Published on: November 4, 2025, 10:47 AM.
Updated on: November 4, 2025, 10:47 AM.
- Evolution claims Black Cube fabricated evidence linking them to Iran.
- Legal documents assert VPN tests manipulated to create false impressions of wrongdoing.
- Regulatory bodies have exonerated Evolution of all allegations.
Black Cube, an Israeli private intelligence agency, is embroiled in a libel lawsuit initiated by online casino operator Evolution AB. Recent court filings characterize Black Cube’s practices as “unethical, misleading, and often illegal to achieve client objectives.”
The recent filings presented to the New Jersey Superior Court also accuse Black Cube of willfully or recklessly altering evidence to tarnish its reputation.
Documents disclosed on October 21 indicated that Playtech, a competing entity, contracted Black Cube to conduct a 2021 investigation that alleged Evolution provided gaming services to operators associated with “designated terrorist nations” like Iran, Syria, and Sudan. Evolution has strongly rebuffed these claims as erroneous and slanderous.
Engagement by Weinstein
The filings disclose that Black Cube was previously commissioned by Harvey Weinstein to monitor women who accused him of sexual harassment, as well as journalists probing those allegations.
In 2016, operatives linked to Black Cube faced arrest and subsequent convictions in Romania for participating in a “harassment campaign” targeting an anti-corruption politician, as per the court documents.
The firm has also been implicated in a “malicious effort to tarnish the reputations of Hungarian NGOs opposing the Viktor Orban administration ahead of elections,” according to Evolution.
Lack of Compelling Evidence
Moreover, Evolution highlights what it deems to be definitive evidence of deception in Black Cube’s documentation.
The company references an audio recording featuring Kfir Kugler, CEO of Evolution’s Ezugi division, discussing with Black Cube agents disguised as prospective investors.
In a transcript presented to regulators, Kugler appears to have stated that Evolution “has games for Iran.” However, Evolution contends that Kugler actually referred to “Kurdistan and Iraq.”
Bearing in mind the distinctions under U.S. law, Iraq and the Kurdistan region are not classified as “banned” zones like Iran, Syria, or Sudan, which are officially recognized by the U.S. government as “State Sponsors of Terrorism.”
Black Cube undertook at least thirteen covert interviews within the online gaming sector, fabricating narratives to orchestrate and clandestinely record the discussions,” Evolution asserts.
Additionally, the filings reveal that Black Cube utilized virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy servers to create the illusion that Evolution’s live casino games were available in Iran and similar restricted areas. Evolution argues that Black Cube’s manipulation of VPN connections does not verify that it operated in prohibited jurisdictions.
Performance-Based Payments
It is alleged that Playtech compensated Black Cube around £1.8 million ($2.4 million) for the report, along with supplementary “success payments” for generating media attention or regulatory scrutiny of Evolution.
Black Cube leaked its findings to the press and New Jersey gaming regulators via the intermediary law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky. An article published by Bloomberg in November 2021 elaborated on the allegations.
Nevertheless, Evolution’s gaming license remained intact. By February 2024, regulators in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania determined that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims within Black Cube’s report.
On October 21 of this year, Black Cube sent an unsigned email to Casino.org, reaffirming its commitment to the claims in the report.
“The comprehensive array of evidence, including extensive audio and video recordings, leaves no doubt: Evolution knowingly permitted its games to function in sanctioned territories and illegal markets – both prior to and following the report’s publication,” it stated.
“By doing so, Evolution has misled the public, the judicial system, and regulatory bodies. Ultimately, the truth will prevail,” the firm concluded.
Casino.org has contacted Black Cube seeking a response to the latest legal developments.