St. Julians, Malta–(Newsfile Corp. – December 7, 2022) – Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMBL) (NASDAQ: GMBLP) (NASDAQ: GMBLW) (NASDAQ: GMBLZ) (the “Company” or “EEG”) today announced the departure of Grant Johnson from his position as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 3, 2022. The Board of Directors has identified several candidates to be the Company’s next CEO, and these candidates are currently going through the evaluation process. The Company has identified a preferred candidate for interim/acting CEO, and we will make a formal announcement naming this individual in the coming days pending a formal approval by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Company has also announced Jan Jones Blackhurst as Chair of the Board of Directors.
“Grant recognized the value of esports and online gambling and founded EEG on that basis. On behalf of the Board, we wish him well,” said Ms. Jones Blackhurst. “The Company is looking forward to bringing in new leadership to work with Board to realize the full potential of our acquired esports businesses.”
Sale and Restructuring in the iGaming Business
The Company has made significant progress in recent months reducing costs and considering strategic options for iGaming assets that do not contribute to profits and cash flow. The progress includes:
- Sale of the Company’s online casino business in Spain. The sale of the online casino business in Spain is expected to close on December 12, 2022. The proceeds from the sale, net of commissions, will be used primarily to pay down the principal on the Senior Convertible Note.
- Closing of the Argyll iGaming operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 7, 2022, due to high costs to operate in these markets and an inability to generate profits.
- Initiation of a process to evaluate the strategic options for the iGaming business, including exploring a sale of iGaming assets due to increasing regulatory burdens and competition. Our new CEO will be tasked with assessing the value of the iGaming assets and determining next steps.
Other Key Announcements
The Company continues to execute on its plan to be publicly listed on Nasdaq, while restructuring its debt and capitalizing on its esports assets:
- The Company announced that it obtained approval for continued listing on the Nasdaq. The Company’s continued listing on Nasdaq is subject to evidencing compliance with Nasdaq requirements by March 31, 2023.
- The Company is in discussions with its debt holder to restructure its payment obligations, including but not limited to eliminating the derivative liability on its consolidated balance and addressing the Company’s default status under the debt. The Company is optimistic that an agreement can be reached to the benefit of both parties in the near term.
- The Company recently received a non-binding letter of intent from a third party that offered to merge its assets, including intellectual property, with that of the Company. The combined company would focus on growing esports revenues. The proposal is currently under consideration by the Company.
About Esports Entertainment Group
Esports Entertainment Group (NASDAQ: GMBL) (EEG) is a full-service esports and online betting company. EEG focuses on three verticals: Games, iGaming, and Technology. EEG Games provides a wide array of services and infrastructure for businesses to engage esports and gaming communities around the world including Esports Gaming League (EGL), which hosts a community of more than 350,000 gamers on its proprietary tournament platform EGL.tv. EEG iGaming includes a number of award-winning brands covering traditional online sports book wagering needs as well as a multinational casino operator. EEG Technology builds next-generation platforms, features, and services for Millennials, Gen Z consumers, and brands looking to connect with these demographics. EEG has offices in New Jersey, Estonia, the United Kingdom, and Malta. For more information, visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.
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