Playtech Says Unsealed Report Corroborates Black Cube Findings Against Evolution

^{Evolution supplies live dealer and RNG casino games to operators in more than 50 jurisdictions worldwide. (Photo: hj_west / Wikimedia Commons)}

Playtech has said that a report Evolution AB commissioned to rebut a rival investigation has instead corroborated several of that investigation's core findings, deepening a legal dispute between the two suppliers that dates back to 2021.

In a regulatory announcement to the London Stock Exchange on 9 September 2026, Playtech said a court filing submitted the previous day by the intelligence firm Black Cube had placed the full 'Spectrum Report' into the public record for the first time. Evolution had commissioned the report from the Spectrum Gaming Group to challenge Black Cube's earlier investigation into its business.

According to Playtech's statement, the Spectrum Report 'in fact corroborates fundamental aspects of Black Cube's investigation, including concerns around the availability of Evolution's games in certain prohibited markets, the regulatory implications of its practices, and the lack of proactive monitoring of its customers'.

Report Was Kept Confidential for Months

Playtech commissioned Black Cube in 2021 to investigate whether Evolution's casino games were reaching prohibited markets, including territories under US sanctions. Evolution has consistently described that investigation as an unlawful smear campaign involving secretly recorded interviews with its staff, and filed defamation proceedings against both Black Cube and, later, Playtech.

Evolution had for months referred to the Spectrum Report as clearing it of wrongdoing, while declining to publish the document itself. In its statement, Playtech said Evolution had argued that releasing the report could expose 'sensitive proprietary financial information'.

'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,' Playtech said in the statement.

Spectrum Could Not Rule Out Sanctioned-Market Activity

Playtech said Spectrum was able to 'specifically corroborate' several of Black Cube's key findings but could not confirm or refute others, because Evolution did not supply information the consultancy had requested. That included data that would have shown whether gaming sessions took place in Iran, Syria and Sudan, along with revenue reports for those jurisdictions.

The withheld material, Playtech said, prevented Spectrum from completing parts of its investigation and left Evolution with 'serious questions to answer around the availability of its games in prohibited markets'.

Playtech also cited Spectrum's finding that Evolution 'does not take any proactive steps' to check that the operators using its products 'are complying with the terms of the contracts'. It said the report's compliance concerns are 'significant' and 'problematic', and place Evolution 'in a precarious situation with law enforcement officials'.

Comes Weeks After a UK Regulatory Settlement

The dispute has already drawn regulatory attention in the UK. In August 2026, the Gambling Commission agreed a £4.75 million settlement with Evolution after finding the supplier's games had been accessible through a small number of unlicensed operators in Britain, and that Evolution had failed to maintain adequate anti-money laundering and customer due diligence controls.

Evolution has not commented publicly on Playtech's latest statement. The company has previously said its defamation litigation is intended to hold Playtech and Black Cube 'accountable for its wrongdoing' and to protect shareholder value. Playtech said it 'stands by its decision to commission the original Black Cube investigation' and remains confident that court proceedings will confirm its credibility.

The litigation between Evolution, Playtech and Black Cube continues in the US courts.