The Company’s business is subject to unpredictable order flows, which might cause its results to fluctuate significantly from period to period.
Individual system sales can have a long sales cycle, resulting in unpredictable revenue from such sales. Other revenue is derived from expansion opportunities at existing customer facilities and, although existing customers have in the past engaged us to provide expanded services and systems, there is no contractual agreement to provide us with any minimum volume or the ability to expand our services and systems. For these reasons, the Company can experience unpredictable order flows for system expansions.
We are dependent on our intellectual property and we may be unable to protect our intellectual property from infringement, misappropriation, or claims of infringement or invalidity.
The gaming industry and the software industry are in general characterized by the use of various forms of intellectual property. We are dependent upon patented technologies, trademarked brands and proprietary information for our business. We endeavor to protect our intellectual property rights and our products through a combination of patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as licensing agreements and third-party nondisclosure and assignment agreements. We cannot, however, be certain that any trademark, copyright, issued patent or other types of intellectual property will provide competitive advantages for us. Furthermore, we cannot be certain that our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights or products will be successful.
Our existing patents may be found invalid or unenforceable and any current or future patent applications may not be approved.
We have patents and trademarks and we utilize patent protection in the United States relating to certain processes and products. We cannot assure you that all of our existing patents would be found valid or enforceable or will continue to be valid or enforceable, or that any pending patent applications will be approved. Our competitors may in the future challenge the validity or enforceability of certain of our patents. The patents we own could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by others and may not be of sufficient scope or strength to provide us with any meaningful protection or commercial advantage. Competitors may infringe our patents and we may not have adequate resources or there may be other reasons we do not enforce our patents. Our patents may not adequately cover a competitor’s products. The future interpretation by courts of United States laws regarding the validity of patents could negatively affect the validity or enforceability of our current or future patents.
Our efforts to protect our unpatented proprietary technology may not be successful.
We rely on unpatented proprietary technology. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. To protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we require employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements. We cannot assure you that these agreements are fully enforceable or will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may not be able to establish or maintain our trademarks.
We rely on our trademarks, trade names, trade dress, copyrights and brand names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors. We have registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. Our trademarks may not remain valid or enforceable. We may not be able to build and maintain goodwill in our trademarks or other intellectual property. Third parties may oppose our trademark applications or challenge our use of the trademarks. Our trademarks may become so well known by the public that their use becomes generic and they lose trademark protection. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources towards advertising and marketing new brands. Further, our competitors may infringe our trademarks or other intellectual property and we may not have adequate resources or there may be other reasons we do not enforce our trademarks or other types of intellectual property.
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We may not be able to adequately protect our foreign intellectual property rights.
Because of the differences in foreign patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright and other laws concerning proprietary rights, our intellectual property frequently does not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as it would in the United States. Our failure to possess, obtain or maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property rights for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The intellectual property rights of others may limit our ability to make and sell our products.
The gaming industry is characterized by the rapid development of new technology, which requires us to continuously introduce new products using these technologies and innovations, as well as to expand into new markets that may be created. Therefore, our success depends in part on our ability to continually adapt our products and systems to incorporate new technologies and to expand into markets that may be created by new technologies. However, to the extent technologies are protected by the intellectual property rights of others, including our competitors, we may be prevented from introducing products based on these technologies or expanding into markets created by these technologies. If the intellectual property rights of others prevent us from taking advantage of innovative technologies, our financial condition, operating results or prospects may be harmed.
We have many competitors in both the United States and foreign countries, some of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies. Some competitors have applied for and obtained and may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that may prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make and sell our products. Any royalty, licensing or settlement agreements, if required, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
Significant litigation regarding intellectual property rights exists in our industry.
There is a significant amount of litigation that occurs in the gaming and technology industry generally. A successful challenge to or invalidation of one of our patents or trademarks, a successful claim of infringement by a third party against us, our products, or one of our licensees in connection with the use of our technology, or an unsuccessful claim of infringement made by us against a third party or its products could adversely affect our business or cause us financial harm. Any such litigation – whether with or without merit – could:
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The gaming industry is highly regulated and we must adhere to various regulations and maintain applicable licenses to continue our operations. Failure to abide by regulations or maintain applicable licenses could be disruptive to our business and could adversely affect our operations.
