NTN NTN Buzztime Inc New

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by several factors, whether currently known or unknown, many of which are not exclusively within our control, including but not limited to those described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause our financial condition and operating results to differ materially from historical or anticipated future financial condition and operating results. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and stock price. We urge investors to carefully consider the risk factors described below in evaluating our stock and the information in this report.

Risks Related to the Merger

The formula for determining the number of shares to be issued in the Merger to Brooklyn members is not adjustable based on the market price of NTN’s common stock, so the number of shares of NTN common stock that may be issued in the Merger may have a greater or lesser value than at the time the Merger Agreement was signed.

The Merger Agreement has set the formula for determining the number of shares to be issued to Brooklyn’s members in the Merger, and the number of shares to be so issued is only adjustable upward or downward under certain circumstances pursuant to a formula in the Merger Agreement that takes into account the amount of Brooklyn’s cash and cash equivalents as of the closing of the Merger and the amount by which NTN’s net cash is less than zero at the closing. Any changes in the market price of NTN common stock before the completion of the Merger will not affect the number of shares of NTN common stock that Brooklyn members will be entitled to receive pursuant to the Merger Agreement. Therefore, if before the completion of the Merger the market price of NTN common stock declines from the market price on the date of the Merger Agreement, then Brooklyn members could receive merger consideration with substantially lower value for their equity interests in Brooklyn than the value of NTN common stock based on the market price on the date of the Merger Agreement. Similarly, if before the completion of the Merger the market price of NTN common stock increases from the market price on the date of the Merger Agreement, then Brooklyn members could receive merger consideration with substantially more value for their equity interests in Brooklyn than the value of NTN common stock based on the market price on the date of the Merger Agreement. Because the formula does not adjust as a result of changes in the value of NTN common stock, for each one percentage point that the market value of NTN common stock rises or declines, there is a corresponding one percentage point rise or decline, respectively, in the value of the total merger consideration issued to Brooklyn members compared to the market price of the NTN common stock on the date of the Merger Agreement.

The number of shares to be issued in the Merger to Brooklyn members will increase to the extent that Brooklyn has more than $10.0 million in cash and cash equivalents at the closing of the Merger, and will further increase to the extent that NTN’s net cash at the closing of the Merger is less than zero dollars. The increase based on the amount of Brooklyn’s cash and cash equivalents at the closing of the Merger is subject to a $15.0 million cap, except that to the extent that NTN’s net cash is less than zero, the number of shares to be issued in the Merger to Brooklyn members will increase to the extent that Brooklyn has more than $15.0 million in cash and cash equivalents at the closing, up to the absolute amount of NTN’s net cash. Accordingly, NTN’s stockholders could own less, and Brooklyn members could own more, of the combined company depending on the amount of cash and cash equivalents Brooklyn has at the closing and on the extent to which NTN’s net cash at the closing is negative.

If the conditions to closing the Merger are not satisfied, the Merger may not occur.

Even if NTN’s stockholders approve the issuance of NTN common stock pursuant to the Merger Agreement and the change of control resulting therefrom (the “Merger Share Issuance Proposal”) and even if the beneficial holders of the Class A membership interests of Brooklyn approve the Merger and the Merger Agreement, other specified conditions must be satisfied or waived to complete the Merger, including the shares of NTN common stock shall continue to be traded on the NYSE American through the effective time of the Merger, the shares of NTN common stock to be issued pursuant to the Merger Agreement shall have been approved for listing on NYSE American (subject to official notice of issuance), and the NYSE American listing application shall have been approved such that the NTN common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American after the effective time of the Merger. No assurances can be given that all of the conditions will be satisfied or waived. If the conditions are not satisfied or waived, the Merger may not occur or will be delayed, and NTN and Brooklyn each may lose some or all of the intended benefits of the Merger.

For example, one of the conditions to closing the Merger is that the deficit in NTN’s net cash not exceed $3.0 million. If the Asset Sale is approved by NTN’s stockholders and the Asset Sale closes, NTN expects that it will satisfy this closing condition. However, NTN has limited cash on hand and its cash flow from operations has suffered as result of the COVID-19 pandemic and any delay in the closing of the Asset Sale and/or the Merger, will increase the risk that NTN will not satisfy this closing condition. See “—Risks Related to NTN Prior to the Merger,” below. Further, if the Asset Sale is not approved by NTN’s stockholders or if the Asset Sale does not close for any other reason, NTN will likely not satisfy this condition. Similarly, another of the conditions to closing the Merger is that Brooklyn have not more than $750,000 in indebtedness for borrowed money at the closing. Although no assurances can be given in this regard, Brooklyn expects that it will satisfy this closing condition.

As another example, one of the conditions to closing the Merger is that, at the closing, Brooklyn have not less than $10 million in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet and have not more than $750,000 of indebtedness for borrowed money. As of January 29, 2021, Brooklyn’s indebtedness for borrowed money consisted of (i) assumed notes payable in the amount of $410,000 related to notes assumed in connection with the acquisition of IRX Therapeutics, and (ii) a loan in the amount of $309,905 under the Paycheck Protection Program. With respect to the cash balance sheet requirement, in order to help ensure that Brooklyn meets this condition, Brooklyn has previously engaged in a rights offering to the beneficial holders of its Class A membership interests pursuant to which such beneficial holders who exercised their rights have agreed to make additional contributions to Brooklyn. Such members will exchange the additional membership interests they receive for their contribution for a portion of the shares of NTN common stock issuable to members of Brooklyn in the Merger. Although Brooklyn expects to receive at least $10 million in proceeds from the rights offering, there can be no assurance that these members will contribute what they have contractually agreed to contribute. If these members do not make their committed contributions, Brooklyn may not be able to satisfy the closing condition that it have not less than $10 million in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet at the closing of the Merger. If this closing condition is not satisfied, and if NTN does not waive the condition, the Merger will not occur.

