Lure Of Fortune

About Lure Of Fortune

The ongoing dispute between Evolution and Playtech continues to rumble on.

Playtech commissioned intelligence firm Black Cube to investigate Evolution’s activities in 2020, with the resulting dossier alleging Evolution supplied games into banned and sanctioned markets.

Evolution subsequently sued Black Cube and has sought to hold Playtech accountable in the related defamation case.

What is Lure Of Fortune?

The group highlighted potential risks posed by Google’s organic search features beyond paid advertising, which include autocomplete and suggested queries. 

Using data collected primarily through Chrome’s incognito mode to exclude personalised search histories, the KVA identified several autocomplete and pre-fill search queries that directly suggested illegal gambling platforms to users.

Examples included phrases like “online casino zonder Cruks” (online casino without CRUKS, the Dutch self-exclusion registry for problem gamblers) and “beste online casino buitenland” (best online casino abroad).

What is Lure Of Fortune?

All submissions must also now include an exit plan – a new obligation that applies across the board. This requirement, intended to ensure orderly market withdrawal, marked a move toward embedding long-term risk management into the licensing process.

It requires operators to describe in detail how they will responsibly wind down their operations should their licence not be renewed or be revoked. Or if they decide to leave the market midway through the five years between renewals.

The regulator noted that several operators received “additional points for attention”, indicating that while these applicants met minimum legal thresholds, the KSA expected continuous improvements in compliance practices.