also subject to the UK GDPR and UK Data Protection Act of 2018, which retain the GDPR in the United Kingdom’s national law. These laws require us to review and amend the legal mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers. These recent developments will require us to review and amend the legal mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, including circumstances where the standard contractual clauses and other mechanisms cannot be used, and/or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we do business, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant operations, and could adversely affect our financial results.Compliance with GDPR, CCPA, COPPA and similar legal requirements has required us to devote significant operational resources and incur significant expenses. We expect the number of jurisdictions adopting their own data privacy laws to increase, which will require us to devote additional significant operational resources and incur additional significant expenses and will also increase our exposure to risks of claims by our players that we have not complied with all applicable data privacy laws.We strive to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal and contractual obligations and certain industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection, to the extent reasonably attainable. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. It is also possible that new laws, policies, legal obligations or industry codes of conduct may be passed, or existing laws, policies, legal obligations or industry codes of conduct may be interpreted in such a way that could require us to take further compliance steps and/or could prevent us from being able to offer services to citizens of a certain jurisdiction or may make it costlier or more difficult for us to do so. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policy and terms of service, our privacy-related obligations to players or other third parties, or our privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other player data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, investigations, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause our players to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects. Additionally, if third parties we work with, such as players, vendors or developers violate applicable laws or our policies, such violations may also put our players’ information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects.30TABLE OF CONTENTSFailure to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.Failure to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Our success is dependent in part on protecting our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology (such as source code, information, data, processes and other forms of information, and know-how). We rely on a combination of copyrights, patents, trademarks, service marks, trade secret laws and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. However, there are steps that we have not yet taken to protect our intellectual property on a global basis. Additionally, the steps that we have already taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property or to prevent unauthorized disclosure or unauthorized use of our trade secrets or other confidential information. Additionally, the steps that we have already taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property or to prevent 25TABLE OF CONTENTSunauthorized disclosure or unauthorized use of our trade secrets or other confidential information. We may also not detect unauthorized use, infringement, misappropriation or other violation of our intellectual property rights, and even if we do detect such violations, we may need to engage in expensive and time-consuming litigation to enforce our rights.While we take precautions designed to protect our intellectual property, it may still be possible for competitors and other unauthorized third parties to copy our technology and use our proprietary brand, content and information to create or enhance competing solutions and services, which could adversely affect our competitive position in our rapidly evolving and highly competitive industry. Effective protection of intellectual property rights is expensive and difficult to maintain, both in terms of applications and registration costs as well as the costs of defending and enforcing these rights. We may fail to maintain or be unable to obtain adequate protections for certain of our intellectual property rights in certain foreign countries because effective intellectual property protection may not be available to us in every country in which our services are available, and our intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States because of the differences in foreign patent, trademark, copyright, and other laws concerning intellectual property and proprietary rights.We enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and enter into confidentiality agreements with our third-party providers and strategic partners. However, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party who has developed intellectual property on our behalf or each party that has or may have had access to our confidential information, know-how and trade secrets and cannot assure you that these agreements will be effective in controlling access to, and use and distribution of, our platform and proprietary information. Further, these agreements do not prevent our competitors from independently developing technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our offerings. Moreover, these agreements may not provide an adequate remedy for breaches or in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information or technology or infringement of our intellectual property. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret or know-how is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect and some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets and know-how. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us, which could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.We have filed, and may continue in the future to file, copyright, trademark and patent applications to protect certain of our innovations and intellectual property.We have filed, and may continue in the future to file, trademark and patent applications to protect certain of our innovations and intellectual property. This process can be expensive and time-consuming, and we do not know whether any of our applications will result in the issuance of a patent, trademark or copyright, as applicable, or whether the examination process will require us to narrow the claims in our patent applications. In addition, we may not receive competitive advantages from the rights granted under our intellectual property. Our existing intellectual property, and any intellectual property granted to us or that we otherwise acquire in the future, may be contested, circumvented, invalidated, or declared unenforceable through administrative processes or litigation, and we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our rights to our intellectual property. Therefore, the exact effect of our efforts to protect our intellectual property cannot be predicted with certainty. In addition, given the costs, effort, risks and downside of obtaining patent protection, including the requirement to ultimately disclose the invention to the public, we may choose not to seek patent protection for certain innovations. Any failure to adequately obtain such patent protection, or other intellectual property protection, could later prove to adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.We currently hold various domain names relating to our brand, including Skillz.com. Failure to protect our domain names could adversely affect our reputation and brand and make it more difficult for users to find our website