A report by consultancy Spectrum Gaming, commissioned by Evolution to refute allegations made by intelligence firm Black Cube, has partially validated concerns about the live-casino supplier's compliance practices. Playtech, which hired Black Cube in 2020 to investigate Evolution, said the report corroborates several of the firm's claims.
Spectrum documented "concerns regarding the availability of Evolution games in prohibited markets, regulatory consequences of its practices, and the absence of proactive customer monitoring." The report was unsealed as part of litigation after Evolution sought to block its release on grounds of commercial confidentiality.
Evolution sued Black Cube in November 2021 after discovering the firm had covertly investigated its operations from December 2020, including recording employees with hidden cameras. Black Cube's dossier accused Evolution of supplying games to prohibited and sanctioned markets including Iran and Syria. Evolution called it a "smear campaign."
Spectrum stated it did not consider Evolution's actions unlawful and rejected claims of cash transactions and operations in sanctioned countries. But Playtech notes Spectrum could neither confirm nor refute several Black Cube allegations because Evolution withheld requested data, including whether gaming sessions took place in Iran, Syria and Sudan.
Spectrum did confirm that Evolution games were accessible and generated revenue in several prohibited jurisdictions: Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The report also found Evolution ignored cryptocurrency risks and continued earning from grey-market operators without applying contractual blocks.
Evolution attempted to add Playtech as a defendant in April. In July the UKGC fined the supplier £4.75m for game availability through unlicensed UK operators and insufficient AML controls.
