UKGC defends itself
The UK Gambling Commission has responded to a lawsuit filed in the High Court by ex-Entain executives Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman accusing it of flouting privacy laws.
a duty to act”
According to media reports on Wednesday, the UKGC said it had “a duty to act” in opening an investigation into the ex-Entain pair over their links to the since-rebranded GVC Holdings’ historic sportsbook violations in Turkey.
The UKGC’s response to the claim filed by Alexander and Feldman on October 29 centers on the regulatory body’s decision to launch a license review into 888 Holdings on July 2023.
At the time, Alexander and Feldman had recently purchased shares in 888 and were making a big push to take executive control of the firm, but instead, the UKGC’s Turkey probe caused 888 to immediately sever ties with the pair.
The ex-Entain execs believe the UKGC’s Section 116 licence review into 888 wrongly cast their gambling credentials in a bad light. The regulator, meanwhile, stated this week that it was duty-bound to take action because “Feldman and Alexander were in senior positions at GVC during the period under investigation.”
Publicity killed ambitions
In its High Court response, the UKGC said it opened the review over concerns the return of Alexander and Feldman to executive positions at a prominent UK gambling firm might pose a regulatory risk.
unsuitable to hold gambling licences”
The duo’s suit claims, however, that while they were not directly under investigation, the UKGC’s disclosures “gave the misleading impression that they were unsuitable to hold gambling licenses.”
The breach of privacy accusation includes a press statement by the UKGC which, ironically, was to publicize it had dropped its license review of the pair.
Alexander and Feldman maintain the UKGC breached its own policy of not making early-stage investigations public except under exceptional circumstances.
The UKGC argued, however, that it never made any direct accusations against the men, and that the offending press statement was only “shared reactively with four journalists in response to media inquiries.”
Making headlines
While the UKGC’s High Court filing states it “acted within its statutory duties and did not improperly disclose private information” on the pair, Alexander and Feldman say the regulator’s actions led to widespread coverage in the media.
According to Next.io, Alexander and Feldman also filed a suit against Entain this week, accusing their former firm of disclosing information to the Crown Prosecution Service without their consent when negotiating its £585m ($743m) settlement over the Turkish debacle.