British Gambling Commission sued by former GVC Holdings execs

Kenny Alexandar and Lee Feldman claim the British gambling regulator misused private information.

UK.- The British gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission, is facing a lawsuit lodged by two former executives of GVC Holdings, the gambling giant now known as Entain. Former CEO Kenny Alexander and former chair Lee Feldman have lodged a lawsuit that alleges a “misuse of private information” under Part-53 of Media and Communications Claims.

The details of the accusations against the regulator are not clear, but the former GVC bosses have had run-ins with the regulator in the past. The Gambling Commission had launched a probe into the licence of the gambling operator 888, now Evoke Plc, after it emerged that Alexander hoped to take control of the company via FS Gaming.

The Gambling Commission warned that Alexander would be considered unsuitable because of an investigation into cases of bribery at the former GVC subsidiary Headlong in Turkey. FS Gaming’s plan could have seen Feldman named as chairman of 888. However, the board of 888 ended talks with FS Gaming as a result of the Gambling Commission review.

Entain has since reached a settlement with the Crown Prosecution Service to pay £585m in relation to Turkish bribery allegations.

Entain owns brands such as Ladbrokes and Coral. Alexander was CEO of GVC Holdings for 13 years. He was replaced by Shay Segev in July 2020, four months before the group was rebranded as Entain. Alexander and Feldman are being represented by the law firm Slateford.