Evolution has amended its New Jersey defamation lawsuit to name Playtech Software Limited as a defendant, accusing the Isle of Man-headquartered supplier of commissioning intelligence firm Black Cube to produce a “knowingly false” report designed to damage its business and reputation.
Four Years to Unmask the Client
The case traces back to December 2020, when Evolution alleges Playtech hired Black Cube to investigate its operations. In November 2021, law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP submitted the resulting report to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), alleging Evolution operated in prohibited and sanctioned markets. Bloomberg published the claims the same month, triggering a crash in Evolution’s share price.
Evolution filed suit in December 2021 against Calcagni & Kanefsky and then-anonymous parties. For the following four years, both Black Cube and Playtech worked to conceal their roles in the matter. The identity of Black Cube’s client was only forced into the open after a New Jersey Superior Court ordered its disclosure in February 2025, with the court finding that the report was “not truthful” and that Evolution had suffered ongoing damages as a direct result.
In October 2025, once Playtech was identified, Evolution moved to amend its complaint to include Playtech Software Limited as a named defendant. Evolution alleges that high-level Playtech executives, including CEO Mor Weizer, communicated directly with Black Cube during the investigation and commissioning of the report.
Evolution’s Position
It is deeply disturbing to learn that one of our competitors has gone to such extraordinary lengths to damage our business and reputation by hiring Black Cube and paying them over £1.8m to fabricate a report they knew would have extremely harmful repercussions. The report, which was furnished to regulators by a law firm representing Black Cube and purposely leaked to the media, was determined by two state regulators in the U.S. to be lacking in evidentiary support. Later, the New Jersey Superior Court also determined that the defamatory report was untruthful and lacked veracity. Notwithstanding those findings, dissemination of the report has resulted in multi-billion-dollar damage to our company.
Evolution paid £1.8 million to Black Cube, according to its claims. An additional $33,700 went to Calcagni & Kanefsky for drafting the cover letter and submitting the report to regulators. A further $10,000 invoice was paid by Black Cube to HeraldPR, a New York firm led by Juda Engelmayer, for media management. The NJDGE and PGCB both closed their investigations into Evolution in February 2024 without taking enforcement action. The NJDGE found “no evidence showing that Evolution took illegal bets from New Jersey, another state, or any other prohibited jurisdiction.”
Playtech’s Response
Playtech pushed back immediately, describing the smear campaign allegation as “wholly untrue and designed to distract from serious questions about Evolution’s business practices.” Its subsidiary said it commissioned the investigation to probe “credible and repeated concerns raised by operators, suppliers and regulators” about Evolution’s activities in prohibited and sanctioned markets and its supply to unlicensed operators.
Playtech said it welcomed a court examination of the report and stood by the decision to commission it. In its FY2025 financial statements, Playtech noted that as of the date of approval, Evolution had not requested court permission to formally add any Playtech entity to the New Jersey proceedings, and no claim had been served on Playtech Plc, Playtech Software Limited or any other Group entity. Playtech classified the matter as a contingent liability only.
Black Cube’s Continued Non-Compliance
While Playtech has been named, Black Cube continues to resist court discovery orders. The firm has cited privacy concerns and argued that disclosing the identities of its agents could place them at risk. Evolution has said it will pursue Black Cube alongside Playtech and all other parties involved in what it describes as the “defamatory scheme.”
Black Cube was founded in 2010 by former Israeli intelligence officers and has a documented history of covert investigations on behalf of corporate clients. Its methods in this case included using false personas and disguises to conduct recorded interviews with Evolution employees and board members, according to Evolution’s filings.
Market Impact and Litigation Timeline
Playtech’s share price fell more than 25% on the day Evolution’s statement went public in October 2025, with some reports placing the intraday drop as high as 34% to 36%. Evolution’s own stock had fallen approximately 21% year-to-date at that point, weighed down by broader regulatory headwinds in Europe and a disappointing third quarter.
The New Jersey judge subsequently ordered Evolution to disclose its own regulatory communications to NJDGE and PGCB as part of discovery in December 2025, in a move that broadened the evidentiary scope of the proceedings in both directions. The corporate espionage dimension of the case has raised wider questions about ethics and investor confidence in B2B gaming.
Evolution has said it intends to seek substantial damages from Playtech. The litigation is expected to continue through 2026 and into further proceedings as the amended complaint works through the court.
Source: Evolution AB / Next.io