We and our products are subject to extensive regulation under federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we do business and our products are used. Violations of laws in one jurisdiction could result in disciplinary action in other jurisdictions. Licenses, approvals or findings of suitability may be revoked, suspended or conditioned. In sum, we may not be able to obtain or maintain all necessary registrations, licenses, permits or approvals. We cannot assure you that the licensing process will not result in delays or adversely affect our operations and our ability to maintain key personnel, or that complying with these regulations will not increase our costs.
We may be unable to obtain licenses in new jurisdictions where our customers operate.
We will become subject to regulation in any other jurisdiction where our customers operate in the future. To expand into any such jurisdiction, we may need to be licensed, or obtain approvals of our products or services. If we fail to seek, do not receive or receive a revocation of a license in a particular jurisdiction for our products, we would not be able to sell or place on a leased or participation basis our products in that jurisdiction.
Legislative and regulatory changes could negatively affect our business and the business of our customers.
Legislative and regulatory changes may affect demand for or place limitations on the placement of our products. Such changes could affect us in a variety of ways. Legislation or regulation may introduce limitations on our products or opportunities for the use of our products and could foster competitive products or solutions at our or our customers’ expense. Our business will likely also suffer if our products became obsolete due to changes in laws or the regulatory framework.
Legislative or regulatory changes negatively impacting the gaming industry as a whole or our customers in particular could also decrease the demand for our products. Opposition to gaming could result in restrictions or even prohibitions of gaming operations in any jurisdiction or could result in increased taxes on gaming revenues. Tax matters, including changes in state, federal or other tax legislation or assessments by tax authorities could have a negative impact on our business. A reduction in growth of the gaming industry or in the number of gaming jurisdictions or delays in the opening of new or expanded casinos could reduce demand for our products. Changes in current or future laws or regulations or future judicial intervention in any particular jurisdiction may have a material adverse effect on our existing and proposed foreign and domestic operations. Any such adverse change in the legislative or regulatory environment could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Our growth and ability to access capital markets are subject to a number of economic risks.
Financial markets worldwide continue to experience disruption, including, among other things, diminished liquidity and credit availability, rating downgrades of certain investments and declining valuations. It is possible that the disruption in financial markets will continue or even that there will be a further deterioration in financial markets and confidence in major economies.
These financial market conditions affect our business in a number of ways. The tightening of credit in financial markets adversely affects the ability of our customers to obtain financing for purchases and operations and could result in a decrease in or cancellation of lease and sale orders for our products and services. Current financial market conditions could also affect our ability to raise funds in the capital and lending markets.
Risks that impact our customers may impact us.
If fewer players visit our customers’ facilities, if such players have less disposable income to spend at our customers’ facilities or if our customers are unable to devote resources to purchasing and leasing our products, there could be an adverse effect on our business. Such risks that affect our customers include, but are not limited to:
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We also have agreements with casinos in Native American and foreign jurisdictions, which may subject us to sovereign immunity risks.
We may have a difficult time enforcing our contracts with Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Native American tribes and the casinos they operate. These customers may enjoy significant immunity or impracticality from suit. For instance, in order to sue a Native American tribe (or an agency or instrumentality of a Native American tribe), the Native American tribe must have effectively waived its sovereign immunity with respect to the matter in dispute. Approximately 60 percent of Table Trac’s business is with Native American tribes. While we always seek the waivers of immunity initially, they may not always become a part of our final contracts with Native American tribes. Without a waiver, limited or otherwise, of the tribe’s sovereign immunity, our ordinary rights and remedies (such as our right to enter Native American lands to retrieve our property in the event of a breach of contract by the tribal party to that contract, or our right to enforce any outside judgment against such tribal party) will not likely be enforceable.
We compete in a single industry and our business may suffer if our products become obsolete or demand for them decreases, including without limitation, as a result of the downturn in the gaming industry.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from leasing, licensing, selling and other financing arrangements of products for the gaming industry. Consistent demand for and satisfaction with our products by our customers is critical to our financial condition and future success, Problems, issues, defects or dissatisfaction with our products could cause us to lose customers or revenues from leases with minimal notices. Additionally, our success depends on our ability to keep pace with technological advances in our industry and to adapt and improve our products in response to evolving customer needs and industry trends. If demand for our products weakens due to lack of market acceptance, technological change, increased competition, regulatory changes, or other factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Any disruption in our manufacturing processes, any significant increase in manufacturing costs or any inability to manufacture our products to meet demand could adversely affect our business and operating results.
