Kenny Alexander appears in court charged with bribery and fraud

• Former Entain CEO Kenny Alexander appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court facing charges of conspiracy to bribe and conspiracy to defraud
• The charges relate to gambling operations in Turkey between 2011 and 2018 when Alexander led GVC Holdings
• Two other former executives, Lee Feldman and Richard Cooper, face similar charges with the case adjourned until November

The former chief executive of British betting giant Entain appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with conspiracy to bribe and conspiracy to defraud in connection with the company’s Turkish gambling operations.

Kenny Alexander, 56, who transformed GVC Holdings into a FTSE 100 powerhouse before leaving in 2020, faces allegations spanning 2011 to 2018. The charges centre on accusations that Alexander and co-defendants concealed money originating from gambling activities in Turkey, deceiving financial monitoring and compliance systems.

Key executives charged

Alexander appeared alongside two other former GVC executives facing identical charges. Lee Feldman, 57, the company’s former non-executive chairman, and Richard Cooper, 64, the former chief financial officer, were also charged with conspiracy to bribe and conspiracy to defraud.

The Crown Prosecution Service has charged 11 individuals in total as part of its investigation into alleged bribery and fraud connected to GVC’s Turkish operations through its Headlong subsidiary. The charges also include fraudulent trading, cheating the public revenue, and evasion of income tax.

Court proceedings and bail

None of the defendants were required to enter pleas during Monday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, with all three granted bail pending their next appearance at Southwark Crown Court on 3 November.

Alexander had previously indicated through legal representatives that the case would be “vigorously defended”, though his lawyer was not immediately available for comment following the court proceedings.

Hannah von Dadelszen, CPS chief crown prosecutor, said:

“The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of 11 individuals for seven offences relating to bribery, conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, cheating the public revenue, evasion of income tax, acting as a director of a company when undischarged bankrupt and perverting the course of justice”.

Company transformation and legacy

Alexander led GVC from 2007 to 2020, orchestrating the £4 billion acquisition of Ladbrokes Coral announced in 2017. Under his leadership, GVC transformed from a small gambling firm into one of Britain’s largest betting companies before rebranding as Entain in 2020.

The charges stem from activities that predate Alexander’s departure and the company’s subsequent corporate restructuring. Entain emphasised in an August statement that neither the current company nor any present employees face charges related to the investigation.

Investigation background

The criminal charges follow Entain’s £615 million Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the Crown Prosecution Service in December 2023, which protected the company from liability but not its former executives.

Richard Las, director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, described it as “a complex and international investigation” involving “serious charges”.

The case represents one of the most substantial prosecutions in the British gambling industry, targeting senior figures who shaped the sector’s consolidation during the 2010s. Alexander’s transformation of GVC into a major operator through strategic acquisitions established him as one of the industry’s most influential executives before these allegations emerged.