Rush Street Interactive, Inc. (RSI)
SIC breadcrumb: Services > Amusement And Recreation Services > SIC 7990 Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1793659. Latest filing source: 0001793659-26-000009.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read RSI's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read RSI's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1,134,428,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-18 |
| Net income | 33,308,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-18 |
| Assets | 658,512,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-18 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-18. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001793659.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 63,667,000 | 278,500,000 | 488,105,000 | 592,212,000 | 691,161,000 | 924,083,000 | 1,134,428,000 |
| Net income | -22,450,000 | 1,081,000 | -19,489,000 | -38,631,000 | -18,305,000 | 2,388,000 | 33,308,000 |
| Operating income | -22,327,000 | -133,419,000 | -94,279,000 | -124,798,000 | -51,611,000 | 25,048,000 | 87,424,000 |
| Diluted EPS | -0.01 | -0.51 | -0.61 | -0.27 | 0.03 | 0.31 | |
| Operating cash flow | -2,459,000 | 16,179,000 | -48,186,000 | -60,321,000 | -5,932,000 | 106,449,000 | 165,004,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 430,000 | 1,872,000 | 3,847,000 | 4,157,000 | 1,291,000 | 925,000 | 767,000 |
| Share buybacks | 0.00 | 3,465,000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7,634,000 | |
| Assets | 25,493,000 | 308,560,000 | 408,731,000 | 350,346,000 | 318,580,000 | 379,466,000 | 658,512,000 |
| Liabilities | 28,861,000 | 575,889,000 | 101,030,000 | 159,472,000 | 152,451,000 | 181,150,000 | 355,021,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 0.00 | -61,779,000 | 85,436,000 | 56,045,000 | 53,768,000 | 78,678,000 | 147,235,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 6,905,000 | 255,622,000 | 281,030,000 | 179,723,000 | 168,330,000 | 229,171,000 | 336,256,000 |
| Free cash flow | -2,889,000 | 14,307,000 | -52,033,000 | -64,478,000 | -7,223,000 | 105,524,000 | 164,237,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -35.26% | 0.39% | -3.99% | -6.52% | -2.65% | 0.26% | 2.94% |
| Operating margin | -35.07% | -47.91% | -19.32% | -21.07% | -7.47% | 2.71% | 7.71% |
| Return on equity | -22.81% | -68.93% | -34.04% | 3.04% | 22.62% | ||
| Return on assets | -88.06% | 0.35% | -4.77% | -11.03% | -5.75% | 0.63% | 5.06% |
| Liabilities / equity | 1.18 | 2.85 | 2.84 | 2.30 | 2.41 | ||
| Current ratio | 0.66 | 0.73 | 4.07 | 1.84 | 1.66 | 1.75 | 1.93 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001793659-26-000009; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001793659-26-000009; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001793659-26-000009; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001793659-26-000009; filed 2026-02-18. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-07-30. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001793659.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-09-30 | -0.10 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | -0.08 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 169,887,000 | -4,179,000 | -0.06 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 193,851,000 | -1,727,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 217,428,000 | -727,000 | -0.01 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 220,379,000 | -100,000 | 0.00 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 232,109,000 | 1,190,000 | 0.01 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 254,167,000 | 2,025,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 262,407,000 | 5,319,000 | 0.05 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 269,217,000 | 16,688,000 | 0.12 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 277,911,000 | 6,055,000 | 0.06 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 324,893,000 | 5,246,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 370,361,000 | 9,070,000 | 0.08 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2026-Q2 | 2026-06-30 | 393,776,000 | 11,546,000 | 0.10 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001793659-26-000048; filed 2026-07-30. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001793659-26-000048; filed 2026-07-30. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001793659-26-000048; filed 2026-07-30. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001793659-26-000048.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (our “Annual Report”), and our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Report”). In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.” For a discussion of limitations in measuring certain of our key metrics, see the section of this Report captioned “Limitations of Key Metrics and Other Data.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they provide us and readers of this Report with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this Report should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income, the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this Report.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this Report to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets. Our mission is to engage and delight players by delivering friendly, fun and fair betting experiences. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers with an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting and retail sports betting (i.e., sports betting services provided at bricks-and-mortar locations), as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games using virtual credits that users can earn or purchase (where permitted). We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 16 U.S. states and five international markets as outlined in the table below.
20
Table of Contents
| Jurisdictions | Online Casino | Online Sports Betting | Retail Sports Betting | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic: | ||||||
| Arizona | ü | |||||
| Colorado | ü | |||||
| Delaware | ü | ü | ||||
| Illinois | ü | ü | ||||
| Indiana | ü | ü | ||||
| Iowa | ü | |||||
| Louisiana | ü | |||||
| Maryland | ü | ü | ||||
| Michigan | ü | ü | ü | |||
| New Jersey | ü | ü | ||||
| New York | ü | ü | ||||
| Ohio | ü | |||||
| Pennsylvania | ü | ü | ü | |||
| Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| Washington | ü | |||||
| West Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| International: | ||||||
| Alberta* (Canada) | ü | ü | ||||
| Colombia | ü | ü | ||||
| Mexico | ü | ü | ||||
| Ontario (Canada) | ü | ü | ||||
| Peru | ü | ü |
* Launched online casino and online sports betting in July 2026.
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are generally provided under our BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands in the United States and Canada and under our RushBet brand in Latin America (which includes Mexico). We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners under our brands or our partners’ respective brands depending on the terms of our arrangement. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our own brands, although we also offer social gaming under our partners’ brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market and/or partner specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino, poker or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
21
Table of Contents
The chart below presents our average MAUs in the United States and Canada for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
The increase in MAUs in the United States and Canada was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. We also experienced an increase in MAUs associated with increased player engagement surrounding the lead-up to, and beginning of, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The chart below presents our average MAUs in Latin America (including Mexico) for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
The increase in MAUs in Latin America was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in Colombia and Mexico. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. We also experienced an increase in MAUs associated with increased player engagement surrounding the lead-up to, and beginning of, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
22
Table of Contents
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is monthly revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU was primarily attributable to the significant increase in MAUs during the same period. This trend reflects this influx of new players, who generally generate lower ARPMAU compared to more established players, thus reducing overall ARPMAU.
23
Table of Contents
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in Latin America (including Mexico) for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU in Latin America was primarily driven by a reduction in player bonusing during the six months ended June 30, 2026. This decrease in player bonusing followed a ruling by the Colombian Constitutional Court that a presidential decree imposing a temporary value-added tax on online betting in Colombia, which became effective during the three months ended March 31, 2025, was unconstitutional. Additionally, favorable exchange rate fluctuations also contributed to the year-over-year increase in ARPMAU in Latin America.
Non-GAAP Information
This Report includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest income or expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with GAAP because certain expenses are either non-cash or are not related to our underlying business performance.
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enables comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allows for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
24
Table of Contents
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 29,295 | $ | 28,830 | $ | 55,506 | $ | 40,041 | |||||||
| Interest income, net | (3,433) | (2,181) | (6,432) | (3,880) | |||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 20,366 | (115,017) | 39,932 | (109,952) | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 11,074 | 9,827 | 21,801 | 19,318 | |||||||||||
| Share-based compensation expense | 7,318 | 6,098 | 14,009 | 14,911 | |||||||||||
| Change in tax receivable agreement liability | — | 112,692 | — | 113,037 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 64,620 | $ | 40,249 | $ | 124,816 | $ | 73,475 |
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
Revenue
We currently offer real-money online casino, onl
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Annual Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this “MD&A”) contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they provide us and readers of this MD&A with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income (Loss), the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this MD&A.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this MD&A to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets. Our mission is to engage and delight players by delivering friendly, fun and fair betting experiences. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers with an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting and retail sports betting (i.e., sports betting services provided at bricks-and-mortar locations), as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games using virtual credits that users can earn or purchase (where permitted). We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 16 U.S. states and four international markets as outlined in the table found in “Business — Overview”.
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are generally provided under our BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands in the United States and Canada and under our RushBet brand in Latin America (which includes Mexico). We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners under our brands or our partners’ respective brands depending on the terms of our arrangement. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our own brands, although we also offer social gaming under our partners’ brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market- and partner-specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Our Business Model
We enter new markets by leveraging our proprietary online gaming platform and our ability to provide either a full-suite service model or a customized solution to fit a specific situation. Our business model is designed to be nimble, innovative and customer-centric. By leveraging our dynamic proprietary online gaming platform, we generally aim to be “first to market” where real-money online gaming has been newly legalized and where our management determines that it is desirable to enter such market.
We currently generate revenue through two operating models: (i) B2C and (ii) B2B. Through our primary operating model, B2C, we offer online casino, online sports betting, retail sports betting and social gaming directly to the end
63
customer through our websites, apps or physical retail locations. Our B2C operations contributed more than 99% and 98% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively and we expect that it will continue to be our primary operating model into the future. While real-money transactions represent a majority of our B2C revenue, our social gaming offerings generally increase customer engagement and build online databases in key markets both before and after legalization and regulation. We believe our B2C model is flexible, permitting us to customize our operating structure based on applicable gaming regulations, market demands and, as applicable, our partner’s operations. Through our B2B operations, we primarily offer retail sports betting services to land-based businesses, such as bricks-and-mortar casinos, in exchange for a monthly commission. B2C and B2B products can be launched under one of our existing brands or customized to be incorporated into a local or third-party brand.
Often in advance of markets legalizing online gaming, we build relationships with local bricks-and-mortar casino operators and other potential land-based partners who are seeking online gaming and sports betting partners. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the applicable gaming regulations require online gaming operators that offer real-money offerings to operate under the gaming license of, or partner with, a bricks-and-mortar casino, lottery or other type of local partner such as a professional sports team. Consequently, we leverage our relationships with bricks-and-mortar casinos and others in the gaming industry to find high-quality, reliable partners for online gaming collaboration. Upon securing a partner for access to a specific market (if required or desirable) and before we launch operations in that market, we customize our online gaming platform to comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction. Then, upon entering a new market, we employ a number of marketing strategies to obtain new customers as well as leverage our partner’s database when applicable. We continuously refine our offerings and marketing strategies based on data collected from each market. To attract, engage, retain and/or reactivate customers, we offer a loyalty program that rewards customers in exciting, fair and transparent ways. We recognize and reward customer loyalty by, among other things, ensuring there are exciting benefits at every customer loyalty level we offer.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino (including online poker) or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
64
The chart below presents our average MAUs in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in the United States and Canada for 2025 compared to 2024, as well as for 2024 compared to 2023, was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets, and our continued achievement of positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. Additionally, the full year of operations in Delaware in 2024 significantly contributed to the year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2024 compared to 2023.
The chart below presents our average MAUs in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in Latin America for 2025 compared to 2024, as well as for 2024 compared to 2023, was mainly due to our continued growth, strong customer retention rates, and our continued achievement of positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. In 2024, we also experienced an uplift in MAUs driven by
65
the Copa América soccer tournament in mid-2024 and our launch in Peru during the third quarter of 2024. Additionally, the full year of operations in Peru in 2025 contributed to the year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2025 compared to 2024.
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is monthly revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
ARPMAU remained generally flat in the United States and Canada for 2025 compared to 2024 while significantly increasing MAUs in the same period. This trend reflects the addition of new players, who typically generate lower ARPMAU compared to more established players. The year-over-year increase for 2024 compared to 2023 was mainly due to MAU growth in online casino markets, including Delaware, outpacing that of sports betting only markets, the impact of our strategic advertising and marketing efforts and our focus on retaining quality players.
66
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU in Latin America for 2025 compared to 2024 was mainly driven by the negative impact of our additional player bonusing as a result of the value-added tax imposed on customer deposits in Colombia, which became effective during the year ended December 31, 2025. We generally maintained ARPMAU in Latin America at a roughly consistent level for 2024 compared to 2023, while significantly increasing MAUs in the same period. The Company experienced a significant increase in sports betting-only customers, during the 2024 Copa América soccer tournament, who generally generate less revenue per customer than customers who use online casino.
Non-GAAP Information
This MD&A includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments that are detailed in the reconciliation table below. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with GAAP because certain expenses are either non-cash or are not related to our underlying business performance.
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enables comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allows for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
67
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our Net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 74,029 | $ | 7,236 | $ | (60,055) | ||||
| Interest income, net | (9,273) | (7,493) | (2,765) | |||||||
| Income tax (benefit) expense | (85,108) | 24,566 | 11,209 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 39,970 | 32,203 | 29,759 | |||||||
| Share-based compensation | 26,261 | 35,288 | 30,020 | |||||||
| Change in tax receivable agreement liability | 107,776 | 739 | — | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 153,655 | $ | 92,539 | $ | 8,168 |
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend, to a significant extent, on the following factors:
Industry Opportunity and Competitive Landscape
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. As we prepare to enter new jurisdictions, we expect to face significant competition from other existing industry players, some of which may have more experience in online casino, and online and/or retail sports betting or in one or more of the markets in which we operate or intend to operate, and have access to more resources. We believe that our proprietary online gaming platform, our experience operating in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, our brand and marketing strategies, which appeal to both male and female customers, and our many unique product offerings and bonusing features will enable us to compete with such existing industry players.
Our performance may vary from one jurisdiction to the next, resulting from the level of competition in each jurisdiction.
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation
Our financial growth prospects largely depend on our ability to make our online casino and sports betting offerings available in more jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the United States and Latin America, a trend that we believe is still in its early stage. Online casino may expand further due to many factors, including that many U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions are seeking ways to increase revenues. In the United States, online sports betting’s prospects were made possible after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. Our strategy is to enter new jurisdictions that we believe are financially prudent for us to enter. Online casino is currently authorized only in nine U.S. states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine (although the market is not yet operating), Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Nevada (although regulators have not authorized online casino outside of physical casinos in Nevada). As of the date hereof, 39 states and the District of Columbia have authorized sports betting. Of those 40 jurisdictions, 32 states have authorized statewide online sports betting while 8 remain authorized for retail-only at casinos or retail locations. In Latin America, several countries, including Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru, are either exploring legalizing, expanding or regulating online casino and/or online sports betting, or have recently legalized these activities.
The process of securing the necessary licenses or partnerships to operate in a given jurisdiction may take longer or be more difficult than we anticipate. In addition, legislative or regulatory restrictions and gaming taxes may make it less attractive or more difficult for us to do business in a particular jurisdiction. Further, certain jurisdictions require us to have a relationship with a bricks-and-mortar casino or other land-based partner for online casino and/or sports betting access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. Jurisdictions that have established state or government-run monopolies may limit opportunities for private operators such as us.
States, foreign jurisdictions and some local governments impose tax rates on online casino and sports betting, which may vary substantially between jurisdictions and may change from time to time, usually because of factors outside our control. We are also subject to a U.S. federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of each sports bet placed in the United
68
States. We believe the jurisdictions that will create the most compelling levels of profitability for us are jurisdictions with both online casino and sports betting at favorable tax rates.
Ability to Acquire, Retain and Monetize Customers
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and/or re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content, and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, out-of-home (i.e., billboards, stadium signage), social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate to the extent possible. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of which advertising methods and channels are working and which ones are not. These investments and personalized promotions are intended to increase consumer awareness and drive engagement.
Managing Wagering Risk
The online casino and retail and online sports betting businesses are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, we employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of online casino wager or retail or online sports bet, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Revenue is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of our winnings to total amount bet) of our offerings. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of an online casino game or retail or online sports bet’s performance against its expected outcome. Although each bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes in the long run, actual outcomes may vary for any given period, particularly in the short term. The element of chance may affect win rates (hold percentages); these win rates, particularly for retail and online sports betting, may also be affected in the short term by factors that are largely beyond our control, such as unanticipated event outcomes, a customer’s skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played or bets placed, the financial resources of customers, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent betting. For online casino games, a random number generator outcome or game could malfunction and award errant prizes. For sports betting, our platform could erroneously posts odds or otherwise be misprogrammed to pay out odds that are highly favorable to bettors, and bettors place bets before the odds are corrected. Additionally, odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, so even if our betting products are subject to a capped payout, significant volatility can occur. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and retail and online sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our customers exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.
Mix of Revenue Based on Time Period in Markets
Our profitability generally depends on how long we have been operating in each jurisdiction. Usually, but not always, our profitability levels will increase in a jurisdiction as we have operated there for longer.
Mix of Revenue From Our Different Operating Models
Because we operate using two different operating models, each with its own unique range of profitability, the relative proportion of revenue that is derived from each operating model in a given time period could impact our overall level of profitability.
69
Player Liquidity and Volume for Online Poker
The success, and ultimately the profitability, of online poker offering is generally dependent on high levels of player liquidity and volume of game play or tournament participation. In most cases, our profitability levels from our online poker offering will increase as more players participate and the aggregate amount of wagers increases.
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
We currently offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 16 U.S. states, Colombia, Ontario, Canada, Mexico and Peru. We also provide social gaming, where users can earn or purchase (where permitted) virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games.
Our revenue is predominantly generated from our U.S. and Canada operations, with the remaining revenue being generated from our Latin America (including Mexico) operations. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We generate revenue primarily through the following offerings:
Online Casino
Online casino offerings typically include the full suite of games available in bricks-and-mortar casinos, such as table games (i.e., blackjack and roulette), slot machines and poker games. For these offerings (other than online poker), similar to bricks-and-mortar casinos, we generate revenue through hold, or gross winnings, as customers play against the house. For our poker game offerings, like land-based card rooms that are typically incorporated in land-based casinos, we are generally not exposed to the risks of game play or the outcome of the game as players are not playing against the house but are instead playing against each other on a peer-to-peer basis. We generate revenue through rake, or a small commission taken from the total wagers placed on the hand, which is generally subject to a cap, and through tournament entry fees. Like bricks-and-mortar casinos, there is volatility with online casino, but as the number of bets placed increases, the revenue retained from bets placed becomes easier to predict. Our experience has been that online casino revenue is less volatile than sports betting revenue.
Our online casino offering consists of a combination of licensed content from leading industry suppliers, customized third-party games, our proprietary online poker platform and a small number of proprietary games that were developed exclusively for us. Third-party content is usually subject to standard revenue-sharing agreements specific to each supplier, where the supplier generally receives a percentage of the net gaming revenue generated from its casino games played on our platform. In exchange, we receive a limited license to offer the games on our platform to customers in permitted jurisdictions. We generally pay much lower fees on revenue generated through our proprietary casino games such as our multi-bet blackjack (with side bets: 21+3, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky), and single-deck blackjack, which primarily relate to hosting/remote gaming server fees and certain intellectual property license fees.
With respect to online poker, player liquidity, or the number or volume of players with an operator, is critical to the success of the game, with a greater number of players supporting a wider range and greater volume of games and larger tournaments, thereby increasing the quality of the offering to the consumer. Our online poker offerings include a comprehensive suite of game formats, including cash games, sit & go tournaments, and multi-table tournaments, catering to players of all skill levels. Players play against each other in either ring games (i.e., games for cash on a hand-by-hand basis) or in tournaments (i.e., players play against each other for tournament chips with prize money distributed to the last remaining competitors) or variations thereof.
Online casino revenue (other than from online poker) is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in the progressive jackpot reserve. Online casino revenue from online poker is recognized as rake (i.e., percentage of a game’s wagers earned by the Company for satisfying the performance obligation) less any value given back to players, which could be in the form of cash, tournament tickets or other form of bonuses.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting involves a user placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, a sports-related activity or a series of the same, with the chance to win a pre-determined amount, often referred to as fixed odds. Online sports betting revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports bet offered to customers. While sporting event outcomes may result in revenue volatility, we believe that we can achieve a positive long-term betting win margin. In addition to traditional fixed-odds betting, we also offer other fixed-odd sports betting products including in-
70
game betting and multi-sport and same-game parlay betting. We have also incorporated live streaming of certain sporting events into our online sports betting offering. Integrated into our online sports betting platform is a third-party risk and trading platform currently provided by certain subsidiaries of Kambi Group plc.
Online sports revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled sports bets.
Retail Sports Betting
We provide retail sports betting services to certain land-based partners in exchange for a monthly commission that is calculated based on the land-based retail sportsbook revenue. Services generally include ongoing management and oversight of the retail sportsbook (i.e., within a bricks-and-mortar location), technical support for such partner’s customers, risk management, advertising and promotion, and support for third-party sports betting equipment.
In addition, certain relationships with our partners provide us the ability to operate the retail sportsbook at the land-based partner’s facility. In this scenario, revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less other incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled retail sports bets.
Social Gaming
We provide social gaming where users can earn or purchase (where permitted) virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games. Users who exhaust their credits can either purchase additional virtual credits from the virtual cashier, if permitted, or wait until their virtual credits are replenished for free. Virtual credits have no monetary value and can only be used within our social gaming platform.
Our social gaming business has three main goals: build online databases in key markets ahead of and post-legalization and regulation; generate revenues; and increase engagement and visitation to our bricks-and-mortar partner properties. Our social gaming products are a marketing tool that keeps the applicable brands present in the minds of our users and engages with users through another channel while providing the entertainment value that users seek. We also leverage our social gaming products to cross-sell to our real-money offerings in jurisdictions where real-money gaming is authorized.
We recognize deferred revenue when users purchase virtual credits and revenue when those credits are redeemed. We pay a percentage of the social gaming revenue derived from the sale and redemption of the virtual credits to content suppliers as well as to our land-based partners.
Costs and Expenses
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue consist primarily of (i) revenue share and market access fees, which is reduced by any consideration from the vendor, (ii) third-party platform and content fees, (iii) gaming taxes, (iv) payment processing fees and chargebacks and (v) salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel. These costs are primarily variable in nature and should, in large part, correlate with the change in revenue. Revenue share and market access fees consist primarily of variable amounts paid to local partners that hold the applicable gaming license, providing us the ability to offer our real-money online offerings in the respective jurisdictions. Our third-party platform and content fees are primarily driven by costs associated with third-party casino content, data and streaming, sports betting trading services, geolocation, know-your-customer and platform hosting. Gaming taxes include jurisdictional taxes that are determined based on a percentage of revenue (or similar metrics) or excise taxes that are determined based on a percentage of bets placed. We incur payment processing costs on player deposits, withdrawals and occasionally chargebacks (i.e., when a payment processor contractually disallows customer deposits in the normal course of business).
Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of costs associated with marketing our products and services via different channels, promotional activities and the related costs incurred to acquire new customers. These costs also include salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel and are expensed as incurred.
Our ability to effectively market is critical to our success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Further, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected
71
from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, out-of-home (i.e., billboards, stadium signage), social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are primarily concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of our advertising methods and channels.