Failure to complete the Merger may result in NTN or Brooklyn paying a termination fee to the other party and could significantly harm the market price of NTN’s common stock and negatively affect the future business and operations of both companies.

If the Merger is not completed and the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances, NTN or Brooklyn may be required to pay the other party a termination fee of $750,000, or reimburse the transaction expenses of the other party, up to a maximum of $250,000. Even if a termination fee is not payable or transaction expenses are not reimbursable in connection with a termination of the Merger Agreement, each of NTN and Brooklyn will have incurred significant legal, financial, advisory, accounting, audit and other general operating expenses, which must be paid whether or not the Merger is completed. Further, if the Merger is not completed, it could significantly harm the market price of NTN common stock and further increase the doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern. In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated and the board of directors of NTN or the board of managers of Brooklyn determines to seek another business combination, there can be no assurance that either NTN or Brooklyn will be able to find a partner and close an alternative transaction on terms that are as or more favorable than the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement.

Certain of the officers and directors of NTN and certain of the officers and managers of Brooklyn have interests in the Merger that are different from the stockholders of NTN and members of Brooklyn, respectively, and that may influence them to support or approve the Merger without regard to the interests of the stockholders of NTN or the members of Brooklyn.

Certain officers and directors of NTN and certain officers and managers of Brooklyn participate in arrangements that provide them with interests in the Merger that are different from the interests of the stockholders of NTN and members of Brooklyn including, among others, the continued service as an officer or director of the combined company, severance benefits, the acceleration of vesting of equity awards, continued indemnification and the potential ability to sell an increased number of shares of common stock of the combined company in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). These interests, among others, may influence the officers and directors of NTN and the officers and managers of Brooklyn to support or approve the Merger.

The market price of NTN common stock following the Merger may decline as a result of the Merger.

The market price of NTN common stock may decline as a result of the Merger for a number of reasons including if:

NTN stockholders and Brooklyn members will have a reduced ownership and voting interest in, and will exercise less influence over the management of, the combined company following the closing of the Merger as compared to their current ownership and voting interest in the respective companies.

After the completion of the Merger, the current stockholders of NTN and the current members of Brooklyn will own a smaller percentage of the combined company than their ownership in the respective companies prior to the Merger. At the effective time of Merger, Brooklyn’s members will exchange their equity interests in Brooklyn for shares of NTN common stock representing between approximately 94.08% and 96.74% of the outstanding common stock of NTN immediately after the effective time of the Merger on a fully diluted basis (less a portion of such shares which will be allocated to Maxim in respect of the success fee owed to it by Brooklyn), and NTN’s stockholders as of immediately prior to the effective time, will own between approximately 5.92% and 3.26% of the outstanding common stock of NTN immediately after the effective time on a fully diluted basis. Consequently, NTN stockholders and Brooklyn members will be able to exercise less influence over the management and policies of the combined company following the closing of the Merger than they currently exercise over the management and policies of their respective companies.

NTN stockholders and Brooklyn members may not realize a benefit from the Merger commensurate with the ownership dilution they will experience in connection with the Merger.

If the combined company is not able to realize the strategic and financial benefits currently anticipated from the Merger, NTN stockholders and Brooklyn members will have experienced substantial dilution of their ownership interests in their respective companies without receiving the expected commensurate benefit, or only receiving part of the commensurate benefit to the extent that the combined company is able to realize only part of the expected strategic and financial benefits currently anticipated from the Merger.

The combined company may need to raise additional capital by issuing securities or debt or through licensing or other arrangements, which may cause dilution to the combined company’s stockholders or restrict the combined company’s operations or impact its proprietary rights. Future issuances of the combined company’s common stock pursuant to options outstanding following the Merger and under its equity incentive plan could result in additional dilution.

The combined company may be required to raise additional funds sooner than currently planned. If either NTN or Brooklyn hold less cash at the time of the closing of the Merger than the parties currently expect, the combined company may need to raise additional capital sooner than expected. Additional financing may not be available to the combined company when needed or it may not be available on favorable terms. To the extent that the combined company raises additional capital by issuing equity securities, such an issuance may cause significant dilution and the terms of any new equity securities may have preferences over the combined company’s common stock. Any debt financing the combined company enters into may include covenants that restrict its operations. These restrictive covenants may include limitations on additional borrowing and specific restrictions on the use of the combined company’s assets, as well as prohibitions on its ability to create liens, pay dividends, redeem its stock or make investments. In addition, if the combined company raises additional funds through licensing, partnering or other strategic arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish rights to some of the combined company’s technologies or product candidates and proprietary rights, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the combined company.

In addition, the exercise or conversion of some or all of the combined company’s outstanding options (or, after the Merger, the issuance of equity awards under the combined company’s equity incentive plan) could result in additional dilution in the percentage ownership interest of current NTN stockholders and Brooklyn members in the combined company.

During the pendency of the Merger, NTN and Brooklyn may not be able to enter into a business combination with another party at a favorable price because of restrictions in the Merger Agreement, which could adversely affect their respective businesses.

