Leading owner Kenny Alexander appears in court over conspiracy to bribe and defraud charges

Leading owner Kenny Alexander, the former chief executive of the gambling operator now known as Entain, was among 11 people who appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday morning in relation to charges including bribery and fraud linked to gambling services in Turkey.

Alexander and senior figures at what was then called GVC Holdings, including former chairman Lee Feldman, have been charged with conspiracy to bribe and conspiracy to defraud.

In all, 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.

The offences relate to the provision of gambling services in Turkey between 2011 and 2018.

None of the defendants was asked to enter a plea and they will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on November 3 after being granted bail.

Alexander was chief executive of GVC between 2007 and 2020, a period which included the £4 billion acquisition of Ladbrokes Coral in 2017.

When news of the charges broke in August, Entain issued a statement saying that it had not been charged and that none of the individuals charged is currently employed by the company or its group.

Alexander's blue and white colours have been carried by dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle, while he enjoyed two successes at this year's Cheltenham Festival through Doddiethegreat in the Pertemps Network Final and Kargese in the County Hurdle.

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