General and Administrative. General and administrative costs consist primarily of administrative personnel costs (including salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation), professional fees related to legal, compliance, accounting and consulting, indirect technology costs, rent expense, insurance costs and foreign exchange gains or losses.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation on our property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets (including market access licenses, gaming jurisdictional licenses, internally developed software, trademark, developed technology and other intangibles) and finance lease right-of-use assets over their useful lives. See Notes 2, 4, 5 and 13 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Change in Tax Receivable Agreement Liability. The costs or adjustment to costs associated with the recognition of the TRA liability is recorded in Change in tax receivable agreement liability on the consolidated statements of operations. This cost or adjustment reflects changes in the estimated future payments under the TRA attributable to RSILP Unit exchanges completed prior to June 30, 2025. These prior exchanges increased our tax basis in our share of RSILP’s underlying assets, giving rise to expected tax savings and corresponding TRA liability. RSILP Unit exchanges occurring after June 30, 2025 will not result in change in tax receivable agreement liability, as the associated increase in tax basis and the resulting TRA liability will be accounted for as equity transactions. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods. We have derived this data from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The results of historical periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and 2024
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 1,134,428 | $ | 924,083 | $ | 210,345 | 23 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 741,664 | 602,036 | 139,628 | 23 | % | |||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 164,650 | 158,590 | 6,060 | 4 | % | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 100,720 | 106,206 | (5,486) | (5) | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 39,970 | 32,203 | 7,767 | 24 | % | |||||||||
| Income from operations | 87,424 | 25,048 | 62,376 | 249 | % | |||||||||
| Change in tax receivable agreement liability | (107,776) | (739) | (107,037) | n/m | ||||||||||
| Interest income, net | 9,273 | 7,493 | 1,780 | 24 | % | |||||||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (11,079) | 31,802 | (42,881) | (135) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax (benefit) expense | (85,108) | 24,566 | (109,674) | (446) | % | |||||||||
| Net income | $ | 74,029 | $ | 7,236 | $ | 66,793 | 923 | % |
*n/m means not meaningful
72
Revenue. Revenue increased by $210.3 million, or 23%, to $1,134.4 million in 2025 as compared to $924.1 million in 2024. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with our continued growth across existing markets and expansion into new markets such as Peru, which launched in late July 2024. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $210.4 million and social gaming revenue of $0.3 million, which was partially offset by a decrease of retail sports betting revenue of $0.4 million.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $139.6 million, or 23%, to $741.6 million in 2025 as compared to $602.0 million in 2024. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth as noted above. Gaming taxes, market access costs, payment processing costs, and operating expenses contributed $56.4 million, $46.3 million, $23.5 million and $13.2 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with personnel costs contributing to the remaining $0.2 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 65% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expense increased by $6.1 million, or 4%, to $164.7 million in 2025 as compared to $158.6 million in 2024. The increase was primarily driven by higher marketing personnel costs and share-based compensation expense, which was partially offset by reduced marketing spend resulting from management’s strategy to rationalize marketing spend as the North American and Latin American online gaming industries continue to mature. Sales and marketing expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 15% in 2025 as compared to 17% in 2024.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expense decreased by $5.5 million, or 5%, to $100.7 million in 2025 as compared to $106.2 million in 2024. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to lower share-based compensation expense, which was partially offset by higher personnel and other administrative costs, consistent with the growth of our business. General and administrative expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 9% in 2025 as compared to 11% in 2024.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $7.8 million, or 24%, to $40.0 million in 2025 as compared to $32.2 million in 2024. The increase was mainly due to additional costs to acquire internally developed software and other definite-lived intangible assets. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 4% in 2025 as compared to 3% in 2024.
Change in Tax Receivable Agreement Liability. Change in tax receivable agreement liability increased by $107.0 million to $107.7 million in 2025 as compared to $0.7 million in 2024. The increase was associated with our initial recognition of a TRA liability upon realization of future tax benefits associated with the TRA.
Interest Income, Net. Interest income, net, increased by $1.8 million, or 24%, to $9.3 million in 2025 as compared to $7.5 million in 2024. The increase in interest income was mainly attributed to higher amounts of cash held in interest-bearing accounts and money market funds as compared to the same period in 2024.
Income tax (benefit) expense. Income tax benefit was $85.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to income tax expense of $24.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The change in Income tax (benefit) expense was primarily attributable to the release of a valuation allowance as it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred asset may be realized.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
A discussion of changes in our results of operations in 2024 compared to 2023 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2025, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Seasonality and Other Trends Impacting Our Business
Our results of operations may, and generally do, fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors such as level of customer engagement, online casino and sports betting results and other factors that are outside of our control or that we cannot reasonably predict. Our financial performance depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Customer engagement in our online offerings may vary due to, among other things, customer satisfaction with our platform, the number, timing and type of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and marketing efforts and those of our competitors (including those not just in the online gaming industry but also in prediction markets or in the
73
entertainment industry broadly), other forms of entertainment available to our customers, weather conditions, public sentiment, an economic downturn or other economic factors such as inflation, economic uncertainty or macroeconomic conditions. As customer engagement varies, so may our financial performance.
The number and amount of betting losses and jackpot payouts we experience may also negatively impact our quarterly or annual financial results. Although our losses are limited per wager to a maximum payout, when looking at bets across a period of time, these losses can be significant. We offer progressive jackpot games in our online casino offerings. Each time a customer plays a progressive jackpot game, we contribute a portion of the amount bet to the jackpot for that game or group of games. When a progressive jackpot is won, it is paid out and reset to a predetermined base amount. Winning the jackpot is determined by a random mechanism; we cannot foresee when a jackpot will be won, and we do not insure against jackpot payouts. Paying the progressive jackpot decreases our cash position.
Our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations experience seasonality based on the relative popularity and frequency of certain sporting events. Although sporting events occur throughout the year, our online sports betting customers are most active during the NFL, NBA, college football and basketball seasons. With respect to our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations, customer activity tends to increase, and we may experience increased volatility, in connection with major sporting events such as the NFL super bowl, the NBA finals and NCAA basketball March Madness. In addition, sports betting activity is impacted by the occurrence of periodic events (e.g., World Cup, Copa América, UEFA, Olympics).
From a legislative perspective, we continue to see strong momentum to legalize and regulate online sports betting in new jurisdictions in the Americas. As expected, many of these new jurisdictions are first trying to legalize and regulate online sports betting before considering whether to legalize and regulate online casino. However, given the tax generation success of online casino in markets where it has been legalized, we also continue to see strong momentum for online casino in several jurisdictions in the Americas that are looking for additional revenue sources to fund expanding budgets. For example, in 2025 and thus far in 2026, several U.S. states introduced bills to legalize and regulate online casino. Earlier this year, one such bill in Maine became law enabling statewide wagering in partnership with certain Native American tribes, while others either remain pending, including a bill in Virginia that has received several favorable votes during this current legislative session. We believe this shows that there is strong interest in legalizing online casino. Additionally, we have seen governmental officials or legislative or regulatory bodies in certain jurisdictions in which we operate consider, and in limited cases to date, approve, increases in gaming-related taxes or other types of taxes on companies operating in the gaming industry. While it is unclear at this time if this will continue, any proposed legislation or other similar actions to increase existing taxes on online sportsbook and/or casino could negatively impact our business, profitability and cash flows.
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. We face and expect to continue to face significant competition from other industry players both within existing and new markets including from competitors with access to more resources, existing assets such as brands or databases, or experience. Customer demands for new and innovative offerings and features require us to continue to invest in new technologies, features and content to improve the customer experience. Many jurisdictions in which we operate or intend to operate in the future have unique regulatory and/or technological requirements, which require us to have robust, scalable networks and infrastructure, and agile engineering and software development capabilities. The global gaming and entertainment industry has seen significant consolidation, regulatory change and technological development over the last few years, and we expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future, which may create opportunities for us but may also create competitive and margin pressures. We are starting to see some other online gaming operators rationalize their marketing spend in North American jurisdictions, although their marketing spend may vary by quarter depending on, among other things, sports calendars, new market launches and prior commitments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our principal sources of liquidity are cash on hand and cash flows from operations. We regularly monitor our liquidity position, working capital needs and capital allocation strategy to ensure we maintain adequate resources to support our business operations, fund strategic initiatives and fulfill other corporate and contractual obligations, including those under our TRA and the amended and restated partnership agreement of RSILP (the “A&R Partnership Agreement”).
74
As of December 31, 2025, we had $336.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, excluding legally restricted customer cash deposits that we segregate from our operating cash balances. We intend to continue to finance our operations without third-party debt and entirely from operating cash flows and cash on our balance sheet.
Our current working capital needs relate mainly to supporting our existing businesses, the growth of these businesses in their existing markets and their expansion into other geographic regions, as well as our personnel’s compensation and benefits. We expect our material cash requirements during the upcoming 12-month period to include $18.3 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations with marketing vendors, $4.1 million of minimum license and market access fees, and $2.8 million of lease payments. We also have $55.6 million of additional non-cancellable purchase obligations that will be due subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period. In addition, we will continue to pursue expansion into new markets, which is expected to require significant capital investments.
We are required to make payments equal to 85% of the tax benefits we realize in connection with the TRA. These obligations under the TRA, while mainly non-current in nature, reduce future operating cash flows as the associated tax benefits are realized. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments made under the TRA will vary, such payments may be significant. Any payments made under the TRA will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us and, to the extent that payments required under the TRA are unable to be made for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. To date, no material payments under the TRA have been made. Payments associated with the TRA liability are expected to include $1.2 million in the next 12 months and additional obligations of $128.8 million are expected subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period.
RSILP is a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, taxable income will be allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the holders of RSILP Units. The A&R Partnership Agreement requires RSILP to make tax distributions to holders of RSILP Units (including the Special Limited Partner) calculated at certain assumed rates. In some cases, these assumed rates may be significantly higher than the holders’ actual tax rates. The amount of these tax distributions can be significant, in particular as RSILP’s profitability increases, which will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. To date, no material tax distribution payments have been made, and no material payments thereunder are expected in the next 12 months.
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalent and cash flows from operations to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. It is possible that we may need additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments, significant acquisitions, partnerships or marketing initiatives, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and competitive pressures. We expect our capital expenditures and working capital requirements to continue to increase in the immediate future to support our growth as we seek to expand our offerings across more of North America, Latin America and worldwide, which will require significant investment in our online gaming platform and our personnel, in particular in product development, engineering and operations roles. See Note 14 of our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a summary of our commitments as of December 31, 2025. We also expect certain costs such as marketing, market access and license fees to increase to the extent we pursue expansion opportunities in new and existing jurisdictions. In particular, we are party to several non-cancelable contracts with vendors and licensors for marketing and other strategic partnerships, pursuant to which we are obligated to make future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these contracts. Additionally, our continued profitability will trigger future quarterly tax distribution obligations payable to the limited partners of RSILP under the A&R Partnership Agreement. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product, service or market launches and related marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Surety Bonds
We had been issued $31.3 million and $31.1 million in surety bonds as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, that are used to satisfy regulatory requirements related to securing cash held on behalf of customers. In addition, we had also been issued $6.4 million and $6.1 million in surety bonds as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, to satisfy regulatory requirements necessary to operate in certain jurisdictions.
75
There have been no claims against any of our surety bonds and the likelihood of future claims is expected to be remote.
Debt and Letters of Credit
As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had no outstanding debt.
As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had an outstanding letter of credit for $6.2 million and $4.3 million, respectively, in connection with our operations in Colombia for which no amounts had been drawn.
Stock Repurchase Program
On October 24, 2024, our Board authorized the repurchase of an aggregate of up to $50 million of our Class A Common Stock through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other transactions in accordance with applicable securities laws (the “Stock Repurchase Program”).
During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we repurchased 733,019 and nil shares, respectively, of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Stock Repurchase Program. The aggregate purchase price was approximately $7.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 at an average price of $10.41. The repurchased shares are considered issued but not outstanding.
Cash Flows
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the stated periods:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 165,004 | $ | 106,449 | $ | (5,932) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (37,016) | (33,363) | (33,780) | |||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (37,364) | (2,652) | (518) | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | 17,124 | (8,655) | 5,126 | |||||||
| Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 107,748 | $ | 61,779 | $ | (35,104) |
A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2025 compared to 2024 is included below. A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2024 compared to 2023 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2025, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities during 2025 increased by $58.6 million to $165.0 million, as compared to $106.4 million during the same period in 2024. The increase was primarily due to higher period-over-period net income totaling $66.8 million, which was partially offset by a decrease in non-cash expenses of $6.2 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $2.0 million. The decrease in non-cash expenses was driven primarily by the deferred income tax benefit of $112.1 million and a decrease in share-based compensation expense totaling $9.0 million, which was partially offset by change in tax receivable agreement liability, additional depreciation and amortization expense and non-cash lease expense of $107.0 million, $7.8 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities during 2025 increased by $3.6 million to $37.0 million, as compared to $33.4 million during 2024. The increase reflects higher cash paid for internally developed software totaling $4.2 million and additional acquisitions of other intangible assets and developed technology totaling $0.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively. This was partially offset by lower period-over-period short-term investments, acquisition of gaming licenses and purchases of property and equipment of $0.8 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
Financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities during 2025 increased by $34.7 million to $37.4 million, as compared to $2.7 million during 2024. The increase reflects higher payments of employee taxes related to net share
76
settlement of equity awards, repurchases of Class A Common Stock, payments of finance liabilities and payments for tax distributions to non-controlling interests totaling $25.3 million, $7.6 million, $1.2 million, $0.7 million, respectively, which was slightly offset by lower proceeds from exercise of stock options of $0.1 million.
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. The net effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, when expressed in U.S. Dollar terms, was an increase of $17.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to a decrease of $8.7 million for the same period in 2024. These changes were due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates (primarily the Colombian Peso) from period to period.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In doing so, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances and evaluates these estimates on an on-going basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. A discussion of our more significant estimates follows. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of the Board. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further information on our critical and other significant accounting policies.
Share-based Compensation
We have issued stock-based awards with service-based conditions or market-based conditions. Our historical and outstanding share-based compensation awards are described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based awards and is recognized over the requisite service period of the awards. To estimate the fair value of stock option awards, we used the Black-Scholes model, and we used a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of grants with market-based conditions. Both the Black-Scholes model and the Monte Carlo simulation require management to make a number of key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term, fair value of our Class A Common Stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. treasury notes with a life that approximates the expected term. The expected term assumption used in the Black-Scholes model is calculated using the simplified method as we have insufficient historical information regarding our stock options to provide a basis for an estimate. Under this approach, the expected term, which represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding, is estimated using the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the option. The fair value of our Class A Common Stock is determined based on the quoted market price.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and our management uses significantly different assumptions or estimates, our share-based compensation expense for future periods could be materially different, including as a result of adjustments to share-based compensation expense recorded for prior periods.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated by applying existing tax laws and the rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year of the enacted rate change.
We regularly review our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryovers, for recoverability, and a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we make estimates and assumptions regarding projected future taxable income, our ability to carry back operating losses to prior periods, the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the implementation of tax planning strategies. Based on historical pre-tax earnings
77
trends and assumptions about future performance, we expect to generate taxable income in future periods. Accordingly, we have determined that it is more-likely-than-not that certain deferred tax assets are realizable. As we reassess these assumptions in the future, changes in forecasted taxable income may alter this expectation and may result in an increase to the valuation allowance and an increase in the effective tax rate.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition and measurement threshold for tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, which are subject to examination by applicable taxing authorities. The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of the benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The effective tax rate and the tax basis of assets and liabilities reflect management’s estimates of the ultimate outcome of various tax uncertainties. We recognize penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Tax Receivable Agreement
Pursuant to the TRA, the Special Limited Partner is required to pay to the Sellers and/or the exchanging holders of RSILP Units, as applicable, 85% of the net income tax savings that we and our consolidated subsidiaries (including the Special Limited Partner) realize as a result of increases in tax basis in RSILP’s assets related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the future exchange of the Retained RSILP Units for shares of Class A Common Stock (or cash) pursuant to the RSILP A&R LPA and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA, and those payments may be substantial.
We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets resulting from the exchange of RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock. If the deferred tax assets are determined to be realizable, we then assess whether payment of amounts under the TRA have become probable. If so, we record a TRA liability, generally equal to 85% of such deferred tax assets. In subsequent periods, we assess the realizability of all our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA. Should it be determined that a deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance is realizable in a subsequent period, the related valuation allowance will be released and consideration of a corresponding TRA liability will be assessed. The realizability of deferred tax assets, including those subject to the TRA, is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those deferred tax assets become deductible and consideration of prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies.
The measurement of the TRA liability is accounted for as a contingent liability. Therefore, once we determine that a payment becomes probable and can be estimated, the estimate of the payment will be accrued.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001793659-25-000047.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Annual Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this “MD&A”) contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they provide us and readers of this MD&A with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income (Loss), the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this MD&A.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this MD&A to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets. Our mission is to engage and delight players by delivering friendly, fun and fair betting experiences. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers with an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting and retail sports betting (i.e., sports betting services provided at bricks-and-mortar locations), as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games using virtual credits that users can earn or purchase. We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 16 U.S. states and four international markets as outlined in the table found in “Business — Overview”.
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are generally provided under our BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands in the United States and Canada and under our RushBet brand in Latin America (which includes Mexico). We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners under our brands or our partners’ respective brands depending on the terms of our arrangement. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our own brands, although we also offer social gaming under our partners’ brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market- and partner-specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Our Business Model
We enter new markets by leveraging our proprietary online gaming platform and our ability to provide either a full-suite service model or a customized solution to fit a specific situation. Our business model is designed to be nimble, innovative and customer-centric. By leveraging our dynamic proprietary online gaming platform, we generally aim to be “first to market” where real-money online gaming has been newly legalized and where our management determines that it is desirable to enter such market.
We currently generate revenue through two operating models: (i) B2C and (ii) B2B. Through our primary operating model, B2C, we offer online casino, online sports betting, retail sports betting and social gaming directly to the end
63
customer through our websites, apps or physical retail locations. Our B2C operations contributed more than 98% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and we expect that it will continue to be our primary operating model into the future. While real-money transactions represent a majority of our B2C revenue, our social gaming offerings generally increase customer engagement and build online databases in key markets both before and after legalization and regulation. We believe our B2C model is flexible, permitting us to customize our operating structure based on applicable gaming regulations, market demands and, as applicable, our partner’s operations. Through our B2B operations, we primarily offer retail sports betting services to land-based businesses, such as bricks-and-mortar casinos, in exchange for a monthly commission. B2C and B2B products can be launched under one of our existing brands or customized to be incorporated into a local or third-party brand.
Often in advance of markets legalizing online gaming, we build relationships with local bricks-and-mortar casino operators and other potential land-based partners who are seeking online gaming and sports betting partners. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the applicable gaming regulations require online gaming operators that offer real-money offerings to operate under the gaming license of, or partner with, a bricks-and-mortar casino, lottery or other type of local partner such as a professional sports team. Consequently, we leverage our relationships with bricks-and-mortar casinos and others in the gaming industry to find high-quality, reliable partners for online gaming collaboration. Upon securing a partner for access to a specific market (if required or desirable) and before we launch operations in that market, we customize our online gaming platform to comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction. Then, upon entering a new market, we employ a number of marketing strategies to obtain new customers as well as leverage our partner’s database when applicable. We continuously refine our offerings and marketing strategies based on data collected from each market. To attract, engage, retain and/or reactivate customers, we offer a loyalty program that rewards customers in exciting, fair and transparent ways. We recognize and reward customer loyalty by, among other things, ensuring there are exciting benefits at every customer loyalty level we offer.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
64
The chart below presents our average MAUs in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in the United States and Canada for 2024 compared to 2023, as well as for 2023 compared to 2022, was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets, and our continued achievement of positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. Additionally, the full year of operations in Delaware in 2024 significantly contributed to the year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2024 compared to 2023.
65
The chart below presents our average MAUs in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in Latin America for 2024 compared to 2023, as well as for 2023 compared to 2022, was mainly due to our continued growth, strong customer retention rates, and our continued achievement of positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts. We also experienced an uplift in MAUs in 2024 driven by the Copa América soccer tournament in mid-2024 and our launch in Peru during the third quarter of 2024. Additionally, the full year of operations in Mexico in 2023 significantly contributed to the year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2023 compared to 2022.
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is monthly revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
66
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for 2024 compared to 2023, as well as for 2023 compared to 2022, was mainly due to MAU growth in online casino markets, including Delaware, outpacing that of sportsbetting only markets, the impact of our strategic advertising and marketing efforts and our focus on retaining quality players.
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
We generally maintained ARPMAU in Latin America at a roughly consistent level for 2024 compared to 2023, while significantly increasing MAUs in the same period. The Company experienced a significant increase in sports betting-only
67
customers, during the Copa América soccer tournament, who generally generate less revenue per customer than customers who use online casino.
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU in Latin America for 2023 compared to 2022 was mainly due to negative impact of foreign exchange rate changes. This was partly offset by the positive impact of our continued strategic advertising and marketing efforts and our focus on retaining quality players.
Non-GAAP Information
This MD&A includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with GAAP because certain expenses are either non-cash (i.e., depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation) or are not related to our underlying business performance (i.e., interest income or expense and change in TRA liability).
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enables comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allows for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our Net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,236 | $ | (60,055) | $ | (134,332) | ||||
| Interest (income) expense, net | (7,493) | (2,765) | 573 | |||||||
| Income tax expense | 24,566 | 11,209 | 8,961 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 32,203 | 29,759 | 14,325 | |||||||
| Share-based compensation | 35,288 | 30,020 | 18,691 | |||||||
| Change in TRA liability | 739 | — | — | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 92,539 | $ | 8,168 | $ | (91,782) |
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend, to a significant extent on the following factors:
Industry Opportunity and Competitive Landscape
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. As we prepare to enter new jurisdictions, we expect to face significant competition from other existing industry players, some of which may have more experience in online casino, and online and/or retail sports betting or in one or more of the markets in which we operate or intend to operate, and have
68
access to more resources. We believe that our proprietary online gaming platform, our experience operating in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, our brand and marketing strategies, which appeal to both male and female customers, and our many unique product offerings and bonusing features will enable us to compete with such existing industry players.
Our performance may vary from one jurisdiction to the next, resulting from the level of competition in each jurisdiction.
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation
Our financial growth prospects largely depend on our ability to make our online casino and sports betting offerings available in more jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the United States and Latin America, a trend that we believe is still in its early stage. Online casino may expand further due to many factors, including that many U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions are seeking ways to increase revenues. In the United States, online sports betting’s prospects were made possible after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. Our strategy is to enter new jurisdictions that we believe are financially prudent for us to enter. Online casino is currently authorized only in eight U.S. states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Rhode Island and Nevada (although regulators have not authorized online casino outside of physical casinos in Nevada). As of the date hereof, 39 states and the District of Columbia have authorized sports betting. Of those 40 jurisdictions, 32 states have authorized statewide online sports betting while 8 remain authorized for retail-only at casinos or retail locations. In Latin America, several countries, including Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru, are either exploring legalizing, expanding or regulating online casino and/or online sports betting, or have recently legalized these activities.
The process of securing the necessary licenses or partnerships to operate in a given jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate. In addition, legislative or regulatory restrictions and gaming taxes may make it less attractive or more difficult for us to do business in a particular jurisdiction. Further, certain jurisdictions require us to have a relationship with a bricks-and-mortar casino or other land-based partner for online casino and/or sports betting access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. Jurisdictions that have established state or government-run monopolies may limit opportunities for private operators such as us.
States, foreign jurisdictions and some local governments impose tax rates on online casino and sports betting, which may vary substantially between jurisdictions and may change from time to time, usually because of factors outside our control. We are also subject to a U.S. federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of each sports bet placed in the United States. We believe the jurisdictions that will create the most compelling levels of profitability for us are jurisdictions with both online casino and sports betting at favorable tax rates.
Ability to Acquire, Retain and Monetize Customers
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and/or re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content, and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of which advertising methods and channels are working and which ones are not.
These investments and personalized promotions are intended to increase consumer awareness and drive engagement. While we have some data points of the effectiveness of our marketing and promotion activities, our limited operating history and the relative novelty of the U.S. online casino and sports betting industries make it difficult for us to predict when we will achieve our longer-term profitability objectives.
69
Managing Wagering Risk
The online casino and retail and online sports betting businesses are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, we employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of online casino wager or retail or online sports bet, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Revenue is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of our winnings to total amount bet) of our offerings. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of an online casino game or retail or online sports bet’s performance against its expected outcome. Although each bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes in the long run, actual outcomes may vary for any given period, particularly in the short term. The element of chance may affect win rates (hold percentages); these win rates, particularly for retail and online sports betting, may also be affected in the short term by factors that are largely beyond our control, such as unanticipated event outcomes, a customer’s skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played or bets placed, the financial resources of customers, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent betting. For online casino games, a random number generator outcome or game could malfunction and award errant prizes. For sports betting, our platform could erroneously posts odds or otherwise be misprogrammed to pay out odds that are highly favorable to bettors, and bettors place bets before the odds are corrected. Additionally, odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, so even if our betting products are subject to a capped payout, significant volatility can occur. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and retail and online sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our customers exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.
