Playtech Says Newly Unsealed Report Corroborates Its Claims Against Evolution
A long-running legal dispute between two of the biggest suppliers of online casino games, Playtech and Evolution, gained new fuel this week after a report by independent firm Spectrum Gaming — originally commissioned by Evolution to counter earlier allegations — was made public during litigation in New Jersey. Playtech says the newly unsealed report actually backs up claims it has made for years: that Evolution's games were accessible and generating revenue in markets where they shouldn't have been available.
An investigation dating back to 2020
The dispute traces back to a secret investigation Playtech commissioned from intelligence firm Black Cube in December 2020, which produced a report filed with regulators in November 2021 alleging Evolution's live-dealer games were reaching prohibited jurisdictions, including Iran, Syria, and Sudan. Evolution disputed the findings, and in 2024 both the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board declined to act on the Black Cube report; a New Jersey Superior Court went further in 2025, ruling the report itself was untruthful.
In response to the original allegations, Evolution commissioned its own review from Spectrum Gaming to rebut Black Cube's claims. That Spectrum report stayed confidential until it was unsealed as part of the ongoing New Jersey litigation on September 10.
What the unsealed report says
According to Playtech, the Spectrum report — despite being commissioned by Evolution — could not confirm that Black Cube's allegations were false, and in some areas corroborated them. Playtech points to findings that Evolution's games were accessible and generating revenue in additional restricted markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and that Evolution failed to provide data that would have shown whether gaming sessions also occurred in Iran, Syria, and Sudan. The report also flagged that Evolution accepted virtual-currency wagers without adequate due diligence controls.
Playtech, in a statement responding to the report's release, said: "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." The dispute arrives against the backdrop of a separate £4.75 million settlement Evolution reached with the UK Gambling Commission over its games being accessible via unlicensed operators and gaps in anti-money-laundering controls.
Why it matters to US players
Evolution supplies live-dealer blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and game-show titles used across many licensed US online casino platforms, so disputes over its compliance practices are a live issue for the broader regulated market even though this specific fight centers on markets outside the US. Nothing here changes the legal status of Evolution's games at licensed US operators, where state regulators independently vet suppliers — but it's a reminder that the software and studios behind a casino app's games are a separate layer of oversight from the operator's own license. See our casino guides for how licensed real-money platforms are vetted and regulated.