Trial date set for proceedings against former Entain CEO Kenny Alexander
Alexander will appear at Southwark Crown Court over charges related to GVC Holdings’ Turkish subsidiary.
UK.- Southwark Crown Court in London has set a provisional trial date for the criminal proceedings lodged against former GVC Holdings (now Entain) CEO Kenny Alexander and ten former colleagues from the London-listed gambling operator. Alexander has been charged with conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to bribe.
The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) brought charges in August relating to GVC Holdings’ operations in Turkey between 2011 and 2018, conducted through a subsidiary. During the plea and trial preparation hearing yesterday (November 3), Judge Baumgartner expressed a preference to postpone the arraignment, so no pleas were entered at this stage.
The judge also confirmed that the case will be divided into three separate trials. The first, set to begin on February 14 2028 and expected to last four months, will involve Alexander, former GVC chairman Lee Feldman, and five additional defendants, assuming that none plead guilty to all charges beforehand.
A second trial, scheduled for October 2028, will involve Alexander MacAngus, Richard Raubitscheck-Smith, and Raymond Smart. MacAngus faces a charge of conspiracy to defraud, while Raubitscheck-Smith and Smart are accused of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to bribe.
The final trial is due to commence in March 2029 and will focus on Robert Hoskin, who served as Entain’s chief governance officer from 2020 to 2023. He has been charged with perverting the course of justice.
Defence counsel raised concerns during the hearing on Monday about the scale of evidence expected from the CPS, with one lawyer describing it as a “blizzard of material.” Judge Baumgartner urged both sides to engage in discussions regarding the volume of documentation involved.
There was also mention of potential reporting restrictions, citing Entain’s commercial interests in some of the materials, though no ruling was made on the issue.
There was speculation that the proceedings might be relocated to Leeds Crown Court, following remarks at a prior Westminster Magistrates’ Court hearing. Prosecutors noted that many of the alleged offences occurred in northern England. However, Judge Baumgartner ruled that the case would remain at Southwark, citing the potential “great cost for the public purse” if the venue were changed.
The investigation dates back to July 2019, when GVC denied claims it continued to benefit from Headlong Limited, a Turkish-facing subsidiary it owned from 2011 until its sale in November 2017 to Ropso Malta Limited. That transaction included a performance-based earn-out clause worth up to €150m. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) requested further information about the deal and, by 2020, had broadened its inquiry to consider potential “corporate offending.”
Following its rebrand to Entain in 2020, the FTSE-listed company acknowledged that historical wrongdoing may have occurred and agreed to pay a £585m penalty in a settlement with the CPS.