Mix of Revenue Based on Time Period in Markets
Our profitability generally depends on how long we have been operating in each jurisdiction. Usually, but not always, our profitability levels will increase in a jurisdiction as we have operated there for longer.
Mix of Revenue From Our Different Operating Models
Because we operate using two different operating models, each with its own unique range of profitability, the relative proportion of revenue that is derived from each operating model in a given time period could impact our overall level of profitability.
Player Liquidity and Volume for Online Poker
The success, and ultimately the profitability, of online poker offering is generally dependent on high levels of player liquidity and volume of game play or tournament participation. In most cases, our profitability levels from our online poker offering will increase as more players participate and the aggregate amount of wagers increases.
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
We currently offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 16 U.S. states, Colombia, Ontario, Canada, Mexico and Peru. We also provide social gaming (where permitted), where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games.
Our revenue is predominantly generated from our U.S. and Canada operations, with the remaining revenue being generated from our Latin America (including Mexico) operations. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We generate revenue primarily through the following offerings:
Online Casino
Online casino offerings typically include the full suite of games available in bricks-and-mortar casinos, such as table games (i.e., blackjack and roulette), slot machines and poker games. For these offerings (other than online poker), similar to bricks-and-mortar casinos, we generate revenue through hold, or gross winnings, as customers play against the house. For our poker game offerings, like land-based card rooms that are typically incorporated in land-based casinos, we are generally not exposed to the risks of game play or the outcome of the game as players are not playing against the house but are instead playing against each other on a peer-to-peer basis. We generate revenue through rake, or a small commission taken from the total wagers placed on the hand, which is generally subject to a cap, and through tournament entry fees. Like bricks-and-mortar casinos, there is volatility with online casino, but as the number of bets placed increases, the
70
revenue retained from bets placed becomes easier to predict. Our experience has been that online casino revenue is less volatile than sports betting revenue.
Our online casino offering consists of a combination of licensed content from leading industry suppliers, customized third-party games, our proprietary online poker platform and a small number of proprietary games that were developed exclusively for us. Third-party content is usually subject to standard revenue-sharing agreements specific to each supplier, where the supplier generally receives a percentage of the net gaming revenue generated from its casino games played on our platform. In exchange, we receive a limited license to offer the games on our platform to customers in permitted jurisdictions. We generally pay much lower fees on revenue generated through our proprietary casino games such as our multi-bet blackjack (with side bets: 21+3, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky), and single-deck blackjack, which primarily relate to hosting/remote gaming server fees and certain intellectual property license fees.
With respect to online poker, player liquidity, or the number or volume of players with an operator, is critical to the success of the game, with a greater number of players supporting a wider range and greater volume of games and larger tournaments, thereby increasing the quality of the offering to the consumer. Our online poker offerings include a comprehensive suite of game formats, including cash games, sit & go tournaments, and multi-table tournaments, catering to players of all skill levels. Players play against each other in either ring games (i.e., games for cash on a hand-by-hand basis) or in tournaments (i.e., players play against each other for tournament chips with prize money distributed to the last remaining competitors) or variations thereof.
Online casino revenue (other than from online poker) is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in the progressive jackpot reserve. Online casino revenue from online poker is recognized as rake (i.e., percentage of a game’s wagers earned by the Company for satisfying the performance obligation) less any value given back to players, which could be in the form of cash, tournament tickets or other form of bonuses.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting involves a user placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, a sports-related activity or a series of the same, with the chance to win a pre-determined amount, often referred to as fixed odds. Online sports betting revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports bet offered to customers. While sporting event outcomes may result in revenue volatility, we believe that we can achieve a positive long-term betting win margin. In addition to traditional fixed-odds betting, we also offer other fixed-odd sports betting products including in-game betting and multi-sport and same-game parlay betting. We have also incorporated live streaming of certain sporting events into our online sports betting offering. Integrated into our online sports betting platform is a third-party risk and trading platform currently provided by certain subsidiaries of Kambi Group plc.
Online sports revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled sports bets.
Retail Sports Betting
We provide retail sports betting services to certain land-based partners in exchange for a monthly commission that is calculated based on the land-based retail sportsbook revenue. Services generally include ongoing management and oversight of the retail sportsbook (i.e., within a bricks-and-mortar location), technical support for such partner’s customers, risk management, advertising and promotion, and support for third-party sports betting equipment.
In addition, certain relationships with our partners provide us the ability to operate the retail sportsbook at the land-based partner’s facility. In this scenario, revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less other incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled retail sports bets.
Social Gaming
We provide social gaming (where permitted) where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games. Users who exhaust their credits can either purchase additional virtual credits from the virtual cashier or wait until their virtual credits are replenished for free. Virtual credits have no monetary value and can only be used within our social gaming platform.
71
Our social gaming business has three main goals: build online databases in key markets ahead of and post-legalization and regulation; generate revenues; and increase engagement and visitation to our bricks-and-mortar partner properties. Our social gaming products are a marketing tool that keeps the applicable brands present in the minds of our users and engages with users through another channel while providing the entertainment value that users seek. We also leverage our social gaming products to cross-sell to our real-money offerings in jurisdictions where real-money gaming is authorized.
We recognize deferred revenue when users purchase virtual credits and revenue when those credits are redeemed. We pay a percentage of the social gaming revenue derived from the sale and redemption of the virtual credits to content suppliers as well as to our land-based partners.
Costs and Expenses
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue consist primarily of (i) revenue share and market access fees, (ii) third-party platform and content fees, (iii) gaming taxes, (iv) payment processing fees and chargebacks and (v) salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel. These costs are primarily variable in nature and should typically correlate with the change in revenue. Revenue share and market access fees consist primarily of variable amounts paid to local partners that hold the applicable gaming license, providing us the ability to offer our real-money online offerings in the respective jurisdictions. Our third-party platform and content fees are primarily driven by costs associated with third-party casino content, sports betting trading services and certain elements of our platform technology, such as geolocation and know-your-customer. Gaming taxes primarily relate to state taxes and are determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. We incur payment processing costs on customer deposits and occasionally chargebacks (i.e., when a payment processor contractually disallows customer deposits in the normal course of business).
Advertising and Promotions Costs. Advertising and promotion costs consist primarily of costs associated with marketing our offerings via different channels, promotional activities and related customer acquisition costs. These costs also include salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel and are expensed as incurred.
Our ability to effectively market is critical to our success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Further, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are primarily concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of our advertising methods and channels.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of administrative personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses and benefits, share-based compensation expense for dedicated personnel, professional fees related to legal, compliance, audit and consulting services, rent, insurance costs, technology and foreign exchange gains or losses.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation on our property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets (including market access licenses, gaming jurisdictional licenses, internally developed software, trademark, developed technology and other intangibles) and finance lease right-of-use assets over their useful lives. See Notes 2, 4, 5 and 13 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods. We have derived this data from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes
72
included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The results of historical periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 924,083 | $ | 691,161 | $ | 232,922 | 34 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 602,036 | 465,014 | 137,022 | 29 | % | |||||||||
| Advertising and promotions | 158,590 | 160,650 | (2,060) | (1) | % | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 106,945 | 87,349 | 19,596 | 22 | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 32,203 | 29,759 | 2,444 | 8 | % | |||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | 24,309 | (51,611) | 75,920 | 147 | % | |||||||||
| Interest income, net | 7,493 | 2,765 | 4,728 | 171 | % | |||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 31,802 | (48,846) | 80,648 | 165 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 24,566 | 11,209 | 13,357 | 119 | % | |||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,236 | $ | (60,055) | $ | 67,291 | 112 | % |
Revenue. Revenue increased by $232.9 million, or 34%, to $924.1 million in 2024 as compared to $691.2 million in 2023. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with our continued growth across existing markets and expansion into new markets that launched during 2023 and 2024. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $243.0 million and social gaming revenue of $0.4 million, which was partially offset by a decrease of retail sports betting revenue of $10.5 million due to our exit from the Connecticut market in 2023.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $137.0 million, or 29%, to $602.0 million in 2024 as compared to $465.0 million in 2023. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth as noted above. Market access costs, gaming taxes, operating expenses, and payment processing costs contributed $58.5 million, $44.8 million, $20.9 million and $10.5 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with personnel costs contributing to the remaining $2.3 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue decreased to 65% in 2024 as compared to 67% in 2023.
Advertising and Promotions. Advertising and promotions expense decreased by $2.1 million, or 1%, to $158.6 million in 2024 as compared to $160.7 million in 2023. The decrease was mainly due to management’s strategy of rationalizing marketing spend as the North American and Latin American online gaming industries continue to mature. Advertising and promotions expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 17% in 2024 as compared to 23% in 2023.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expense increased by $19.6 million, or 22%, to $106.9 million in 2024 as compared to $87.3 million in 2023. The year-over-year increase was due to higher personnel and other administrative costs, which is consistent with the ongoing growth of our business. General and administrative expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 12% in 2024 as compared to 13% in 2023.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $2.4 million, or 8%, to $32.2 million in 2024 as compared to $29.8 million in 2023. The increase was mainly due to additional costs to acquire internally developed software and other definite-lived intangible assets. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 3% in 2024 as compared to 4% in 2023.
Interest Income, Net. Interest income, net, increased by $4.7 million, or 171%, to $7.5 million in 2024 as compared to $2.8 million in 2023. The increase in interest income was mainly attributed to higher amounts of cash held in interest-bearing accounts and money market funds as compared to the same period in 2023.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense increased by $13.4 million, or 119%, to $24.6 million in 2024 as compared to $11.2 million in 2023. Income tax expense is attributable to the profitability of our foreign operations for which both current and deferred taxes are recorded. Income tax expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 3% in 2024 and as compared to 2% in 2023.
73
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
A discussion of changes in our results of operations in 2023 compared to 2022 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2024, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Seasonality and Other Trends Impacting Our Business
Our results of operations may, and generally do, fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors such as level of customer engagement, online casino and sports betting results and other factors that are outside of our control or that we cannot reasonably predict. Our financial performance depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Customer engagement in our online offerings may vary due to, among other things, customer satisfaction with our platform, the number, timing and type of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and marketing efforts and those of our competitors (including those not just in the online gaming industry but also in the entertainment industry broadly), other forms of entertainment available to our customers, weather conditions, public sentiment, an economic downturn or other economic factors such as inflation, economic uncertainty or macroeconomic conditions. As customer engagement varies, so may our financial performance.
The number and amount of betting losses and jackpot payouts we experience may also negatively impact our quarterly or annual financial results. Although our losses are limited per wager to a maximum payout, when looking at bets across a period of time, these losses can be significant. We offer progressive jackpot games in our online casino offerings. Each time a customer plays a progressive jackpot game, we contribute a portion of the amount bet to the jackpot for that game or group of games. When a progressive jackpot is won, it is paid out and reset to a predetermined base amount. Winning the jackpot is determined by a random mechanism; we cannot foresee when a jackpot will be won, and we do not insure against jackpot payouts. Paying the progressive jackpot decreases our cash position.
Our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations experience seasonality based on the relative popularity and frequency of certain sporting events. Although sporting events occur throughout the year, our online sports betting customers are most active during the NFL, NBA, college football and basketball seasons. With respect to our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations, customer activity tends to increase, and we may experience increased volatility, in connection with major sporting events such as the NFL super bowl, the NBA finals and NCAA basketball March Madness. In addition, sports betting activity is impacted by the occurrence of periodic events (e.g., Copa América, UEFA, Olympics).
From a legislative perspective, we continue to see strong momentum to legalize and regulate online sports betting in new jurisdictions in the Americas. As expected, many of these new jurisdictions are first trying to legalize and regulate online sports betting before considering whether to legalize and regulate online casino. However, given the tax generation success of online casino in markets where it has been legalized, we also continue to see strong momentum for online casino in several jurisdictions in the Americas that are looking for additional revenue sources to fund expanding budgets. For example, in 2025 through the date of this filing, several U.S. states introduced bills to legalize and regulate online casino. While the outcome of these bills is uncertain, and some of them have already been tabled or did not receive the necessary votes to proceed at this time, it shows that there is strong interest in legalizing online casino. Additionally, we have seen governmental officials or legislative or regulatory bodies in certain jurisdictions in which we operate consider, and in limited cases to date, approve, increases in gaming-related taxes or other types of taxes on companies operating in the gaming industry. While it is unclear at this time if this will continue, any proposed legislation or other similar actions to increase existing taxes on online sportsbook and/or casino could negatively impact our business, profitability and cash flows.
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. We face and expect to continue to face significant competition from other industry players both within existing and new markets including from competitors with access to more resources, existing assets such as brands or databases, or experience. Customer demands for new and innovative offerings and features require us to continue to invest in new technologies, features and content to improve the customer experience. Many jurisdictions in which we operate or intend to operate in the future have unique regulatory and/or technological requirements, which require us to have robust, scalable networks and infrastructure, and agile engineering and software development capabilities. The global gaming and entertainment industry has seen significant consolidation, regulatory change and technological development over the last few years, and we expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable
74
future, which may create opportunities for us but may also create competitive and margin pressures. We are starting to see some other online gaming operators rationalize their marketing spend in North American jurisdictions, although their marketing spend may vary by quarter depending on, among other things, sports calendars, new market launches and prior commitments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations and other commitments, with cash flows from operations. Our current working capital needs relate mainly to supporting our existing businesses, the growth of these businesses in their existing markets and their expansion into other geographic regions, as well as our employees’ compensation and benefits.
We had $229.2 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 (excluding legally restricted customer cash deposits, which we segregate from our operating cash balances). We intend to continue to finance our operations without third-party debt and entirely from operating cash flows and cash on our balance sheet.
In connection with the Business Combination, we executed the TRA, which generally provides that the Special Limited Partner pay an amount equal to 85% of certain net tax benefits, if any, that the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the Special Limited Partner, realize (or in certain cases is deemed to realize) as a result of the increases in tax basis and tax benefits related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the exchange of Retained RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock (or cash) and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments made under the TRA will vary, such payments may be significant. Any payments made under the TRA will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us and, to the extent that payments required under the TRA are unable to be made for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. To date, no material payments under the TRA have been made, and no material payments thereunder are expected in the near future as payments under the TRA are not owed until the tax benefits generated thereunder are more-likely-than-not to be realized.
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalent and cash flows from operations to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. It is possible that we may need additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments, significant acquisitions, partnerships or marketing initiatives, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and competitive pressures. We expect our capital expenditures and working capital requirements to continue to increase in the immediate future to support our growth as we seek to expand our offerings across more of North America, Latin America and worldwide, which will require significant investment in our online gaming platform and our personnel, in particular in product development, engineering and operations roles. See Note 14 of our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a summary of our commitments as of December 31, 2024. We also expect certain costs such as marketing, market access and license fees to increase to the extent we pursue expansion opportunities in new and existing jurisdictions. In particular, we are party to several non-cancelable contracts with vendors and licensors for marketing and other strategic partnerships, pursuant to which we are obligated to make future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these contracts. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product, service or market launches and related marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
We expect our material cash requirements during the upcoming 12-month period to include $5.8 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations with marketing vendors, $3.6 million of license and market access fees and $2.4 million of lease payments. In addition, we will continue to pursue expansion into new markets, which is expected to require significant capital investments. We have $39.1 million of additional non-cancellable purchase obligations including obligations for license and market access fees, arrangements with marketing vendors and lease payments subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period. Management believes our current cash holdings and, if necessary or desirable, various avenues available to pursue funding in the capital markets will suffice to fund these obligations.
75
Surety Bonds
We had been issued $31.1 million and $28.0 million in surety bonds as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, that are used to satisfy regulatory requirements related to securing cash held for the behalf of customers.
We had been issued $6.1 million and $4.6 million in surety bonds as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, to satisfy regulatory requirements necessary to operate in certain jurisdictions.
There have been no claims against any of our surety bonds and the likelihood of future claims is remote.
Letters of Credit
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had no outstanding debt. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had an outstanding letter of credit for $4.3 million and $3.1 million, respectively, in connection with our operations in Colombia for which no amounts had been drawn.
Stock Repurchase Program
On October 24, 2024, our Board authorized the repurchase of an aggregate of up to $50 million of our Class A Common Stock through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other transactions in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Cash Flows
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the stated periods:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 106,449 | $ | (5,932) | $ | (60,321) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (33,363) | (33,780) | (28,990) | |||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (2,652) | (518) | (1,216) | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | (8,655) | 5,126 | (3,721) | |||||||
| Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 61,779 | $ | (35,104) | $ | (94,248) |
A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2024 compared to 2023 is included below. A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2023 compared to 2022 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2024, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $106.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to $5.9 million used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increased provision of cash reflects a higher period-over-period net income totaling $67.3 million, increased non-cash expenses of $7.3 million, and an increase of $37.8 million due to the change in operating assets and liabilities. The increase in non-cash expenses was driven primarily by additional share-based compensation expense totaling $5.3 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $2.4 million, non-cash lease expense of $0.2 million and deferred income taxes of $0.1 million, which was partially offset by fewer write-offs of long-lived assets of $0.7 million.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities during 2024 decreased by $0.4 million to $33.4 million, as compared to $33.8 million during 2023. The decrease reflects lower period-over-period cash paid for gaming licenses of $3.2 million, short-term investments of $1.2 million, investment in equity securities of $0.5 million, and property and equipment purchases of $0.4 million. This was partially offset by higher cash paid for internally developed software totaling $1.9 million, other intangible assets of $1.3 million and the proceeds from the maturity of long-term deposits of $1.7 million in 2023.
76
Financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities during 2024 increased by $2.1 million to $2.6 million, as compared to $0.5 million during 2023. The increase reflects both higher payments of employee taxes related to shares withheld and finance liabilities totaling $1.2 million and $1.0 million, respectively, which was slightly offset by proceeds from exercise of stock options of $0.1 million in 2024.
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. The net effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, when expressed in U.S. Dollar terms, was a decrease of $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to an increase of $5.1 million in 2023. These changes were due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates (primarily the Colombian Peso) from period to period.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In doing so, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances and evaluates these estimates on an on-going basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. A discussion of our more significant estimates follows. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of the Board. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further information on our critical and other significant accounting policies.
Share-based Compensation
We have issued stock-based awards with service-based conditions or market-based conditions. Our historical and outstanding share-based compensation awards are described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based awards and is recognized over the requisite service period of the awards. To estimate the fair value of stock option awards, we used the Black-Scholes model, and we used a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of grants with market-based conditions. Both the Black-Scholes model and the Monte Carlo simulation require management to make a number of key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term, fair value of our Class A Common Stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. treasury notes with a life that approximates the expected term. The expected term assumption used in the Black-Scholes model is calculated using the simplified method as we have insufficient historical information regarding our stock options to provide a basis for an estimate. Under this approach, the expected term, which represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding, is estimated using the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the option. The fair value of our Class A Common Stock is determined based on the quoted market price.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and our management uses significantly different assumptions or estimates, our share-based compensation expense for future periods could be materially different, including as a result of adjustments to share-based compensation expense recorded for prior periods.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated by applying existing tax laws and the rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year of the enacted rate change.
We regularly review our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryovers, for recoverability, and a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we make estimates and assumptions regarding projected future taxable income, our ability to carry back operating losses to prior periods, the
77
reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the implementation of tax planning strategies. Based on our cumulative earnings history and forecasted future sources of taxable income, we have determined we are not more-likely-than-not to realize existing deferred tax assets and thus have recorded a valuation allowance. As we reassess these assumptions in the future, changes in forecasted taxable income may alter this expectation and may result in an increase to the valuation allowance and an increase in the effective tax rate.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition and measurement threshold for tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, which are subject to examination by applicable taxing authorities. The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of the benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The effective tax rate and the tax basis of assets and liabilities reflect management’s estimates of the ultimate outcome of various tax uncertainties. We recognize penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Tax Receivable Agreement
Pursuant to the TRA, the Special Limited Partner is required to pay to the Sellers and/or the exchanging holders of RSILP Units, as applicable, 85% of the net income tax savings that we and our consolidated subsidiaries (including the Special Limited Partner) realize as a result of increases in tax basis in RSILP’s assets related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the future exchange of the Retained RSILP Units for shares of Class A Common Stock (or cash) pursuant to the RSILP A&R LPA and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA, and those payments may be substantial.
We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets resulting from the exchange of RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock. If the deferred tax assets are determined to be realizable, we then assess whether payment of amounts under the TRA have become probable. If so, we record a TRA liability equal to 85% of such deferred tax assets. In subsequent periods, we assess the realizability of all our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA. Should it be determined that a deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance is realizable in a subsequent period, the related valuation allowance will be released and consideration of a corresponding TRA liability will be assessed. The realizability of deferred tax assets, including those subject to the TRA, is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those deferred tax assets become deductible and consideration of prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies.
The measurement of the TRA liability is accounted for as a contingent liability. Therefore, once we determine that a payment becomes probable and can be estimated, the estimate of the payment will be accrued.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Emerging Growth Company Status
Historically, we qualified as an “emerging growth company” (“EGC”) as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). The JOBS Act allows EGCs to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.
Based on the market value of our Class A Common Stock held by non-affiliates as of June 28, 2024 (the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter), we became a large accelerated filer and thus ceased to qualify as an EGC as of December 31, 2024. As a result, we are no longer able to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not EGCs including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and no longer being able to apply reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, we are no longer able to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards available to emerging growth companies and will be required to adopt new or revised accounting standards as of the effective dates for public companies.
78
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001793659-24-000013.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of
59
many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Annual Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this “MD&A”) contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they provide us and readers of this MD&A with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this MD&A.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this MD&A to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets. Our mission is to engage and delight players by delivering friendly, fun and fair betting experiences. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers with an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting and retail sports betting (i.e., sports betting services provided at bricks-and-mortar locations), as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games using virtual credits that users can earn or purchase. We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 15 U.S. states and the three international markets as outlined in the table below.
60
| Jurisdiction | Online Casino | Online Sports Betting | Retail Sports Betting | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic: | ||||||
| Arizona | ü | |||||
| Colorado | ü | |||||
| Delaware | ü | ü | ||||
| Illinois | ü | ü | ||||
| Indiana | ü | ü | ||||
| Iowa | ü | |||||
| Louisiana | ü | |||||
| Maryland | ü | ü | ||||
| Michigan | ü | ü | ü | |||
| New Jersey | ü | ü | ||||
| New York | ü | ü | ||||
| Ohio | ü | |||||
| Pennsylvania | ü | ü | ü | |||
| Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| West Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| International: | ||||||
| Colombia | ü | ü | ||||
| Ontario (Canada) | ü | ü | ||||
| Mexico | ü | ü |
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are generally provided under our BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands in the United States and Canada and under our RushBet brand in Latin America (which includes Mexico). We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners under our brands or our partners’ respective brands depending on the terms of our arrangement. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our own brands, although we also offer social gaming under our partners’ brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market- and partner-specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Our Business Model
We enter new markets by leveraging our proprietary online gaming platform and our ability to provide either a full-suite service model or a customized solution to fit a specific situation. Our business model is designed to be nimble, innovative and customer-centric. By leveraging our dynamic proprietary online gaming platform, we generally aim to be “first to market” where real-money online gaming has been newly legalized and where our management determines that it is desirable to enter such market.
We currently generate revenue through two operating models: (i) B2C and (ii) B2B. Through our primary operating model, B2C, we offer online casino, online sports betting, retail sports betting and social gaming directly to the end customer through our websites, apps or physical retail locations. Our B2C operations contributed more than 98% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and we expect that it will continue to be our primary operating model into the future. While real-money B2C transactions represent a majority of our revenue, our social gaming offerings generally increase customer engagement and build online databases in key markets both before and after legalization and regulation. We believe our B2C model is flexible, permitting us to customize our operating structure based on applicable gaming regulations, market demands and, as applicable, our partner’s operations. Through our B2B operations, we offer retail sports betting services to land-based businesses, such as bricks-and-mortar casinos, in exchange for a monthly commission. B2C and B2B products can be launched under one of our existing brands or customized to be incorporated into a local or third-party brand.
