Note 14 – Commitments and Contingencies

Litigations, Claims, and Assessments

The Company is involved in various disputes, claims, liens and litigation matters arising out of the normal course of business. While the outcome of these disputes, claims, liens and litigation matters cannot be predicted with certainty, after consulting with legal counsel, management does not believe that the outcome of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

On March 23, 2020, an employee of Allied Esports filed a claim in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging various employment misconduct against Allied Esports, the Company and an officer of the Company in connection with a competition hosted by Allied Esports. The claim alleged damages in excess of $3.1 million. The parties agreed to a mediation and all claims asserted against the Company by the employee for were settled on September 10, 2020 for an amount significantly less than the original claim. The matter is now closed.

Operating Leases

Effective on March 23, 2017, Allied Esports entered into a non-cancellable operating lease for 30,000 square feet of event space in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the purpose of hosting Esports activities (the “Las Vegas Lease”). As part of the Las Vegas Lease, Allied Esports committed to build leasehold improvements to repurpose the space for Esports events prior to March 23, 2018, the day the Arena opened to the public (the “Commencement Date”). Initial lease terms are for minimum monthly payments of $125,000 for 60 months with an option to extend for an additional 60 months at $137,500 per month. Additional annual tenant obligations are estimated at $2 per square foot for Allied Esports’ portion of real estate taxes and $5 per square foot for common area maintenance costs. Lease payments began at the Commencement Date. The aggregate base rent payable over the lease term will be recognized on a straight-line basis.

On November 5, 2020, Allied Esports entered into an amendment of its lease of event space in Las Vegas Nevada (the “Amended Las Vegas Lease”), pursuant to which (i) $299,250 of deferred minimum monthly rent and additional rent due under the lease for the period from April 1, 2020 through June 3, 2020 must be paid in its entirety by December 31, 2021; (ii) the monthly rent to be paid for the period from June 25 through December 31, 2020 (the “Rent Relief Period) was reduced to an amount equal to 20% of gross sales (excluding food sales) at the event space (the “Percentage Rent”), (iii) the initial term of the lease was extended for two additional months until May 31, 2023, and (iv) the option period to extend the lease was extended to between April 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022. Pursuant to the Amended Las Vegas Lease, if the aggregate Percentage Rent during the Rent Relief Period is less than $194,000, Allied Esports must pay the shortfall no later than December 31, 2021. Rent expense incurred during the rent relief period under the Amended Las Vegas Lease was $200,570.

The Company’s aggregate rent expense incurred during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 amounted to $1,967,967 and $1,678,775, respectively, of which $1,390,093 and $1,431,818, respectively, is included within in-person costs and $577,874 and $246,957, respectively, is included in general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

The scheduled future minimum lease payments under the Company’s continuing operations leases are as follows:

AESE is currently the guarantor of WPT’s lease of Irvine, California office space (the “Irvine Lease”). The lease expires on October 1, 2033. Current base rent pursuant to the Irvine Lease is $41,027 per month, increasing to $58,495 per month over the term of the lease. It is anticipated that AESE will no longer act as guarantor of the Irvine Lease, effective upon the closing of the Sale Transaction. See Note 4 – Discontinued Operations.

Investment Agreements

TV Azteca Investment

In June 2019, the Company entered into an exclusive ten-year strategic investment and revenue sharing agreement (the “TV Azteca Agreement”) with TV Azteca, in order to expand the Allied Esports brand into Mexico. Pursuant to the terms of the TV Azteca Agreement, as amended, TV Azteca purchased 742,692 shares of AESE common stock for $5,000,000.

