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Evoke executives defend fixes as Nevada board scolds company over audit delays
Summary
Evoke PLC executives told the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Oct. 8 that they have restructured compliance, strengthened AML procedures and launched an AI governance committee after agents found slow responses and poor communications during a multi-jurisdiction audit. Board members said improvements are real but insisted the company maintain better cooperation with Nevada agents.
Evoke PLC compliance and technology leaders appeared before the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Oct. 8 to explain a recent, wide-ranging internal audit and the company’s plans to fix past lapses. The board’s investigators had reported delays and difficult interactions during a summer review; board members said the company’s responses since then have improved but must be sustained.
Company leaders led the presentation. Harinder Gill, Evoke’s chief risk and intelligent automation officer, said the company had expanded its compliance structure and created an AI committee to track new technology risks. Laura Bird, Evoke’s U.S. director of compliance, told the board that “since that time, the agents have met with more than 15 of our staff members on-site in London...everything has been supplied,” and that the company expects the ongoing audit to be completed by year-end.
Chairman Dreitzer pressed executives on why the company had not engaged Nevada investigators sooner. “We do need to understand a little bit about how we have a terrific policy, but how did we break down here?” he said during questioning, noting the time and expense the board’s probe required.
Board members detailed the trade-off they now see: substantial corrective work and formal commitments to change versus the earlier conduct that prompted agent complaints. Judge Assad described his reaction to the agency report as strong, saying he had been “outraged” by the investigators’ account of how they were treated and warned the company that Nevada expects quick, full cooperation from licensees.
Evoke’s presenters—joined by their U.S. compliance director and AML lead—outlined steps already taken: documents and staff interviews provided to agents, strengthened sanctions and KYC screening, new procurement controls and an internal three-lines-of-defense model. The company also said it is experimenting with AI to support monitoring and transaction screening while promising controls to keep product quality and regulatory safeguards in place.
The board did not take disciplinary action at the hearing. Members said they would monitor the enforcement division’s audit results and expect continued, transparent engagement from company leadership. The hearing concluded with the board accepting the company’s update and reminding Evoke that long-term remediation will be judged by consistent cooperation and timely production of records.
What’s next: Agents expect to finish the audit by year-end. The board said it will review the final report and retain the authority to seek further follow-up or conditions if additional failures are identified.