We manufacture our software and related products ourselves. Should any of these manufacturing processes be disrupted, we may be unable to timely remedy such disruption. In such a case, we may be unable to produce a sufficient quantity of our products to meet the demand of our customers. In addition, manufacturing costs may increase significantly and we may not be able to successfully recover these cost increases with increased pricing to our customers. Either case could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We operate in a very competitive business environment and if we do not adapt our approach and our products to meet this competitive environment, our business, results of operations or financial condition could be adversely impacted.
There is intense competition in the gaming management and gaming products industry, which is characterized by dynamic customer demand and rapid technological advances. Today, there are many systems providers, in the U.S. and abroad, offering casinos and gaming operators “total solution” casino management and table games management systems. As a result, we must continually adapt our approach and our products to meet this demand and match technological advances and if we cannot do so, our business, results of operations or financial condition may be adversely impacted. Conversely, the development of new competitive products or the enhancement of existing competitive products in any market in which we operate could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition. If we are unable to remain dynamic in the face of changes in the market, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We are dependent on the success of our customers and are subject to industry fluctuations.
Our success depends on our customers leasing or buying our products to expand their existing operations, replace existing gaming management products or equip a new casino. Any slowdown in the replacement cycle on the part of our customers may negatively impact our operations.
If our products contain defects, our reputation could be harmed and our operating results and financial results could be adversely affected.
Some of our products and our anticipated future products are complex and may contain defects that we do not detect. The occurrence of defects or malfunctions in one or more of our products could result in financial losses for our customers and in turn termination of leases, cancellation of orders, product returns and diversion of our resources, and could additionally result in lost revenues, civil damages and regulatory penalties, as well as possible rescission of product approvals. Any of these occurrences could also result in the loss of or delay in market acceptance of our products and loss of placements.
We may not be able to attract, retain, or motivate the management or employees necessary to remain competitive in our industry.
The competition for qualified personnel in the gaming industry is intense. Our future success depends on the retention and continued contributions of our key management, finance, marketing, development, technical and staff personnel, many of whom would be difficult or impossible to replace. Our success is also tied to our ability to recruit additional key personnel in the future. We may not be able to retain our current personnel or recruit any additional key personnel required. The loss of services of any of our personnel or our inability to recruit additional necessary key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are highly dependent on the services provided by certain executives and key personnel.
Our success depends in a significant part upon the continued service of certain senior management, and other key personnel. In particular, we are materially dependent upon the services of Chad Hoehne, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer. If Mr. Hoehne should no longer serve the Company in his present capacities it would likely have a materially adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operations. Presently, the Company does not have an employment agreement with Mr. Hoehne, though the Company has secured “key person” term life insurance covering the life of Mr. Hoehne.
Our common stock trades only in an illiquid trading market.
Trading of our common stock is conducted on the over-the-counter markets—specifically on the OTCQB, a middle-tier quotation marketplace administered by OTC Markets (formerly known as The Pink Sheets). This generally has an adverse effect on the liquidity of our common stock, not only in terms of the number of shares that can be bought and sold at a given price, but also through delays in the timing of transactions and reduction in security analysts’ and the media’s coverage of our Company and its common stock. This may result in lower prices for our common stock than might otherwise be obtained and could also result in a larger spread between the bid and asked prices for our common stock.
There is currently little trading volume in our common stock, which may make it difficult to sell shares of our common stock.
In general, there has been very little trading activity in our common stock. The relatively small trading volume will likely make it difficult for our stockholders to sell their shares as and when they choose. Furthermore, small trading volumes generally depress market prices. As a result, you may not always be able to resell shares of our common stock publicly at the time and prices that you feel are fair or appropriate.
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In October 2010, the Company entered into a five-year lease on new corporate office space in Minnetonka, Minnesota and took possession of the leased space in January 2011. The new leased property includes over 4,400 square feet of office and warehouse space. The monthly rent payment is approximately $2,727 with periodic escalators to approximately $3,103 per month, excluding operating expenses. The Company believes this space is adequate for its business needs and any future expansion.