In connection with the TV Azteca Agreement, AESE was to provide $7,000,000 to be used for various strategic initiatives including digital channel development, facility and flagship construction in Mexico, co-production of Spanish language content, platform socialization, and marketing initiatives. The Company was entitled to various future revenues generated from the investment. Through December 31, 2020, the Company paid $5,000,000 in connection with the TV Azteca agreement. On July 20, 2020, AESE and TV Azteca entered into an amendment to the TV Azteca Agreement (the “Azteca Amendment’). The Azteca Amendment provides that, subject to the approval of the terms of the Azteca Amendment by the our Board of Directors: (i) TV Azteca waives our obligations under the Term Sheet to pay TV Azteca $1,000,000 on each of March 1, 2021 and March 1, 2022 for various strategic initiatives, and to further invest in and develop an esports platform for the Mexican market; (ii) we shall waive the 24-month lock-up that prohibits TV Azteca from selling or transferring the 763,904 shares of our common stock TV Azteca purchased pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement (the “Purchased Shares”); (iii) TV Azteca may sell the Purchased Shares in compliance with applicable securities laws, subject to selling at a reasonable market price and subject to a daily volume cap not to exceed 25% of the our total daily Nasdaq trading volume; and (iv) if TV Azteca sells all of the Purchased Shares within a three-month period following our Board of Directors approval of the Azteca Amendment, for gross proceeds of less than $1,600,000, then on March 1, 2021, we shall contribute additional capital to the parties’ strategic alliance pursuant to the Term Sheet in an amount equal to such shortage. TV Azteca did not sell all of the Purchased Shares within such timeframe and we are no longer is required to contribute additional capital to the parties’ strategic alliance pursuant to the Term Sheet.

On December 31, 2020, the Company recognized an impairment of $5,000,000 related to its investment in TV Azteca due to management’s determination that the future cash flows are not expected to be sufficient to recover the carrying value of this investment.

Simon Agreement

In June 2019, the Company entered into an agreement (the “Simon Agreement”) with Simon Equity Development, LLC (“Simon”), a shareholder of the Company, pursuant to which Allied Esports would conduct a series of mobile esports gaming tournaments and events at selected Simon shopping malls and online called the Simon Cup, in each of 2019, 2020 and 2021, and would also develop esports and gaming venues at certain Simon shopping malls in the U.S.

In connection with the Simon Agreement, AESE placed $4,950,000 of cash into an escrow account to be utilized for various strategic initiatives including the build-out of branded esports facilities at Simon malls, and esports event programs. On October 22, 2019, $1,300,000 was released from escrow in order to fund expenses incurred in connection with the 2019 Simon Cup. As of December 31, 2019, the balance in the escrow account was $3,650,000, which is shown as restricted cash on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

The Simon Agreement and the related Escrow Agreement, as amended, permitted Simon to request the return of any funds remaining in escrow if the parties did not agree on the 2020 spending plan by March 8, 2020. On March 18, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated in the United States, Simon notified the escrow agent that the parties had not agreed on a 2020 spending plan and requested the return of the remaining funds in the escrow account. The escrow agent returned the remaining $3,650,000 to Simon on March 26, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded $3,650,000, of stock-based compensation related to the return of cash held in escrow, which is reflected in stock-based compensation expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed indefinitely the parties’ ability to plan and budget for the 2020 and 2021 esports programming and esports venues. The parties have agreed to extend the due date under the applicable agreements from March 8, 2020 to January 31, 2021, in order to continue to develop and budget for the annual esports program and esports venues in future years once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. As of the date of this document, no additional documents have been drafted or executed between the Company and Simon, but discussions are ongoing.

Brookfield Partnership

On January 14, 2020, the Company issued 758,725 shares of its common stock to BPR Cumulus LLC, an affiliate of Brookfield Property Partners (“Brookfield”) in exchange for $5,000,000 (the “Purchase Price”) pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Brookfield Agreement”). The Purchase Price was placed into escrow and is to be used by the Company or its subsidiaries to develop integrated esports experience venues at mutually agreed upon shopping malls owned and/or operated by Brookfield or any of its affiliates (each, an “Investor Mall”), that will include a dedicated gaming space and production capabilities to attract and to activate esports and other emerging live events (each, an “Esports Venue”). To that end, half of the Purchase Price will be released from escrow to the Company upon the execution of a written lease agreement between Brookfield and the Company for the first Esports Venue, and the other half will be released to the Company upon the execution of a written lease agreement between Brookfield and the Company for the second Esports Venue. Further, pursuant to the Brookfield Agreement, the Company must create, produce, and execute three (3) esports events during each calendar year 2020, 2021 and 2022 that will include the Company’s esports truck at one or more Investor Malls at mutually agreed times. The balance held in escrow as of December 31, 2020 is $5,000,000 and is reflected in restricted cash on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. As of the date of this document, no additional documents have been drafted or executed between the Company and Brookfield, but discussions are ongoing. The parties have agreed not to move forward with any leases until the pandemic has ended but are currently discussing alternative initiatives while they wait.