and our online app. We may be unable, without significant cost or at all, to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights.31TABLE OF CONTENTSWe may be required to spend significant resources in order to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and some violations may be difficult or impossible to detect.We may be required to spend significant resources in order to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and some violations may be difficult or impossible to detect. Litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and counter suits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could impair the functionality of our platform, delay introductions of enhancements to our platform, result in our substituting inferior or costlier technologies into our platform or harm our reputation or brand and business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market new offerings or platform features, which may not be on commercially reasonable terms or at all and could adversely affect our ability to compete.Although we take measures to protect our intellectual property, if we are unable to prevent the unauthorized use or exploitation of our intellectual property, the value of our brand, content, and other intangible assets may be diminished, competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our service and methods of operations, the perception of our business and service to our third party developer partners, potential developer partners and end game users may become confused, and our ability to attract new developers and users may be adversely affected.26TABLE OF CONTENTSAlthough we take measures to protect our intellectual property, if we are unable to prevent the unauthorized use or exploitation of our intellectual property, the value of our brand, content, and other intangible assets may be diminished, competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our service and methods of operations, the perception of our business and service to our third party developer partners, potential developer partners and end game users may become confused, and our ability to attract new developers and users may be adversely affected. Any inability or failure to protect our intellectual property could adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, reputation and prospects.Our commercial success also depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others. We may face allegations that we have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated the trademarks, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights of third parties, including from our competitors and non-practicing entities. We may also be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or other advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Intellectual property litigation may be protracted and expensive, and the results are difficult to predict. As the result of any court judgment or settlement, we may be obligated to stop offering certain features of our platform in a particular geographic region or worldwide, pay significant royalties, settlement costs or damages (including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed intellectual property rights), obtain licenses (which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all), modify our platform and features, or develop substitutes. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies licensed to us. Furthermore, even if intellectual property disputes do not result in litigation, the time and resources necessary to resolve them could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation.Our operating history and our history of operating losses make it difficult to evaluate our current business and prospects and may increase the risks associated with your investment. Our operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and our future prospects, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growth companies in constantly evolving industries, including companies in the technology sector. If we do not address these risks successfully, our business may be harmed. We have experienced net losses in each period since inception.We have experienced net losses in each period since inception. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $974.5 million.3 million. The industry in which we operate is highly competitive, rapidly changing (including changes with respect to advancements in artificial intelligence), and relies heavily on continually introducing compelling content, products and services. While we have experienced significant revenue and user metrics growth in recent periods, the industry in which we operate is highly competitive and rapidly changing, and relies heavily on continually introducing compelling content, products and services. As such, if we, in combination with our third-party developers, fail to deliver such content, products and services, do not execute our strategy successfully or if our new content launches are delayed, our revenue growth, overall revenue or user metrics may decline, and our operating results will suffer. As such, if we, in combination with our third-party developers, fail to deliver such content, products and services, do not execute our strategy successfully or if our new content launches are delayed, our revenue and user metrics may decline, and our operating results will suffer. In addition, our operating margin may experience downward pressure as a result of increasing competition, increased user acquisition costs and the other risks discussed in this Annual Report. We expect to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on expanding our developer and consumer base, our technology, the expansion of our platform, and marketing. Our operating costs will increase and our operating margins may decline if we do not effectively manage costs, launch new products on schedule that monetize successfully and enhance the games featured on our platform. We rely primarily on digital advertising networks to acquire new users to the platform. Increases in digital advertising costs, including on a per user basis, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including on our ability to achieve profitability. Neither our user acquisition costs nor our lifetime customer value are assured, and thus we cannot assure you that this ratio will not further decline over time. Neither our user acquisition costs nor our lifetime customer value are assured, and thus we cannot assure you that this ratio will not further decline over time. In addition, we cannot assure you that digital advertising costs will not continue to increase in 2024 or any other future period. 32TABLE OF CONTENTSIf our revenue does not increase to offset any additional expenses, if we fail to manage or experience unexpected increases in operating expenses or if we are required to take additional charges related to impairments or restructurings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially adversely affected.If our revenue does not increase to offset any additional expenses, if we fail to manage or experience unexpected increases in operating expenses or if we are required to take additional charges related to impairments or restructurings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially adversely affected. Further, we have limited historical financial data and operate in a rapidly evolving market. As such, any predictions about our future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market.We rely on assumptions and estimates to calculate certain of our key metrics, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.Certain of our key metrics, including Monthly Active Users or “MAUs”, Paying Monthly Active Users or “Paying MAUs”, Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User or “ARPU”, Average Revenue Per Paying Monthly Active User or “ARPPU”, Gross