Everton FC is being warned of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites as its shirt sponsor gives up its gambling licence in the UK.
The online casino has made the move following a Gambling Commission review of its practices, including advertising fronted by a porn actor.
The Commission said that it would be writing to Everton “along with two other football clubs with unlicensed sponsors – warning of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites.”
It said in a statement:
“The Commission will seek assurance from the clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites.
“Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that any steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily by-passed by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network.
“Clubs will be expected to carry out sufficient due diligence to assure the Commission that consumers cannot transact with the sites from Great Britain by any means. The Commission will also be taking steps to independently verify effective measures are in place.”
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The letter will also warn them that club officers may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, “face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain.”
Stake will no longer be a licensed website from next month and TGP Europe Limited (TGP), which operates the site as part of a white-label arrangement, has stated they will be shutting the site.
It’s all happened following an investigation into a social media video of Bonnie Blue outside Nottingham Trent University. It featured a Stake logo as she promised to “sleep with 180 barely-legal 18 year olds.” It wasn’t posted on an official Stake account and Blue wasn’t part of the investigation – and there is no suggestion that she committed any wrongdoing or was part of the video’s creation.
The video has now been deleted.
“Stake has made a strategic decision in mutual agreement with TGP Europe to exit white-label agreements and focus on securing local licenses through our in-house platform and operations, building upon our growth in key regulated markets such as our recent expansions into Italy and Brazil,” said a Stake spokesperson.
Final shutdown of the site will take place by 11 March 2025.
Everton signed the record partnership agreement with the Australian casino and sports betting platform in 2022. It came after the club activated a break clause in its contract with Cazoo, which was reportedly worth £9.6m a season.
The club hasn’t commented.