61
Often in advance of markets legalizing online gaming, we build relationships with local bricks-and-mortar casino operators and other potential land-based partners who are seeking online gaming and sports betting partners. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the applicable gaming regulations require online gaming operators that offer real-money offerings to operate under the gaming license of, or partner with, a bricks-and-mortar casino, lottery or other type of local partner such as a professional sports team. Consequently, we leverage our relationships with bricks-and-mortar casinos and others in the gaming industry to find high-quality, reliable partners for online gaming collaboration. Upon securing a partner for access to a specific market (if required or desirable) and before we launch operations in that market, we customize our online gaming platform to comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction. Then, upon entering a new market, we employ a number of marketing strategies to obtain new customers as well as leverage our partner’s database when applicable. We continuously refine our offerings and marketing strategies based on data collected from each market. To attract, engage, retain and/or reactivate customers, we offer a loyalty program that rewards customers in exciting, fair and transparent ways. We recognize and reward customer loyalty by, among other things, ensuring there are exciting benefits at every customer loyalty level we offer.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
The chart below presents our average MAUs in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in the United States and Canada for 2023 compared to 2022 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in the United States and Canada for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and
62
New Jersey, as well as our expansion into new markets such as New York, Ontario (Canada), Louisiana and Maryland. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
The chart below presents our average MAUs in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in Latin America for 2023 compared to 2022 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in Colombia and Mexico, as well as it being the first full year of operations in Mexico. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing effort.
The year-over-year increase in MAUs in Latin America for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in Colombia, as well as our expansion into Mexico. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is monthly revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
63
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for 2023 compared to 2022 was mainly due to our continued operations in markets that launched during 2022 where we offer online casino in addition to online sports betting, the impact of our strategic advertising and marketing efforts in other markets where we offer online casino and our focus on retaining quality players.
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU in the United States and Canada for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to an increase in the number of sports betting-only markets such as New York, Louisiana and Maryland, which, when combined with our increased promotional and advertising activities in those markets, resulted in an increase in the number of customers in sports betting-only markets. Sports betting-only customers generally generate less revenue per customer than customers who use online casino. This year-over-year decrease in ARPMAUs was partially offset by decreased customer bonusing volumes in existing markets and the addition of the Ontario (Canada) market, which includes casino operations.
64
The chart below presents our ARPMAU in Latin America (including Mexico) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU in Latin America for 2023 compared to 2022 was mainly due to negative impact of foreign exchange rate changes. This was partly offset by the positive impact of our continued strategic advertising and marketing efforts and our focus on retaining quality players.
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU in Latin America for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to our strategic advertising and marketing efforts in Colombia, focus on acquiring quality players in Mexico which launched in 2022, and ability to retain players.
Non-GAAP Information
This MD&A includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with GAAP because certain expenses are either non-cash (i.e., depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation) or are not related to our underlying business performance (i.e., interest income or expense).
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enables comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allows for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
65
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our Net loss, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (60,055) | $ | (134,332) | $ | (71,092) | ||||
| Interest (income) expense, net | (2,765) | 573 | 187 | |||||||
| Income tax expense | 11,209 | 8,961 | 4,688 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 29,759 | 14,325 | 4,245 | |||||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | — | — | 13,740 | |||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | — | — | (41,802) | |||||||
| Share-based compensation | 30,020 | 18,691 | 24,912 | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 8,168 | $ | (91,782) | $ | (65,122) |
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend, to a significant extent on the following factors:
Industry Opportunity and Competitive Landscape
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. As we prepare to enter new jurisdictions, we expect to face significant competition from other existing industry players, some of which may have more experience in online casino, and online and/or retail sports betting or in one or more of the markets in which we operate or intend to operate, and have access to more resources. We believe that our proprietary online gaming platform, our experience operating in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, our brand and marketing strategies, which appeal to both male and female customers, and our many unique product offerings and bonusing features will enable us to compete with such existing industry players.
Our performance may vary from one jurisdiction to the next, resulting from the level of competition in each jurisdiction.
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation
Our financial growth prospects largely depend on our ability to make our online casino and sports betting offerings available in more jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the United States and Latin America, a trend that we believe is still in its early stage. Online casino may expand further due to many factors, including that many U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions are seeking ways to increase revenues. In the United States, online sports betting’s prospects were made possible after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. Our strategy is to enter new jurisdictions that we believe are financially prudent for us to enter. Online casino is currently authorized only in seven U.S. states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Nevada (although regulators have not authorized online casino outside of physical casinos in Nevada). As of the date hereof, 39 states and the District of Columbia have authorized sports betting. Of those 40 jurisdictions, 31 states have authorized statewide online sports betting while 9 remain authorized for retail-only at casinos or retail locations. In Latin America, several countries, including Brazil and Peru, are either exploring legalizing, expanding or regulating online casino and/or online sports betting, or have recently legalized these activities.
The process of securing the necessary licenses or partnerships to operate in a given jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate. In addition, legislative or regulatory restrictions and gaming taxes may make it less attractive or more difficult for us to do business in a particular jurisdiction. Further, certain jurisdictions require us to have a relationship with a bricks-and-mortar casino or other land-based partner for online casino and/or sports betting access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. Jurisdictions that have established state or government-run monopolies may limit opportunities for private operators such as us.
States, foreign jurisdictions and some local governments impose tax rates on online casino and sports betting, which may vary substantially between jurisdictions and may change from time to time, usually because on factors outside our
66
control. We are also subject to a U.S. federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of each sports bet placed in the United States. We believe the jurisdictions that will create the most compelling levels of profitability for us are jurisdictions with both online casino and sports betting at favorable tax rates.
Ability to Acquire, Retain and Monetize Customers
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and/or re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content, and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of which advertising methods and channels are working and which ones are not.
These investments and personalized promotions are intended to increase consumer awareness and drive engagement. While we have some data points of the effectiveness of our marketing and promotion activities, our limited operating history and the relative novelty of the U.S. online casino and sports betting industries make it difficult for us to predict when we will achieve our longer-term profitability objectives.
Managing Wagering Risk
The online casino and retail and online sports betting businesses are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, we employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of online casino wager or retail or online sports bet, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Revenue is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of our winnings to total amount bet) of our offerings. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of an online casino game or retail or online sports bet’s performance against its expected outcome. Although each bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes in the long run, actual outcomes may vary for any given period, particularly in the short term. The element of chance may affect win rates (hold percentages); these win rates, particularly for retail and online sports betting, may also be affected in the short term by factors that are largely beyond our control, such as unanticipated event outcomes, a customer’s skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played or bets placed, the financial resources of customers, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent betting. For online casino games, a random number generator outcome or game could malfunction and award errant prizes. For sports betting, our platform could erroneously posts odds or otherwise be misprogrammed to pay out odds that are highly favorable to bettors, and bettors place bets before the odds are corrected. Additionally, odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, so even if our betting products are subject to a capped payout, significant volatility can occur. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and retail and online sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our customers exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.
Mix of Revenue Based on Time Period in Markets
Our profitability generally depends on how long we have been operating in each jurisdiction. Usually, but not always, our profitability levels will increase in a jurisdiction as we have operated there for longer.
Mix of Revenue From Our Different Operating Models
Because we operate using two different operating models, each with its own unique range of profitability, the relative proportion of revenue that is derived from each operating model in a given time period could impact our overall level of profitability.
67
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
Revenue
We currently offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 15 U.S. states, Colombia, Ontario, Canada and Mexico. We also provide social gaming (where permitted), where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games.
Our revenue is predominantly generated from our U.S. and Canada operations, with the remaining revenue being generated from our Latin America (including Mexico) operations. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We generate revenue primarily through the following offerings:
Online Casino
Online casino offerings typically include the full suite of games available in bricks-and-mortar casinos, such as table games (i.e., blackjack and roulette) and slot machines. For these offerings, similar to bricks-and-mortar casinos, we generate revenue through hold, or gross winnings, as customers play against the house. Like bricks-and-mortar casinos, there is volatility with online casino, but as the number of bets placed increases, the revenue retained from bets placed becomes easier to predict. Our experience has been that online casino revenue is less volatile than sports betting revenue.
Our online casino offering consists of a combination of licensed content from leading industry suppliers, customized third-party games and a small number of proprietary games that were developed exclusively for us. Third-party content is usually subject to standard revenue-sharing agreements specific to each supplier, where the supplier generally receives a percentage of the net gaming revenue generated from its casino games played on our platform. In exchange, we receive a limited license to offer the games on our platform to customers in permitted jurisdictions. We generally pay much lower fees on revenue generated through our proprietary casino games such as our multi-bet blackjack (with side bets: 21+3, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky), and single-deck blackjack, which primarily relate to hosting/remote gaming server fees and certain intellectual property license fees.
Online casino revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in the progressive jackpot reserve.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting involves a user placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, a sports-related activity or a series of the same, with the chance to win a pre-determined amount, often referred to as fixed odds. Online sports betting revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports bet offered to customers. While sporting event outcomes may result in revenue volatility, we believe that we can achieve a positive long-term betting win margin. In addition to traditional fixed-odds betting, we also offer other fixed-odd sports betting products including in-game betting and multi-sport and same-game parlay betting. We have also incorporated live streaming of certain sporting events into our online sports betting offering. Integrated into our online sports betting platform is a third-party risk and trading platform currently provided by certain subsidiaries of Kambi Group plc.
Online sports revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled sports bets.
Retail Sports Betting
We provide retail sports betting services to certain land-based partners in exchange for a monthly commission that is calculated based on the land-based retail sportsbook revenue. Services generally include ongoing management and oversight of the retail sportsbook (i.e., within a bricks-and-mortar location), technical support for such partner’s customers, risk management, advertising and promotion, and support for third-party sports betting equipment.
In addition, certain relationships with our partners provide us the ability to operate the retail sportsbook at the land-based partner’s facility. In this scenario, revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less other incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled retail sports bets.
68
Social Gaming
We provide social gaming (where permitted) where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games. Users who exhaust their credits can either purchase additional virtual credits from the virtual cashier or wait until their virtual credits are replenished for free. Virtual credits have no monetary value and can only be used within our social gaming platform.
Our social gaming business has three main goals: build online databases in key markets ahead of and post-legalization and regulation; generate revenues; and increase engagement and visitation to our bricks-and-mortar partner properties. Our social gaming products are a marketing tool that keeps the applicable brands present in the minds of our users and engages with users through another channel while providing the entertainment value that users seek. We also leverage our social gaming products to cross-sell to our real-money offerings in jurisdictions where real-money gaming is authorized.
We recognize deferred revenue when users purchase virtual credits and revenue when those credits are redeemed. We pay a percentage of the social gaming revenue derived from the sale and redemption of the virtual credits to content suppliers as well as to our land-based partners.
Costs and Expenses
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue consist primarily of (i) revenue share and market access fees, (ii) platform and content fees, (iii) gaming taxes, (iv) payment processing fees and chargebacks and (v) salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel. These costs are primarily variable in nature and should typically correlate with the change in revenue. Revenue share and market access fees consist primarily of amounts paid to local partners that hold the applicable gaming license, providing us the ability to offer our real-money online offerings in the respective jurisdictions. Our platform and content fees are primarily driven by costs associated with third-party casino content, sports betting trading services and certain elements of our platform technology, such as geolocation and know-your-customer. Gaming taxes primarily relate to state taxes and are determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. We incur payment processing costs on customer deposits and occasionally chargebacks (i.e., when a payment processor contractually disallows customer deposits in the normal course of business).
Advertising and Promotions Costs. Advertising and promotion costs consist primarily of costs associated with marketing our offerings via different channels, promotional activities and related customer acquisition costs. These costs also include salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel and are expensed as incurred.
Our ability to effectively market is critical to our success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Further, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, local advertising rules, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are primarily concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of our advertising methods and channels.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of administrative personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses and benefits, share-based compensation expense for dedicated personnel, professional fees related to legal, compliance, audit and consulting services, rent and insurance costs.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation on our property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets (including market access licenses, gaming jurisdictional licenses, internally developed software, trademark, developed technology and content) and finance lease right-of-use assets over their useful lives. See Notes 2, 4 and 5 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
69
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods. We have derived this data from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The results of historical periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 691,161 | $ | 592,212 | $ | 98,949 | 17 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 465,014 | 414,664 | 50,350 | 12 | % | |||||||||
| Advertising and promotions | 160,650 | 220,460 | (59,810) | (27) | % | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 87,349 | 67,561 | 19,788 | 29 | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 29,759 | 14,325 | 15,434 | 108 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (51,611) | (124,798) | 73,187 | (59) | % | |||||||||
| Interest income (expense), net | 2,765 | (573) | 3,338 | (583) | % | |||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (48,846) | (125,371) | 76,525 | (61) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 11,209 | 8,961 | 2,248 | 25 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (60,055) | $ | (134,332) | $ | 74,277 | (55) | % |
Revenue. Revenue increased by $98.9 million, or 17%, to $691.1 million in 2023 as compared to $592.2 million in 2022. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with our continued growth across existing markets and expansion into new markets that launched during 2022 and 2023. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $97.5 million, retail sports betting revenue of $1.1 million and social gaming revenue of $0.3 million.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $50.4 million, or 12%, to $465.0 million in 2023 as compared to $414.6 million in 2022. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth in existing and new markets. Gaming taxes, market access costs, payment processing costs, and operating expenses contributed $26.7 million, $9.6 million, $8.9 million and $2.1 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with personnel costs contributing to the remaining $3.1 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue decreased to 67% in 2023 as compared to 70% in 2022.
Advertising and Promotions. Advertising and promotions expense decreased by $59.8 million, or 27%, to $160.7 million in 2023 as compared to $220.5 million in 2022. The decrease was mainly due to management’s strategy of rationalizing marketing spend as the North American and Latin American online gaming markets continue to mature. Advertising and promotions expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 23% in 2023 as compared to 37% in 2022.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expense increased by $19.8 million, or 29%, to $87.3 million in 2023 as compared to $67.5 million in 2022. The year-over-year increase was due to higher personnel and other administrative costs, which is consistent with the ongoing growth of our business. General and administrative expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 13% in 2023 as compared to 11% in 2022.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $15.4 million, or 108%, to $29.7 million in 2023 as compared to $14.3 million in 2022. The increase was mainly due to additional costs to acquire property and equipment and other definite-lived intangible assets such as gaming licenses and internally developed software. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 4% in 2023 as compared to 2% in 2022.
Interest Income (Expense), Net. Interest income, net was $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to Interest expense, net of $0.6 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in interest income was mainly attributed to higher interest rates on cash and cash equivalents as compared to the same period in 2022.
70
Income tax expense. Income tax expense increased by $2.2 million, or 25%, to $11.2 million in 2023 as compared to $9.0 million in 2022. Income tax expense is attributable to the profitability of our foreign operations for which both current and deferred taxes are recorded. Income tax expense as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 2% in 2023 and 2022.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
A discussion of changes in our results of operations in 2022 compared to 2021 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2023, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Seasonality and Other Trends Impacting Our Business
Our results of operations may, and generally do, fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors such as level of customer engagement, online casino and sports betting results and other factors that are outside of our control or that we cannot reasonably predict. Our financial performance depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Customer engagement in our online offerings may vary due to, among other things, customer satisfaction with our platform, the number, timing and type of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and marketing efforts and those of our competitors (including those not just in the online gaming industry but also in the entertainment industry broadly), weather conditions, public sentiment, an economic downturn or other economic factors such as inflation, economic uncertainty or macroeconomic conditions. As customer engagement varies, so may our financial performance.
The number and amount of betting losses and jackpot payouts we experience may also negatively impact our quarterly or annual financial results. Although our losses are limited per wager to a maximum payout, when looking at bets across a period of time, these losses can be significant. We offer progressive jackpot games in our online casino offerings. Each time a customer plays a progressive jackpot game, we contribute a portion of the amount bet to the jackpot for that game or group of games. When a progressive jackpot is won, it is paid out and reset to a predetermined base amount. Winning the jackpot is determined by a random mechanism; we cannot foresee when a jackpot will be won, and we do not insure against jackpot payouts. Paying the progressive jackpot decreases our cash position.
Our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations experience seasonality based on the relative popularity and frequency of certain sporting events. Although sporting events occur throughout the year, our online sports betting customers are most active during the NFL, NBA, college football and basketball seasons. With respect to our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations, customer activity tends to increase, and we may experience increased volatility, in connection with major sporting events such as the NFL super bowl, the NBA finals and NCAA basketball March Madness.
From a legislative perspective, we continue to see strong momentum to legalize and regulate online sports betting in new jurisdictions in the Americas. As expected, many of these new jurisdictions are first trying to legalize and regulate online sports betting before considering whether to legalize and regulate online casino. However, given the tax generation success of online casino in markets where it has been legalized, we also continue to see strong momentum for online casino in several jurisdictions in the Americas that are looking for additional revenue sources to fund expanding budgets.
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. We face and expect to continue to face significant competition from other industry players both within existing and new markets including from competitors with access to more resources, existing assets such as brands or databases, or experience. Customer demands for new and innovative offerings and features require us to continue to invest in new technologies, features and content to improve the customer experience. Many jurisdictions in which we operate or intend to operate in the future have unique regulatory and/or technological requirements, which require us to have robust, scalable networks and infrastructure, and agile engineering and software development capabilities. The global gaming and entertainment industry has seen significant consolidation, regulatory change and technological development over the last few years, and we expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future, which may create opportunities for us but may also create competitive and margin pressures. We are starting to see some other online gaming operators rationalize their marketing spend in North American jurisdictions, although their marketing spend may vary by quarter depending on, among other things, sports calendars, new market launches and prior commitments.
71
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations and other commitments, with cash flows from operations. Our current working capital needs relate mainly to supporting our existing businesses, the growth of these businesses in their existing markets and their expansion into other geographic regions, as well as our employees’ compensation and benefits.
We had $168.3 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 (excluding legally restricted customer cash deposits, which we segregate from our operating cash balances). We intend to continue to finance our operations without third-party debt and entirely from operating cash flows and cash on our balance sheet.
In connection with the Business Combination, we executed the TRA, which generally provides that the Special Limited Partner pay an amount equal to 85% of certain net tax benefits, if any, that the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the Special Limited Partner, realize (or in certain cases is deemed to realize) as a result of the increases in tax basis and tax benefits related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the exchange of Retained RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock (or cash) and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments made under the TRA will vary, such payments may be significant. Any payments made under the TRA will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us and, to the extent that payments required under the TRA are unable to be made for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. To date, no material payments under the TRA have been made, and no material payments or accrued payments thereunder are expected in the near future as payments under the TRA are not owed until the tax benefits generated thereunder are more-likely-than-not to be realized.
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalent and cash flows from operations to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. It is possible that we may need additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments, significant acquisitions, partnerships or marketing initiatives, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and competitive pressures. We expect our capital expenditures and working capital requirements to continue to increase in the immediate future to support our growth as we seek to expand our offerings across more of North America, Latin America and worldwide, which will require significant investment in our online gaming platform and our personnel, in particular in product development, engineering and operations roles. See Note 15 of our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a summary of our commitments as of December 31, 2023. We also expect certain costs such as marketing, market access and license fees to increase to the extent we pursue expansion opportunities in new and existing jurisdictions. In particular, we are party to several non-cancelable contracts with vendors and licensors for marketing and other strategic partnerships, pursuant to which we are obligated to make future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these contracts. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product, service or market launches and related marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
We expect our material cash requirements during the upcoming 12-month period to include $9.1 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations with marketing vendors, $3.5 million of license and market access fees and $1.9 million of lease payments. In addition, we will continue to pursue expansion into new markets, which is expected to require significant capital investments. We have $49.5 million of additional non-cancellable purchase obligations including obligations for license and market access fees, arrangements with marketing vendors and lease payments subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period. Management believes our current cash holdings and, if necessary or desirable, various avenues available to pursue funding in the capital markets will suffice to fund these obligations.
72
Surety Bonds
As of December 31, 2023, we had been issued $28.0 million in surety bonds that are used to satisfy regulatory requirements related to securing cash held on behalf of customers and $4.6 million in surety bonds to satisfy regulatory requirements necessary to operate in certain jurisdictions.
As of December 31, 2022, we had been issued $3.6 million in surety bonds to satisfy regulatory requirements necessary to operate in certain jurisdictions.
There have been no claims against any of our surety bonds and the likelihood of future claims is remote.
Debt
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had no outstanding debt or letters of credit. As of December 31, 2022, we had an outstanding letter of credit for $1.7 million in connection with our operations in Colombia for which no amounts had been drawn.
Cash Flows
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the stated periods:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (5,932) | $ | (60,321) | $ | (48,186) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (33,780) | (28,990) | (37,002) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (518) | (1,216) | 125,584 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | 5,126 | (3,721) | (2,132) | |||||||
| Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (35,104) | $ | (94,248) | $ | 38,264 |
A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2023 compared to 2022 is included below. A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2022 compared to 2021 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2023, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Operating activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $60.3 million used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease reflects a lower period-over-period net loss totaling $74.3 million and increased non-cash expenses of $27.3 million, which was partially offset by an increase in working capital totaling $45.8 million. The increase in non-cash expenses was driven primarily by additional depreciation and amortization expense of $15.4 million, share-based compensation expense totaling $11.3 million and write-offs of long-lived assets totaling $0.7 million.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities during 2023 increased by $4.8 million to $33.8 million, as compared to $29.0 million during 2022. The increase reflects higher period-over-period cash paid for internally developed software costs totaling $5.8 million, an increase in cash paid for the acquisition of gaming licenses totaling $1.8 million, an increase in cash paid for the development of media content totaling $0.8 million and an increase in investment in equity securities of $0.5 million, which was partially offset by a reduction of property and equipment purchases totaling $2.9 million, reduction of cash paid for trademark intangible asset totaling $1.9 million and the maturity of long-term deposits resulting in a net reduction in investment in long-term deposits totaling $2.4 million.
Financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities during 2023 was $0.5 million, as compared to $1.2 million during 2022. The period-over-period difference reflects lower principal payments of finance lease liabilities.
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. The net effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, when expressed in U.S. Dollar terms, was an increase of $5.1 million for the
73
year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to a decrease of $3.7 million in 2022. These changes were due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates from period to period.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In doing so, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances and evaluates these estimates on an on-going basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. A discussion of our more significant estimates follows. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of the Board. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further information on our critical and other significant accounting policies.
Share-based Compensation
We have issued stock-based awards with service-based conditions or market-based conditions. Our historical and outstanding share-based compensation awards are described in Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based awards and is recognized over the requisite service period of the awards. To estimate the fair value of stock option awards, we used the Black-Scholes model, and we used a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of grants with market-based conditions. Both the Black-Scholes model and the Monte Carlo simulation require management to make a number of key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term, fair value of our Class A Common Stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. treasury notes with a life that approximates the expected term. The expected term assumption used in the Black-Scholes model represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding and is estimated using the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the option. The fair value of our Class A Common Stock is determined based on the quoted market price.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and our management uses significantly different assumptions or estimates, our share-based compensation expense for future periods could be materially different, including as a result of adjustments to share-based compensation expense recorded for prior periods.
Fair value measurements
Fair value measurements are based on the premise that fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, we use the following three-tier fair value hierarchy in determining the inputs used in measuring fair value:
•Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities on the reporting date.
•Level 2 – Pricing inputs are based on quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
•Level 3 – Pricing inputs are generally unobservable and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs into the determination of fair value require management’s judgment or estimation of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the assets or liabilities. The fair values are therefore determined using factors that involve considerable judgment and interpretations, including but not limited to private and public comparables, third-party appraisals, discounted cash flow models and fund manager estimates.
