Former Entain execs take Gambling Commission to court over failed 888 bid
The former CEO and chairman of Entain, the group behind Coral and Ladbrokes, are set to face the Gambling Commission at court on Tuesday over alleged misuse of private information.
Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman filed a civil case against the UK’s gambling regulator in October 2024. This action follows their failed 2023 leadership bid at 888, which collapsed after the Gambling Commission began a license review into the London-listed operator following the bid by FS Gaming Investments.
The licence review arose during a criminal investigation by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
HMRC’s probe into Entain’s Turkish-facing business, which it sold in 2017, was over alleged bribery offences that occurred between July 2011 and December 2017. The group lit up the headlines in November 2023 when it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the CPS to settle the investigation.
As part of the DPA, Entain agreed to pay £585m in penalties and disgorge profits, £20m to charity, and £10m to cover HMRC’s legal costs.
Now, Alexander and Feldman blame the Commission for the 888 bid falling through, alleging that the regulator was responsible for the unlawful disclosure of private and confidential information concerning the pair as subjects of the licence review investigation.
They are arguing that this alleged disclosure caused them financial and reputational harm.
The case goes to the High Court on Tuesday and runs until Friday in front of Mrs Justice Eady.
However, following an application by the Commission, the court has granted a partial restrictive reporting order in this case to prevent prejudice to an upcoming criminal proceeding.
After being contacted for a comment, the Gambling Commission said it “is robustly defending the case but does not provide a running commentary on ongoing legal proceedings”.
Alexander and Feldman also have a separate civil lawsuit against Entain and law firm Addleshaw Goddard, which was filed back in February. Addleshaw advised the group on a range of legal matters, including its DPA.