Evolution pays £4.75m to end UK licence review

Evolution agreed to pay £4.75m ($6.4m) to the UK Gambling Commission to settle a licence review launched in December 2024 into allegations that its games were available on unlicensed websites accessible to British players. The regulator closed the review after finding no evidence of widespread access.

The inquiry began under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 and focused on findings that Evolution content had been distributed by two operators on six websites that did not hold UK licences. Evolution says the operators actively evaded the restrictions in place and that the company immediately ended commercial ties with those operators after discovery.

During the nearly 19-month review the UK Gambling Commission reported no broader pattern of unlicensed access to Evolution games in the UK. The settlement resolves the regulator’s licence review without more severe sanctions.

Evolution says it cooperated fully with the regulator and has strengthened controls to prevent unauthorised distribution, including enhanced ring-fencing measures and continued investment in technical, legal and commercial work to identify and block illicit activity.

The Gambling Commission declined to provide further details about the scope of the investigation, saying disclosure could prejudice its licensing, compliance and enforcement functions. The regulator also refused to confirm whether it had received complaints about Evolution content appearing on unlicensed sites.

When Evolution disclosed the licence review in investor filings in December 2024, the company’s share price fell more than 11%. At the time the UK represented about 3% of Evolution’s revenue, and investors raised concerns the review could lead to larger penalties or trigger scrutiny in other markets.

Evolution previously faced allegations in 2021 that its games had been accessible in sanctioned and restricted jurisdictions. Those claims were based on a private intelligence report that led to complaints to US regulators and a large fall in market value. US regulators closed their probes without taking action, a New Jersey judge later described the original report as “objectively baseless,” and court filings in 2025 showed a rival operator had commissioned the report. Evolution’s related defamation suit remains ongoing.

Martin Carlesund, Evolution’s chief executive, welcomed the conclusion of the review and said the company will remain focused on supplying games to licensed UK operators: “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.”