The publication of a report commissioned by Evolution has placed the supplier’s compliance practices back at the center of its legal dispute with Playtech and Black Cube.
The Spectrum Gaming Group report emerged through proceedings in New Jersey and examines allegations that Evolution’s games were available in markets where they were prohibited. Playtech has highlighted findings it says reinforce parts of the investigation it commissioned from Black Cube.
Spectrum raised concerns about access to Evolution’s games in certain prohibited markets, the regulatory implications of the company’s practices and the extent of its monitoring of customers. The report also considered measures Evolution had taken in response to earlier allegations.
Findings Raise Questions Over Market Controls
One of the report’s key findings concerned Evolution games appearing in prohibited locations. Spectrum was able to “specifically corroborate” claims involving Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The report took a different position on allegations involving sanctioned countries. Spectrum said it did not believe Evolution had engaged in illegal practices and rejected claims related to cash payments and the use of its games in sanctioned jurisdictions.
For allegations involving Iran, Syria and Sudan, however, Spectrum was unable to “confirm or refute” the claims. Playtech said Evolution had failed to provide significant information requested by Spectrum, preventing the consultants from establishing whether gaming sessions had taken place in those countries.
The report also questioned Evolution’s response to activity involving its customers. It found that the supplier had “not taken any proactive steps” to ensure customer-facing operators complied with contractual requirements.
According to the findings cited by Playtech, Evolution had not taken remedial action to block specific sites or jurisdictions or enforce relevant contractual provisions following the emergence of the allegations.
Evolution Faces Wider Regulatory Pressure
The report identified another compliance issue involving virtual currencies. It said Evolution had accepted wagers using such currency without triggering the enhanced due diligence normally expected in those circumstances.
Separately, Evolution has faced action from the UK Gambling Commission. The regulator agreed a £4.75m settlement with the supplier after finding that its games had been accessible through several unlicensed UK operators.
The Commission also investigated Evolution’s anti-money laundering and customer due diligence controls in the UK. It considered suspending the company’s licence before Evolution introduced ring-fencing controls across Europe to prevent its games from being used in grey markets.
The current dispute traces back to Playtech’s decision in 2020 to hire Black Cube to investigate Evolution. Allegations from that investigation became public in 2021, prompting Evolution to characterize the work as a “smear campaign”.
Evolution then commissioned Spectrum to examine the claims. Court proceedings later disclosed that Playtech had paid £1.8m for the original investigation, contributing to a roughly 25% fall in Playtech’s shares during the relevant trading session in October 2025.
Evolution has previously said its defamation proceedings seek to hold Playtech and Black Cube “accountable for its wrongdoing” and protect shareholder value. Its case against Black Cube remains ongoing, while Evolution also sought to add Playtech as a defendant in April.
Evolution declined to comment on the latest court filings.
Source:
“Playtech’s legal spat with rival deepens after publication of secret report”, cityam.com, September 9, 2026
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