Posted on: January 20, 2026, 06:55h.
Last updated on: January 20, 2026, 06:55h.
Two former Entain executives facing bribery, fraud, and tax charges in the UK have lost a separate civil suit against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
Ex-CEO “King” Kenny Alexander and former chairman Lee Feldman were formally charged by UK prosecutors in August 2025 for alleged misconduct related to Entain’s past black market operations in Türkiye, when the company was known as GVC Holdings.
Ten months earlier, the pair sued the UKGC, claiming the agency had breached their right to privacy when it scuttled a bid to take control of 888 Holdings, now Evoke Plc.
888 Deal Falls Apart
Following their departure from Entain, Alexander and Feldman acquired 6.5% of 888 via a vehicle called FS Gaming, with a plan to install themselves as heads of the company.
But 888 halted negotiations after the UKGC warned the company it would face a license review if the deal went through because the pair were under investigation by the UK tax authority (HMRC) over Entain’s former Turkish arm, Headlong. At the time, 888 knew nothing of the investigation.
HMRC launched its probe into Headlong’s third-party suppliers in November 2019. By July 2020, the inquiry had expanded to include the subsidiary itself under the UK Bribery Act, focusing on whether GVC/Entain had failed to prevent corrupt practices within Headlong’s operations. Eleven others are facing criminal charges in connection with the case.
$790M Settlement
A Deferred Prosecution Agreement approved in 2023 concluded that investigators had uncovered bribery and covert payment arrangements linked to Headlong’s Turkish-facing Sportingbet business.
The case culminated in Entain agreeing to pay more than £585 million ($790 million) in penalties and settlements, one of the largest corporate fines ever imposed in the UK.
On Monday, High Court judge Mrs Justice Eady disagreed that the UKGC’s actions had breached Alexander’s and Feldman’s rights to privacy, although she imposed a temporary order on her reasoning being published, and ordered the plaintiffs to pay the regulator’s legal costs.
‘King’ Kenny’s Reign
Alexander served as CEO of Entain from 2007 to 2020. During his 13-year tenure, he transformed the company from a small AIM-listed operator into a FTSE 100 heavyweight and one of the world’s largest gambling groups.
At its peak, Headlong generated roughly a third of Entain’s revenue, operating through opaque cash-collection networks and payment processors designed to conceal transactions from Turkish financial institutions. Prosecutors later alleged that the business also paid bribes to Turkish officials to ensure regulatory indifference.
Entain disposed of Headlong at no cost in December 2017, ahead of its proposed takeover of Ladbrokes Coral.
Alexander and Feldman say they plan to appeal.
