Reporting from Zak Thomas-Akoo and Sonja Lindenberg.
The news – which confirms prior reports the Israeli private intelligence agency was hired by a business competitor – marks the resolution to one of the most tantalising mysteries in the history of iGaming and potentially exposes the Mor Weizer-led online gaming business to billions in legal liability as Evolution pursues damages.
It follows a nearly half-decade long legal battle in the New Jersey court system, in which the live casino giant has sought to unmask both the authors of the report and the entity that commissioned it through discovery, achieving final victory in that phase at the beginning of the month after multiple appearances in front of the state Supreme Court.
Martin Carlesund, Evolution chief executive, told NEXT.io: “The situation takes away a large piece from my belief in fair play, humanity in general and good ethics and morals.
“That a company, that is our competitor, can hire a company like Black Cube, hide underneath several layers of other companies and fabricate false statements about us to harm our business and reputation, is just so bad that it is hard to understand.”
High-level Playtech execs communicated with Black Cube
The business confirmed high-level Playtech executives including, but not limited to, CEO Mor Weizer communicated with Black Cube about the investigation and the report.
Alongside hiring Black Cube and law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP – which has acted as the report’s public face and was paid just $33,700 for its trouble – a public relations firm called HeraldPR, founded by an individual called Juda S. Engelmayer was also paid $10,000, according to a person close to the matter.
Engelmayer served as Harvey Weinstein’s spokesperson and lawyer for a period and has been described as the “go-to guy among a particular subset of alleged fraudsters and predators” by The New York Times.
An Evolution spokesperson told NEXT.io: “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 and paying them over £1.8m to fabricate a report they knew would have extremely harmful repercussions.
“The report, which was furnished to regulators by a law firm representing Black Cube, Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, 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.”
Intriguingly, an analyst asked the Playtech CEO whether the business or any of its affiliates procured the report in a question last month during its Q2 earnings call.
Weizer replied at the time: “Obviously, we can’t – it’s nothing – not a question for us. It’s a question for people involved in this matter.”
It is assumed Playtech has also been bankrolling Black Cube and Calcagni & Kanefsky’s legal costs throughout the litigation process
Evolution slams Playtech/Black Cube ‘smear campaign’
Evolution also told NEXT.io Black Cube has a well-documented history of using deceitful methods to sway public opinion by launching smear campaigns on behalf of its clients.
Allegedly “highly unethical” tactics included initiating meetings with current and former Evolution employees and board meetings under false pretences and secretly recording those interactions.
The investigative firm was also accused of using disguises and falsified identities and cherry-picking edited recordings to fabricate evidence to achieve “its desired, false narrative”, with the subjects of these meetings having stated the report entirely misrepresented their comments.
NEXT.io asked Evolution whether it believed Playtech was complicit in these tactics and what specific damages it will be seeking, but a spokesperson said: “We will not speculate on anything that is part of the future of this process.”
It should be noted Black Cube’s modus operandi includes using false personas and false pretences, which it did in this case through a variety of different methods.
These included by posing as representatives of a Sudanese billionaire seeking to invest in the Nordic tech sector, a consulting firm representing investors and trustees of a client wanting to enter the online gambling market.
NEXT.io understands that during these interactions Black Cube’s tactics included using alcohol and entertainment, paying for flights and hotels, paying in cash and wearing what looked like wigs and fake beards to cover their tracks.
The Evolution spokesperson continued: “Although Playtech has finally been identified after years of trying to keep its involvement in this smear campaign a secret, Black Cube continues to evade the court’s discovery orders by withholding relevant information.”
High-level Playtech executives including Mor Weizer communicated with Black Cube about the report
The additional information Evolution is seeking, according to court documents seen by NEXT.io, includes more names of individuals who worked on the report, the identities of Black Cube’s secret agents, more information on payments and invoices sent and the list of media companies which were sent a copy of the report.
The private intelligence business has tried to block these requests for a variety of reasons including burden claims and arguing revealing the identities of their secret agents could expose them to serious danger.
“We will continue to hold Black Cube, Playtech, and all the other players in this defamatory scheme responsible for their misconduct. We are confident in our legal position and look forward to finally holding Playtech and its accomplices to account for the significant harm they have caused.”
The Swedish B2B business has indicated it will now amend its complaint to add Playtech as a defendant in the lawsuit, with defamation litigation expected to extend through 2026.
Carlesund added to NEXT.io: “We never wanted to believe our adversary was a competitor, as it harms the reputation of the gaming industry as a whole. We are angry and we are sad. It is a bad day for the industry.”
When contacted by NEXT.io for comment, Black Cube responded that it: “proudly submitted its findings in coordination with its client,” adding: “The case now enters its decisive stage – where years of Black Cube’s intelligence work will finally be brought to light and thoroughly examined.
“The extensive body of evidence, including countless hours of video and audio recordings, leaves no room for doubt: Evolution knowingly and deliberately allowed its games to operate in sanctioned jurisdictions and black markets – both before and after the report’s submission.
“By doing so, Evolution misled the public, the Court, and regulatory authorities. Now, the truth will prevail,” the firm concluded.
NEXT.io has also reached out to Playtech for comment.
Dingnews.com 21/10/2025