Entain Chiefs Accused of Bribery Launch Civil Fight After UKGC Halted 888 Deal
Posted on: December 10, 2025, 07:15h.
Last updated on: December 10, 2025, 07:15h.
- Alexander sues UKGC over privacy violations tied to blocked 888 takeover
- HMRC bribery probe into Turkey operations triggered massive Entain penalties.
Entain’s former chief, credited with transforming the group into a global online gambling powerhouse before being charged with bribery and fraud, began his civil case against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in London on Tuesday.
“King” Kenny Alexander was the CEO of Entain, formerly GVC Holdings, from 2007 to 2020. Over those 13 years, he reshaped GVC from a minor AIM-listed operator into a FTSE 100 giant and one of the world’s largest gambling companies.
In August 2025, Alexander was formally charged by UK prosecutors, along with ex-Entain chairman Lee Feldman and nine others, with bribery, fraud, and tax offences tied to the gambling group’s past operations in Türkiye, a subsidiary known as Headlong.
In October 2024, Alexander and Feldman sued the UKGC, claiming it had breached their right to privacy when it allegedly torpedoed their bid to take control of 888 Holdings.
In June 2023, after Alexander and Feldman had left Entain, the pair bought 6.5% of 888 Holdings via a vehicle called FS Gaming. The plan involved installing themselves as heads of the business.
Negotiations Break Down
But 888 halted negotiations after the UKGC said it would face a license review if the deal went ahead, That was because of an ongoing investigation by the UK tax authority (HMRC) into alleged bribery in black-market Türkiye between 2011 and 2018, which was previously unknown by 888.
HMRC opened a criminal investigation into Headlong’s third-party suppliers in November 2019.
By July 2020, the probe had widened to include the subsidiary itself under the UK Bribery Act, with prosecutors examining whether GVC/Entain had failed to prevent corrupt practices within Headlong’s operations.
A Deferred Prosecution Agreement, signed off in 2023, established that investigators had identified bribery and covert payment structures connected to Headlong’s Turkish-facing Sportingbet operations.
This resulted in Entain agreeing to pay over £585 million ($790 million) in penalties and settlements, one of the biggest corporate fines ever imposed in the UK.
Breach of Confidence
Alexander and Feldman, in separate lawsuits, accuse the UKGC of “misusing private information and/or breach of confidence,” arguing the regulator violated their right to privacy by “collaborating” with 888 on the deal.
They also claim that 888 issued a statement that the deal was over without having given the plaintiffs a chance to address concerns.
Feldman stated in his witness testimony Tuesday that the commission’s actions had left him “ostracized by my peers,” unable to work for two years, and worried about how his children would view what was written about him in the future.
The case is expected to last several weeks.
No comments yet