Covenants in the Merger Agreement impede the ability of NTN and Brooklyn to make acquisitions, subject to certain exceptions relating to fiduciary duties, or to complete other transactions that are not in the ordinary course of business pending completion of the Merger. As a result, if the Merger is not completed, the parties may be at a disadvantage to their competitors during such period. In addition, while the Merger Agreement is in effect, each party is generally prohibited from soliciting, initiating, encouraging or entering into certain extraordinary transactions, such as a merger, sale of assets, or other business combination outside the ordinary course of business with any third party, subject to certain exceptions relating to fiduciary duties and, with respect to NTN, other than the asset sale. Any such transactions could be favorable to such party’s securityholders.

Certain provisions of the Merger Agreement may discourage third parties from submitting alternative acquisition proposals, including proposals that may be superior to the arrangements contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

The terms of the Merger Agreement prohibit NTN and Brooklyn from soliciting alternative acquisition proposals or cooperating with persons making unsolicited acquisition proposals, except in limited circumstances where the board of directors of NTN and the board of managers of Brooklyn, as applicable, determines in good faith that an unsolicited alternative acquisition proposal is or is reasonably likely to lead to a superior offer and that failure to cooperate with the proponent of that proposal would reasonably be likely to be inconsistent with the board’s fiduciary duties.

Because the lack of a public market for Brooklyn’s securities makes it difficult to evaluate the value of such securities, the members of Brooklyn may receive shares of NTN common stock in the Merger that have a value that is less than, or greater than, the fair market value of Brooklyn’s securities and/or NTN may pay more than the fair market value of Brooklyn’s securities.

The outstanding securities of Brooklyn are privately held and not traded in any public market. The lack of a public market makes it difficult to determine the fair market value of Brooklyn. Because the percentage of NTN common stock to be issued to Brooklyn members was determined based on negotiations between NTN and Brooklyn, it is possible that the value of NTN common stock to be received by Brooklyn members in the Merger will be less than the fair market value of Brooklyn, or NTN may pay more than the aggregate fair market value for Brooklyn.

Litigation relating to the Merger could require NTN, Brooklyn or the combined company to incur significant costs and suffer management distraction and could delay or enjoin the Merger.

NTN and Brooklyn are subject to litigation relating to the Merger. Such litigation may create uncertainty relating to the Merger, or delay or enjoin the Merger. Litigation is expensive and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could adversely affect NTN’s, Brooklyn’s or the combined company’s business. Insurance may not be sufficient to cover all costs or damages related to this type of litigation.

The ownership of the combined company common stock is expected to be concentrated, which may prevent you and other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and may result in conflicts of interest that could cause the combined company stock price to decline.

Executive officers and directors of the combined company and their affiliates are expected to beneficially own or control approximately 39.7% of the outstanding shares of the combined company common stock immediately following the effective time of the Merger on a fully diluted basis (assuming Brooklyn’s members immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger and Maxim own 94.08% of the outstanding common stock of NTN immediately following the effective time of the Merger on a fully diluted basis). Accordingly, these executive officers, directors and their affiliates, acting as a group, will have substantial influence over the outcome of corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the combined company assets or any other significant corporate transactions. These stockholders may also delay or prevent a change of control of the combined company, even if such a change of control would benefit the other stockholders of the combined company. The significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of the combined company’s common stock due to investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.

Risks Related to the Asset Sale

While the Asset Sale is pending, it creates unknown impacts on NTN’s future which could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.

While the Asset Sale is pending, it creates unknown impacts on NTN’s future. Therefore, NTN’s current or potential business partners may decide to delay, defer or cancel entering into new business arrangements with NTN pending consummation of the Asset Sale. The occurrence of these events individually or in combination could materially and adversely affect NTN’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

The failure to consummate the Asset Sale may materially and adversely affect NTN’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Asset Sale is subject to various closing conditions including stockholder approval of the Asset Sale Proposal as required under applicable law. NTN cannot control these conditions and cannot assure you that they will be satisfied. If the Asset Sale is not consummated, NTN may be subject to a number of risks, including the following:

The occurrence of any of these events individually or in combination could materially and adversely affect NTN’s business, financial condition and results of operations, which could cause the market value of NTN common stock to decline.

In addition, if the Asset Sale does not close and the Merger does close, the aggregate ownership percentage of the combined company by NTN stockholders will likely decrease due to an increase in the deficit of NTN’s net cash as a result of not receiving the $2.0 million in the Asset Sale.

Failure to complete the Asset Sale may result in NTN paying a termination fee to eGames.com.

If the Asset Sale is not completed and the APA is terminated under certain circumstances, NTN may be required to pay eGames.com a termination fee of $250,000. Even if a termination fee is not payable in connection with a termination of the APA, NTN will have incurred significant legal, financial, advisory, accounting, audit and other general operating expenses, which must be paid whether or not the Asset Sale is completed.

Certain of the officers and directors of NTN have interests in the Asset Sale that are different from the stockholders of NTN and that may influence them to support or approve the Asset Sale without regard to the interests of the stockholders of NTN.

Certain officers and directors of NTN participate in arrangements that provide them with interests in the Asset Sale that are different from the interests of the stockholders of NTN including, among others, change-in-control benefits and the acceleration of vesting of equity awards. These interests, among others, may influence the officers and directors of NTN to support or approve the Asset Sale.

Risks Factors that May Affect Our Business

Our cash flows from operations and liquidity have been materially adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to raise capital in the near term and/or complete a strategic transaction, and our inability to do so could result in us pursuing a restructuring, which may include a reorganization or bankruptcy under Federal bankruptcy laws, assignment for the benefit of creditors, or a dissolution, liquidation and/or winding up.