Marketplace Volume “GMV”, Average GMV Per Paying Monthly Active User, Average GMV Per Monthly Active User, Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per paying active user, and Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per playing active user, are calculated using data tracked by our internal analytics systems based on tracking activity of user accounts. MAUs means the number of end-users who entered into a paid or free contest hosted on Skillz’s platform at least once in a month, averaged over each month in the period. Paying MAUs means the number of end-users who entered into a paid contest hosted on Skillz’s platform at least once in a month, averaged over each month in the period. ARPU means the average monthly revenue in a given period divided by average monthly MAUs in that period. ARPPU means the average monthly revenue in a given period divided by average monthly Paying MAUs in that period. Average GMV Per Paying Monthly Active User means the average GMV in a given month divided by Paying MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average GMV Per Monthly Active User means the average GMV in a given month divided by MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per paying active user reflects the average end-user incentives included in sales and marketing expense in a given month divided by PMAUs in that month, averaged over the period. Average end-user incentives, included as sales and marketing expense, per playing active user reflects the average end-user incentives included in sales and marketing expense in a given month divided by MAUs in that month, averaged over the period. The analytics systems for these metrics and the resulting data have not been independently verified. The analytics systems for these metrics and the resulting 27TABLE OF CONTENTSdata have not been independently verified. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable calculations for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring usage and user engagement across the end-user base, and factors relating to user activity and systems may impact these numbers. The calculation of our key metrics and examples of how user activity and our systems may impact the calculation of these metrics is described in detail under the heading titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”Our third-party developers and investors rely on our key metrics as a representation of our performance. Our third-party developers and investors rely on our key metrics as a representation of our performance. We regularly review and may adjust our processes for calculating our internal metrics to improve their accuracy. If we determine that we can no longer calculate any of our key metrics with a sufficient degree of accuracy, and we cannot find an adequate replacement for the metric, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be harmed. In addition, if advertisers, platform partners or investors do not perceive end-user metrics to be accurate representations of the end-user base or end-user engagement, or if we discover material inaccuracies in end-user metrics, our reputation may be harmed and advertisers and platform partners may be less willing to allocate their budgets or resources to our products and services, which in either case could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.Our workforce and operations have grown substantially since our inception.Our workforce and operations have grown substantially since our inception and we expect that they will continue to do so. If we are unable to effectively manage future expected growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected. If we are unable to effectively manage that growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected. Since our inception, we have experienced rapid growth in the United States and internationally. This expansion has increased the complexity of our business and has placed, and will continue to place, significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. This expansion increases the complexity of our business and has placed, and will continue to place, significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. In the future, we may not be able to manage additional growth effectively, which could damage our reputation and negatively affect our operating results. We may not be able to manage our growth effectively, which could damage our reputation and negatively affect our operating results. Our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures, and controls may not be adequate to support future growth in our operations.Our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures, and controls may not be adequate to support our future operations. To manage the growth of our operations and personnel and improve the technology that supports our business operations, as well as our financial and management systems, disclosure controls and procedures, and internal controls over financial reporting, we have been, and expect to continue to be, required to commit substantial financial, operational, management and technical resources. To manage the growth of our operations and personnel and improve the technology that supports our business operations, as well as our financial and management systems, disclosure controls and procedures, and internal controls over financial reporting, we will be required to commit substantial financial, operational, and technical resources. Our failure to upgrade our technology or network infrastructure effectively to support future growth could result in unanticipated disruptions.Our failure to upgrade our technology or network infrastructure effectively to support our growth could result in unanticipated disruptions. If we are unable to expand our operations and hire additional qualified personnel in an efficient manner, or if our operational technology is insufficient to reliably service our platform, we could potentially face difficulties in retaining users, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.33TABLE OF CONTENTSOur organizational structure is complex and properly managing our expected future growth will require us to establish consistent policies across regions and functions, and a failure to do so could likewise harm our business. Moreover, in order to optimize our organizational structure, we may in the future implement reductions in force, which may yield unintended consequences and costs, such as attrition beyond the intended reduction in force, the distraction of employees, reduced employee morale and could adversely affect our reputation as an employer, which could make it more difficult for us to hire new employees in the future and increase the risk that we may not achieve the anticipated benefits from the reduction in force.Continued growth and success will depend on the performance of the current and future employees of Skillz, including certain key employees.28TABLE OF CONTENTSContinued growth and success will depend on the performance of the current and future employees of Skillz, including certain key employees. Recruitment and retention of these individuals is vital to growing our business and meeting our business plans. The loss of any of our key executives or other key employees could harm our business.Our ability to compete and grow depends in large part on the efforts and talents of our employees and executives. Our success depends in a large part upon the continued service of our senior management team, including Andrew Paradise, our Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Paradise is critical to our vision, strategic direction, culture, products and technology, and the continued retention of our entire senior management team is important to the success of our operating plan. We do not have employment agreements, other than offer letters, with our senior management team, and we do not maintain key-man