New Jersey’s gambling regulator has ended its investigation into Evolution regarding allegations that the company defied US trade sanctions. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Closing the case

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is no longer investigating the world’s leading provider of live dealer casino games. It was looking into allegations that Evolution was providing its products to nations that were under US trade sanctions.

claimed to not be a direct competitor of Evolution

A law firm brought this to the attention of the New Jersey regulators back in 2021 on behalf of an anonymous group. The law firm claimed that its client flew investigators to restricted countries where they were then able to access Evolution games. The group claimed to not be a direct competitor of Evolution.  

Vehemently dismissing the claims

Evolution denied the allegations and believes that a third party made them in an attempt to discredit its operations. It provided evidence of its relationship with gambling operators and regulators that block users from countries like Sudan, Iran, and Syria.

In a statement on the case, Evolution said that the “NJDGE found no evidence that Evolution sanctioned, promoted, permitted, or otherwise materially benefitted” from content that operators provided in markets that the regulator deems to be prohibited.

it also carried out its own internal investigation

The Sweden-based company explained that it also carried out its own internal investigation. Despite finding that its compliance and due diligence processes were up to par, Evolution went ahead and strengthened them even more.

Evolution described how users in restricted countries could only access its products through “sophisticated technical manipulation” such as using a VPN.

More trouble on the horizon

Evolution only works with online casinos that possess licenses for the markets in which they will be offering the company’s games. It’s up to the partners to carry out verification checks on their players, which contradicts the claims that Evolution failed to know its customers.

Evolution works with over 800 gambling site operators and employs over 19,000 people across North America and Sweden.

This isn’t the only case that Evolution is battling as it is also faces a class action lawsuit in Pennsylvania. The complaint, filed last month, claims that the company deceived its investors regarding compliance and its growth prospects.