The negative impact of the pandemic on the restaurant and bar industry was abrupt and substantial, and our business, cash flows from operations and liquidity suffered, and continues to suffer, materially as a result. In many jurisdictions, including those in which we have many customers and prospective customers, restaurants and bars were ordered by the government to shut-down or close all on-site dining operations in the latter half of March 2020. Since then, governmental orders and restrictions impacting restaurants and bars in certain jurisdictions were eased or lifted as the number of COVID-19 cases decreased or plateaued, but as jurisdictions began experiencing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, many jurisdictions reinstated such orders and restrictions, including mandating the shut-down of bars and the closing of all on-site dining operations of restaurants. Jurisdictions that have not imposed governmental orders and restrictions on restaurants and bars or reinstated them could do so at any time. At its peak, approximately 70% of our customers had their subscriptions to our services temporarily suspended. As of March 9, 2021, approximately 11% of our customers remain on subscription suspensions, but that percentage could increase, perhaps materially, at any time due to the effects of the pandemic on our customers, including as jurisdictions reinstate governmental orders and restrictions impacting our customers. Even in jurisdictions in which governmental orders and restrictions were eased or lifted, certain of our customers have requested, and others could request, to continue their subscription suspensions because, for example, such customers choose not to re-open despite being permitted to do so. As a result, we have experienced material decreases in subscription revenue, advertising revenue and cash flows from operations, which we expect to continue for at least as long as the restaurant and bar industry continues to be negatively impacted by the pandemic, and which may continue thereafter if restaurants and bars seek to reduce their operating costs or are unable to re-open even if restrictions within their jurisdictions are eased or lifted.

The full extent to which the pandemic will, directly or indirectly, impact our business, results of operations and financial condition is currently highly uncertain, including due to factors that currently are also highly uncertain, including when, and the extent to which, the negative impact of the pandemic will improve, including when a substantial majority of restaurants across the U.S. and Canada will be permitted to offer on-site dining and operate at or close to pre-pandemic levels or when a substantial majority of bars across the U.S. and Canada will be permitted to re-open and operate at or close to pre-pandemic levels, when our customers will re-open, or if they will subscribe to our service if and when they do, the ultimate impact of the pandemic and how long it endures, the impact of the current or future resurgences in COVID-19 cases, and the actions required or recommended to contain or treat COVID-19. However, unless in the very near term our subscription revenue, advertising revenue and cash flows from operations return to pre-pandemic levels and/or we raise substantial capital, the amount of time and the amount of cash we have to maintain operations and sustain the negative effects of the pandemic is very limited.

As of December 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $777,000. As of December 31, 2020, $0.5 million of principal was outstanding under the loan we received under the Paycheck Protection Program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. In connection with entering into the APA, we received a $1.0 million bridge loan from an affiliate of eGames.com, and on December 1, 2020 and January 12, 2021, we received an additional $0.5 million bridge loan and an additional $0.2 million bridge loan, respectively, from that affiliate, all of which, together with accrued interest, will be applied against the $2.0 million purchase price payable to us at the closing of the Asset Sale; however, if the Asset Sale does not close, we will owe the $1.7 million of principal of those bridge loans plus accrued interest to the affiliate of eGames.com. For additional information regarding these bridge loans, see the section entitled “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Bridge Loans” in “ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of Part II of this report. As a result of the impact of the pandemic on our business and taking into account our current financial condition and our existing sources of projected revenue and our projected subscription revenue, advertising revenue and cash flows from operations, we believe we will have sufficient cash resources to pay forecasted cash outlays only through mid-March 2021, assuming we are able to continue to successfully manage our working capital deficit by managing the timing of payments to our vendors and other third parties.

We expect that the earliest the Asset Sale and the Merger will be completed is the week of March 15, 2021. If the completion of the Asset Sale and the Merger is delayed beyond that week, we will need to raise additional capital to maintain operations through the completion of the Asset Sale and the Merger. We currently have no arrangements for such capital and no assurances can be given that we will be able to raise such capital when needed, on acceptable terms, or at all. The effects of the pandemic on macroeconomic conditions and the capital markets make it more challenging to raise capital. The going concern explanatory paragraph included in the report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 could also impair our ability to raise capital. If we are unable to complete the Merger or the Asset Sale or raise sufficient additional capital in the very near term, we will likely be required to curtail or terminate some or all of our business operations and we may have no choice but to pursue a restructuring, which may include a reorganization or bankruptcy under Federal bankruptcy laws, assignment for the benefit of creditors, or a dissolution, liquidation and/or winding up. In such event, our investors may lose their entire investment.

See also, “The measures we implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions,” and “Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders and may restrict our operations,” below.

The measures we implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions.

We implemented measures to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital. Since January 1, 2020, we implemented the following measures:

We may implement additional measures in the future. In addition to distracting management from the core operations of our business, any of these actions may negatively impact our ability to effectively manage, operate and grow our business, to introduce new offerings to our customers, to increase market awareness and encourage the adoption of the Buzztime brand and our Buzztime network, to retain customers, and to generate revenue. For example, the reduction in headcount resulted in the loss of a number of long-term employees, the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise and the reallocation and combination of certain roles and responsibilities across the organization, all of which could adversely affect our operations. In addition, we may not be able to effectively realize all the cost savings anticipated by the reductions in operational costs and we may incur unanticipated charges or make cash payments as a result that were not previously contemplated which could result in an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Our success depends on our ability to recruit and retain skilled professionals.

