Evolution Court Filings Detail Playtech’s Black Cube Engagement

Court filings submitted on November 3, 2025, in the Superior Court of New Jersey provide new details about the defamation case brought by Evolution AB against investigative firm Black Cube and law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP. The documents name Playtech Software Limited as the company that commissioned a 2021 report containing false allegations against Evolution.

According to the filings, Playtech entered into an engagement agreement with Black Cube on December 30, 2020. The contract set out both an initial payment of £400,000 and additional “success fees” tied to specific outcomes. These fees included £150,000 for identifying alleged wrongdoing by Evolution, £175,000 for securing publication of a story about the company in a major media outlet, £350,000 for prompting a regulatory investigation, and £500,000 if Evolution’s license was revoked. The agreement capped the total success fees at £800,000.

The filings further indicate that Playtech’s former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Smith signed the initial engagement letter but had no further role after leaving the company in 2022. Black Cube’s founder and director, Dr. Avi Yanus, testified that Playtech’s Chief Executive Officer Mor Weizer, Senior Vice President Daniel Polturak, Vice President of Business Development Uri Levy, and former Live Gaming CEO Edo Haitin later oversaw communications with Black Cube.

Deposition Testimony Cites Deceptive Methods

Dr. Yanus’s deposition, included in the new filings, outlines the methods used by Black Cube during its 2021 investigation. He confirmed that Black Cube operatives posed under false identities and conducted covertly recorded interviews with former Evolution employees and associates. Yanus stated that about 20 individuals were contacted, but only those interviews supporting the report’s claims were submitted to regulators.

The filings describe how Black Cube’s investigative process included attempts to access Evolution’s games from restricted jurisdictions such as Iran and Sudan. According to the documents, most of these attempts failed, and evidence showing that the games could not be accessed was withheld from regulators. Dr. Yanus acknowledged under oath that examples showing blocked access were omitted because he considered them “irrelevant.”

Evolution’s filings assert that these omissions, along with the misrepresentation of quotes and selective editing of footage, contributed to a report that regulators later deemed “objectively baseless.” Both the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board found no evidence of wrongdoing by Evolution following their reviews in 2022.

Case Progresses Toward Next Phase

Evolution’s memorandum of law accompanying the filing argues that Black Cube’s request for dismissal under the state’s anti-SLAPP statute lacks merit. The company maintains that the new evidence confirms that the 2021 report and subsequent publicity campaign were commercially motivated actions designed to harm its reputation and market position.

Playtech’s involvement was first confirmed earlier in 2025 after a series of court orders compelled disclosure of the client behind the 2021 report. The new filings expand upon that revelation, providing direct testimony and documentation linking Playtech to the commissioning of the report and outlining the financial incentives involved.

The case remains active in the New Jersey Superior Court, with proceedings expected to continue into 2026.

Source:

Evolution’s Proposed Findings of Fact in Support of Its Opposition to Defendants’ Petitions for Orders to Show Cause, Superior Court of New Jersey, Atlantic County, Docket No. ATL-L-616-22, November 3, 2025; 

Evolution’s Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Black Cube’s Petition for an Order to Show Cause, November 3, 2025.