Playtech Dodges Evolution’s Smear Campaign Suit — For Now

Posted on: June 18, 2026, 08:40h. 

Last updated on: June 18, 2026, 08:40h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Judge rejects Evolution’s request to add Playtech as defendant
  • Playtech allegedly paid Black Cube for controversial Evolution report
  • Ruling leaves door open for Playtech to join case

A New Jersey Superior Court judge has declined Evolution AB’s request to add Playtech as a defendant in its defamation case against Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube, NEXT.io reports.

Evolution AB, Playtech, Black Cube, defamation lawsuit, anti-SLAPP laws
Playtech was not publicly identified as the report’s backer until court-ordered disclosures in 2025. Evolution has since argued that the company should be held directly responsible for what it characterizes as a coordinated smear campaign. (Image: Getty)

Evolution sued Black Cube and Newark, NJ-based law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP (C&K) in November 2021 over a notorious report that accused the Swedish software provider of supplying its games to operators that did business in “banned terror states like Iran, Syria, and Sudan” – an allegation Evolution maintains is false and defamatory.

$3B Stock Rout

After C&K shared the Black Cube-authored report with New Jersey regulators and leaked it to the media, Evolution’s share price plunged, erasing about $3 billion in market value.

In October 2025, Black Cube was ordered to reveal the identity of the client that commissioned the report: Playtech.

According to NEXT.io, the rejection appears to be procedural rather than substantive. The court is currently considering a separate motion by Black Cube under New Jersey’s anti-SLAPP laws.

Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) laws are designed to prevent wealthy or powerful individuals or entities from using the legal system to intimidate and silence journalists, activists, and watchdogs.

Black Cube argues that alerting regulators to potential misconduct falls within the protections afforded by anti-SLAPP laws. It says regulators depend on tips and complaints from third parties and that the law broadly protects such communications.

Evolution contends that Black Cube’s conduct was not public-spirited whistleblowing but a commercially motivated smear campaign, backed by a competitor, that was designed to damage its reputation with regulators and shareholders.

‘Success Payments’

Playtech is alleged to have paid Black Cube about £1.8 million ($2.4 million) for the report, with additional performance-based “success payments” for triggering media coverage or regulatory action against Evolution.

In declining Evolution’s request, the judge did not address the merits of the company’s claims against Playtech. Instead, he left open the possibility that Playtech could be added as a defendant later if the litigation survives Black Cube’s anti-SLAPP challenge.

The case remains in the discovery phase, with the parties continuing to battle over evidence and witness testimony more than four years after the original lawsuit was filed.