insurance for members of our senior management team. The loss of any member of our senior management team could cause disruption and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, our President and CFO, along with our General Counsel resigned from their positions. We appointed a new CFO in January 2024, and the Board of Directors is working to identify a successor General Counsel. The succession and transition process for our new executive officers may have a direct or indirect adverse effects on our business, results of operations, and competitive position, including disruption of our business or distraction of our employees and management; difficulty recruiting, hiring motivating and retaining talented and skilled personnel, including a General Counsel; departures of other members of management; increased stock price volatility; and difficulty in establishing maintaining or negotiating business or strategic relationships or transactions. Further, there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract and hire a qualified permanent General Counsel on acceptable terms.In addition, our ability to execute our strategy depends on our continued ability to identify, hire, develop, manage, motivate and retain highly skilled employees, including game designers, engineers, data scientists, operations personnel, financial and accounting staff, product management staff and sales and marketing staff.In addition, our ability to execute our strategy depends on our continued ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled employees, particularly in the competitive fields of game design, product management, engineering and data science. Skilled and experienced personnel in the areas where the company competes are in high demand, and competition for their talents is intense. We devote significant resources to identifying, recruiting, hiring, training, successfully integrating and retaining them. We have continued to experience significant turnover in our headcount, which has placed and will continue to place significant demands on our management and our operational, financial and technological infrastructure. We cannot guarantee we will continue to attract and retain the number of highly skilled employees we need, particularly with the uncertainty in the current macroeconomic environment. In 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, we continued to experience leadership changes, including a new Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and other management positions. Furthermore, we may experience additional changes in key roles in the future. Management transitions can be time-consuming, difficult to manage and could cause disruption to our business. We believe that two critical components of our success and our ability to retain our best people are our culture and our competitive compensation practices.We believe that two critical components of our success and our ability to retain our best people are our culture and our competitive compensation practices. Further, many of our employees receive a total compensation package that includes equity awards. Any new regulations, volatility in the stock market and other factors could diminish the company’s use or the value of the company’s equity awards, putting the company at a competitive disadvantage and potentially causing our employee base to be more vulnerable to be targeted for recruitment by competitors. The failure to successfully hire and retain key executives and employees or the loss of any key executives or employees could have a significant impact on our operations, including declining product identity and competitive differentiation, eroding employee morale and productivity or an inability to maintain internal controls, regulatory or other compliance related requirements. Additionally, such failure may also force us to increase our hiring of independent contractors or consultants, which may increase our costs and reduce our profitability. We must also devote substantial managerial and financial resources to monitoring and managing our workforce. Our future success will depend on our ability to manage the levels and related costs of our workforce. 34TABLE OF CONTENTSWe are a party to pending litigation with various plaintiffs and we may be subject to future litigation in the operation of our business.We are a party to pending litigation with various plaintiffs and we may be subject to future litigation in the operation of our business. An adverse outcome in one or more proceedings could adversely affect our business.We are involved, and in the future, may become involved, in claims, suits, government investigations, and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including actions with respect to intellectual property claims, privacy, data protection or law enforcement matters, tax matters, labor and employment claims, commercial and acquisition-related claims and other matters. Such claims, suits, government investigations, and proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted. Regardless of their outcomes, such legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs, diversion of management and other personnel, and other factors. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in liability, penalties, or sanctions, as well as judgments, consent decrees, or orders preventing us from offering certain features, functionalities, products, or services, or requiring a change in our business practices, products or technologies, which could in the future materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.Our insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.We believe that we maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis.Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis. Such losses could adversely affect our business prospects, results of operations and financial condition.The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), may strain our resources and divert management’s attention, the increases in legal, accounting and compliance expenses may be greater than we anticipate, and there can be no assurance that we will satisfy these obligations.In December 2020, we became a public company, and as such, have incurred, and will continue to incur (and particularly now that we are no longer an “emerging growth company”), significant legal, accounting and other expenses that Skillz did not incur as a private company.Following the closing of the Business Combination, we became a public company, and as such, have incurred, and will continue to incur (and particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company”), significant legal, accounting and other expenses that Skillz did not incur as a private company. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and the listing standards of the NYSE, including changes in corporate governance practices and the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and the listing standards of The New York Stock Exchange, including changes in corporate governance practices and the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. Compliance with these rules and regulations can be burdensome. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. In addition, these rules and regulations have and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our historical legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors (the “Board”) as compared to Skillz as a private company. In particular, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward the remediation of material weaknesses. In particular, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will increase when we are no longer an “emerging growth company. We will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff, and engage outside consultants, all with appropriate experience and technical accounting knowledge and maintain an internal audit function, which will increase our operating expenses.” We will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff, and engage outside consultants, all with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge and maintain an internal audit function, which will increase our operating expenses. Further, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. We must invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and such investment may result in further increased general and administrative expenses. