LONDON, England – The Gambling Commission don hammer warning for four Premier League clubs, dem dey sponsor by unlicensed betting businesses. The clubs – Bournemouth, Fulham, Newcastle, and Wolves, plus Burnley, wey don promote come from Championship – dey face possible prosecution.
The issue dey tied to TGP Europe, the company behind betting sites wey sponsor dem. TGP Europe drop im British licence after one investigation show say dem no carry out enough checks on di business partners and dem breach anti-money laundering rules.
In a letter wey go clubs, dem warn say, ‘You fit be liable to prosecution… if you promote unlicensed gambling businesses wey dey transact with consumers for Great Britain.’ TGP Europe dey run brands like bj88 for Bournemouth, SBOTOP for Fulham, DEBET for Wolves, and 96.com for Burnley.
Newcastle get another story as dem use FUN88 as im shirt sponsor from 2017 to 2023, before dem change am to be di “official Asian betting partner.” Di officials from di clubs dey face serious risk of imprisonment or fine if dem continue to promote unlicensed operators.
BBC Sport don reach out to di five clubs and TGP Europe for comment on di matter. Earlier this year, Nottingham Forest and Leicester also dey involved with TGP Europe sites wey don lose dem licence. Stake dey sponsor Everton, kaiyun dey on Nottingham Forest, and BC.GAME dey for Leicester shirt remain since dem don drop TGP Europe.
TGP Europe don surrender di licence after dem order am to pay £3.3 million penalty and make serious upgrades to continue to dey operate. Di Gambling Commission dey seek assurance say consumers for Great Britain no go fit transact with di unlicensed sites.
Di Commission go ask clubs to prove say dem get assurance say di geo-blocking measures dem dey work well, noting that some blocking fit dey easily bypass with tools like VPNs. Di letter wey di Gambling Commission send to di clubs talk say: ‘You go want ensure say your sponsorship and advertising arrangements dey legal and no dey pose reputational risk to di sport.’
More than half of dis season’s Premier League teams dey partner with gambling companies for their matchday shirts. Dem agree to stop gambling sponsorship from di front of di shirts by di end of di 2025-26 season.
Di Coalition to End Gambling Ads don raise concerns about TGP Europe practices. Director Will Prochaska argue say di action against TGP Europe be welcome, but di warnings against advertising unlicensed companies sound empty. He talk say Premier League clubs, including Everton and Leicester, don dey promote unlicensed sites for months.
John Pierce, di head of enforcement for di Gambling Commission, talk say: ‘We don already dey communicate with several football clubs to highlight di impact of TGP withdrawal and make clear say we go dey do checks without notice to ensure di sites remain blocked.’
He continue: ‘We go also carry out ongoing spot checks to ensure di sites no dey accessible to consumers for Great Britain. If any of di sites dey available to GB consumers, we go take appropriate action.’ E dey crucial say football clubs play dem part to protect di fans and consumers for GB wey fit dey exposed to di gambling ads through dem sponsorships from harm or exploitation. All licensed operators wey get similar arrangements to TGP suppose take notice of di action wey dem take for dis case.’
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