Online gaming supplier Playtech says a newly public report commissioned by rival Evolution corroborates several findings from intelligence firm Black Cube's investigation into the availability of Evolution's games in prohibited markets.
Key Takeaways
- Playtech says a new Spectrum Gaming report supports some findings from Black Cube's investigation into Evolution.
- Evolution commissioned the report after Black Cube made allegations about its operations.
- The news comes as part of a long-standing feud between the two suppliers in which Evolution claims Playtech and Black Cube had been running a smear campaign against it.
The Spectrum Gaming report was made public during ongoing litigation in New Jersey after Evolution had sought to keep it confidential, according to London South East. Despite that, Playtech argued the report backed up several of Black Cube’s findings.
Playtech said the report corroborated concerns about Evolution games being available in prohibited jurisdictions, including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates, per City AM. The report also found Evolution had not taken proactive steps to ensure customer-facing operators were complying with contractual terms.
The report could not “confirm nor refute” allegations that Evolution's games were being offered in Iran, Syria, or Sudan. However, it found Evolution's compliance practices were “problematic” and placed the company in a “precarious situation with law enforcement officials.”
“For months, Evolution has publicly characterized the Spectrum Report as exonerating it. Yet, at the same time, Evolution consistently refused to make the report available to the public,” Playtech said, per City AM.
“Now that the Spectrum Report is publicly available, it is clear both why the Spectrum Report has become so important in the US litigation – and why Evolution fought so hard to keep it confidential.”
Evolution is yet to comment on the release of the Spectrum Report.
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Playtech, Evolution's long-running feud
The dispute between the two online gaming suppliers dates back to November 2021 when Evolution accused Playtech of hiring Black Cube to investigate its operations beginning December 2020.
Evolution accused Playtech and Black Cube of running a “smear campaign,” alleging the intelligence firm used disguises, alcohol, and covert payments when obtaining interviews with former employees. Black Cube was also accused of using misleading soundbites to create a false narrative against Evolution.
Law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky initially filed Black Cube's report with U.S. regulators in November 2021. In 2024, both the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board dismissed the report by Playtech and Black Cube, arguing there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Evolution.
The following year, a New Jersey Superior Court ruled Black Cube’s report was untruthful and that it only promoted false allegations against Evolution. Black Cube was then ordered to disclose its client, and it was found that Playtech had paid £1.8 million ($2.44 million) into the investigation against Evolution.
For now, the case between Evolution and Black Cube and its rivalry with Playtech continues.