74
Financial instruments measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Management’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability. The use of different assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on estimated fair values and are subject to inherent uncertainty and the application of judgment. Accordingly, the fair value estimates disclosed or initial amounts recorded may not be indicative of the amount that the Company or holders of the instruments could realize in a current market exchange. Financial liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis included the Earnout Interests Liability and Warrant Liabilities.
Earnout Interests Liabilities
The earnout interests, as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, were subject to certain restrictions on transfer and voting and potential forfeiture pending the achievement of certain earnout targets. The earnout targets included (a) a change of control within three years of the Closing, (b) achieving certain revenue targets for the year ended December 31, 2021, and (c) achieving certain volume weighted average share prices (“VWAPs”) within three years of the Closing. With respect to the revenue targets for the 2021 year, the percentage of Earnout Interests no longer subject to the restrictions, starting at 25% and ending at 100%, was dependent on achieving revenue equal to $270 million up to $300 million, respectively. With respect to the earnout targets related to VWAPs, the share price must have equaled or exceeded the target price for 10 trading days of any 20 consecutive trading day period. Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, a VWAP of $12.00 and $14.00 would have resulted in 50% and 100%, respectively, of the Earnout Interests being no longer subject to the restrictions. Certain of those earnout targets were achieved in January 2021 and, as a result, 100% of the shares and units subject to these restrictions were deemed earned and thus were no longer subject to the restrictions.
We obtained a third-party valuation at December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Closing date) and at December 31, 2020 based upon assumptions regarding share price, maturity, volatility and risk-free rate. The share price represents the trading price as of the valuation date. The maturity assumption represents the time to maturity or expiration of the earnout interest, which was three years. The volatility in the analysis was determined using the Guideline Public Companies’ daily trading activity. Daily volatilities were calculated based on the daily trading activity using a historical lookback period commensurate with the maturity. The selected volatility was the average of the Guideline Public Companies’ volatility for the period, which was calculated to be 54.58%. The risk-free rate utilizes the three-year U.S. Treasury bond rate in effect at the time of the grant.
The fair value was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation of 500,000 trials to value the earnout interests as of the valuation date. Within each trial, the Geometric Brownian Motion formula is used to simulate the underlying security price through the life of the earnout interests. In each trial, the 10th largest simulated trading price within any 20-day trading period was observed to determine if and when the earnout interests met either of the threshold values ($12.00 and $14.00) defined in the Trigger Events. Each future value is discounted to the appropriate valuation date at the risk-free rate to determine the value conclusion within each trial. The average of all 500,000 trials yields the overall valuation conclusion. The assumptions, inputs and methodologies we use in determining fair value result in inherent uncertainty due to the application of judgment.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, none of the earnout interests remained outstanding.
Warrant Liabilities
As described in Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we evaluated the warrants that entitled the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (the “Public Warrants”), 6,600,000 private placement warrants sold to the Sponsor (the “Private Placement Warrants”) and an additional 75,000 warrants issued to the Sponsor upon the Closing in connection with converting certain working capital loans into warrants (the “Working Capital Warrants” and together with the Private Placement Warrants, the “Private Warrants” and the Private Warrants together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”) under ASC 815-40, and concluded that they did not meet the criteria to be classified in stockholders’ equity. Specifically, the exercise of the Warrants could have been settled in cash upon the occurrence of a tender offer or exchange that involves 50% or more of our stockholders holding Class A Common Stock. Because not all of the stockholders needed to participate in such tender offer or exchange to trigger the potential cash settlement and we did not control the occurrence of such an event, we concluded that the Warrants did not meet the conditions to be classified in equity. Because the Warrants met the definition of a derivative under ASC 815-40, we recorded the Warrants as liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet at
75
fair value as of each reporting date, with subsequent changes in their respective fair values recognized in our consolidated statement of operations.
We determined the fair value of our Public Warrants based on the publicly listed trading price of such warrants on the valuation date. We determined the fair value of the Private Warrants using Level 3 inputs within a Black-Scholes model. The Private Warrants were valued as of December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Closing date) and December 31, 2020. The significant inputs and assumptions in this method were the stock price, exercise price, volatility, risk-free rate, and term or maturity. The underlying stock price input was the closing stock price as of each valuation date and the exercise price was the price as stated in the warrant agreement. The volatility input was determined using the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies which operated in a similar industry or were our direct competitors. Volatility for each comparable was calculated as the annualized standard deviation of daily continuously compounded returns. The Black-Scholes analysis was performed in a risk-neutral framework, which required a risk-free rate assumption based upon constant-maturity treasury yields, which were interpolated based on the remaining term of the Private Warrants as of each valuation date. The term/maturity was the duration between each valuation date and the maturity date, which was five years following the Closing date, or December 29, 2025.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, none of the Warrants remained outstanding.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated by applying existing tax laws and the rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year of the enacted rate change.
We regularly review our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryovers, for recoverability, and a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we make estimates and assumptions regarding projected future taxable income, our ability to carry back operating losses to prior periods, the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the implementation of tax planning strategies. Based on our cumulative earnings history and forecasted future sources of taxable income, we have determined we are not more-likely-than-not to realize existing deferred tax assets and thus have recorded a valuation allowance. As we reassess these assumptions in the future, changes in forecasted taxable income may alter this expectation and may result in an increase to the valuation allowance and an increase in the effective tax rate.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition and measurement threshold for tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, which are subject to examination by applicable taxing authorities. The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of the benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The effective tax rate and the tax basis of assets and liabilities reflect management’s estimates of the ultimate outcome of various tax uncertainties. We recognize penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Tax Receivable Agreement
Pursuant to the TRA, the Special Limited Partner is required to pay to the Sellers and/or the exchanging holders of RSILP Units, as applicable, 85% of the net income tax savings that we and our consolidated subsidiaries (including the Special Limited Partner) realize as a result of increases in tax basis in RSILP’s assets related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the future exchange of the Retained RSILP Units for shares of Class A Common Stock (or cash) pursuant to the RSILP A&R LPA and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA, and those payments may be substantial.
We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets resulting from the exchange of RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock. If the deferred tax assets are determined to be realizable, we then assess whether payment of amounts
76
under the TRA have become probable. If so, we record a TRA liability equal to 85% of such deferred tax assets. In subsequent periods, we assess the realizability of all our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA. Should it be determined that a deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance is realizable in a subsequent period, the related valuation allowance will be released and consideration of a corresponding TRA liability will be assessed. The realizability of deferred tax assets, including those subject to the TRA, is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those deferred tax assets become deductible and consideration of prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies.
The measurement of the TRA liability is accounted for as a contingent liability. Therefore, once we determine that a payment becomes probable and can be estimated, the estimate of the payment will be accrued.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”) exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. RSI is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. The Company remains an emerging growth company and is expected to continue to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period. This may make it difficult or impossible to compare the Company financial results with the financial results of another public company that is either not an emerging growth company or is an emerging growth company that has chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period exemptions for emerging growth companies because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001793659-23-000010.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Annual Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this “MD&A”) contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they provide us and readers of this MD&A with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this MD&A.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this MD&A to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S., Canada and Latin American markets. Our mission is to engage and delight players by delivering friendly, fun and fair betting experiences. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers with an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting, and retail sports betting (i.e., sports betting services provided at bricks-and-mortar locations), as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games using virtual credits that users can earn or purchase. We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 15 U.S. states and the international markets as outlined in the table below.
57
| Jurisdiction | Online Casino | Online Sports Betting | Retail Sports Betting | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic: | ||||||
| Arizona | ü | |||||
| Colorado | ü | |||||
| Connecticut | ü | ü | ||||
| Illinois | ü | ü | ||||
| Indiana | ü | ü | ||||
| Iowa | ü | |||||
| Louisiana | ü | |||||
| Maryland | ü | ü | ||||
| Michigan | ü | ü | ü | |||
| New Jersey | ü | ü | ||||
| New York | ü | ü | ||||
| Ohio | ü | |||||
| Pennsylvania | ü | ü | ü | |||
| Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| West Virginia | ü | ü | ||||
| International: | ||||||
| Colombia | ü | ü | ||||
| Ontario (Canada) | ü | ü | ||||
| Mexico | ü | ü |
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are currently provided under our BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands in the United States and Canada and under our RushBet brand in Latin America (which includes Mexico). We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners under our brands or our partners’ respective brands depending on the terms of our arrangement. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our own brands, although we also offer social gaming under our partners’ brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market- and partner-specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Impact of COVID-19
COVID-19 significantly impacted our business. Beyond disruptions in our normal business operations in prior years, COVID-19 impacted consumer habits and preferences, with some consumers opting to avoid crowded public places such as land-based casinos. In prior years, COVID-19 also impacted sports betting due to the rescheduling, reconfiguring, suspension, postponement and cancellation of sports seasons and sporting events or exclusion of certain players or teams from sporting events, which tended to reduce customers’ use of, and spending on, our sports betting offerings. A future pandemic may have a similar, material adverse impact on our business.
Our revenue varies based on sports seasons and sporting events, among other factors, and cancellations, suspensions or alterations resulting from a future pandemic may adversely affect our revenue, possibly materially. However, our online casino offerings do not rely on sports seasons and sporting events, thus, they may partially offset this adverse impact on revenue.
Our Business Model
We enter new markets by leveraging our proprietary online gaming platform and our ability to provide either a full-suite service model or a customized solution to fit a specific situation. Our business model is designed to be nimble, innovative and customer-centric. By leveraging our dynamic proprietary online gaming platform, we generally aim to be
58
“first to market” where real-money online gaming has been newly legalized and where our management determines that it is desirable to enter such market.
We currently generate revenue through two operating models: (i) B2C and (ii) B2B. Through our primary operating model, B2C, we offer online casino, online sports betting, retail sports betting and social gaming directly to the end customer through our websites, apps or physical retail locations. Our B2C operations contributed more than 98% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and we expect that it will continue to be our primary operating model into the future. While real-money B2C transactions represent a majority of our revenue, our social gaming offerings generally increase customer engagement and build online databases in key markets both before and after legalization and regulation. We believe our B2C model is flexible, permitting us to customize our operating structure based on applicable gaming regulations, market demands and, as applicable, our land-based partner’s operations. Through our B2B operations, we offer retail sports betting services to land-based businesses, such as bricks-and-mortar casinos, in exchange for a monthly commission. B2C and B2B products can be launched under one of our existing brands or customized to be incorporated into a local or third-party brand.
Often in advance of markets legalizing online gaming, we build relationships with local bricks-and-mortar casino operators and other potential land-based partners who are looking for online gaming and sports betting partners. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the applicable gaming regulations require online gaming operators that offer real-money offerings to operate under the gaming license of, or partner with, a bricks-and-mortar casino or other type of local partner such as a professional sports team. Consequently, we leverage our relationships with bricks-and-mortar casinos and others in the gaming industry to find high-quality, reliable partners for online gaming collaboration. Upon securing a partner for access to a specific market (if required or desirable) and before we launch operations in that market, we customize our online gaming platform to comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction. Then, upon entering a new market, we employ a number of marketing strategies to obtain new customers as well as leverage our partner’s database when applicable. We continuously refine our offerings and marketing strategies based on data collected from each market. To attract, engage, retain and/or reactivate customers, we offer a loyalty program that rewards customers in exciting, fair and transparent ways. We recognize and reward customer loyalty by, among other things, ensuring there are exciting benefits at each of the customer loyalty levels we currently offer.
The Business Combination
On December 29, 2020, we completed the Business Combination. See “Business — Business Combination” for a description of the Business Combination and the agreements entered into in connection therewith.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives. The numbers of unique users included in calculating MAUs only include U.S.- and Canada-based users of our online real-money offerings.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
59
The chart below presents our average MAUs for the years ended 2022, 2021 and 2020:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey, as well as our expansion into new markets such as New York, Ontario (Canada), Louisiana and Maryland. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
The year-over-year increase in MAUs for 2021 compared to 2020 was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Indiana and Colorado, as well as our expansion into new markets such as Michigan, Virginia, Connecticut, West Virginia and Arizona. Additionally, we continued to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is average revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
60
The chart below presents our ARPMAU for the years ended 2022, 2021 and 2020:
The year-over-year decrease in ARPMAU for 2022 compared to 2021 was mainly due to an increase in the number of sports betting-only markets such as New York, Louisiana and Maryland, which, when combined with our increased promotional and advertising activities in those markets, resulted in an increase in the number of customers in sports betting-only markets. Sports betting-only customers generally generate less revenue per customer than customers who use online casino. This year-over-year decrease in ARPMAUs was partially offset by decreased customer bonusing volumes in existing markets and the addition of the Ontario (Canada) market, which includes casino operations.
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU for 2021 compared to 2020 was mainly due to a favorable mix of online casino MAUs, as casino customers generally generate more revenue per user than sports betting customers. Additionally, as our product offerings continue to be available in more mature markets, customer bonusing volumes have decreased, thus resulting in higher ARPMAUs. This year-over-year increase in ARPMAUs was partially offset by increased promotional spend related to new market launches in jurisdictions such as Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona and Connecticut.
Non-GAAP Information
This MD&A includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with GAAP because certain expenses are
61
either non-cash (i.e., depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation) or are not related to our underlying business performance (i.e., interest income or expense).
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enables comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allows for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our Net loss, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net loss | $ | (134,332) | $ | (71,092) | $ | (131,645) | ||||
| Interest expense, net | 573 | 187 | 135 | |||||||
| Income tax expense | 8,961 | 4,688 | 2,919 | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 14,325 | 4,245 | 2,082 | |||||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | — | 13,740 | 2,338 | |||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | — | (41,802) | (7,166) | |||||||
| One-time payment from Affiliated casino | — | — | (9,000) | |||||||
| Share-based compensation | 18,691 | 24,912 | 144,733 | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | (91,782) | $ | (65,122) | $ | 4,396 |
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend, to a significant extent on the following factors:
Industry Opportunity and Competitive Landscape
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. As we prepare to enter new jurisdictions, we expect to face significant competition from other existing industry players, some of which may have more experience in online casino, and online and/or retail sports betting or in one or more of the markets in which we operate or intend to operate, and have access to more resources. We believe that our proprietary online gaming platform, our experience operating in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, our brand and marketing strategies, which appeal to both male and female customers, and our many unique product offerings and bonusing features will enable us to compete with such existing industry players.
Our performance may vary from one jurisdiction to the next, resulting from the level of competition in each jurisdiction.
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation
Our financial growth prospects largely depend on our ability to make our online casino and sports betting offerings available in more jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the United States and Latin America, a trend that we believe is still in its early stage. Online casino may expand further due to many factors, including that many U.S. states are seeking ways to increase revenues. Online sports betting’s prospects were made possible after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. Our strategy is to enter new jurisdictions that we believe are financially prudent for us to enter. Online casino is currently authorized only in seven U.S. states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Nevada (although regulators have not authorized online casino outside of physical casinos in Nevada). As of the date hereof, 35 states and the District of Columbia have authorized sports betting. Of those 36
62
jurisdictions, 26 states have authorized statewide online sports betting while 10 remain authorized for retail-only at casinos or retail locations.
The process of securing the necessary licenses or partnerships to operate in a given jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate. In addition, legislative or regulatory restrictions and gaming taxes may make it less attractive or more difficult for us to do business in a particular jurisdiction. Further, certain jurisdictions require us to have a relationship with a bricks-and-mortar casino or other land-based partner for online casino and/or sports betting access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. Jurisdictions that have established state or government-run monopolies may limit opportunities for private operators such as us.
States and some local governments impose tax rates on online casino and sports betting, which may vary substantially between states. We are also subject to a federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of each sports bet placed. We believe the jurisdictions that will create the most compelling levels of profitability for us are jurisdictions with both online casino and sports betting at favorable tax rates.
Ability to Acquire, Retain and Monetize Customers
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and/or re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content, and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of which advertising methods and channels are working and which ones are not.
These investments and personalized promotions are intended to increase consumer awareness and drive engagement. While we have some data points of the effectiveness of our marketing and promotion activities, our limited operating history and the relative novelty of the U.S. online casino and sports betting industries make it difficult for us to predict when we will achieve our longer-term profitability objectives.
Managing Wagering Risk
The online casino and retail and online sports betting businesses are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, we employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of online casino wager or retail or online sports bet, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Revenue is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of winnings to total amount bet) of the gaming offerings we make available to our customers. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of an online casino game or retail or online sports bet’s performance against its expected outcome. Although each bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes in the long run, actual outcomes may vary for any given period, particularly in the short term. The element of chance may affect win rates (hold percentages); these win rates, particularly for retail and online sports betting, may also be affected in the short term by factors that are largely beyond our control, such as unanticipated event outcomes, a customer’s skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played or bets placed, the financial resources of customers, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent betting. For online casino games, a random number generator outcome or game could malfunction and award errant prizes. For retail and online sports betting, our platform could erroneously posts odds or otherwise be misprogrammed to pay out odds that are highly favorable to bettors, and bettors place bets before the odds are corrected. Additionally, odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, so even if our betting products are subject to a capped payout, significant volatility can occur. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and retail and online sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our customers exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.
63
Mix of Revenue Based on Time Period in Markets
Our profitability generally depends on how long we have been operating in each jurisdiction. Usually, but not always, our profitability levels will increase in a jurisdiction as we have operated there for longer.
Mix of Revenue From Our Different Operating Models
Because we operate using two different operating models, each of which has its own unique range of profitability, the relative proportion of revenue that is derived from each operating model in a given time period could impact our overall level of profitability.
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
Revenue
We currently offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in 15 U.S. states, Colombia, Ontario, Canada and Mexico. We also provide social gaming (where permitted), where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games.
Our revenue is predominantly generated from our U.S. and Canada operations, with the remaining revenue being generated from our Latin America (including Mexico) operations. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We generate revenue primarily through the following offerings:
Online Casino
Online casino offerings typically include the full suite of games available in bricks-and-mortar casinos, such as table games (i.e., blackjack and roulette) and slot machines. For these offerings, similar to bricks-and-mortar casinos, we generate revenue through hold, or gross winnings, as customers play against the house. Like bricks-and-mortar casinos, there is volatility with online casino, but as the number of bets placed increases, the revenue retained from bets placed becomes easier to predict. Our experience has been that online casino revenue is less volatile than sports betting revenue.
Our online casino offering consists of a combination of licensed content from leading industry suppliers, customized third-party games and a small number of proprietary games that we developed in-house. Third-party content is usually subject to standard revenue-sharing agreements specific to each supplier, where the supplier generally receives a percentage of the net gaming revenue generated from its casino games played on our platform. In exchange, we receive a limited license to offer the games on our platform to customers in permitted jurisdictions. We generally pay much lower fees on revenue generated through our in-house developed casino games such as our multi-bet blackjack (with side bets: 21+3, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky), and single-deck blackjack, which primarily relate to hosting/remote gaming server fees and certain intellectual property license fees.
Online casino revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in the progressive jackpot reserve.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting involves a user placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, a sports-related activity or a series of the same, with the chance to win a pre-determined amount, often referred to as fixed odds. Online sports betting revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports bet offered to customers. While sporting event outcomes may result in revenue volatility, we believe that we can achieve a positive long-term betting win margin. In addition to traditional fixed-odds betting, we also offer other fixed-odd sports betting products including in-game betting and multi-sport and same-game parlay betting. We have also incorporated live streaming of certain sporting events into our online sports betting offering.
Integrated into our online sports betting platform is a third-party risk and trading platform currently provided by certain subsidiaries of Kambi Group plc.
Online sports revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled sports bets.
64
Retail Sports Betting
We provide retail sports betting services to certain land-based partners in exchange for a monthly commission that is calculated based on the land-based retail sportsbook revenue. Services generally include ongoing management and oversight of the retail sportsbook (i.e., within a bricks-and-mortar location), technical support for such partner’s customers, risk management, advertising and promotion, and support for third-party sports betting equipment.
In addition, certain relationships with our partners provide us the ability to operate the retail sportsbook at the land-based partner’s facility. In this scenario, revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less other incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled retail sports bets.
Social Gaming
We provide social gaming (where permitted) where users can earn or purchase virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games. Users who exhaust their credits can either purchase additional virtual credits from the virtual cashier or wait until their virtual credits are replenished for free. Virtual credits have no monetary value and can only be used within our social gaming platform.
Our social gaming business has three main goals: build online databases in key markets ahead of and post-legalization and regulation; generate revenues; and increase engagement and visitation to our bricks-and-mortar partner properties. Our social gaming products are a marketing tool that keeps the applicable brands present in the minds of our users and engages with users through another channel while providing the entertainment value that users seek. We also leverage our social gaming products to cross-sell to our real-money offerings in jurisdictions where real-money gaming is authorized.
We recognize deferred revenue when users purchase virtual credits and revenue when those credits are redeemed. We pay a percentage of the social gaming revenue derived from the sale and redemption of the virtual credits to content suppliers as well as to our land-based partners.
Costs and Expenses
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue consist primarily of (i) revenue share and market access fees, (ii) platform and content fees, (iii) gaming taxes, (iv) payment processing fees and chargebacks and (v) salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel. These costs are primarily variable in nature and should typically correlate with the change in revenue. Revenue share and market access fees consist primarily of amounts paid to local partners that hold the applicable gaming license, providing us the ability to offer our real-money online offerings in the respective jurisdictions. Our platform and content fees are primarily driven by costs associated with third-party casino content, sports betting trading services and certain elements of our platform technology, such as geolocation and know-your-customer. Gaming taxes primarily relate to state taxes and are determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. We incur payment processing costs on customer deposits and occasionally chargebacks (i.e., when a payment processor contractually disallows customer deposits in the normal course of business).
Advertising and Promotions Costs. Advertising and promotion costs consist primarily of costs associated with marketing our offerings via different channels, promotional activities and related customer acquisition costs. These costs also include salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel and are expensed as incurred.
Our ability to effectively market is critical to our success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers, brand ambassadors, proprietary content and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Further, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the product offerings in the jurisdiction, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are primarily concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate.
65
We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of our advertising methods and channels.
General Administration and Other. General administration and other expenses consist primarily of administrative personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses and benefits, share-based compensation expense for dedicated personnel, professional fees related to legal, compliance, audit and consulting services, rent and insurance costs.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation on our property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets (including market access licenses, gaming jurisdictional licenses, internally developed software, trademark and developed technology) and finance lease right-of-use assets over their useful lives. See Notes 2, 5 and 6 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods. We have derived this data from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The results of historical periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 592,212 | $ | 488,105 | $ | 104,107 | 21 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 414,664 | 332,145 | 82,519 | 25 | % | |||||||||
| Advertising and promotions | 220,460 | 190,476 | 29,984 | 16 | % | |||||||||
| General administration and other | 67,561 | 55,518 | 12,043 | 22 | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 14,325 | 4,245 | 10,080 | 237 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (124,798) | (94,279) | (30,519) | 32 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (573) | (187) | (386) | 206 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | — | (13,740) | 13,740 | (100) | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | — | 41,802 | (41,802) | (100) | % | |||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (125,371) | (66,404) | (58,967) | 89 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 8,961 | 4,688 | 4,273 | 91 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (134,332) | $ | (71,092) | $ | (63,240) | 89 | % |
Revenue. Revenue increased by $104.1 million, or 21%, to $592.2 million in 2022 as compared to $488.1 million in 2021. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with our continued growth in the majority of our existing markets, as well as our expansion into new markets such as Ontario, Canada, New York, Mexico, and Maryland, which launched after December 31, 2021. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $96.5 million and retail sports betting revenue of $7.9 million, offset by a decrease in social gaming revenue of $0.3 million.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $82.5 million, or 25%, to $414.6 million in 2022 as compared to $332.1 million in 2021. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth in existing and new markets. Gaming taxes, operating expenses, payment processing costs, and market access costs contributed $39.8 million, $23.0 million, $10.8 million and $5.4 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with personnel costs contributing to the remaining $3.5 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue increased to 70% in 2022 as compared to 68% in 2021.
