Playtech has seized on the public release of a previously confidential Spectrum Gaming Group report to argue that long-running concerns about rival supplier Evolution’s activity in restricted gambling markets remain unresolved.
The report was commissioned by Evolution after a 2021 investigation by private intelligence company Black Cube raised allegations about the availability of Evolution games in prohibited and sanctioned jurisdictions. Playtech later confirmed that one of its subsidiaries had hired Black Cube to carry out that investigation.
Evolution has consistently rejected the allegations and has pursued defamation litigation over the original report. However, the Spectrum document was made public on 8 September as part of court proceedings in New Jersey after Black Cube argued that it was relevant to its defence.
Spectrum identifies prohibited-market exposure
According to the now-public findings, Spectrum was able to establish that Evolution products had been available in several jurisdictions where they were prohibited, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The report also found that Evolution received revenue from operators offering its games in some of those markets and identified weaknesses in the supplier’s monitoring of customers and enforcement of contractual restrictions. Spectrum said Evolution was not proactively checking whether customer-facing operators were complying with the geographic limitations set out in their agreements.
Spectrum also raised concerns over the use of virtual currencies, finding that wagers involving such assets should have triggered stronger due-diligence procedures.
Playtech said those conclusions support important elements of Black Cube’s original investigation, particularly its claims about access to Evolution content in markets where the games were not permitted.
However, the Spectrum report did not conclude that Evolution had engaged in illegal practices and did not substantiate some of the most serious allegations made by Black Cube.
In particular, it did not find evidence confirming that Evolution operated in US-sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran and Syria. Spectrum was also unable to reach conclusions on several allegations because it said it had not received all of the information it requested from Evolution, including material that could have helped determine whether gaming sessions occurred in Iran, Syria and Sudan.
Regulatory record adds context to dispute
The allegations previously triggered an investigation by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. That probe was closed in February 2024 without further action. According to Evolution’s announcement at the time, the regulator found no evidence that the company had sanctioned, promoted, permitted or materially benefited from its content being offered in jurisdictions considered prohibited by New Jersey authorities.
Evolution has nevertheless faced separate regulatory scrutiny in the UK.
In July 2026, the Gambling Commission ordered Evolution Malta Holding to pay £4.75 million following a licence review. The regulator found genuine Evolution games on six websites operated without a UK Gambling Commission licence but accessible to consumers in Great Britain.
The Commission identified shortcomings in Evolution’s money-laundering risk assessment, customer due diligence and controls designed to stop its products being supplied through unlicensed operators. The regulator said the failings were serious enough for licence suspension to have been considered, although Evolution responded by strengthening its controls and permanently geo-blocking its games from the affected sites.
Legal battle remains unresolved
Playtech maintains that the newly disclosed Spectrum document strengthens the credibility of the original Black Cube investigation and says it expects the ongoing court proceedings to examine the findings in full.
Evolution has taken the opposite position throughout the dispute, arguing that Black Cube’s work formed part of an attempt to damage its business and reputation. Its defamation case has continued for several years, while the company has previously sought to expand the litigation to include Playtech itself.
The Spectrum report had previously remained confidential after Evolution argued that disclosure could expose commercially sensitive information. Its release now gives regulators, investors and other industry observers access to a document that both sides have cited in support of sharply different versions of the dispute.
Evolution declined to comment on the latest publication of the report.