Consulting Agreement

On August 9, 2019, the Company entered into a consulting services agreement with a related party, Black Ridge Oil & Gas, the Company’s prior sponsor (“BROG”), pursuant to which BROG provided administration and accounting services to the Company through December 31, 2019, in exchange for consulting fees in the aggregate of $348,853.

Employment Agreements

On November 5, 2019, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “CEO Agreement”) with the Company’s CEO. The CEO Agreement is effective as of September 20, 2019. The CEO Agreement provides for a base salary of $300,000 per annum as well as annual incentive bonuses as determined by the Board of Directors, subject to the attainment of certain objectives. The CEO Agreement provides for severance equal to twelve months of the CEO’s base salary. In connection with the CEO agreement, the CEO also received 17,668 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, with a grant date value of $100,000, which vest one year from date of issuance. Unless terminated for cause, any unvested equity awards are immediately vested upon termination. The employment agreement expires on August 9, 2022 and may be extended for a period up to one year upon mutual written agreement by the CEO and the Company at least thirty days prior to expiration.

On April 24, 2020, the CEO Agreement between the Company and its CEO was amended such that effective May 1, 2020, the CEO’s annual salary will be reduced by 80% to $60,000 for a six-month period. On September 30, 2020, the CEO Agreement was further amended such that effective November 1, 2020, the CEO’s annual salary will be $210,000 for a six-month period, and thereafter the initial annual base salary of $300,000 set forth in the CEO Agreement will be restored.

On December 31, 2020, the Company and Frank Ng, who serves as Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, amended Mr. Ng’s employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement Amendment”). The Employment Agreement Amendment provides that Mr. Ng’s annual salary will be $400,000 per year payable in cash, and that the Company may, but is no longer required to, issue to Mr. Ng any shares of the Company’s common stock as compensation for his services.

2020 Cash Bonus Payments

On December 30, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the payment of an aggregate of approximately $1,245,000 in cash bonus payments to its employees for services provided during the year 2020, contingent upon the closing of the sale of WPT. Of the aggregate $1,245,000 cash bonuses payable, approximately $674,000 is payable to the employees of WPT and approximately $571,000 is payable to the employees of the Company’s continuing operations.

Change of Control Agreements

On December 30, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the Company to enter into an agreement with the Company’s CEO which, upon the closing of a transaction that resulted in a change-in-control of WPT, as defined, would obligate the Company to pay the CEO $1,000,000 upon the earlier of his termination of employment with AESE without cause, as defined, or the two-year anniversary of the closing of the change-in-control transaction. Payment may be made in either cash or shares of AESE common stock (valued at the trailing 10-day volume-weighted-average-price prior to the issuance date), at the Company’s discretion.

On December 30, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized WPT to enter into agreements with the WPT CEO and General Counsel which, upon the closing of a transaction that resulted in a change-in-control of WPT, as defined, would obligate WPT to pay the WPT CEO and General Counsel aggregate lump-sum severance payments of $522,827.

On December 30, 2020, Company’s Board of Directors approved, subject to a change-in-control of WPT which accelerates the vesting of AESE option grants held by WPT employees, the extension of the exercise period of the options as follows: (i) the options to purchase an aggregate of 340,000 shares of AESE common stock held by the WPT CEO and General Counsel may be exercised until the 10-year anniversary of the issuance date, and (ii) the remaining options to purchase an aggregate of 300,000 shares of AESE common stock may be exercised until the one-year anniversary of the change-in-control.