The success of our business depends on our ability to identify, hire, and retain knowledgeable and experienced programmers, creative designers, application developers, and sales and marketing personnel. If we cannot motivate and retain knowledgeable and experienced professionals, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will suffer. There is significant competition from other businesses for individuals with the experience and skills required to successfully operate our business and the recent reductions in headcount and other measures we implemented to reduce operating expenses may decrease the morale of our remaining employees and make retaining them more challenging. Moreover, in light of the small number of employees on our staff to manage our key functions, we may not be able to adequately support current and future business initiatives or attract or retain customers, which risk could be increased if we are unable to retain existing personnel.

We have experienced significant losses and expect to incur significant losses in the future.

We have a history of significant losses, including net losses of $4,415,000 and $2,047,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and have an accumulated deficit of $135,888,000 as of December 31, 2020. We expect to incur future operating and net losses, and we may not achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we achieve profitability, the level of profitability cannot be predicted and may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. See also “—Risks Relating to the Market for NTN Common Stock— Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we are determined to be non-compliant with any of the NYSE American continued listing standards,” below.

We may not compete effectively within the highly competitive and evolving interactive games, entertainment and marketing services industries.

We face intense competition in the markets in which we operate. For example, we face significant competition in the hospitality market from companies offering services that compete with ours. Our services also compete with games, apps and other forms of entertainment offerings available directly to consumers on their mobile devices. See “Competition,” above. Many of our current and potential competitors enjoy substantial competitive advantages, including greater financial resources that they can deploy for content development, research and development, strategic acquisitions, alliances, joint ventures, and sales and marketing. As a result, our current and potential competitors may respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, or consumer preferences.

With the rapid pace of change in product and service offerings, we must also be able to compete in terms of technology, content, and management strategy. If we fail to provide competitive, engaging, quality services and products, it will be challenging to gain new customers and we will lose customers to competitors. Increased competition may also result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced gross margins, longer sales cycles, reduced revenue, and loss of market share.

New products and rapid technological change may render our operations obsolete or noncompetitive.

The emergence of new entertainment products and technologies, changes in consumer preferences, the adoption of new industry standards, and other factors may limit the life cycle and market penetration of our technologies, products, and services. Our future performance depends on our ability to:

Our inability to succeed in one or more of the above areas would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

In addition, we have to incur substantial costs to modify or adapt our products or services to respond to developments, customer needs, and changing preferences. We must be able to incorporate new technologies into the products we design and develop to address the increasingly complex and varied needs of our customer base. Any significant delay or failure in developing new or enhanced technology, including new product and service offerings, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

If we do not adequately protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property or we are subjected to intellectual property claims by others, our business could be seriously damaged.

We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secret laws to protect our proprietary rights in our products. We have a few patents and patent applications pending in jurisdictions related to our business activities. Our pending patent applications and any future applications might not be approved. Moreover, our patents might not provide us with competitive advantages. Third parties might challenge our patents or trademarks or attempt to use infringing technologies or brands which could harm our ability to compete and reduce our revenues, as well as create significant litigation expense. In addition, patents and trademarks held by third parties might have an adverse effect on our ability to do business and could likewise result in significant litigation expense. Furthermore, third parties might independently develop similar products, duplicate our products or, to the extent patents are issued to us, design around those patents. Others may have filed and, in the future may file, patent applications similar or identical to ours. Such third-party patent applications might have priority over our patent applications. To determine the priority of inventions, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us.

We believe that the success of our business also depends on such factors as the technical expertise and innovative capabilities of our employees. It is our policy that all employees and consultants sign non-disclosure agreements and assignment of invention agreements. Our competitors, former employees, and consultants may, however, misappropriate our technology or independently develop technologies that are as good as or better than ours. Our competitors may also challenge or circumvent our proprietary rights. If we have to initiate or defend against an infringement claim to protect our proprietary rights, the litigation over any such claim, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and costly to us.

From time to time, we hire or retain employees or consultants who may have worked for other companies developing products similar to those that we offer. These other companies may claim that our products are based on their products and that we have misappropriated their intellectual property. Any such claim, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and costly to us, adversely affecting our financial condition.

We may be liable for the content and services we make available on our Buzztime network and the internet.

We make content and entertainment services available on our Buzztime network and the internet which includes games and game content, software, and a variety of other entertainment content. The availability of this content and services and our branding could result in claims against us based on a variety of theories, including defamation, obscenity, negligence, or copyright or trademark infringement. We could also be exposed to liability for third-party content accessed through the links from our websites to other websites. Federal laws may limit, but not eliminate, our liability for linking to third-party websites that include materials that infringe copyrights or other rights. We may incur costs to defend against claims related to either our own content or that of third parties, and our financial condition could be materially adversely affected if we are found liable for information that we make available. Implementing measures to reduce our exposure may require us to spend substantial resources and may limit the attractiveness of our services to users which would harm our business.

Our products and services are subject to government regulations that may restrict our operations or cause demand for our products to decline significantly.

In addition to laws and regulations applicable to businesses generally, we are also subject to laws and regulations that apply specifically to the interactive entertainment and product marketing industries. In addition, we operate games of chance and skill, and we award nominal cash prizes to winners of certain games and may provide items of nominal value (e.g., key chains, etc.) to venues who may award such items to consumers. These games are regulated in many jurisdictions and the laws and regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. See “Government Regulations” above. We may find it necessary to eliminate, modify, suspend, or cancel certain features of our offerings (including the games we offer) in certain jurisdictions based on the adoptions of new laws and regulations or changes in law or regulations or the enforcement thereof, which could result in additional development costs and/or the loss of customers and revenue.