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. We are subject to a number of laws, rules and regulations requiring us to provide notification to players, investors, regulators and other affected parties in the event of a security breach of certain personal data, or requiring the adoption of minimum information security standards that are often vaguely defined and difficult to practically implement. Our reported financial results may be affected by changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.Our reported financial results may be affected by changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results, and could affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change. Any difficulties in implementing these pronouncements could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations, which could result in regulatory discipline and harm investors’ confidence in us.35TABLE OF CONTENTSWe may require additional capital to support our growth plans, and such capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.We may require additional capital to support our growth plans, and such capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. This could hamper our growth and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.We intend to continue to make significant investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new games and features or enhance our existing games, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary businesses, personnel and technologies. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we spent $135.9 million for early principal payments on our debt and $13.0 million to repurchase our common stock. These significant outflows may affect our future cash flows negatively. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financing to secure additional funds. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through future issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. Our debt financing (see Risks Related to Our Indebtedness) involves offering additional security interests and undertaking restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Any debt financing that we secure in the future could involve offering additional security interests and undertaking restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Additionally, if we seek to access additional capital or increase our borrowing, there can be no assurance that financing and credit may be available on favorable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business, financial condition or results of operations may be harmed.Our investment portfolio and our ability to access cash and cash equivalents may become impaired by deterioration of the financial markets.Our cash equivalent and investment portfolio is invested with a goal of preserving our access to capital, and generally consists of money market funds, corporate debt securities, U.S. government and government agency debt securities, mutual funds, certificates of deposit and time deposits. We follow an established investment policy and set of guidelines to monitor and help mitigate our exposure to interest rate and credit risk. The policy sets forth credit quality standards, permissible allocations of certain sectors and limits our exposure to specific investment types, and we believe our current investment portfolio has a low risk of material impairment. The policy sets forth credit quality standards, permissible allocations of certain sectors and limits our exposure to specific investment types. However, volatility in the global financial markets can negatively impact the value of our investments. If financial markets experience volatility, investments in some financial instruments may pose risks arising from market liquidity and credit concerns. In addition, any disruption of the capital markets could cause our other income and expenses to vary from expectations. Lastly, changing circumstances and market conditions, some of which may be beyond our control, could impair our ability to access our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments and to timely pay key vendors and others. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) was placed into receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), which resulted in all funds held at SVB, including our funds held at SVB, being temporarily inaccessible by SVB’s customers. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $3. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $215. 5 million of cash remaining with SVB. If other banks and financial institutions with whom we have banking relationships enter receivership or become insolvent in the future in response to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, we may be unable to access, and we may lose, some or all of our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments to the extent those funds are not insured or otherwise protected by the FDIC.36TABLE OF CONTENTSGlobal climate change, the occurrence of an earthquake, other natural disaster or other significant business interruption at or near any of our facilities could cause damage to our facilities and equipment and interfere with our operations.There is evidence of global climate change, which could present risks to our future operations from natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires or flooding. Such extreme weather conditions could pose physical risks to our facilities and disrupt operation of our third-party developer partners, service providers and our game players and may increase operational costs. Concern over climate change will likely result in new legal or regulatory requirements designed to identify or mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment. For example, in the U. For example, in December 2017, the U. S., the SEC is actively engaged in climate-related rule making. These proposed rules, depending on how they are finally adopted, as well as other changes the government might implement, could impose significant new burdens on us and our third-party developer partners and service providers, with significant costs and operational impacts, and adversely impact our ability to maintain our platform and operate successfully. Moreover, we could incur additional compensation costs in the event that we decide to pay cash compensation closer to that of other publicly-listed companies, which would increase our general and administrative expenses and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. If such laws or regulations are more stringent than current legal or regulatory requirements, we may experience increased compliance burdens and costs to meet the regulatory obligations. Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common StockThe trading price of our Class A common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile, and the value of our Class A common stock may decline. Risks Related to Ownership of Our Warrants and Class A Common StockThe trading price of our Class A common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile, and the value of our Class A common stock may decline. The market price of our Class A common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;•changes in projected operational and financial results;•changes in laws or regulations applicable to our offerings;•the commencement or conclusion of legal proceedings that involve us;•actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;•announcements of new offerings by us or our competitors;•announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital-raising activities or commitments;•additions or departures of key personnel;•issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;•the use by investors or analysts of third-party data regarding our business that may not reflect our financial performance;•fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;•sales of our Class A common stock;•share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; and•general economic and market conditions.Furthermore, the stock markets frequently experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, elections, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our Class A common stock. As a result of such fluctuations, you may not realize any return on your investment in us and may lose some or all of your investment. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the 33TABLE OF CONTENTSmarket price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We are currently the target of this type of litigation, and may continue to be such a target in the future, which could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns.Furthermore, the trading price of our Class A common stock may be adversely affected by third-parties trying to drive down the market price. Furthermore, the trading price of our Class A common stock may be adversely affected by third-parties trying to drive down the market price. Short sellers and others, some of whom post anonymously on social media, may be positioned to profit if our stock declines and their activities can negatively affect our stock price. These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance.37TABLE OF CONTENTSAdditionally, on August 18, 2023, the Board authorized the Company to repurchase, at any time or from time to time but for a period no longer than one year from the date of authorization, shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an aggregate purchase price not to exceed $65.0 million (a) on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or any other national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then traded, (b) pursuant to a plan effected pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 (a “Rule 10b5-1 Plan”) promulgated under the Exchange Act, and/or (c) pursuant to accelerated share repurchase arrangements, tender offers, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise (the “Share Repurchase Program”). The result of this program has an indeterminable impact on our stock price and may not enhance long-term stockholder value.There can be no assurance that we will be able to remain in compliance with the continued listing standards of the NYSE. The NYSE considers a listed company to be out of compliance with its continued listing standards if, among other things, the average closing price of the company’s stock is less than $1.00 over a period of 30 consecutive trading days. If the listed company does not regain compliance within the NYSE’s six-month cure period, it will be subject to delisting. Our Class A common stock could also be delisted if (i) our average market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period is less than $15 million, or (ii) our Class A common stock trades at an “abnormally low” price. In either case, our Class A common stock would be suspended from trading on the NYSE immediately, and the NYSE would begin the process to delist our Class A common stock, subject to our right to appeal under NYSE rules. Additionally, the NYSE considers a listed company to be out of compliance with its continued listing standards if the company’s average global market capitalization over a 30 consecutive trading-day period is less than $50.0 million and, at the same time, the company’s stockholders’ equity is less than $50.0 million.3 million. If any of these were to occur, there is no assurance that any appeal we undertake in these or other circumstances would be successful, nor is there any assurance that we will remain in compliance with the other NYSE continued listing standards. If we fail to satisfy the NYSE’s continued listing standards, our Class A common stock will be subject to delisting. Delisting from the NYSE would likely have a negative effect on the liquidity and market price of our Class A common stock, reduce the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our Class A common stock, limit or reduce the amount of analyst coverage we receive, and impair your ability to sell or purchase our Class A common stock when you wish to do so. In addition, a delisting from the NYSE might negatively impact our reputation and, as a consequence, our business. Additionally, if we were delisted from the NYSE and we are not able to list our Class A common stock on another national exchange we will not be eligible to use Form S-3 registration statements, which would delay our ability to raise funds in the future, limit the type of offerings of Class A common stock we could undertake, and increase the expenses of any offering. In the event of a delisting of our Class A common stock, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our Class A common stock, prevent our Class A common stock from dropping below the NYSE minimum share price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with the NYSE’s listing standards. Additionally, if our Class A common stock is not listed on, or becomes delisted from, the NYSE for any reason, and is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price of our Class A common stock may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on the NYSE or another national securities exchange. You may be unable to sell your Class A common stock unless a market can be established or sustained.We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and our stockholders do not have certain corporate governance protections that are available to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies.We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and our stockholders may not have certain corporate governance protections that are available to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies. So long as more than 50% of the voting power for the election of our directors is held by an individual, a group or another company, we will qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Paradise controlled 82% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. As a result, we are presently a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards and will not be subject to the requirements that would otherwise require us to have: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors; (iii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors; and (iv) director nominees selected, or recommended for the Board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards and will not be subject to the requirements that would otherwise require us to have: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors; (iii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors; and (iv) director nominees selected, or recommended for the Board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors. 38TABLE OF CONTENTSMr.36TABLE OF CONTENTSITEM 1B. Paradise’s equity interest in us may be diluted due to future equity issuances by us or his own actions in selling shares of Class B common stock in each case, which could result in a loss of the “controlled company” exemption under the NYSE listing rules. We would then be required to comply with corporate governance protections of the NYSE listing requirements described above. We would then be required to comply with those provisions of the NYSE listing requirements. The dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting power with our Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, which will limit an