Spectrum Report findings reopen compliance questions for Evolution in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Evolution has spent years treating the Spectrum Report as a kind of exoneration. The problem is that the investigator Evolution hired appears to have confirmed some of the same allegations Evolution has been using the report to dismiss — which is not a great look when you sell gaming content into markets where access controls and jurisdictional exposure matter.

1. Spectrum said it was able to “specifically corroborate” claims that Evolution games were available through operators in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It also described allegations that Evolution games were played in territories prohibited by contract as “true and accurate.”
2. According to the material, Spectrum investigators tested availability using IP addresses associated with those jurisdictions and were able to access and play Evolution games through operators including Stake and Bitcasino. VPNs were used, so the test does not show the user was physically located in those places, but it does show the controls could be bypassed.
3. Spectrum also said Evolution was able to gain revenue associated with Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and warned that receiving gaming revenue connected with those jurisdictions could place Evolution in a “precarious situation” with local law-enforcement authorities. For high-risk PSPs, that is the key part: this is no longer just a question of geo-blocking mechanics, but of whether the revenue trail itself creates regulatory exposure.
4. Playtech went public with the material on the London Stock Exchange this morning, saying the Spectrum Report validates key parts of the Black Cube investigation. The filing submitted in New Jersey yesterday appears to give Playtech enough substance to make that case in public.

The practical takeaway for PSPs and acquirers is simple: when a vendor’s own commissioned report says access controls were bypassed and prohibited-market revenue may have flowed, the issue moves from reputational noise to a direct compliance question for any payment stack touching those jurisdictions.