Advertising and Promotions. Advertising and promotions expense increased by $30.0 million, or 16%, to $220.5 million in 2022 as compared to $190.5 million in 2021. The increase was mainly due to new and increased marketing efforts and strategies in newly entered and existing markets to increase customer awareness and acquisition of our offerings. The Company’s efforts included executing strategic marketing or sponsorship arrangements with professional
66
sports teams (including the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bears), former athletes and sports team staff (including NY Mets manager Bobby Valentine, Mark Schlereth, Joakim Noah and James Blake), broadcasting personalities (including broadcast legend Mike Francesa, Canadian sports broadcasting icon Dan O’Toole, Bob McCown and Mike Missanelli), LaLiga, sports venues, podcast organizations and other media-related entities. Advertising and promotions expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 37% in 2022 as compared to 39% in 2021.
General Administration and Other. General administration and other expense increased by $12.0 million, or 22%, to $67.5 million in 2022 as compared to $55.5 million in 2021. The year-over-year increase was due to higher personnel and other administrative costs, which is consistent with the ongoing growth of our business. General administration and other expense as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 11% for 2022 and 2021.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $10.1 million, or 237%, to $14.3 million in 2022 as compared to $4.2 million in 2021. The increase was mainly due to additional purchases of property and equipment and other definite-lived intangible assets. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 2% in 2022 as compared to 1% in 2021.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net increased by $0.4 million, or 206%, to $0.6 million in 2022 as compared to $0.2 million in 2021. The increase was mainly attributable to the recognition of additional imputed interest associated with the recognition of deferred royalties, which was partially offset by interest income earned on the Company’s interest-bearing accounts and cash equivalents.
Change in fair value of earnout interests liability. Change in fair value of earnout interests liability was nil in 2022 and $13.7 million in 2021. Gains and losses are attributable to the remeasurement of the liability at fair value and were primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock. The liability was fully settled during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities. Change in fair value of warrant liability was nil in 2022 and $41.8 million in 2021. Gains and losses are attributable to the remeasurement of the liability at fair value and were primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock. The liability was fully settled during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense increased by $4.3 million, or 91%, to $9.0 million in 2022 as compared to $4.7 million in 2021. The increase in income tax expense is attributable to the profitability of our foreign operations for which both current and deferred taxes are recorded. Income tax as a percentage of revenue increased to 2% in 2022 as compared to 1% in 2021.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
A discussion of changes in our results of operations in 2021 compared to 2020 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2022, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Seasonality and Other Trends Impacting Our Business
Our results of operations may, and generally do, fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors such as level of customer engagement, online casino and sports betting results and other factors that are outside of our control or that we cannot reasonably predict. Our financial performance depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Customer engagement in our online offerings may vary due to, among other things, customer satisfaction with our platform, the number, timing and type of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and those of our competitors, our marketing efforts, climate and weather conditions, public sentiment or macroeconomic conditions. As customer engagement varies, so may our financial performance.
The number and amount of betting losses and jackpot payouts we experience may also impact our quarterly or annual financial results. Although our losses are limited per wager to a maximum payout, when looking at bets across a period of time, these losses can be significant. We offer progressive jackpot games in our online casino offerings. Each time a customer plays a progressive jackpot game, we contribute a portion of the amount bet to the jackpot for that game or group of games. When a progressive jackpot is won, the jackpot is paid out and reset to a predetermined base amount. As winning
67
the jackpot is determined by a random mechanism, we cannot foresee when a jackpot will be won and we do not insure against jackpot payouts. Paying the progressive jackpot decreases our cash position and depending upon the size of the jackpot it may have a significant negative affect on our cash flow and financial condition.
Our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations experience seasonality based on the relative popularity and frequency of certain sporting events. Although sporting events occur throughout the year, our online sports betting customers are most active during the NFL, NBA and college football and basketball seasons. In addition, the shortening, delay or cancellation of major sports seasons or events due to events beyond our control such as strikes, lockouts like the MLB lockout that occurred from December 2021 through March 2022, or severe injuries like the one that resulted in the cancellation of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills versus the Cincinnati Bengals game in January 2023, may result in less money bet on sports and prevent us from garnering sufficient interest in our sports betting offerings, which could adversely impact our financial results.
From a legislative perspective, we are continuing to see strong momentum to legalize and regulate online sports betting in new jurisdictions in the Americas. As expected, in many cases these new jurisdictions are first trying to legalize and regulate online sports betting before considering whether to legalize and regulate online casino. However, given the tax generation success of online casino in markets where it has been legalized, we are also continuing to see strong momentum for online casino in several jurisdictions in the Americas that are looking for additional revenue sources to fund expanding budgets.
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. We face and expect to continue to face significant competition from other industry players both within existing and new markets including from competitors with access to more resources, existing assets such as brands or databases, or experience. Customer demands for new and innovative offerings and features require us to continue to invest in new technologies, features and content to improve the customer experience. Many jurisdictions in which we operate or intend to operate in the future have unique regulatory and/or technological requirements, which require us to have robust, scalable networks and infrastructure, and agile engineering and software development capabilities. The global gaming and entertainment industry has seen significant consolidation, regulatory change and technological development over the last few years, and we expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future, which may create opportunities for us but may also create competitive and margin pressures. We are starting to see some other online gaming operators rationalize their marketing spend in North American jurisdictions, although their marketing spend may vary by quarter depending on, among other things, sports calendars, new market launches and prior commitments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations and other commitments, with cash flows from operations. Our current working capital needs relate mainly to supporting our existing businesses, the growth of these businesses in their existing markets and their expansion into other geographic regions, as well as our employees’ compensation and benefits.
We had $179.7 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 (excluding customer cash deposits from our real-money customers for all jurisdictions and products, which we segregate from our operating cash balances). We intend to continue to finance our operations without third-party debt and entirely from operating cash flows and cash on our balance sheet for the foreseeable future.
In connection with the Business Combination, we executed the TRA, by and among the Special Limited Partner, RSILP, the Sellers and the Sellers’ representative, which generally provides that the Special Limited Partner pay an amount equal to 85% of certain net tax benefits, if any, that the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the Special Limited Partner, realize (or in certain cases is deemed to realize) as a result of the increases in tax basis and tax benefits related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the exchange of Retained RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock (or cash) and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments made under the TRA will vary, such payments may be significant. Any payments made under the TRA will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us and, to the extent that payments required under the TRA are unable to be made for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. To date, no material payments under the TRA have been made, and no material payments or accrued payments thereunder are
68
expected in the near future as payments under the TRA are not owed until the tax benefits generated thereunder are more-likely-than-not to be realized.
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalent and cash flows from operations to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. It is possible that we may need additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments, significant acquisitions, partnerships or marketing initiatives, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and competitive pressures. We expect our capital expenditures and working capital requirements to continue to increase in the immediate future to support our growth as we seek to expand our offerings across more of North America, Latin America and worldwide, which will require significant investment in our online gaming platform and our personnel, in particular in product development, engineering and operations roles. See Note 16 of our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a summary of our commitments as of December 31, 2022. We also expect to increase our marketing, advertising and promotional spend in certain existing and new markets, as well as market access fees and license costs as we continue to enter into new market access arrangements with local partners in new jurisdictions. In particular, we are party to several non-cancelable contracts with vendors and licensors for marketing and other strategic partnerships, pursuant to which we are obligated to make future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these contracts. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product, service or market launches and related marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
We expect our material cash requirements during the upcoming 12-month period to include $21.6 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations with marketing vendors, $7.9 million of license and market access fees and $1.1 million of lease payments. In addition, we will continue to pursue expansion into new markets, which is expected to require significant capital investments. We have $65.3 million of additional non-cancellable purchase obligations including obligations for license and market access fees, arrangements with marketing vendors and lease payments subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period. Management believes our current cash holdings and, if necessary or desirable, various avenues available to pursue funding in the capital markets will suffice to fund these obligations.
As of December 31, 2022, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Debt
As of December 31, 2022, we had no debt outstanding. We have an outstanding letter of credit for $1.7 million in connection with our operations in Colombia, for which no amounts have been drawn as of December 31, 2022.
Cash Flows
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the stated periods:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities | $ | (60,321) | $ | (48,186) | $ | 16,179 | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (28,990) | (37,002) | (6,243) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (1,216) | 125,584 | 241,071 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | (3,721) | (2,132) | 515 | |||||||
| Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (94,248) | $ | 38,264 | $ | 251,522 |
A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2022 compared to 2021 is included below. A discussion of changes in cash flows in 2021 compared to 2020 has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
69
December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2022, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Operating activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $60.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to $48.2 million used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increased use of cash reflects a higher period-over-period net loss totaling $63.2 million, which offset by higher non-cash expenses totaling $32.2 million and an increase in working capital changes of $18.8 million. The increase in non-cash expenses totaling $32.2 million was driven primarily by the impact of changes in fair value of warrant liabilities of $41.8 million, an increase in depreciation and amortization expense of $10.1 million, an increase in non-cash lease expense of $0.3 million, offset by the impact of changes in fair value of earnout interests liability of $13.7 million, a decrease in share-based compensation expense of $6.2 million and an increase in deferred tax assets of $0.1 million.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities during 2022 decreased by $8.0 million to $29.0 million, as compared to $37.0 million during 2021. The decrease reflects lower period-over-period costs including decreased gaming license acquisition purchases of $18.0 million, investment in equity of $1.5 million, investment in long-term deposits of $0.1 million and acquisition of developed technology intangible assets of $3.3 million, offset by an increase in cash paid for internally developed software costs of $12.7 million, property and equipment costs of $0.3 million and acquisition of trademark intangible assets of $1.9 million.
Financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities during 2022 decreased by $126.8 million to net cash used of $1.2 million, as compared to net cash provided of $125.6 million during 2021. The decrease primarily reflects the net proceeds from the exercise of warrants received in 2021 of $131.6 million, which was offset by the decreased costs to repurchase common stock of $3.5 million, decreased principal payments of finance lease liabilities of $0.9 million and decreased distributions paid to non-controlling interest holders of $0.4 million.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In doing so, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances and evaluates these estimates on an on-going basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. A discussion of our more significant estimates follows. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of the Board. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further information on our critical and other significant accounting policies.
Share-based Compensation (subsequent to the Business Combination)
We have issued stock-based awards with service-based conditions or market-based conditions. Our historical and outstanding share-based compensation awards are described in Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based awards and is recognized over the requisite service period of the awards. Following the Business Combination, the fair value of our Class A Common Stock is determined based on the quoted market price. To estimate the fair value of stock option awards, we used the Black-Scholes model, and we used a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of grants with market-based conditions. Both the Black-Scholes model and the Monte Carlo simulation require management to make a number of key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. treasury notes with a life that approximates the expected term. The expected term assumption used in the Black-Scholes model represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding and is estimated using the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the option.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and our management uses significantly different assumptions or estimates, our share-based compensation expense for future periods could be materially different, including as a result of adjustments to share-based compensation expense recorded for prior periods.
70
Share-based Compensation (prior to the Business Combination)
A discussion of Share-based Compensation (prior to the Business Combination) has been omitted from this Form 10-K, but it may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2022, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at www.RushStreetInteractive.com.
Fair value measurements
Fair value measurements are based on the premise that fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, we use the following three-tier fair value hierarchy in determining the inputs used in measuring fair value:
•Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities on the reporting date.
•Level 2 – Pricing inputs are based on quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
•Level 3 – Pricing inputs are generally unobservable and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs into the determination of fair value require management’s judgment or estimation of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the assets or liabilities. The fair values are therefore determined using factors that involve considerable judgment and interpretations, including but not limited to private and public comparables, third-party appraisals, discounted cash flow models and fund manager estimates.
Financial instruments measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Management’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability. The use of different assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on estimated fair values and are subject to inherent uncertainty and the application of judgment. Accordingly, the fair value estimates disclosed or initial amounts recorded may not be indicative of the amount that the Company or holders of the instruments could realize in a current market exchange. Financial liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis included the Earnout Interests Liability and Warrant Liabilities.
Earnout Interests Liabilities
The earnout interests, as described in Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, were subject to certain restrictions on transfer and voting and potential forfeiture pending the achievement of certain earnout targets. The earnout targets included (a) a change of control within three years of the Closing, (b) achieving certain revenue targets for the year ended December 31, 2021, and (c) achieving certain volume weighted average share prices (“VWAPs”) within three years of the Closing. With respect to the revenue targets for the 2021 year, the percentage of Earnout Interests no longer subject to the restrictions, starting at 25% and ending at 100%, was dependent on achieving revenue equal to $270 million up to $300 million, respectively. With respect to the earnout targets related to VWAPs, the share price must have equaled or exceeded the target price for 10 trading days of any 20 consecutive trading day period. Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, a VWAP of $12.00 and $14.00 would have resulted in 50% and 100%, respectively, of the Earnout Interests being no longer subject to the restrictions. Certain of those earnout targets were achieved in January 2021 and, as a result, 100% of the shares and units subject to these restrictions were deemed earned and thus were no longer subject to the restrictions.
We obtained a third-party valuation at December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Closing date) and at December 31, 2020 based upon assumptions regarding share price, maturity, volatility and risk-free rate. The share price represents the trading price as of the valuation date. The maturity assumption represents the time to maturity or expiration of the earnout interest, which was three years. The volatility in the analysis was determined using the Guideline Public Companies’ daily trading activity. Daily volatilities were calculated based on the daily trading activity using a historical lookback period
71
commensurate with the maturity. The selected volatility was the average of the Guideline Public Companies’ volatility for the period, which was calculated to be 54.58%. The risk-free rate utilizes the three-year U.S. Treasury bond rate in effect at the time of the grant.
The fair value was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation of 500,000 trials to value the earnout interests as of the valuation date. Within each trial, the Geometric Brownian Motion formula is used to simulate the underlying security price through the life of the earnout interests. In each trial, the 10th largest simulated trading price within any 20-day trading period was observed to determine if and when the earnout interests met either of the threshold values ($12.00 and $14.00) defined in the Trigger Events. Each future value is discounted to the appropriate valuation date at the risk-free rate to determine the value conclusion within each trial. The average of all 500,000 trials yields the overall valuation conclusion. The assumptions, inputs and methodologies we use in determining fair value result in inherent uncertainty due to the application of judgment.
As of December 31, 2022, none of the earnout interests remained outstanding.
Warrant Liabilities
As described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we evaluated the warrants that entitled the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (the “Public Warrants”), Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants under ASC 815-40, and concluded that they did not meet the criteria to be classified in stockholders’ equity. Specifically, the exercise of these warrants could have been settled in cash upon the occurrence of a tender offer or exchange that involves 50% or more of our stockholders holding Class A Common Stock. Because not all of the stockholders needed to participate in such tender offer or exchange to trigger the potential cash settlement and we did not control the occurrence of such an event, we concluded that the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants did not meet the conditions to be classified in equity. Because the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants met the definition of a derivative under ASC 815-40, we recorded these warrants as liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet at fair value as of each reporting date, with subsequent changes in their respective fair values recognized in our consolidated statement of operations.
We determined the fair value of our Public Warrants based on the publicly listed trading price of such warrants on the valuation date. We determined the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants using Level 3 inputs within a Black-Scholes model. The Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants were valued as of December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Closing date) and December 31, 2020. The significant inputs and assumptions in this method were the stock price, exercise price, volatility, risk-free rate, and term or maturity. The underlying stock price input was the closing stock price as of each valuation date and the exercise price was the price as stated in the warrant agreement. The volatility input was determined using the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies which operated in a similar industry or were our direct competitors. Volatility for each comparable was calculated as the annualized standard deviation of daily continuously compounded returns. The Black-Scholes analysis was performed in a risk-neutral framework, which required a risk-free rate assumption based upon constant-maturity treasury yields, which were interpolated based on the remaining term of the Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants as of each valuation date. The term/maturity was the duration between each valuation date and the maturity date, which was five years following the Closing date, or December 29, 2025.
As of December 31, 2022, none of the warrants remained outstanding.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated by applying existing tax laws and the rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year of the enacted rate change.
We regularly review our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryovers, for recoverability, and a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we make estimates and
72
assumptions regarding projected future taxable income, our ability to carry back operating losses to prior periods, the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the implementation of tax planning strategies. Based on our cumulative earnings history and forecasted future sources of taxable income, we have determined we are not more-likely-than-not to realize existing deferred tax assets and thus have recorded a valuation allowance. As we reassess these assumptions in the future, changes in forecasted taxable income may alter this expectation and may result in an increase to the valuation allowance and an increase in the effective tax rate.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition and measurement threshold for tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, which are subject to examination by federal and state taxing authorities. The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of the benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The effective tax rate and the tax basis of assets and liabilities reflect management’s estimates of the ultimate outcome of various tax uncertainties. We recognize penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Tax Receivable Agreement
Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, the Special Limited Partner is required to pay to the Sellers and/or the exchanging holders of RSILP Units, as applicable, 85% of the net income tax savings that we and our consolidated subsidiaries (including the Special Limited Partner) realize as a result of increases in tax basis in RSILP’s assets related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the future exchange of the Retained RSILP Units (for shares of Class A Common Stock (or cash) pursuant to the RSILP A&R LPA and tax benefits related to entering into the Tax Receivable Agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, and those payments may be substantial.
We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets resulting from the exchange of RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock. If the deferred tax assets are determined to be realizable, we then assess whether payment of amounts under the TRA have become probable. If so, we record a TRA liability equal to 85% of such deferred tax assets. In subsequent periods, we assess the realizability of all our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA. Should it be determined that a deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance is realizable in a subsequent period, the related valuation allowance will be released and consideration of a corresponding TRA liability will be assessed. The realizability of deferred tax assets, including those subject to the TRA, is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those deferred tax assets become deductible and consideration of prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies.
The measurement of the TRA liability is accounted for as a contingent liability. Therefore, once we determine that a payment becomes probable and can be estimated, the estimate of the payment will be accrued.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”) exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. RSI is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. The Company remains an emerging growth company and is expected to continue to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period. This may make it difficult or impossible to compare the Company financial results with the financial results of another public company that is either not an emerging growth company or is an emerging growth company that has chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period exemptions for emerging growth companies because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
73
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001793659-22-000015.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under the sections of this Annual Report captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (this “MD&A”) contains certain financial measures, in particular the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“GAAP”). These non-GAAP financial measures are being presented because they provide us and readers of this MD&A with additional insight into our operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, the most comparable GAAP measure, are provided in this MD&A.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this MD&A to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the business of Rush Street Interactive, LP and its subsidiaries prior to the consummation of the Business Combination and Rush Street Interactive, Inc. and its subsidiaries after consummation of the Business Combination.
Our Business
We are a leading online gaming and entertainment company that focuses primarily on online casino and online sports betting in the U.S. and Latin American markets. Our mission is to provide our customers with the most user-friendly online casino and online sports betting experience in the industry. In furtherance of this mission, we strive to create an online community for our customers where we are transparent and honest, treat our customers fairly, show them that we value their time and loyalty, and listen to feedback. We also endeavor to implement industry leading responsible gaming practices and provide our customers with a cutting-edge online gaming platform and exciting, personalized offerings that will enhance their user experience.
We provide our customers an array of leading gaming offerings such as real-money online casino, online sports betting, and retail sports betting, as well as social gaming, which involves free-to-play games that use virtual credits that users can earn or purchase. We launched our first social gaming website in 2015 and began accepting real-money bets in the United States in 2016. Currently, we offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in thirteen U.S. states as outlined in the table below.
56
Table of Contents
| U.S. State | Online Casino | Online Sports Betting | Retail Sports Betting | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | ü | |||||
| Colorado | ü | |||||
| Connecticut | ü | ü | ||||
| Illinois | ü | ü | ||||
| Indiana | ü | ü | ||||
| Iowa | ü | |||||
| Louisiana | ü | |||||
| Michigan | ü | ü | ü | |||
| New Jersey | ü | ü | ||||
| New York | ü | ü | ||||
| Pennsylvania | ü | ü | ü | |||
| Virginia | ü | |||||
| West Virginia | ü |
In 2018, we also became the first U.S.-based online gaming operator to launch in Colombia, which was an early adopting Latin American country to legalize and regulate online casino and sports betting nationally. In addition, we launched our social gaming offering in Canada during October 2021 and anticipate launching real-money online casino and sports betting there in 2022. We also expect to launch online casino and sports betting in Mexico in the second quarter of 2022.
Our real-money online casino and online sports betting offerings are currently provided under our BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com brands in the United States and under our RushBet.co brand in Colombia. We operate and/or support retail sports betting for our bricks-and-mortar partners primarily under their respective brands. Many of our social gaming offerings are marketed under our partners’ brands, although we also offer social gaming under our own brands as well. Our decision about what brand or brands to use is market- and partner-specific, and is based on brand awareness, market research, marketing efficiency and applicable gaming rules and regulations.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted global commercial activity, disrupted supply chains and contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. Starting in 2020 and continuing through the date hereof, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to adversely impact many different industries. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could have a continued material adverse impact on economic and market conditions and trigger a period of global economic slowdown. The rapid development and fluidity of this situation precludes any prediction as to the extent and the duration of the impact of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic therefore presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to us and our performance and could affect our financial results in a materially adverse way.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted our business. The direct impact on our business, beyond disruptions in normal business operations, is primarily through the change in consumer habits as a result of people being ordered or requested to stay home and restrict their traveling or otherwise voluntarily choosing to stay at home or restrict travel. During the periods affected by government-imposed stay-at-home orders, our business volume significantly increased and has since continued to remain strong as many of these orders were lifted. COVID-19 has also directly impacted sports betting due to the rescheduling, reconfiguring, suspension, postponement and cancellation of major sports seasons and sporting events or exclusion of certain players or teams from sporting events. Beginning in early 2020 and continuing into the third quarter of 2020, many sports seasons and sporting events, including the NBA regular season and playoffs, the NCAA college basketball tournament, the MLB regular season, the Masters golf tournament, the NHL regular season and playoffs and domestic soccer leagues and European cup competitions, were suspended, postponed, modified or cancelled. While most major professional sports leagues have since resumed their activities primarily starting in the second half of 2020, the third quarter of 2021 was still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the number of games in the NBA’s 2020-2021 and NHL’s 2021 season were reduced and nearly every major professional sports league has experienced postponed, rescheduled or canceled games, or players or teams being excluded from certain games or events due to COVID-19, COVID-19 protocols or local COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
57
Table of Contents
The return of major sports and sporting events during the second half of 2020, as well as the unique and concentrated sports calendar, generated significant customer interest and activity in our sports betting offerings. However, sports seasons and calendars could be further suspended, cancelled or rescheduled due to additional COVID-19 outbreaks.
The alteration of sports seasons and sporting events, including the postponement or cancellation of events, throughout fiscal year 2021 reduced our customers’ use of, and spending on, our sports betting offerings and from time to time caused us to issue refunds for canceled events. Additionally, ongoing or future closures of bricks-and-mortar casinos and certain ongoing limitations on visitations to such casinos due to COVID-19 may provide additional opportunities for us to market online casino and sports betting to traditional bricks-and-mortar casino patrons.
Our revenue varies based on sports seasons and sporting events, among other factors, and cancellations, suspensions or alterations resulting from COVID-19 have the potential to adversely affect our revenue, possibly materially. However, our online casino offerings do not rely on sports seasons and sporting events, thus, they may partially offset this adverse impact on revenue.
