Evolution, a prominent slot game developer, has accepted a settlement of £4.75 million ($6.4 million) with the UK Gambling Commission due to its game content being provided to unlicensed operators. This agreement wraps up a license review initiated by the Gambling Commission in late 2024.
The company disclosed that the payment stems from its games being accessible to UK customers through two unlicensed operators across six different websites. Upon realizing this issue, Evolution terminated its relationship with these operators, ensuring that UK customers could no longer access its games without proper licensing.
Martin Carlesund, Evolution's CEO, emphasized the company’s dedication to compliance: “At Evolution, we always want to do what is right, and it is not acceptable that six unlicensed sites offered Evolution content in the regulated UK market. We do not want traffic from unlicensed operators and will always move quickly to address any such situation. We welcome the conclusion of the review and remain focused on continuing to supply our world-leading games to licensed operators in the UK.”
The company aims to strengthen its regulatory measures and has recently implemented enhanced ring-fencing strategies.
The investigation began in December 2024, when the Gambling Commission warned Evolution that it could jeopardize its license. However, with the settlement, any potential sanctions will cease. The Commission noted that Evolution cooperated during the review and complied promptly with requests to remove its games from the unlicensed sites.
Carlesund reiterated the company's desire for a clear and straightforward relationship with regulators.
In addition to these issues, Evolution faces claims of knowingly supplying its games to markets where gambling is prohibited. Investigative reports suggest that the company’s games were available in several sanctioned and restricted countries, including Iran, Syria, and Sudan. There have been allegations from secret recordings indicating that executives, including Carlesund, were aware that a significant portion of the company’s revenue came from illegal markets. The accusations claim that more than half of Evolution's earnings originate from unregulated sectors.
In response to these assertions, Evolution has launched a lawsuit against Calcagni & Kanefsky, the firm that published the report. During this legal battle, Evolution discovered that competitor Playtech had hired the Israeli investigative company Black Cube to create the report. A New Jersey judge recently denied Evolution’s request to amend its complaint to include Playtech as a defendant. The lawsuit is still progressing.
