The Gambling Commission in the UK is increasing oversight of unlicensed gambling operations, issuing warnings to five Premier League clubs for promoting unlicensed gambling websites.
League Cup winners, Newcastle United, Fulham, Bournemouth, Wolves, and newly-promoted Burnley are all sponsored by betting websites operated by TGP Europe, based in the Isle of Man. Clubs who continue advertising these websites could face prosecution.
“This case involves a gambling company that was unwilling or unable to meet the regulatory standards we expect from our licensees,” said John Pierce, head of enforcement at the Commission.
The affected sponsors include:
BJ88 (Bournemouth)
SBOTOP (Fulham)
Sportsbet.io and Fun88 (Newcastle)
Debet (Wolves)
96.com (Burnley)
Clubs have been instructed to perform due diligence on their white-label partners to ensure UK users cannot access these sites, even through VPN technology that might bypass geo-blocking.
“We have already contacted several football clubs to highlight the impact of TGP’s withdrawal from the market and clarify that we will be conducting checks to ensure these sites remain blocked,” Pierce said. “Should any of these sites become available to GB consumers, we will take appropriate action.”
Pierce emphasised that clubs must help protect fans and consumers from gambling-related harm. “All licensed operators with similar arrangements to TGP should take notice of the action taken in this case.”
Currently, more than half of this season’s Premier League teams have gambling companies as shirt sponsors. However, Premier League clubs have agreed to remove gambling sponsorship from the front of matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.
Premier League clubs have generated approximately £500 million from gambling sponsorship deals over the past five seasons.
The annual value of these partnerships has averaged around £100 million per season, with individual club deals ranging from £5 million to £20 million depending on the club’s profile and international reach.
Insideworldfootball.com
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