In a sharply escalating dispute between major online gambling suppliers, Evolution has accused Playtech of orchestrating a “smear campaign” through private-investigations firm Black Cube. Playtech, for its part, insists its engagement of Black Cube was a legitimate attempt to investigate regulatory and commercial concerns related to Evolution’s operations.
Evolution says that in December 2020, Playtech began collaborating with Black Cube to generate a report placing serious, and in its view false, allegations against Evolution’s business operations. According to Evolution, that dossier was intended from the start to “destroy its reputation” and featured input from senior Playtech executives — including Playtech CEO Mor Weizer.
“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,” the company said in its official statement.
Evolution further contends that Black Cube’s work included secret recordings of up to five former employees and board members, use of false personas and disguises — and that regulators in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania later found “no evidence that Evolution sanctioned, promoted, permitted, or otherwise materially benefitted from its content offered by operators in any market that the NJDGE considers a prohibited jurisdiction.”
In its statement, Evolution added:
“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 US 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.”
The company has already sued law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP (C&K) and others — and now says it will amend the complaint to add Playtech as a defendant. The case is expected to continue into 2026.
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