Online gambling group facing UK litigation

GVC Holdings, the (relatively) new owner of Bwin.Party could find itself in the London courts this July unless a settlement can be found with a Swiss national who claims he was not compensated for his efforts in what he alleges was a joint Canadian venture with Sportingbet in 2014.

The plaintiff is a former Swiss professional ice hockey player named Doug Honegger, and the argument has been going to and fro since 2015, when Honegger claims he did work in Canada for which his 37E company was not paid (see previous report)

GVC management have countered his allegations by claiming that no such multi-million dollar agreement was sealed between the parties. Whilst the company does not deny a prior association with Honegger, it insists the relationship was exploratory and did not come to fruition.

The lawsuit has unveiled a potentially sensitive area for GVC; Honegger and his partner Barry Alter claim that as part of the agreement with the gambling group they were given extensive access to player details and wagering records

Their legal representative has seized on this as an indication of a business relationship, and have suggested that to deny that relationship opens GVC to charges that it contravened privacy and consumer protection laws.

The law firm says it is advising Honegger to consider a class action on behalf of players whose privacy at Sportingbet may have been breached.