Communication or other system failures could result in customer cancellations and a decrease in our revenues.

We rely on the continuous operation of our information technology and communications systems and those of third parties to communicate with and to distribute our services to the locations of our network subscribers. We currently transmit our data to our customers via broadband internet connections including telephone and cable TV networks. Our systems and those of third parties on which we rely are vulnerable to damage or interruption from many causes, including earthquakes, terrorist attacks, floods, storms, fires, power loss, telecommunications and other network failures, equipment failures, computer viruses, computer denial of service or other attacks. These systems are also subject to break-ins, sabotage, vandalism, and to other disruptions, for example if we or the operators of these systems and system facilities have financial difficulties. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our system protections and disaster recovery plans cannot prevent all outages, errors, or data losses. In addition, our services and systems are highly technical and complex and may contain errors or other vulnerabilities. Any errors or vulnerabilities in our products and services, damage to or failure of our systems, any natural or man-made disaster, or other unanticipated problems at our facilities or those of a third party, could result in lengthy interruptions in our service to our customers, which could reduce our revenues and cash flow, and damage our brand. Any interruption in communications or failure of proper hardware or software function at our or our customers’ venues could also decrease customer loyalty and satisfaction and result in a cancellation of our services.

We have incurred significant net operating loss carryforwards that we will likely be unable to use.

At December 31, 2020, we had net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $5,310,000 available for federal income tax purposes, and of approximately $16,051,000 available for state income tax purposes. There can be no assurance that we will ever be able to realize the benefit of some or all of the federal and state loss carryforwards due to continued operating losses. We performed an analysis as of December 31, 2020 to determine the limitations on our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC”) resulting from any changes in ownership. This analysis indicates that an ownership change occurred on June 9, 2020 that would limit the use of approximately $61,965,000 of NOLs. Under IRC Section 382 and similar state provisions, ownership changes will limit the annual utilization of net operating loss carryforwards existing prior to a change in control that are available to offset future taxable income. Such limitations have reduced our gross deferred tax assets related to the NOL carryforwards by approximately $11,021,000. We have established a full valuation allowance for substantially all deferred tax assets, including the NOL carryforwards, since we could not conclude that it was more likely than not that we would be able to generate future taxable income to realize these assets.

The Merger will likely result in an ownership change for purposes of Section 382, but no formal analysis has been or is expected to be undertaken in this regard.

Risks Relating to the Market for NTN Common Stock

Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we do not regain compliance with continued listing criteria with which we are currently not compliant or if we fail to meet any other continued listing criteria.

In March 2020, we received a letter from NYSE Regulation Inc. stating that we are not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the NYSE American Company Guide because we reported stockholders’ equity of less than $6 million as of December 31, 2019 and had net losses in five of our most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2019. Our stockholders’ equity was $5.1 million as of December 31, 2019. On June 11, 2020, NYSE Regulation notified us that we are not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(ii) of the NYSE American Company Guide because we reported stockholders’ equity of less than $4.0 million as of March 31, 2020 and had net losses in five of our most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2019.

On June 11, 2020, NYSE Regulation notified us that it has accepted our plan to regain compliance with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the NYSE American Company Guide and granted us a plan period through September 27, 2021 to regain compliance.

On August 12, 2020, NYSE Regulation notified us that we are not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(i) of the NYSE American Company Guide because we reported stockholders’ equity of less than $2.0 million as of June 30, 2020 and had net losses in five of our most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2019. We continue to be subject to the procedures and requirements of Section 1009 of the NYSE American Company Guide.

The listing of our common stock on the NYSE American is being continued during the plan period pursuant to an extension. The NYSE Regulation staff will review us periodically for compliance with initiatives outlined in our plan. If we are not in compliance with Sections 1003(a)(i), (ii) and (iii) by September 27, 2021 or if we do not make progress consistent with our plan during the plan period, NYSE Regulation staff will initiate delisting proceedings as appropriate.

We can give no assurances that we will be able to address our non-compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards or, even if we do, that we will be able to maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE American. Our common stock could be delisted because we do not make progress consistent with our plan during the plan period, because we do not regain compliance by September 27, 2021, or because we become out of compliance with other NYSE American listing standards. In addition, we may determine to pursue business opportunities that reduces our stockholders’ equity below the level required to maintain compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards. The delisting of our common stock for whatever reason could, among other things, substantially impair our ability to raise additional capital; result in a loss of institutional investor interest and fewer financing opportunities for us; and/or result in potential breaches of representations or covenants in agreements pursuant to which we made representations or covenants relating to our compliance with applicable listing requirements. Claims related to any such breaches, with or without merit, could result in costly litigation, significant liabilities and diversion of our management’s time and attention and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, business and results of operations. In addition, the delisting of our common stock for whatever reason may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock. See also “If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a ‘penny stock,’ a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market,” below.

The initial listing application to be filed with the NYSE American in connection with the Merger in order to continue the listing of the shares of common stock of the combined company on the NYSE American may not be approved if the combined company does not meet the initial listing standards.

