Club will receive written warning about potential fines/prison sentences from Gambling Commission

[moore_94]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/02/12/everton-forest-leicester-gambling-sponsor-stake-threat-fine/

 

Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City will receive written warnings they could face fines and staff could face prison sentences over front-of-shirt sponsors that have been deemed “unlawful” in Great Britain.

 

The move comes after the Gambling Commission announced that Everton’s front-of-shirt sponsor, Australian bookmaker Stake, will stop operating in this country by March 11.

 

That means Everton are the third Premier League club to promote a sponsor that cannot operate in Great Britain on the front of their shirts, along with Nottingham Forest and Leicester.

 

In a strongly worded statement, the Gambling Commission said Everton and two other Premier League clubs, understood to be Forest and Leicester, would now receive written warnings. They will include the threat of fines and prison sentences for individuals if effective measures are not in place to ensure that sponsors cannot transact with consumers in this country.

 

An investigation by the Gambling Commission was prompted when the Stake logo featured on posts made by an adult actress, who has claimed she once slept with 1,000 men in a day.

 

Everton have not commented on the Gambling Commission’s announcement, but it is understood it will not affect the club’s partnership with Stake, which is global, rather than UK-focused. The partnership was inherited by Everton’s Friedkin Group owners.

 

Forest’s front-of-shirt sponsor is Asian sportsbook Kaiyun, which is unlicensed in Great Britain and is also an official partner of Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Leicester display online gambling firm BC Game, which is unlicensed in this country.

 

Forest have not commented, but it is believed the club have taken proactive steps to try to satisfy the Gambling Commission’s demands. Leicester have also not commented.

 

Premier League clubs agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of match-day shirts from the 2026-27 season, which means next season will be the last in which their logos can be displayed.

 

In a statement, the Gambling Commission said: “The Commission will be writing to Everton – along with two other football clubs with unlicensed sponsors – warning of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites.

 

“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.

 

“The letter will warn 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.”

 

Confirming the closure of Stake’s website in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission said: “Consumers are being advised that Online Sportsbook & Casino | Bet with Stake UK  will no longer be a licensed website from next month.

 

“TGP Europe Limited, who operate the site as part of a white-label arrangement, have stated they will be shutting the site.

 

“The move follows the launch of a Commission investigation into a widely viewed video displaying the Stake-branded logo, which was distributed on a social media platform and featured an adult actress outside Nottingham Trent University.

 

“TGP has previously been the subject of enforcement action and, after a meeting with the Commission, have stated they will immediately stop accepting new registrations to the Online Sportsbook & Casino | Bet with Stake UK platform and remove redirection links from the main Stake website. Final shutdown of the Great Britain site will take place by 11 March 2025.

 

“Stake are currently front-of-shirt sponsor of English Premier League football club Everton.”

[HankMarvin]

Only way we get rid of Rudkin, get him banged up 

[AKCJ]

Rightly so.

 

****ing disgusting that the board thought it would be a good idea in the first place. The board should be ashamed and each of them should resign for bringing our club into disrepute like this.

 

Yet another example of them not listening to supporters in favour of money only for them to spunk that money up the wall.

[RoboFox]

Everyone knew it stunk. The club knew it stunk. Of course they did their due diligence, they just didn't care. 

 

fAmILy ClUb™ LCFC at it again. 

 

Edited 12 February by RoboFox

[jammie82uk]

6 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

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.

 

7 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

The letter will warn 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.”

There should be some very worried people at the club, due diligence don’t seem to be a strong point and especially when BC game have already been fined for allowing customers to bet while using an vpn 

[Nalis]

Good

[Stadt]

Didn’t Whelan say we’d never have a gambling sponsor? Another lie. 

[Ricey]

…and this is why any protests should be directed at the entire club. The culture, standards and morals are rotten.

[The Doctor]

The club didn't do their due dillegence on the very shady cryptocurrency gambling site?

 

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Whelan sat there and said she did due diligence on this deal, and could get locked up for it

 

Absolutely poetic.

[Daggers]

Please let the prison happen. 

[RYM]

Down with the Whelan, we’re going down with the Whelan…

[Scotch]

This board/ownership have....

 

Dug us into a financial hole that has saw us enter legal battles with 2 separate leagues over PSR. 

 

Decimated the structure of the club, not least the playing staff that will see us relegated for the 2nd time in 3 years. 

 

Tied us to morally corrupt companies and sponsors that threaten even more legal troubles. 

 

Alienated and priced out loyal fans who are losing interest in the club they love to the point we're people don't care anymore. 

 

.....and no-one loses their job?! It's a joke. 

[Ric Flair]

Wow this family club our owners and board like to portay us as when criticising any poor behaviour must be so proud.

 

Despite all the catalogue of mistakes and ineptitude that's caused our decline, this and our unhealthy links with mysterious south east asian betting companies (we've been reported to have the most partnerships with them) is what sickens me the most. Absolutely abhorrent.

[Pita]

27 minutes ago, HankMarvin said:

Only way we get rid of Rudkin, get him banged up 

That’s a great idea 🤣🤣

[Electric Yetis]

You're going down with the Leicester.

 

 

[RYM]

29 minutes ago, HankMarvin said:

Only way we get rid of Rudkin, get him banged up 

Let’s hope the prison service give him a ridiculously long contract. It’s what he would want…

[The Doctor]

17 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Please let the prison happen. 

From the board that bought you "We want Rudkin out" and "Sack the board" comes the latest hit single "Whelan for Prison"

[RYM]

This is right up @Foxes_Trust street so I can’t wait to see how they come out fighting publicly with this.

The perfect opportunity after Whelan lied about all this to them in the summer.

 

Statement and action - Let’s go…

[HankMarvin]

 

“you’re getting clink in the morning”

[davieG]

One for FAB aka Thunderbirds, well the club will treat them like puppets

[The Doctor]

25 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Whelan sat there and said she did due diligence on this deal, and could get locked up for it

 

Absolutely poetic.

it's actually really good timing for this to come out, there's less "oh so entitled, what do they expect" to be said about a protest when one of the board members has been threatened with a prison sentence 

[Jaspa]

They only looked into it after a 1000 man, 1 woman gangbang?

 

Such a strange system

[foxile5]

38 minutes ago, Electric Yetis said:

You're going down with the Leicester.

 

 

Email the gambling commission with it. Point it out. 

 

It's one thing if it's negligence but quite the other if you've looked into this dodgy as **** rip off  company and actively thought 'i want to align this club with them'

 

The 'best possible experience for our supporters' line is ****ing GHOULISH given the national coverage of a tragic story of gambling related suicide amongst our fan base that was being aired as she was spouting this bumshit.

 

Truly horrifying and as far from dignified and family orientated as it gets.

[fox_favourite]

We all knew it was dodgy when it was announced. They knew it wasnt licenced in this country. This isn't incompetence, it's negligence or full on money laundering 

Edited 12 February by fox_favourite