The UK government is considering measures to prevent Premier League football clubs and other sports teams from accepting sponsorships from certain online betting companies. This move may particularly involve unlicensed gambling operators, which follows a series of regulatory and integrity concerns linked to the sector. According to a report by The Guardian, the proposed move comes amid controversies involving online gambling firms associated with pornographic content, failures to comply with anti-money laundering requirements, and alleged links to organised crime. Several Premier League clubs, including Everton, Fulham, and Burnley, among others, still display logos of online casinos or bookmakers that are not licensed by the British authorities on their match-day jerseys.However, there is a catch: Premier League clubs have already agreed to voluntarily end front-of-shirt sponsorships with gambling operators at the end of the current season, even if the operators are licensed by the British authorities. This does not apply to sleeve logos or other sponsorship arrangements.Under existing arrangements, overseas gambling companies can continue partnering with clubs if they claim not to target UK consumers, a loophole regulators are now examining as authorities assess whether tighter restrictions are needed.
What the UK government said about online betting sites sponsoring sports teams
Recently, the UK government said that it is discussing a potential ban covering unlicensed gambling operators, a measure that had previously been considered but not implemented by the former administration. Ministers pointed to concerns that some operators function under weaker regulatory oversight, leaving vulnerable users exposed, and warned that certain unlicensed firms have been associated with organised crime, The Guardian reported.
UK's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said,
“It’s not right that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards.”Everton’s sponsorship agreement with Stake.com, reportedly valued at £10 million per year, has drawn particular attention in debates around partnerships between Premier League clubs and unlicensed operators.
In 2022, Stake faced scrutiny while still holding a UK license after The Guardian reported that customers could use cryptocurrency to place bets on the platform, despite such payment methods not being permitted under UK regulatory rules.
Stake later surrendered its UK license after a Gambling Commission investigation into its social media promotions, including a stunt involving pornographic
“content creator” Bonnie Blue, in which she attempted to have sex with
“barely legal 18-year-olds” in their first year at Nottingham Trent University.
Soon after, Everton instructed the company to stop using club branding in a promotion offering a $10 free bet to users who wagered $5,000 within a week, amid concerns about problem gambling. However, the company continues to sponsor the club.
Apart from Stake, several gambling companies earlier operated through Isle of Man-based
“white label” provider TGP Europe, which enabled overseas-focused betting companies to secure UK sponsorship agreements.
Earlier this year, TGP Europe exited the British market after the Gambling Commission ordered the company to pay a £3.3 million fine for failing to conduct adequate checks on business partners and breaching anti-money laundering regulations.
TGP Europe was also the
“white label” provider of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ shirt sponsor, Debet. However, Debet later obtained another license through a different white-label operator.
TGP had also facilitated sponsorship arrangements for several other Premier League teams, including Fulham through Sbotop and Burnley through 96.com. Following TGP’s withdrawal, none of those operators currently holds a license to operate in Great Britain, although gambling regulation in Northern Ireland operates under a separate framework.
A full ban on overseas gambling sponsors would prevent such companies from pursuing sleeve sponsorships or other commercial partnerships that could otherwise continue despite the upcoming front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban next season.
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