In order to continue the listing of the shares of common stock of the combined company on the NYSE American following the closing of the Merger, the combined company must meet the NYSE American’s initial listing standards and the NYSE American must approve an initial listing application that NTN filed with the NYSE American in early March 2021. Although no assurances can be given that the combined company will meet such initial listing standards or that the NYSE American will approve such application, assuming that the reverse stock split proposal being submitted to NTN’s stockholders at the special meeting is approved, NTN and Brooklyn expect that the combined company will meet the initial listing standard of the NYSE American that requires that: (1) the stockholders’ equity of the combined company be at least $4.0 million; (2) the combined company have a minimum of 800 public shareholders and a minimum of 500,000 shares in the public distribution, or a minimum of 400 public shareholders and a minimum of 1,000,000 shares in the public distribution; (3) the minimum price of the common stock of the combined company be at least $3.00 per share; and (4) the minimum market value of publicly held shares be at least $15.0 million. For purposes of the foregoing, “public shareholders” means the stockholders of the combined company other than its officers, directors, controlling stockholders and other concentrated (i.e. 10% or greater) stockholders and their respective affiliates, and “public distribution” and “publicly held shares” means the outstanding shares of common stock of the combined company held by public shareholders. If the reverse stock split proposal is not approved by NTN stockholders, the combined company may not meet the requirement that the minimum price of the common stock of the combined company be at least $3.00 per share. If that requirement or any other initial listing standard requirement is not met, the NYSE American will not approve the initial listing application and the shares of common stock of the combined company will not be listed on the NYSE American following the closing of the Merger. If Brooklyn waives the conditions to closing the Merger relating to the continued listing of the common stock on the NYSE American and the Merger closes, the shares of the combined company would not be listed on a national securities exchange immediately following the closing of the Merger, which could have a material adverse effect on the combined company and its stockholders. See “If the NYSE American does not approve the initial listing application to be filed with it in connection with the Merger, the Merger may not close, but if Brooklyn waives this closing condition and the Merger does close, the failure of the common stock of the combined company to be listed on a national securities exchange could have a material adverse effect on the combined company and its stockholders,” and “If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a ‘penny stock,’ a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market,” below.

If the NYSE American does not approve the initial listing application to be filed with it in connection with the Merger, the Merger may not close, but if Brooklyn waives this closing condition and the Merger does close, the failure of the common stock of the combined company to be listed on a national securities exchange could have a material adverse effect on the combined company and its stockholders.

Conditions to closing the Merger include that NTN’s common stock continue to be traded on the NYSE American until the effective time of the Merger, the NTN common stock to be issued in the Merger be approved for listing (subject to official notice of issuance) on the NYSE American as of the effective time of the Merger, and the NTN common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American after the effective time of the Merger. Brooklyn could waive the satisfaction of any of the foregoing closing conditions, but there can be no assurance that Brooklyn will do so. If Brooklyn waives any of those closing conditions that are not satisfied at the closing and the Merger closes, the common stock of the combined company would be expected to trade on an over-the-counter market, which could, among other things, substantially impair the ability of the combined company to raise additional capital, result in a loss of institutional investor interest and fewer financing opportunities for the combined company, materially impair the ability of stockholders to buy and sell shares of the common stock of the combined company, and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, the common stock of the combined company. See also “If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a ‘penny stock,’ a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market,” below.

If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market.

If our common stock were delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American, it may be subject to the so-called “penny stock” rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange. For any transaction involving a “penny stock,” unless exempt, the rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers, subject to certain exceptions. If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock historically has been and likely will continue to be highly volatile and our common stock is thinly traded.

The market price for our common stock historically has been highly volatile, and the market for our common stock has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations, based both on our operating performance and for reasons that appear to us unrelated to our operating performance. Our stock is also thinly traded, which can affect market volatility, which could significantly affect the market price of our common stock without regard to our operating performance. In addition, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to several factors, including:

The realization of any of the foregoing could have a dramatic and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market or the anticipation of such sales could have a material adverse effect on then-prevailing market prices.

As of March 9, 2021, there were approximately (1) 26,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding stock options at exercise prices ranging from $2.43 to $27.50 per share, (2) 75,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the settlement of outstanding restricted stock units, and (3) 156,112 shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding which, based on their conversion price as of March 9, 2021, would convert into approximately 84,000 shares of common stock. Registration statements registering the shares of common stock underlying the outstanding options and restricted stock units are currently effective. Generally, the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, which the holders may do at any time, may be sold under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933. Accordingly, a significant number of shares of our common stock could be sold at any time. Depending upon market liquidity at the time our common stock is resold by the holders thereof, such resales could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. In addition, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to obtain future financing. To the extent the trading price of our common stock at the time any of our outstanding options are exercised exceeds their exercise price or at the time any of our outstanding shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock are converted exceeds their conversion price, such exercise or conversion will have a dilutive effect on our stockholders.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders and may restrict our operations.

We may raise additional capital at any time and may do so through one or more financing alternatives, including public or private sales of equity or debt securities directly to investors or through underwriters or placement agents. See also “Our ability to raise capital may be limited by applicable laws and regulations,” below. Raising capital through the issuance of common stock (or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our common stock) may depress the market price of our stock and may substantially dilute our existing stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may issue preferred stock with rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the holders of our common stock. Debt financings could involve covenants that restrict our operations. These restrictive covenants may include limitations on additional borrowing and specific restrictions on the use of our assets, as well as prohibitions on our ability to create liens or make investments and may, among other things, preclude us from making distributions to stockholders (either by paying dividends or redeeming stock) and taking other actions beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, investors could impose more one-sided investment terms on companies that have or are perceived to have limited remaining funds or limited ability to raise additional funds. The lower our cash balance, the more difficult it is likely to be for us to raise additional capital on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Our ability to raise capital may be limited by applicable laws and regulations.