The ultimate impact of COVID-19 and the related restrictions on consumer behavior is currently unknown. A significant or prolonged decrease in consumer spending on entertainment or leisure activities would likely have an adverse effect on demand for our offerings, reducing cash flows and revenues, thus materially harming our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, a significant uptick in COVID-19 cases or an emergence of additional variants or strains could cause other widespread or more severe impacts depending on where infection rates are highest. As steps taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have necessitated a shift away from a traditional office environment for many employees, we implemented business continuity programs to help ensure that our personnel were safe and our business continued to function with minimal disruptions to normal work operations while personnel worked remotely. We will continue to monitor developments relating to disruptions and uncertainties caused by COVID-19.
Our Business Model
We enter new markets by leveraging our proprietary online gaming platform and our ability to provide either a full-suite service model or a customized solution to fit a specific situation. Our business model is designed to be nimble, innovative and customer-centric. By leveraging our dynamic proprietary online gaming platform, we aspire to be “first to market” where real-money online gaming has been newly legalized and where our management determines that it is desirable to enter such market.
Our principal offerings are our real-money online casino and online sports betting products. These products can be launched under one of our existing brands or customized to be incorporated into a local or third-party brand. We also provide a variety of retail sports betting solutions to service land-based casino and other partners and leverage our social gaming offerings to increase customer engagement and build online databases in key markets both before and after legalization and regulation.
We currently generate revenue through two operating models: (i) B2C and (ii) B2B. Through our B2C operations, we offer online casino, online sports betting, retail sports betting and social gaming directly to the end customer through our websites, apps or physical retail locations. B2C is our primary operating model, contributing more than 99% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, and we expect that it will continue to be our primary operating model into the future. We believe this is a flexible operating model that permits us to customize our operating structure based on applicable gaming regulations, market demands and, as applicable, our land-based partner’s operations. Through our B2B operations, we offer retail sports betting services to land-based businesses, such as bricks-and-mortar casinos, in exchange for a monthly commission.
Often in advance of markets legalizing online gaming, we build relationships with local bricks-and-mortar casino operators and other potential land-based partners who are looking for online gaming and sports betting partners. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the applicable gaming regulations require online gaming operators that offer real-money offerings to operate under the gaming license of, or partner with, a land-based operator such as a bricks-and-mortar casino or other type of local partner such as a professional sports team. Consequently, we leverage our relationships with bricks-and-mortar casinos and vendors in the gaming industry to find high-quality and reliable partners for online gaming collaboration. Upon securing a partner for access to a specific market (if required or desirable) and before we launch operations in that market, we customize our online gaming platform to the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction. Then, upon entering a new market, we employ a number of marketing strategies to obtain new customers as well as leverage our partner’s database when applicable. We continuously refine our offerings and marketing strategies based on data collected from each market. To attract, engage, retain and/or reactivate customers, we offer a loyalty program that rewards customers in exciting, fair
58
Table of Contents
and transparent ways. We recognize and reward customer loyalty by, among other things, ensuring there are exciting benefits at each of the customer loyalty levels we currently offer.
The Business Combination
On December 29, 2020, we completed the Business Combination. As a result of the Business Combination, we are organized in an Up-C structure, in which substantially all the assets of the combined company are held by RSILP and its subsidiaries, and the Company’s only assets are its equity interests in RSILP (which are held indirectly through wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company – the Special Limited Partner and RSI GP, LLC (“RSI GP”)). As of the Closing, the Company owned, indirectly through the Special Limited Partner, approximately 21.9% of the RSILP Units (which includes 100% of the earnout interests that were earned in January 2021) and controls RSILP through RSI GP, and the Sellers owned approximately 78.1% of the RSILP Units (which includes 100% of the earnout interests that were earned in January 2021) and control the Company through the ownership of the Class V Voting Stock. The Company has also entered into certain customary agreements in connection with the Business Combination, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, which provides for the sharing of certain tax benefits as realized by the Company. See “Business — Business Combination” for a more comprehensive description of the Business Combination and the agreements entered into in connection therewith.
Trends in Key Metrics
Monthly Active Users
MAUs is the number of unique users per month who have placed at least one real-money bet across one or more of our online casino or online sports betting offerings. For periods longer than one month, we average the MAUs for the months in the relevant period. We exclude users who have made a deposit but have not yet placed a real-money bet on at least one of our online offerings. We also exclude users who have placed a real-money bet but only with promotional incentives. The numbers of unique users included in calculating MAUs include U.S.-based users only.
MAUs is a key indicator of the scale of our user base and awareness of our brands. We believe that year-over-year MAUs is also generally indicative of the long-term revenue growth potential of our business, although MAUs in individual periods may be less indicative of our longer-term expectations. We expect the number of MAUs to grow as we attract, retain and re-engage users in new and existing jurisdictions and expand our offerings to appeal to a wider audience.
59
Table of Contents
The chart below presents our average MAUs for the years ended 2021 and 2020:
The year-over-year increase in MAUs was mainly due to our continued growth and strong customer retention rates in existing markets such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado and Colombia, as well as our expansion into new markets such as Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Virginia and West Virginia. Additionally, we continue to achieve a positive response from our strategic advertising and marketing efforts.
Average Revenue Per Monthly Active User
ARPMAU for an applicable period is average revenue divided by average MAUs. This key metric represents our ability to drive usage and monetization of our online offerings.
60
Table of Contents
The chart below presents our ARPMAU for the years ended 2021 and 2020:
The year-over-year increase in ARPMAU was mainly due to a favorable mix of online casino MAUs, as casino customers generally generate more revenue per user than sports betting customers. Additionally, as our product offerings continue to be available in more mature markets, customer bonusing volumes have decreased, thus resulting in higher ARPMAUs. This year-over-year increase in ARPMAUs was partially offset by increased promotional spend related to new market launches in jurisdictions such as Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona and Connecticut.
Non-GAAP Information
This MD&A includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations and operating performance, as it is similar to measures reported by our public competitors and is regularly used by security analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measures and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry.
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, adjustments for certain one-time or non-recurring items and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with U.S. GAAP because certain expenses are either non-cash (for example, depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation) or are not related to our underlying business performance (for example, interest income or expense).
We include Adjusted EBITDA because management uses it to evaluate our core operating performance and trends and to make strategic decisions regarding the distribution of capital and new investments. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with useful information on our past financial and operating performance, enable comparison of financial results from period-to-period where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to metrics used by our management in operating our business. Management also believes this non-GAAP financial measure is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry, as this metric generally eliminates the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.
61
Table of Contents
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled from our Net loss, the closest U.S. GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Net loss | $ | (71,092) | $ | (131,645) | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,245 | 2,082 | ||||
| Interest expense, net | 187 | 135 | ||||
| Income tax expense | 4,688 | 2,919 | ||||
| One-time payment from Affiliated casino | — | (9,000) | ||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | 13,740 | 2,338 | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | (41,802) | (7,166) | ||||
| Share-based compensation | 24,912 | 144,733 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | (65,122) | $ | 4,396 |
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend to a significant extent on the following factors:
Industry Opportunity and Competitive Landscape
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. As we prepare to enter new jurisdictions, we expect to face significant competition from other established industry players, some of which may have more experience in online casino, and online and/or retail sports betting, and have access to more resources. We believe that our proprietary online gaming platform, our experience operating in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, our brand and marketing strategies, which appeal to both male and female customers, and our many unique product offerings and bonusing features will enable us to compete with such established industry players.
Our performance may vary from one jurisdiction to the next as a result of the level of competition in each jurisdiction.
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation
Our financial growth prospects depend on legalization of online casino and sports betting across more regulated jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the United States, a trend that we believe is still in its early stage. Online casino may expand further due to many factors, including that many U.S. states are seeking ways to increase revenues. Online sports betting’s prospects were made possible after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA in May 2018. Our strategy is to enter new jurisdictions that we believe are financially prudent for us to enter as they are legalized. Online casino is currently authorized only in seven states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Nevada (although regulators have not authorized online casino outside of physical casinos in Nevada). As of the date hereof, 32 states and the District of Columbia have authorized sports betting. Of those 33 jurisdictions, 22 states have authorized statewide online sports betting while 11 remain authorized for retail-only at casinos or retail locations.
The process of securing the necessary licenses or partnerships to operate in a given jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate. In addition, legislative or regulatory restrictions and gaming taxes may make it less attractive or more difficult for us to do business in a particular jurisdiction. Further, certain jurisdictions require us to have a relationship with a bricks-and-mortar casino or other land-based partner for online sports betting access, which tends to increase our costs of revenue. Jurisdictions that have established state or government-run monopolies may limit opportunities for private operators such as us.
States and some local governments impose tax rates on online casino and sports betting, which may vary substantially between states. We are also subject to a federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of each sports bet placed. We believe the jurisdictions that will create the most compelling levels of profitability for us are jurisdictions with both online casino and sports betting at favorable tax rates.
62
Table of Contents
Ability to Acquire, Retain and Monetize Customers
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and/or re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the products offered in the jurisdiction, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of which advertising methods and channels are working and which ones are not.
These investments and personalized promotions are intended to increase consumer awareness and drive engagement. While we have some data points, particularly in New Jersey, of the effectiveness of our marketing and promotion activities, our limited operating history and the relative novelty of the U.S. online casino and sports betting industries make it difficult for us to predict when we will achieve our longer-term profitability objectives.
Managing Wagering Risk
The online casino and retail and online sports betting businesses are characterized by an element of chance. Accordingly, we employ theoretical win rates to estimate what a certain type of online casino wager or retail or online sports bet, on average, will win or lose in the long run. Revenue is impacted by variations in the hold percentage (the ratio of winnings to total amount bet) with respect to the online casino and retail and online sports betting we offer to our customers. We use the hold percentage as an indicator of an online casino game or retail or online sports bet’s performance against its expected outcome. Although each online casino wager or retail or online sports bet generally performs within a defined statistical range of outcomes in the long run, actual outcomes may vary for any given period, particularly in the short term. In the short term, for online casino and retail and online sports betting, the element of chance may affect win rates (hold percentages); these win rates, particularly for retail and online sports betting, may also be affected in the short term by factors that are largely beyond our control, such as unanticipated event outcomes, a customer’s skill, experience and behavior, the mix of games played or bets placed, the financial resources of customers, the volume of bets placed and the amount of time spent betting. For online casino games, it is possible a random number generator outcome or game will malfunction and award errant prizes. For retail and online sports betting, it is possible that our platform erroneously posts odds or is otherwise misprogrammed to pay out odds that are highly favorable to bettors, and bettors place bets before the odds are corrected. Additionally, odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, so even if our betting products are subject to a capped payout, significant volatility can occur. As a result of the variability in these factors, the actual win rates on our online casino games and retail and online sports bets may differ from the theoretical win rates we have estimated and could result in the winnings of our online casino or sports betting customers exceeding those anticipated. The variability of win rates (hold rates) also has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.
Mix of Revenue Based on Time Period in Markets
Our profitability generally depends on how long we have been operating in each jurisdiction. Generally, but not always, our profitability levels will increase in a jurisdiction as we have operated there for longer.
Mix of Revenue From Our Different Operating Models
Because we operate using two different operating models, each of which has its own unique range of profitability, the relative proportion of revenue that is derived from each operating model in a given time period could impact our overall level of profitability.
63
Table of Contents
Key Components of Revenue and Expenses
Revenue
We offer real-money online casino, online sports betting and/or retail sports betting in thirteen U.S. states and Colombia. We also provide social gaming (where permitted, including Ontario, Canada), where users are given virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games.
Our revenue is predominantly generated from our U.S. operations, with the remaining revenue being generated from our Colombian operations. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We generate revenue primarily through the following offerings.
Online Casino
Online casino offerings typically include the full suite of games available in bricks-and-mortar casinos, such as table games (i.e., blackjack and roulette) and slot machines. For these offerings, we function similarly to bricks-and-mortar casinos, generating revenue through hold, or gross winnings, as customers play against the house. Like bricks-and-mortar casinos, there is volatility with online casino, but as the number of bets placed increases, the revenue retained from bets placed becomes easier to predict. Our experience has been that online casino revenue is less volatile than sports betting revenue.
Our online casino offering consists of a combination of licensed content from leading suppliers in the industry, customized third-party games and a small number of proprietary games that we developed in-house. Third-party content is usually subject to standard revenue-sharing agreements specific to each supplier, where the supplier generally receives a percentage of the net gaming revenue generated from its casino games played on our platform. In exchange, we receive a limited license to offer the games on our platform to customers in jurisdictions where use is approved by the regulatory authorities. We pay much lower fees on revenue generated through our in-house developed casino games such as our multi-bet blackjack (with side bets: 21+3, Lucky Ladies, Lucky Lucky), and single-deck blackjack, which primarily relate to hosting/remote gaming server fees and certain intellectual property license fees.
Online casino revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in the progressive jackpot reserve.
Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting involves a user placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, or a series of sporting events, with the chance to win a pre-determined amount, often referred to as fixed odds. Online sports betting revenue is generated by setting odds such that there is a built-in theoretical margin in each sports bet offered to customers. While sporting event outcomes may result in revenue volatility, we believe that we can achieve a long-term betting win margin.
Integrated into our online sports betting platform is a third-party risk and trading platform currently provided by certain subsidiaries of Kambi Group plc. In addition to traditional fixed-odds betting, we also offer other sports betting products including in-game betting and multi-sport and same-game parlay betting. We have also incorporated live streaming of certain sporting events into our online sports betting offering.
Online sports revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to customers for winning bets, less incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled sports bets.
Retail Sports Betting
We provide retail sports services to certain land-based partners in exchange for a monthly commission that is calculated based on the land-based retail sportsbook revenue. Services generally include ongoing management and oversight of the retail sportsbook (i.e., within a bricks-and-mortar location), technical support for the partner’s customers, risk management, advertising and promotion, and support for third-party sports betting equipment.
In addition, certain relationships with business partners provide us the ability to operate the retail sportsbook at the land-based partner’s facility. In this scenario, revenue is generated based on total customer bets less amounts paid to
64
Table of Contents
customers for winning bets, less other incentives awarded to customers, plus or minus the change in unsettled retail sports bets.
Social Gaming
We provide social gaming (where permitted) where users are given virtual credits to enjoy free-to-play games. Users who exhaust their credits can either purchase additional virtual credits from the virtual cashier or wait until their virtual credits are replenished for free. Virtual credits have no monetary value and can only be used within our social gaming platform.
Our social gaming business has three main goals: building online databases in key markets ahead of and post-legalization and regulation; generating revenues; and increasing engagement and visitation to our bricks-and-mortar casino partner properties. Our social gaming products are a marketing tool that keeps the applicable brands present in the minds of our users and engages with users through another channel while providing the entertainment value that users seek. We also leverage our social gaming products to cross-sell to our real-money offerings in jurisdictions where real-money gaming is authorized.
We recognize deferred revenue when users purchase virtual credits and revenue when the virtual credits are redeemed. We pay a percentage of the social gaming revenue derived from the sale and redemption of the virtual credits to content suppliers as well as to our land-based partners.
Costs and Expenses
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue consist primarily of (i) revenue share and market access fees, (ii) platform and content fees, (iii) gaming taxes, (iv) payment processing fees and chargebacks and (v) salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel. These costs are primarily variable in nature and should, in large part, correlate with the change in revenue. Revenue share and market access fees consist primarily of amounts paid to local land-based partners that hold the applicable gaming license, providing us the ability to offer our real-money online offerings in the respective jurisdictions. Our platform and content fees are primarily driven by costs associated with third-party casino content, sports betting trading services and certain elements of our platform technology, such as geolocation and know-your-customer. Gaming taxes primarily relate to state taxes and are determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. We incur payment processing costs on customer deposits and occasionally chargebacks (i.e., when a payment processor contractually disallows customer deposits in the normal course of business).
Advertising and Promotions Costs. Advertising and promotion costs consist primarily of costs associated with marketing our offerings via different channels, promotional activities and the related costs incurred to acquire new customers. These costs also include salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for dedicated personnel and are expensed as incurred.
Our ability to effectively market is critical to operational success. Using experience, dynamic learnings and analytics, we leverage marketing to acquire, convert, retain and re-engage customers. We use a variety of earned media and paid marketing channels, in combination with compelling offers and unique game and site features, to attract and engage customers. Furthermore, we continuously optimize our marketing spend using data collected from our operations. Our marketing spend is based on a return-on-investment model that considers a variety of factors, including the products and services offered in the jurisdiction, the performance of different marketing channels, predicted lifetime value, marginal costs and expenses and behavior of customers across various product offerings.
With respect to paid marketing, we use a broad array of advertising channels, including television, radio, social media platforms, sponsorships, affiliates and paid search, and other digital channels. We also use other forms of marketing and outreach, such as our social media channels, first-party websites, media interviews and other media spots and organic searches. These efforts are primarily concentrated within the specific jurisdictions where we operate or intend to operate. We believe there is significant benefit to having a flexible approach to advertising spending as we can quickly redirect our advertising spending based on dynamic testing of our advertising methods and channels.
General Administration and Other. General administration and other expenses consist primarily of administrative personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses and benefits, share-based compensation expense, professional fees related to legal, compliance, audit and consulting services, rent and insurance costs.
65
Table of Contents
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation on our property and equipment and amortization of market access licenses, gaming jurisdictional licenses, internally developed software and finance lease right of use assets over their useful lives. See Notes 2, 5 and 6 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the years indicated, and the changes between periods. We have derived this data from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The results of historical periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 488,105 | $ | 278,500 | $ | 209,605 | 75 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 332,145 | 190,873 | 141,272 | 74 | % | |||||||||
| Advertising and promotions | 190,476 | 56,517 | 133,959 | 237 | % | |||||||||
| General administration and other | 55,518 | 162,447 | (106,929) | (66) | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,245 | 2,082 | 2,163 | 104 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (94,279) | (133,419) | 39,140 | (29) | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (187) | (135) | (52) | 39 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | (13,740) | (2,338) | (11,402) | 488 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | 41,802 | 7,166 | 34,636 | 483 | % | |||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (66,404) | (128,726) | 62,322 | (48) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 4,688 | 2,919 | 1,769 | 61 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (71,092) | $ | (131,645) | $ | 60,553 | (46) | % |
Revenue. Revenue increased by $209.6 million, or 75%, to $488.1 million in 2021 as compared to $278.5 million in 2020. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with our continued growth in the majority of our existing markets, as well as our expansion into new markets such as Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $206.3 million, retail sports betting revenue of $2.6 million, and social gaming revenue of $0.7 million.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $141.3 million, or 74%, to $332.2 million in 2021 as compared to $190.9 million in 2020. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth in existing and new markets. Market access costs, operating expenses, gaming taxes and payment processing costs contributed $21.8 million, $26.5 million, $70.2 million, and $18.5 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with personnel costs contributing to the remaining $4.3 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue decreased to 68% in 2021 as compared to 69% in 2020.
Advertising and Promotions. Advertising and promotions expense increased by $134.0 million, or 237%, to $190.5 million in 2021 as compared to $56.5 million in 2020. The increase was mainly due to new and increased marketing efforts and strategies in newly entered and existing markets to increase customer awareness and acquisition of our offerings, such as executing strategic marketing or sponsorship arrangements with the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons, hall of famer Jerome Bettis, legendary NBA coach George Karl, nine-time First Division/Premier League champions, Everton Football Club, the Chicago Bears, Mike Ditka, Field of 68 Media Network, Field of 12 Media Network, Mark Schlereth and podcast organizations. Advertising and promotions expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 39% in 2021 as compared to 20% in 2020.
General Administration and Other. General administration and other expense decreased by $106.9 million, or 66%, to $55.5 million in 2021 as compared to $162.4 million in 2020. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to a reduction in share-based compensation expense of $119.8 million, which was partially offset by an increase in other general and
66
Table of Contents
administrative expense of $12.9 million. General administration and other expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 11% for 2021 as compared to 58% in 2020.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $2.2 million, or 104%, to $4.3 million in 2021 as compared to $2.1 million in 2020. The increase was mainly due to purchases of property and equipment and the related depreciation expense, and additional acquisition of gaming licenses, amounts paid for internally developed software, and capitalization of certain leases and the related amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 1% in 2021 and 2020.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net increased by $0.1 million, or 39%, to $0.2 million in 2021 as compared to $0.1 million in 2020. The increase was mainly attributable to the recognition of additional imputed interest associated with the recognition of deferred royalties and the commencement of additional leases as we continue to expand into new jurisdictions.
Change in fair value of earnout interests liability. Change in fair value of earnout interests liability was $13.7 million in 2021 and $2.3 million in 2020. Gains and losses are attributable to the remeasurement of the liability at fair value and were primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock. The liability was fully settled during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities. Change in fair value of warrant liability was $41.8 million in 2021 and $7.2 million in 2020. Gains and losses are attributable to the remeasurement of the liability at fair value and were primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock. The liability was fully settled during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense increased by $1.8 million, or 61%, to $4.7 million in 2021 as compared to $2.9 million in 2020. The increase in income tax expense is attributable to the profitability of certain of our subsidiaries. Income tax as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 1% in 2021 and 2020.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
| Years Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2020 | 2019 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 278,500 | $ | 63,667 | $ | 214,833 | 337 | % | ||||||
| Costs of revenue | 190,873 | 32,893 | 157,980 | 480 | % | |||||||||
| Advertising and promotions | 56,517 | 28,313 | 28,204 | 100 | % | |||||||||
| General administration and other | 162,447 | 23,649 | 138,798 | 587 | % | |||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 2,082 | 1,139 | 943 | 83 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (133,419) | (22,327) | (111,092) | 498 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (135) | (123) | (12) | 10 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of earnout interests liability | (2,338) | — | (2,338) | 100 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | 7,166 | — | 7,166 | 100 | % | |||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | (128,726) | (22,450) | (106,276) | 473 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 2,919 | — | 2,919 | 100 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (131,645) | $ | (22,450) | $ | (109,195) | 486 | % |
Revenue. Revenue increased by $214.8 million, or 337%, to $278.5 million in 2020 as compared to $63.7 million in 2019. The increase was mainly due to, and directly correlated with, our expansion into new markets (specifically Illinois, Colorado and Iowa), our continued growth in markets that we entered in 2019 such as Pennsylvania and our accelerated adoption of online casino during the COVID-19 pandemic and to a lesser extent, online sports betting once sports seasons and events resumed toward the end of the third quarter of 2020. The increase reflects higher period-over-period online casino and sports betting revenue of $212.5 million, social gaming revenue of $2.2 million and retail sports betting revenue of $0.1 million.
Costs of Revenue. Costs of revenue increased by $158.0 million, or 480%, to $190.9 million in 2020 as compared to $32.9 million in 2019. The increase was mainly due to and directly correlated with, our expansion and continued growth in
67
Table of Contents
existing and new markets (specifically Illinois, Colorado and Iowa). Market access costs, operating expenses and gaming taxes contributed $129.4 million, $18.1 million and $5.0 million, respectively, to the year-over-year increase in costs of revenue, with payments processing costs, personnel costs and other costs of revenue contributing to the remaining $5.5 million of the year-over-year increase. Costs of revenue as a percentage of revenue increased to 69% in 2020 as compared to 52% in 2019.
Advertising and Promotions. Advertising and promotions expense increased by $28.2 million, or 100%, to $56.5 million in 2020 as compared to $28.3 million in 2019. The increase was mainly due to new and increased marketing efforts and strategies in newly entered and existing markets to increase customer awareness and acquisition for our offerings, such as executing strategic marketing or sponsorship arrangements with the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons, hall of famer Jerome Bettis, legendary NBA coach George Karl and nine-time First Division/Premier League champions, Everton Football Club. Advertising and promotions expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 20% in 2020 as compared to 44% in 2019.
