Pennsylvania Objects To Bally's Plan For Evoke Licence
Pennsylvania's Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) has objected to a joint petition meant to clear the way for Bally's Intralot to buy evoke, the parent of William Hill and 888.
It also set out conditions it wants attached if the Gaming Control Board approves it anyway. The case touches the state's online casino market, even though evoke has no consumer brands there.
The OEC's answer is dated October 26, 2026 and was posted to the board's public filings page under docket 14574-2026. It states that board staff and the OEC object to the relief requested, and that the final decision rests with the board.
The Licensing Problem
Evoke, 888 Atlantic Limited, Bally's Intralot and Bally's Corporation filed the petition with the board's Office of Hearings and Appeals around August 18. It asks for the conditional surrender of 888 Atlantic's interactive gaming manufacturer licence and approval of a change of control of 888 Atlantic.
The OEC's answer confirms that evoke does not run any of its consumer brands in Pennsylvania or elsewhere in the United States. Its only operations in the state are business-to-business services (technology, player account management and customer support) for a single customer, Caesars Interactive Entertainment, supporting the WSOP-branded shared-liquidity online poker product.
The services agreement dates from January 30, 2012, and the latest amendment extends it to September 19, 2026 with a wind-down period of up to six months.
Bally's Corporation, which owns 58.79% of Bally's Intralot, is itself licensed in Pennsylvania, and the answer lists three Bally's Intralot directors who also hold board licences.
What The Enforcement Office Said
The OEC objects to waiving any regulation, but said that if the board grants the waiver it is not overly concerned that the precedent would have a material negative impact on the public or on licensed gaming in the Commonwealth. It also disagreed with the petitioners' view that approval would set no meaningful precedent, saying a substantially similar request could cite it in future.
In the alternative, the OEC recommends the board grant the petition subject to a list of conditions. The unredacted ones include weekly updates to the enforcement office after the acquisition closes, a rule that the surrender requests take effect only after final board approval and staff confirmation, monthly administrative fees to cover the board's oversight, and delivery of executed closing documents within five business days of closing. Other conditions are redacted in the public copy.
The answer also admits that the business rationale for the acquisition is evoke's operations outside the United States, and that the Pennsylvania and wider US operations are irrelevant to that objective. The petitioners say a conventional licensing process could take nine months or more.
Timeline And Deal Status
The OEC had asked for more time to respond, citing an ongoing investigation, and its original answer date of October 19 was pushed back by 30 days. Petitioners have also filed a motion to protect confidential information, which the OEC said on October 28 it does not oppose.
Bally's Intralot is paying 0.537 of its shares, or £0.52, for each evoke share. In its Q3 trading update on October 23, evoke said the acquisition remained on track, with both sets of shareholders having passed the required resolutions and most regulatory approvals received.
Completion is expected late in the fourth quarter of 2026 or early in the first quarter of 2027, subject to the remaining conditions. The board has not yet ruled on the petition.
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