Ex-Gambling Executives Fail Civil Case Against UK Regulator

Two gambling executives who are facing criminal charges of bribery and fraud have failed in a separate civil suit against the Gambling Commission, in which they accused the regulator of breaching their right to privacy. Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman, the former chief executive and chair of Entain, the Ladbrokes and Coral owner, sued the gambling regulator last year over its intervention in their failed attempt to take control of the online casino company 888. Talks broke down after the regulator told 888 its licence would be reviewed, owing to concerns about the pair’s past roles at Entain, which was the subject of an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into alleged bribery. The regulator asked 888 if it knew whether the two men had been interviewed under caution or were suspects in the investigation, codenamed Operation Incendiary. In its statement to the stock market at the time, 888 said that it had not been able to obtain “the most basic assurances” to address these concerns. The pair’s case against the commission rested partly on a claim that the regulator breached their privacy by causing a statement to be issued that disclosed the existence of the licence review and the reasons for it. On Monday, Mrs Justice Eady dismissed the claim and ordered Feldman and Alexander, known in the industry as “King Kenny”, to pay the Gambling Commission’s costs. Details of Eady’s reasoning cannot be disclosed, after she imposed a temporary order preventing it from being reported. Entain agreed in 2023 to pay £615m as part of a deferred prosecution agreement relating to HMRC’s investigation, which was into alleged bribery in the company’s Turkish operations between 2011 and 2018. Alexander and Feldman are among 11 defendants who have since been charged with fraud and bribery, with a trial due to begin in 2028. A spokesperson for Feldman and Alexander said the pair planned to appeal against the judgment. The Gambling Commission said: “We welcome the dismissal.”