investor’s ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change in control.Shares of our Class B common stock have 20 votes per share, while shares of our Class A common stock have one vote per share. Mr. Paradise holds all of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock and, as of December 31, 2023, held 82% of the voting power of our capital stock on a fully-diluted basis. Paradise holds all of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock and, as of December 31, 2020, 34TABLE OF CONTENTSeighty-four (84)% of the voting power of our capital stock on a fully-diluted basis. Accordingly, Mr. Paradise will be able to control matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transactions. Accordingly, Paradise will be able to control matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transactions. Mr. Paradise may have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. This concentrated control may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of us, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their capital stock as part of a sale of us and might ultimately affect the market price of shares of our Class A common stock.We cannot predict the impact our dual class structure may have on the stock price of our Class A common stock. We cannot predict the impact our dual class structure may have on the stock price of our Class A common stock. We cannot predict whether our dual class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indexes. Under these policies, our dual class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices, and as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track those indices will not be investing in our stock. It is unclear what effect, if any, these policies will have on the valuations of publicly traded companies excluded from such indices, but it is possible that they may depress valuations, as compared to similar companies that are included. As a result, the market price of shares of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected. Delaware law and provisions in our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our “Charter”) and Amended and Restated Bylaws (our “Bylaws”) could make a takeover proposal more difficult.Our organizational documents are governed by Delaware law. Certain provisions of Delaware law and of our Charter and Bylaws could discourage, delay, defer or prevent a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by our stockholders. Certain provisions of Delaware law and of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could discourage, delay, defer or prevent a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by our stockholders. These provisions provide for, among other things:•the ability of our Board to issue one or more series of preferred stock;•stockholder action by written consent only until the first time when Mr. Paradise ceases to beneficially own a majority of the voting power of our capital stock;•certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings;•advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings;•amendment of certain provisions of the organizational documents only by the affirmative vote of (i) a majority of the voting power of our capital stock so long as Mr. Paradise beneficially owns shares representing a majority of the voting power of our capital stock and (ii) at least two-thirds of the voting power of the capital stock from and after the time that Mr. Paradise ceases to beneficially own shares representing a majority of the voting power of our voting stock; and•a dual-class common stock structure with 20 votes per share of our Class B common stock, the result of which is that Mr. Paradise has the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even though Mr. Paradise owns less than a majority of the outstanding shares of our capital stock.39TABLE OF CONTENTSThese anti-takeover provisions as well as certain provisions of Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders.These anti-takeover provisions as well as certain provisions of Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. If prospective takeovers are not consummated for any reason, we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on the price of our common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions that our stockholders desire.Our Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings and the federal district courts as the sole and exclusive forum for other types of actions and proceedings, in each case, that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees. Our certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings and the federal district courts as the sole and exclusive forum for other types of actions and proceedings, in each case, that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees. Our Charter provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of ours to us or our stockholders; (iii) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or our Charter or Bylaws; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of any provisions in our Charter or Bylaws; or (v) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of ours governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware.Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of ours to us or our stockholders; (iii) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer 35TABLE OF CONTENTSarising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of any provisions in our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; or (v) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of ours governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware. Subject to the foregoing, the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for the resolution of any action, suit or proceeding asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act. The exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring an interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our Charter. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that he, she or it believes to be favorable for disputes with us or our or directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce these provisions and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our Charter inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and Board.Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our certificate of incorporation inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors. We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board. Accordingly, the holders of our common stock may need to rely on sales of our common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment.Risks Related to Our IndebtednessOur indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and our ability to execute our business strategy.As of December 31, 2023, the aggregate indebtedness under our senior secured notes was $129.7 million.3 million. We expect to maintain significant levels of indebtedness going forward. Our indebtedness could have important consequences including:•making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt, and any failure to comply with the obligations under our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default under the indenture governing our senior secured notes or agreements governing future indebtedness;•increasing our vulnerability to adverse general economic and industry conditions;•limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the economy and our industry;•placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors with less indebtedness;•making it more difficult to borrow additional funds in the future to fund growth, acquisitions, working capital, capital expenditures and other purposes; and40TABLE OF CONTENTS•potentially requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund our other business needs.We receive debt ratings from