Evolution makes accusations about Playtech as it moves to name rival gaming supplier as a defendant in ongoing lawsuit
Evolution is seeking approval from the Superior Court of New Jersey to add Playtech as a defendant in its ongoing defamation lawsuit against Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP and Black Cube.
Evolution also seeks to add crisis communications expert Juda Engelmayer and other defendants to suit for their roles in “commissioning and disseminating highly inflammatory and defamatory reports” about the company.
The lawsuit against the law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky and private intelligence agency Black Cube was initiated in December 2021 after the law firm submitted an anonymous report, later found to be authored by Black Cube, to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
The report accused Evolution of supplying its games illegally in money-laundering hot spots such as Iran and Syria, as well as in countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore, where online gaming is explicitly banned.
Evolution maintains that it strictly complies with all laws and regulations and accuses Playtech of “orchestrating this smear campaign” in an effort to eliminate competition in North America.
Today’s filing alleges that Playtech engaged in trade libel, fraud and racketeering, and that it withheld information about its conduct from shareholders.
In a statement this morning, Evolution said: “It continues to be disappointing that a direct competitor would go to such extreme lengths to orchestrate a covert campaign designed to harm our business and avoid competing fairly in the marketplace.
“We are formally naming Playtech in our lawsuit because the facts are clear: Playtech hired Black Cube to create and publicize a defamatory report designed to harm Evolution, all while misleading the market and lying to investors about its role. For nearly four years, Playtech spent millions of dollars in legal fees to conceal its involvement in this smear campaign and avoid accountability.
“In addition to exposing Playtech’s role as the plan’s original architect, the litigation has uncovered disturbing details of its scheme, including the lucrative success fees Playtech paid Black Cube to craft a preordained narrative about Evolution and advance allegations that lack supporting evidence.”
Evolution also accuses Black Cube director Avi Yanus of systematically concealing evidence from regulators and the public that did not support Playtech’s “desired false narrative”.
“From its very inception, Playtech and Black Cube’s agreement outlined plans to concoct, disseminate, and publish a defamatory report about Evolution’s business in order to get regulators to open an investigation and ultimately revoke Evolution’s gaming license,” the statement added.
“Black Cube’s report, which was leaked to the media by Juda Engelmayer and his firm, HeraldPR, in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars, was determined by two state gaming regulators in the U.S. to lack evidentiary support. However, amplification of the report by Engelmayer and other Defendants continued to cause significant reputational and financial harm to Evolution.”
When news of the illegal markets report first broke, Evolution’s shares were trading at around SEK 1,440.00 per share. The shares closed in Stockholm on Wednesday at SEK 613.90 per share.
Evolution’s statement continued: “Playtech and Black Cube continue to manufacture false allegations of purported misconduct throughout these legal proceedings, and we expect that to continue. It should not go unnoticed that Playtech currently operates or has operated in some of the very markets it accuses Evolution of operating in illegally.
“Playtech was even sanctioned in 2025 for compliance lapses related to some of its operations in Sweden. These accusations should be seen for what they actually are: Playtech’s ongoing attempts to undermine competition by harming Evolution’s business and reputation.”
Shares in Evolution AB (STO:EVO) were trading 1.53 per cent lower at SEK 604.20 per share in Stockholm Thursday morning, while shares in Playtech plc. (LSE:PTEC) were trading 3.06 per cent lower at 380.40 pence per share in London.