Evolution Agrees to £4.75m Settlement With UKGC, Ending License Review
The supplier avoided more severe sanctions after the regulator found no evidence of widespread access to its games through unlicensed operators.
Evolution has agreed a £4.75m ($6.4m) settlement with the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC), concluding a license review launched in December 2024 over allegations that the supplier’s games were available on unlicensed gambling websites accessible by British consumers.
The supplier announced the settlement in a press release, stating that the review primarily focused on findings that Evolution content had been offered through two operators on six websites that did not hold U.K. licenses. According to the company, the operators actively evaded the restrictions in place at the time.
Evolution said it immediately terminated its commercial relationships with the two operators after discovering the issue. The company added that during the regulator’s nearly 19-month review, the regulator found “no broader pattern of unlicensed access to Evolution content in the U.K.”
Evolution Says It Has Strengthened Compliance Measures
Evolution said it had fully cooperated with the UKGC throughout the review. The company added that it has continued to strengthen its procedures to prevent unauthorized access to its games.
Evolution said it has introduced enhanced ring-fencing measures and continues to invest in technical, legal and commercial efforts to identify and block unauthorized distribution.
CEO Martin Carlesund said:
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.”
Carlesund added that the company welcomed the conclusion of the review. He further said that Evolution would remain focused on supplying its games to licensed U.K. operators.
Review Began in December 2024
The investigation became public in December 2024. In investor filings, Evolution disclosed that the UKGC had initiated a review of its operating license under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005.
The announcement caused the stock to drop by over 11%. Although the U.K. accounted for only about 3% of Evolution’s revenue at the time, investors worried that the review could lead to significant penalties or raise broader regulatory concerns in other jurisdictions.
The UKGC later repeatedly declined to provide further details on the investigation’s scope. In responses to Freedom of Information requests, the regulator said disclosing information about the review could prejudice its licensing, compliance and enforcement functions and potentially undermine the integrity of its investigations.
The Commission also refused to confirm whether it had received complaints about Evolution games appearing on unlicensed websites. It argued that even confirming or denying such information could prejudice current or future investigations.
Evolution Previously Faced Similar Allegations in the US
Evolution has previously faced similar allegations in the U.S. regarding the distribution of its content in unregulated markets.
In 2021, a New York law firm filed a complaint with regulators in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The complaint was based on an investigative report by the private intelligence firm Black Cube, which claimed that Evolution’s games were accessible in various sanctioned and restricted countries, including Iran, Syria, and Sudan.
Following the complaint, Evolution lost more than $3 billion in market value. In 2022, the company sued the law firm, alleging the report was “inaccurate, false, defamatory, and methodologically flawed.”
U.S. regulators ultimately closed their investigations without taking action against Evolution. A New Jersey judge later described the report as “objectively baseless” from the state regulators’ perspective.
Court filings in 2025 revealed rival Playtech had hired Black Cube to investigate Evolution and produce the report. The defamation lawsuit is ongoing.
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