the major credit rating agencies in the U.S. Factors that may impact our credit ratings include debt levels, planned asset purchases or sales and near-term and long-term production growth opportunities. Our credit rating as of December 31, 2023 was CCC+ from S&P Global Ratings. Liquidity, asset quality, cost structure, reserve mix and other factors could also be considered by the rating agencies. Any downgrade in our credit rating or the ratings of our indebtedness, or adverse conditions in the debt capital markets, could:•adversely affect the trading price of, or market for, our existing or future debt;•increase interest expense under future debt;•increase the cost of, and adversely affect our ability to refinance, our existing debt; and•adversely affect our ability to raise additional debt.A debt rating is not a recommendation by the rating agency to buy, sell, or hold and each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. Credit rating agencies review their ratings periodically and, therefore, the credit ratings assigned to us by each agency may be subject to revision at any time.The instruments governing our indebtedness impose certain restrictions on our business, and future such instruments could impose new restrictions on our business.The instruments governing our indebtedness, including the indenture governing our senior secured notes, contain certain covenants imposing restrictions on our business. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business, to plan for, or react to, changes in the market conditions or our capital needs and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. The credit facility and the indenture governing the senior secured notes include covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to do the following under certain circumstances:•incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue certain disqualified or preferred stock;•pay dividends or make other distributions on, or redeem or purchase any equity interests or make other restricted payments;•make certain acquisitions or investments;•create or incur liens;•transfer or sell assets;•incur restrictions on the payment of dividends or other distributions from our restricted subsidiaries;•alter the business that we conduct;•enter into transactions with affiliates; •conduct buy-back or share repurchase programs; and•consummate a merger or consolidation or sell, assign, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all our assets.In addition, the instruments contain customary events of default upon the occurrence of which, after any applicable grace period, the indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable. In such event, we may not have sufficient available cash to repay such debt at the time it becomes due, or be able to refinance such debt on acceptable terms or at all. Any of the foregoing could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. 41TABLE OF CONTENTSServicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to service or repay our substantial debt.Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on, and to refinance our debt, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to satisfy our obligations under our current indebtedness and any future indebtedness we may incur and to make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, refinancing or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. As a result, our business relies on our ability to engage with players by consistently and timely making available through our platform games that are engaging, trustworthy and competitive and encouraging our developer partners to create and enhance games with compelling content, features and events. Our ability to refinance our outstanding indebtedness or future indebtedness will depend on market conditions and our financial position at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms when needed, which could result in a default on our indebtedness.ITEM 1B.ITEM 1A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTSNone. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTSNot applicable. ITEM 1C.ITEM 1A. CYBERSECURITYWe have established policies and processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risk from cybersecurity threats (including those associated with third-party service providers), and have integrated these processes into our overall enterprise risk management systems and processes. We routinely assess material risks from cybersecurity threats, including taking reasonable steps to detect any potential unauthorized occurrence on or behaviors conducted through our information systems that may result in adverse effects on the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information systems or any information residing therein.Risk Management and StrategyWe have implemented policies and processes designed to detect, prevent, and respond to cybersecurity incidents. All these policies are reviewed annually and updated as needed to address emerging risks or gaps in compliance. The Company has not experienced a material cybersecurity incident to date. If a material cybersecurity breach occurs, the incident will be reviewed to determine whether further escalation is appropriate. Any incident assessed as potentially being or becoming material will immediately be escalated for further assessment and reported to designated members of our executive leadership team and if deemed necessary, the Board of Directors. We plan to consult with outside counsel as appropriate, including on materiality analysis and disclosure matters, and make the final materiality determination regarding disclosure and other compliance decisions. We also plan to keep our independent public accounting firm informed of such incidents as appropriate. While we maintain cybersecurity insurance, the costs related to cybersecurity threats or disruptions may not be fully insured. Although our business strategy, results of operations and financial condition have not been materially affected by risks from cybersecurity threats, we cannot provide assurance that they will not be materially affected in the future by such risks or any future material incidents.

For more information on our cybersecurity related risks see Item 1A Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.GovernanceRole of the Board and ManagementOur Board of Directors has the ultimate responsibility for oversight of our risk management framework. The Board receives information and periodic updates and actively engages with management with respect to the effectiveness of the Company’s cybersecurity and information security framework, data privacy, and risk management. In addition, as necessary, the Board of Directors receives reports summarizing threat detection and mitigation plans, audits of internal controls, training and certification, and other cyber priorities and initiatives, as well as timely updates from management on material incidents relating to information systems.42TABLE OF CONTENTSRole of Other EmployeesMembers of the Company’s technology and security team periodically discuss cybersecurity program updates and challenges, to watch for potential threats from both external and internal sources, to monitor compliance in existing or emerging business practices, and to respond to stakeholder inquiries. This is composed of individuals with over 10 years of software, infrastructure, and security experience. The Company is continuously monitoring trends and stays current with the various cybersecurity threats and related mitigation opportunities. The Company periodically engages a third-party service provider to perform an external vulnerability scan of the Company’s network to identify known threats and to date no critical vulnerabilities have been identified during these assessments. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. .
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