Over the past few years we have raised capital through the sale of our equity securities. In the past, most recently in June 2018, we raised capital through equity offerings conducted under a “shelf” Form S-3 registration statement. Using a shelf registration statement on to raise capital generally takes less time and is less expensive than other means, such as conducting an offering under a Form S-1 registration statement. However, our ability to raise capital using a shelf registration statement may be limited by, among other things, SEC rules and regulations. Under SEC rules and regulations, we must meet certain requirements to use a Form S-3 registration statement to raise capital without restriction as to the amount of the market value of securities sold thereunder. One such requirement is that we periodically evaluate the market value of our outstanding shares of common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, and if, at an evaluation date, our public float is less than $75.0 million, then the aggregate market value of securities sold by us or on our behalf under the Form S-3 in any 12-month period is limited to an aggregate of one-third of our public float. Based on the closing price of our common stock on March 9, 2021, the highest closing price of our common stock within the past 60 days, our public float is approximately $17.7 million and therefore we are currently subject to the one-third of our public float limitation. Assuming our public float remains the same amount the next time we must evaluate it, we will only be able to sell up to approximately $5.9 million if we seek to use a shelf registration statement. If our ability to use a shelf registration statement for a primary offering of our securities is limited to one-third of our public float, we may conduct such an offering pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act or under a Form S-1 registration statement, and we would expect either alternative to increase the cost of raising additional capital relative to utilizing a Form S-3 registration statement.

In addition, under SEC rules and regulations, our common stock must be listed and registered on a national securities exchange in order to utilize a Form S-3 registration statement (i) for a primary offering, if our public float is not at least $75.0 million as of a date within 60 days prior to the date of filing the Form S-3 or a re-evaluation date, whichever is later, and (ii) to register the resale of our securities by persons other than us (i.e., a resale offering). While currently our common stock is listed on the NYSE American, there can be no assurance we can maintain such listing. See also “Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we do not regain compliance with continued listing criteria with which we are currently not compliant or if we fail to meet any other continued listing criteria,” above.

Our ability to timely raise sufficient additional capital also may be limited by the NYSE American’s stockholder approval requirements for transactions involving the issuance of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock. For instance, the NYSE American requires that we obtain stockholder approval of any transaction involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by us of our common stock (or securities convertible into our common stock) at a price less than the greater of book or market value, which (together with sales by our officers, directors and principal stockholders) equals 20% or more of our then outstanding common stock, unless the transaction is considered a “public offering” by the NYSE American staff. In addition, certain prior sales by us may be aggregated with any offering we may propose in the future, further limiting the amount we could raise in any future offering not considered a public offering by the NYSE American staff and involves the sale, issuance or potential issuance by us of our common stock (or securities convertible into our common stock) at a price less than the greater of book or market value. The NYSE American also requires that we obtain stockholder approval if the issuance or potential issuance of additional shares will be considered by the NYSE American staff to result in a change of control of our company.

Obtaining stockholder approval is a costly and time-consuming process. If we must obtain stockholder approval for a potential transaction, we would expect to spend substantial additional money and resources. In addition, seeking stockholder approval would delay our receipt of otherwise available capital, which may materially and adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategy, and there is no guarantee our stockholders ultimately would approve a proposed transaction. A public offering under the NYSE American rules typically involves broadly announcing the proposed transaction, which often depresses the issuer’s stock price. Accordingly, the price at which we could sell our securities in a public offering may be less, and the dilution existing stockholders experience may in turn be greater, than if we were able to raise capital through other means.

Our charter contains provisions that may hinder or prevent a change in control of our company, which could result in our inability to approve a change in control and potentially receive a premium over the current market value of your stock.

Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if such a change in control would benefit our stockholders, or to make changes in our board of directors. For example, our certificate of incorporation (i) prohibits stockholders from filling vacancies on our board of directors, calling special stockholder meetings, or taking action by written consent, and (ii) requires a supermajority vote of at least 80% of the total voting power of our outstanding shares, voting together as a single class, to remove our directors from office or to amend provisions relating to stockholders taking action by written consent or calling special stockholder meetings.

Additionally, our certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company. Some provisions:

These provisions could discourage third parties from taking control of our company. Such provisions may also impede a transaction in which you could receive a premium over then current market prices and your ability to approve a transaction that you consider in your best interest.

In addition, we are governed by Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law, which may prohibit certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, restated bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors, including delaying or impeding a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Our amended and restated bylaws, as amended, designates the state courts of the State of Delaware (or, if no such state court has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or with our directors, our officers or other employees, or our majority stockholder.

Section 8.12 of our amended and restated bylaws, as amended, provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the state courts of the State of Delaware (or, if no such state court has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (A) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of NTN, (B) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director or officer or stockholder of NTN to NTN or its stockholders, (C) any action asserting a claim against NTN or any director or officer or stockholder of NTN arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) or NTN’s restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or (D) any action asserting a claim against NTN or any director or officer or stockholder of NTN governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

Section 8.12 of NTN’s amended and restated bylaws, as amended, also provides that if any provision of Section 8.12 is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provision in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Section 8.12 (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of Section 8.12 containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities or circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 8.12 may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds more favorable for disputes with us or with our directors, our officers or other employees, or our other stockholders, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such other persons.

Section 8.12 is intended to apply to the fullest extent permitted by law to the types of actions specified therein, including, to the extent permitted by the federal securities laws, to lawsuits asserting both the claims specified in Section 8.12 and claims under the federal securities laws. Application of the choice of forum provision in Section 8.12 may be limited in some instances by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act, creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, Section 8.12 will not apply to actions arising under the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to a limited exception for certain “covered class actions.” The enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents similar to Section 8.12 has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against NTN, a future court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in Section 8.12 to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.