Slot developer Evolution has agreed to pay a settlement of £4.75 million ($6.4 million) to the UK Gambling Commission for supplying unlicensed operators with its game content.
The company announced that the payment is a result of its content being available to UK customers via two unlicensed operators on six websites. It ends a license review the Gambling Commission initiated in late 2024.
Evolution said it ended its relationship with the unnamed operators upon discovering they were allowing UK customers to play the games without a valid license.
Evolution Says It’s Committed to Following Regulations
“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,” said CEO Martin Carlesund.
“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 said it “continuously strengthens its technical measures and refines its procedures, with the introduction of enhanced ring-fencing measures among the latest developments.”
UK Launched Investigation Over 18 Months Ago
The Commission first launched an investigation in December 2024. At that time, it said that Evolution risked losing its license over the matter.
However, the sanctions will end upon the settlement. The Commission said that Evolution cooperated with its review and acted upon requests to immediately make the games unavailable on the unlicensed sites.
Carlesund stressed that the company wants an “open and transparent relationship with our regulators.”
Evolution Accused of Knowingly Supplying Black Market
In addition to supplying unlicensed operators in regulated markets, such as the UK, Evolution has faced accusations that it knowingly provides its games to countries where gambling is forbidden.
An investigative report claimed Evolution’s games were accessible in various sanctioned and restricted countries, such as Iran, Syria, and Sudan.
Furthermore, secret recordings suggested executives, including Carlesund, knew it was generating substantial revenue from illegal markets. The report claimed that over half of Evolution’s revenue is from unregulated markets.
The company denied the findings and sued the legal firm behind the report, Calcagni & Kanefsky. During the lawsuit, Evolution discovered that rival gaming company Playtech had commissioned Israeli investigation firm Black Cube to prepare the report.
Last month, a New Jersey judge denied Evolution’s motion to amend its complaint to add Playtech as a defendant. The case remains ongoing.
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