General Administration and Other. General administration and other expense increased by $138.8 million, or 587%, to $162.4 million in 2020 as compared to $23.6 million in 2019. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to $131.3 million of additional non-cash share-based compensation expense in 2020, related to partnership interests and profits interests in RSILP that were issued before the Business Combination. The remainder of the increase was due to increased personnel costs resulting from headcount growth between December 31, 2019 and 2020 as well as customary merit increases. General administration and other expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 58% for 2020 as compared to 37% in 2019.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $1.0 million, or 83%, to $2.1 million in 2020 as compared to $1.1 million in 2019. The increase was mainly due to purchases and subsequent amortization of license fees as we continue to expand into new states, such as Illinois and Colorado. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue decreased to 1% in 2020 as compared to 2% in 2019.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net was $0.1 million in 2020 and 2019.
Change in fair value of earnout interests liability. Change in fair value of earnout interests liability was $2.3 million in 2020 and zero in 2019. The change in fair value was primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock.
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities. We classify the Warrants issued in connection with our February 2020 IPO and the closing of the Business Combination as derivative liabilities with subsequent changes in their respective fair values recognized in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Change in fair value of warrant liabilities was $7.2 million in 2020 and zero in 2019. The change in fair value of warrant liabilities was due to the increase in the estimated fair value of the Warrants, which was primarily a result of changes in the underlying share price of our Class A Common Stock, offset by warrant issuance costs. Subsequent to the Business Combination, we had 11,500,000 Public Warrants, 6,600,000 Private Placement Warrants and 75,000 Working Capital Warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2020.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense was $2.9 million in 2020 and zero in 2019.
Seasonality and Other Trends Impacting Our Business
Our results of operations can and generally do fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors such as level of customer engagement, online casino and sports betting results and other factors that are outside of our control or that we cannot reasonably predict. Our quarterly financial performance depends on our ability to attract and retain customers. Customer engagement in our online offerings may vary due to, among other things, customer satisfaction with our platform, the number and timing of sporting events, the length of professional sports seasons, our offerings and those of our competitors, our marketing efforts, climate and weather conditions, public sentiment or an economic downturn. As customer engagement varies, so may our quarterly financial performance.
Our quarterly financial results may also be impacted by the number and amount of betting losses and jackpot payouts we experience. Although our losses are limited per stake to a maximum payout in our online casino offering, when looking at bets across a period of time, these losses can be significant. As part of our online casino offering, we offer progressive jackpot games. Each time a customer plays a progressive jackpot game, we contribute a portion of the amount bet to the
68
Table of Contents
jackpot for that game or group of games. When a progressive jackpot is won, the jackpot is paid out and is reset to a predetermined base amount. As winning the jackpot is determined by a random mechanism, we cannot foresee when a jackpot will be won and we do not insure against jackpot payouts. Paying the progressive jackpot decreases our cash position and depending upon the size of the jackpot it may have a significant negative affect on our cash flow and financial condition.
Our online sports betting and retail sports betting operations experience seasonality based on the relative popularity and frequency of certain sporting events. Although sporting events occur throughout the year, our online sports betting customers are most active during the American football season as well as during the NBA and NCAA basketball seasons. In addition, the suspension, postponement or cancellation of major sports seasons and sporting events, due to COVID-19, may adversely impact our quarterly results. See “— Impact of COVID-19.”
From a legislative perspective, we are continuing to see strong momentum to legalize and regulate online sports betting in new U.S. jurisdictions. As expected, in many cases these new U.S. jurisdictions are first trying to legalize and regulate online sports betting before considering whether to legalize and regulate online casino. However, given the tax generation success of online casino in markets where it has been legalized, we are also continuing to see strong momentum for online casino in several U.S. jurisdictions that are looking for additional revenue sources to fund expanding budgets.
We operate within the global gaming and entertainment industry, which is comprised of diverse products and offerings that compete for consumers’ time and disposable income. We face and expect to continue to face significant competition from other industry players both within existing and new markets including from competitors with access to more resources or experience. Customer demands for new and innovative offerings and features require us to continue to invest in new technologies and content to improve the customer experience. Many jurisdictions in which we operate or intend to operate in the future have unique regulatory and/or technological requirements, which require us to have robust, scalable networks and infrastructure, and agile engineering and software development capabilities. The global gaming and entertainment industry has seen significant consolidation, regulatory change and technological development over the last few years, and we expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future, which may create opportunities for us but may also create competitive and margin pressures.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations and other commitments, with cash flows from operations. Our current working capital needs relate mainly to supporting our existing businesses, the growth of these businesses in their existing markets and their expansion into other geographic regions, as well as our employees’ compensation and benefits.
We had $281.0 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021 (excluding customer cash deposits, which we segregate from our operating cash balances on behalf of our real-money customers for all jurisdictions and products). On February 22, 2021, we announced the redemption (the “Redemption”) of all the Company’s warrants to purchase Class A common stock that were issued to third parties in connection with dMY Technology Group, Inc.’s initial public offering (the “Public Warrants”), which were exercisable for an aggregate of approximately 11.5 million shares of Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share. During the year ended December 31, 2021, 11,442,389 Public Warrants were exercised at a price of $11.50 per share, resulting in cash proceeds of approximately $131.6 million. We intend for the foreseeable future to continue to finance our operations without third-party debt and entirely from operating cash flows and proceeds from the Redemption.
In connection with the Business Combination, we executed the TRA, by and among the Special Limited Partner, RSILP, the Sellers and the Sellers’ representative, which generally provides for the payment by the Special Limited Partner of 85% of certain net tax benefits, if any, that RSI and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the Special Limited Partner, realizes (or in certain cases is deemed to realize) as a result of the increases in tax basis and tax benefits related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the exchange of Retained RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock (or cash) and tax benefits related to entering into the TRA, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the TRA. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments made under the TRA will vary, such payments may be significant. Any payments made under the TRA will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us and, to the extent that payments required under the TRA are unable to be made for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. To date, no material payments under the TRA have been made, and no payments or accrued payments thereunder are expected in the near future
69
Table of Contents
as payments under the TRA are not owed until the tax benefits generated thereunder are more-likely-than-not to be realized.
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalents, proceeds from the Redemption and cash flows from operations to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. We may, however, need additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other developments, including unanticipated regulatory developments, significant acquisitions and competitive pressures. We expect our capital expenditures and working capital requirements to continue to increase in the immediate future to support our growth as we seek to expand our offerings across more of the United States and worldwide, which will require significant investment in our online gaming platform and our personnel, in particular in product development, engineering and operations roles. See Note 16 of our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a summary of our commitments as of December 31, 2021. We also expect to increase our marketing, advertising and promotional spend in existing and new markets, as well as market access fees and license costs as we continuing to enter into new market access arrangements with local partners in new jurisdictions. In particular, we are party to several non-cancelable contracts with vendors and licensors for marketing and other strategic partnerships where we are obligated to make future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these contracts. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to decrease our level of investment in new product or service launches and related marketing initiatives or to scale back our existing operations, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
We expect our material cash requirements during the upcoming 12-month period to include $0.8 million of lease payments, $10.0 million of license and market access fees, and $18.4 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations with marketing vendors. In addition, we will continue to pursue expansion into new markets, which is expected to require significant capital investments. We have $56.5 million of additional non-cancellable purchase obligations subsequent to the upcoming 12-month period. Management believes our current cash holdings and various avenues available to pursue funding in capital market will suffice to fund these obligations.
As of December 31, 2021, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Debt
As of December 31, 2021, we had no debt outstanding. We have an outstanding letter of credit for $1.0 million in connection with our operations in Colombia, for which no amounts have been drawn as of December 31, 2021.
Cash Flows
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the stated periods:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | (48,186) | $ | 16,179 | $ | (2,459) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (37,002) | (6,243) | (5,770) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 125,584 | 241,071 | 15,545 | |||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | (2,132) | 515 | (6) | |||||||
| Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | 38,264 | $ | 251,522 | $ | 7,310 |
Operating activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $48.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $16.2 million provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increased use of cash reflects a lower period-over-period net loss totaling $60.6 million, which was more than offset by lower non-cash expenses totaling $140.7 million and a decline in working capital changes of $15.8 million. The increase in non-cash expenses totaling $140.7 million was driven primarily by an decrease in share-based compensation expense of $119.8 million and the change in fair value of warrant liabilities of $34.6 million, partially offset by the change in fair value of earnout interests liability of $11.4 million.
70
Table of Contents
Net cash provided by operating activities was $16.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $2.5 million used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase reflects a higher period-over-period net loss totaling $109.2 million, which was more than offset by higher non-cash expenses totaling $127.6 million and improvement in working capital of $0.2 million. The increase in non-cash expenses totaling $127.6 million was driven primarily by an increase in share-based compensation expense of $131.3 million and the change in fair value of earnout interests liability of $2.3 million, partially offset by the change in fair value of warrant liabilities of $7.2 million.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities during 2021 increased by $30.8 million to $37.0 million, as compared to $6.2 million during 2020. The increase reflects higher period-over-period costs including increased gaming license acquisition purchases of $19.2 million, cash paid for internally developed software costs of $4.1 million, acquisition of developed technology intangible assets of $3.3 million, property and equipment costs of $2.0 million, investment in equity of $1.5 million, and investments in long-term time deposits of $0.7 million.
Net cash used in investing activities during 2020 increased by $0.4 million to $6.2 million, as compared to $5.8 million during 2019. The increase reflects higher period-over-period purchases of property and equipment of $1.4 million, partially offset by lower period-over-period acquisitions of gaming licenses of $1.0 million such as Illinois and Colorado.
Financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities during 2021 decreased by $115.5 million to $125.6 million, as compared to $241.1 million during 2020. The decrease primarily reflects the net proceeds from the exercise of warrants of $131.6 million, which was more than offset by the Business Combination and PIPE financing of $239.8 million received during 2020, increased costs to repurchase common stock of $3.5 million, and increased principal payments of finance lease liabilities of $2.1 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities during 2020 increased by $225.6 million to $241.1 million, as compared to $15.5 million during 2019. The increase reflects the net proceeds from the Business Combination and PIPE financing of $239.8 million during 2020, partially offset by lower period-over period member capital contributions net of member distributions of $14.2 million.
Critical Accounting Policies
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In doing so, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances and evaluates these estimates on an on-going basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates. A discussion of our more significant estimates follows. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates and assumptions with the Audit Committee of the Board. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further information on our critical and other significant accounting policies.
Share-based Compensation (subsequent to the Business Combination)
We have issued stock-based awards with service-based conditions or market-based conditions. Our historical and outstanding share-based compensation awards are described in Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based awards and is recognized over the requisite service period of the awards. Following the Business Combination, the fair value of our Class A Common Stock is now determined based on the quoted market price. To estimate the fair value of stock option awards, we used the Black-Scholes model, and we used a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of grants with market-based conditions. Both the Black-Scholes model and the Monte Carlo simulation require management to make a number of key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The risk-free interest rate is estimated using the rate of return on U.S. treasury notes with a life that approximates the expected term. The expected term assumption used in the Black-Scholes model represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding and is estimated using the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the option.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and our management uses significantly different assumptions or estimates, our share-based compensation expense for future
71
Table of Contents
periods could be materially different, including as a result of adjustments to share-based compensation expense recorded for prior periods.
Share-based Compensation (prior to the Business Combination)
Our historical share-based compensation awards, including the issuances of equity awards and liability awards, are described in Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Share-based compensation expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 relates entirely to partnership interests in RSILP that were issued before the Business Combination.
Share-based awards expected to be satisfied in cash are treated as liability awards and remeasured at fair value at the end of each reporting period, recognizing a proportionate amount of the expense for each period over the vesting period of the award. Share-based awards expected to be satisfied in Company common stock are treated as equity awards and recorded based on an estimated grant date fair value and on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award. We account for forfeitures as they occur. Determination of the fair value of the awards requires judgments and estimates regarding, among other things, the appropriate methodologies to follow in valuing the awards and the related inputs required by those valuation methodologies.
Prior to the Business Combination, we obtained a third-party valuation at the grant date for equity awards and at each remeasurement date for liability awards based upon assumptions regarding risk-free rates of return, expected volatilities, the expected term of the award and dividend yield, as applicable. The risk-free rate was based on an extrapolated 5-year U.S. Treasury bond rate in effect at the time of grant given the expected time to liquidity. The expected term represented the period that our awards were expected to be outstanding and was calculated using a permitted simplified method, which was based on the vesting period and contractual term for each tranche of awards. The expected volatility was based on the historical share volatility of several comparable publicly traded companies over a period of time equal to the expected term of the awards, as we did not have any trading history of RSILP common units prior to the Business Combination. The comparable companies were chosen based on their size, stage in life cycle and area of specialty. The dividend yield used was zero because we have not paid dividends on RSILP common units nor did we expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
Prior to the Business Combination, we determined the estimated fair value of the RSILP common units (which include preferred units, Common A-1 units, Common A-2 units and Common B-1 units) based on third party valuation reports that were prepared in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Technical Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we determined the estimated fair value of the RSILP common units using the Option Pricing Model (“OPM”), an allocation method that considers the current value of equity and then allocates that equity value to each equity class based on its corresponding rights and preferences. The OPM treated the common units and preferred units as call options on our total equity value, with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences of the preferred units. The OPM utilized the Black-Scholes model to price the call options and considered the various terms of the unitholder agreements that would affect the distributions to each class of equity upon a liquidity event, including the level of seniority among the classes of equity, dividend policy, conversion ratios and cash allocations. We applied a Market Approach (using the Market Value of Invested Capital) to determine our total equity value. The Market Value of Invested Capital was determined based on the performance of a set of guideline comparable companies, known as the Guideline Publicly-Traded Companies Method, or GPTCM, and a set of guideline comparable recent market transactions, known as the Guideline Company Transactions Method, or GTM. Under the GPTCM and GTM, valuation multiples were calculated from the market data and operating metrics of the guideline companies/transactions. The selected multiples were evaluated and adjusted based on our strengths and weaknesses relative to the companies/transactions being analyzed. The selected multiples were ultimately applied to our operating metrics to calculate indications of value. A discount for lack of marketability was also then applied.
Beginning in June 2020, we determined the estimated fair value of the RSILP common units using the Hybrid Method, which incorporated the OPM and the Probability Weighted Expected Return Method (PWERM) Scenario-Based Method, estimating the probability-weighted value across multiple scenarios by using the OPM to estimate the allocation of value within one or more of those scenarios. The Hybrid Method was utilized given there was transparency into one or more near-term potential exits but there existed uncertainty regarding what would occur if the near-term exit plans did not materialize. Under the PWERM, the values of the various equity interests were estimated based upon an analysis of future values for RSILP, assuming various potential future outcomes. Share value was based upon the probability-weighted
72
Table of Contents
present value of expected future investment returns, considering each of the possible future outcomes available to us, as well as the rights of each share class. The future outcomes modeled included (1) an acquisition and (2) continued operations as a private company until a later exit date. To estimate the total equity value for the acquisition model, we utilized a Post-Money Value derived from the Business Combination Agreement, and to estimate the total equity value for the continued operations as a private company model, we utilized an average of the values from the GPTCM and GTM analyses.
After deriving the indicated values of equity under each scenario, the common unit per share equity allocations were calculated based on a cash exit distribution allocation method for the acquisition model and an OPM for the continued operations as a private company model. After calculating the per share values in each model, we applied discounts for the time until exit and lack of marketability, and then applied a probability estimate to each scenario (acquisition versus continued operations as a private company), representing the likelihood of each scenario occurring. The fair value of common units was ultimately determined by calculating the probability weighted average of both scenarios.
For the period ended December 29, 2020, we continued to determine the estimated fair value of the RSILP common units using the OPM and PWERM Scenario-Based Method. However, because the analysis was performed on December 29, 2020 (i.e., the effective date of the Business Combination), we only considered the acquisition model and not the continued operations as a private company model. We utilized a Post-Money Value derived from the Business Combination Agreement to estimate the total equity value and calculated the common unit per share equity allocations based on a cash exit distribution allocation method. We did not apply any discount for time until exit, lack of marketability or probability of executing the merger.
Our management and Board considered various objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of RSILP’s equity price per unit of each grant date, including the value determined by a third-party valuation firm. The factors considered by the third-party valuation firm and our Board included the following:
•our financial performance, capital structure and stage of development;
•our management team and business strategy;
•external market conditions affecting our industry, including competition and regulatory landscape;
•our financial position and forecasted operating results;
•the lack of an active public or private market for our equity units;
•the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as a sale of Rush Street Interactive, LP or an initial public offering of our equity units; and
•market performance analyses, including with respect to unit price valuation, of similar companies in our industry.
Application of these approaches involves the use of estimates, judgment and assumptions that are highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses and future cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies and the probability of possible future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions or the relationships between the assumptions impact our valuations as of each valuation date and may have a material impact on the valuation of these common units.
In contemplation of the Business Combination, the RSILP common units that existed prior to the Business Combination, including the profits interests described above, were converted into Class A Common Units of RSILP on December 29, 2020. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Fair value measurements
Fair value measurements are based on the premise that fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use
73
Table of Contents
in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, the following three-tier fair value hierarchy has been used in determining the inputs used in measuring fair value:
•Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities on the reporting date.
•Level 2 – Pricing inputs are based on quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
•Level 3 – Pricing inputs are generally unobservable and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs into the determination of fair value require management’s judgment or estimation of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the assets or liabilities. The fair values are therefore determined using factors that involve considerable judgment and interpretations, including but not limited to private and public comparables, third-party appraisals, discounted cash flow models, and fund manager estimates.
Financial instruments measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Management’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability. The use of different assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on estimated fair values. Accordingly, the fair value estimates disclosed or initial amounts recorded may not be indicative of the amount that the Company or holders of the instruments could realize in a current market exchange. Financial liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis include the Earnout Interests Liability and Warrant Liabilities.
Earnout Interests Liabilities
The earnout interests, as described in Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, are subject to certain restrictions on transfer and voting and potential forfeiture pending the achievement (if any) of certain earnout targets. The earnout targets include (a) a change of control within three years of the Closing, (b) achieving certain revenue targets for the year ended December 31, 2021, and (c) achieving certain volume weighted average share prices (“VWAPs”) within three years of the Closing. With respect to the revenue targets for the 2021 year, the percentage of Earnout Interests no longer subject to the restrictions, starting at 25% and ending at 100%, is dependent on achieving revenue equal to $270 million up to $300 million, respectively. With respect to the earnout targets related to VWAPs, the share price must be equal to or exceed the target price for 10 trading days of any 20 consecutive trading day period. Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, a VWAP of $12.00 and $14.00 would result in 50% and 100%, respectively, of the Earnout Interests being no longer subject to the restrictions. Certain of those earnout targets were achieved in January 2021 and, as a result, 100% of the shares and units subject to these restrictions were deemed earned and thus were no longer subject to the restrictions.
We obtained a third-party valuation at December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Business Combination date) and at December 31, 2020 based upon assumptions regarding share price, maturity, volatility and risk-free rate. The share price represents the trading price as of the valuation date. The maturity assumption represents the time to maturity or expiration of the earnout interest, which was three years. The volatility in the analysis was determined using the Guideline Public Companies’ daily trading activity. Daily volatilities were calculated based on the daily trading activity using a historical lookback period commensurate with the maturity. The selected volatility was the average of the Guideline Public Companies’ volatility for the period, which was calculated to be 54.58%. The risk-free rate utilizes the three-year U.S. Treasury bond rate in effect at the time of the grant.
The fair value was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation of 500,000 trials to value the earnout interests as of the valuation date. Within each trial, the Geometric Brownian Motion formula is used to simulate the underlying security price through the life of the earnout interests. In each trial, the 10th largest simulated trading price within any 20-day trading period was observed to determine if and when the earnout interests met either of the threshold values ($12.00 and $14.00) defined in the Trigger Events. Each future value is discounted to the appropriate valuation date at the risk-free rate to determine the value conclusion within each trial. The average of all 500,000 trials yields the overall valuation conclusion.
As of December 31, 2021, none of the earnout interests remained outstanding.
74
Table of Contents
Warrant Liabilities
As described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we evaluated the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants under ASC 815-40, and concluded that they do not meet the criteria to be classified in stockholders’ equity. Specifically, the exercise of these warrants may be settled in cash upon the occurrence of a tender offer or exchange that involves 50% or more of our stockholders holding Class A Common Stock. Because not all of the stockholders need to participate in such tender offer or exchange to trigger the potential cash settlement and we do not control the occurrence of such an event, we concluded that the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants do not meet the conditions to be classified in equity. Because the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants meet the definition of a derivative under ASC 815-40, we recorded these warrants as liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet at fair value as of each reporting date, with subsequent changes in their respective fair values recognized in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss).
We determined the fair value of our Public Warrants based on the publicly listed trading price of such warrants on the valuation date. We determined the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants using Level 3 inputs within a Black-Scholes model. The Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants were valued as of December 29, 2020 (i.e., the Business Combination closing date) and December 31, 2020. The significant inputs and assumptions in this method are the stock price, exercise price, volatility, risk-free rate, and term or maturity. The underlying stock price input is the closing stock price as of each valuation date and the exercise price is the price as stated in the warrant agreement. The volatility input was determined using the historical volatility of comparable publicly traded companies which operate in a similar industry or are our direct competitors. Volatility for each comparable is calculated as the annualized standard deviation of daily continuously compounded returns. The Black-Scholes analysis is performed in a risk-neutral framework, which requires a risk-free rate assumption based upon constant-maturity treasury yields, which are interpolated based on the remaining term of the Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants as of each valuation date. The term/maturity is the duration between each valuation date and the maturity date, which is five years following the date the Business Combination closed, or December 29, 2025.
As of December 31, 2021, none of the warrants remained outstanding.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated by applying existing tax laws and the rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the year of the enacted rate change.
We regularly review our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryovers, for recoverability, and a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we make estimates and assumptions regarding projected future taxable income, our ability to carry back operating losses to prior periods, the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and the implementation of tax planning strategies. Based on our cumulative earnings history and forecasted future sources of taxable income, we have determined we are not more-likely-than-not to realize existing deferred tax assets and thus have recorded a valuation allowance. As we reassesses these assumptions in the future, changes in forecasted taxable income may alter this expectation and may result in an increase to the valuation allowance and an increase in the effective tax rate.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition and measurement threshold for tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return, which are subject to examination by federal and state taxing authorities. The tax benefit from an uncertain tax position is recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of the benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The effective tax rate and the tax basis of assets and liabilities reflect management’s estimates of the ultimate outcome of various tax uncertainties. We recognize penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions within the provision (benefit) for income taxes line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
75
Table of Contents
Tax Receivable Agreement
Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, the Special Limited Partner is required to pay to the Sellers and/or the exchanging holders of RSILP Units, as applicable, 85% of the net income tax savings that we and our consolidated subsidiaries (including the Special Limited Partner) realize as a result of increases in tax basis in RSILP’s assets related to the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement and the future exchange of the Retained RSILP Units (for shares of Class A Common Stock (or cash) pursuant to the RSILP A&R LPA and tax benefits related to entering into the Tax Receivable Agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, and those payments may be substantial.
We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets resulting from the exchange of RSILP Units for Class A Common Stock. If the deferred tax assets are determined to be realizable, we then assess whether payment of amounts under the TRA have become probable. If so, we record a TRA liability equal to 85% of such deferred tax assets. In subsequent periods, we assess the realizability of all our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA. Should it be determined that a deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance is realizable in a subsequent period, the related valuation allowance will be released and consideration of a corresponding TRA liability will be assessed. The realizability of deferred tax assets, including those subject to the TRA, is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those deferred tax assets become deductible and consideration of prudent and feasible tax-planning strategies.
The measurement of the TRA liability is accounted for as a contingent liability. Therefore, once we determine that a payment becomes probable and can be estimated, the estimate of the payment will be accrued.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”) exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. RSI is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. The Company remains an emerging growth company and is expected to continue to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period. This may make it difficult or impossible to compare the Company financial results with the financial results of another public company that is either not an emerging growth company or is an emerging growth company that has chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period exemptions for emerging growth companies because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.