UK Gambling Commission receives judgment in gambling bosses court case

The United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission has received a decision involving a protracted court case brought by some of the nation’s biggest former gambling bosses.

The civil case centred on legal action brought by the former heads of Ladbrokes and Coral, Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman, respectively the former CEO and chair of Entain.

UK Gambling Commission and Entain bosses receive decision

Alexander and Feldman filed (Feldman & Anor v Gambling Commission, EWHC 3117) alleging that the UK Gambling Commission had disclosed confidential and private information in regulated publications at a pivotal time for the company.

Entain had been planning a leadership and takeover bid for 888 Holdings at this time, but following publications by the UKGC, the parties argue that this damaged those talks and the bid collapsed.

“The Claimants seek damages and injunctive relief… for misuse of private information and breach of confidence,” read the original case filing.

Alexander and Feldman’s argument also centred on the UKGC’s decision to investigate the licence, which “gave the clear impression that there had effectively been an adverse finding,” and, as a result, made them unsuitable to take the helm of 888.

The UKGC argued that the information disclosed and the process of any licence review were in the public interest, and that a coordinated criminal case was ongoing into former senior executives at Entain.

Operation Incendiary

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the UKGC had been part of a longstanding criminal investigation codenamed Operation Incendiary.

As ReadWrite reported, Alexander and Feldman are key persons of interest in the HMRC case and, as such, the UKGC prompted and later closed the review of 888 licence holders in relation to the criminal case.

Alexander is facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to bribe between 2011 and 2018 relating to the provision of gambling services in Turkey. Feldman is facing charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery.

Mrs Justice Eady, as reported by the UKGC, has dismissed the Entain bosses’ civil claim, stating that Alexander and Feldman’s arguments failed to show a legally actionable breach by the gambling watchdog.

Justice Eady has refused to disclose the details of her decision-making on the basis that there is information not for public disclosure at this time, relating to the ongoing criminal case against Entain. This has been carried out as a Restricting Reporting Order under the Contempt of Court Act.

Both senior leaders have been instructed, as a result of this civil decision, to cover the UKGC’s legal costs.

Featured image: Royal Courts of Justice, London

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