Evolution games found on illegal UK gambling sites

Sami Kurvinen

Published on: 23 July 2026

2 minutes

Evolution’s games were found on illegal gambling websites that UK players could access, and it has agreed to pay £4.75 million. However, things could have been even worse for the game studio as the UK Gambling Commission considered suspending Evolution’s UK license.

What rules did Evolution break?

Between December 2023 and November 2024, many people in the UK visited six gambling websites that weren’t licensed in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission discovered that these sites were offering real Evolution games.

When the Commission told Evolution about it in December 2024, Evolution checked, confirmed the games were genuine, and quickly blocked UK players from accessing them.

The UKGC also found Evolution breaching licence conditions that require gambling companies to:

• Properly assess money laundering risks.
• Have effective anti-money laundering policies.
• Carry out proper customer and partner checks (due diligence).
• Continually monitor those risks.

Has Evolution done anything illegal on purpose?

Evolution hasn’t been found to have done anything illegal on purpose but failed to have effective systems and controls, which allowed this situation to happen.

So, this is more about poor compliance and oversight than deliberate wrongdoing.

How has Evolution rectified the situation?

The regulator has given Evolution credit because:

• Evolution fixed the issue quickly.
• Evolution cooperated fully.
• Evolution admitted the problems early.
• Evolution kept the Commission updated on improvements.

What punishment did Evolution receive?

Evolution agreed to a regulatory settlement that includes:

• £4.75 million payment instead of a formal financial penalty.
• An independent audit of its anti-money laundering policies within 12 months.
• Paying the Gambling Commission’s investigation costs.
• Allowing the Commission to publish what happened.