UK targets offshore casino sponsors in football crackdown
The UK government is launching a consultation to ban unlicensed gambling firms from sponsoring football teams, a move aimed at protecting licensed operators and tax revenues after regulatory delays allowed offshore crypto casinos to secure lucrative Premier League deals.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will launch a consultation this week on proposals to ban unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports teams. The move aims to close a legal loophole that currently allows offshore casinos to advertise on football kits while avoiding UK regulatory standards and taxes.
The review comes after a regulatory stall since February gave offshore firms a window to act. During the delay, Everton FC signed a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with crypto casino Stake.com. This was despite guidance from the Gambling Commission warning clubs to think twice before pursuing partnerships with unlicensed operators.
The loophole has created an uneven playing field for the regulated market. Stella David, chief executive of Entain, the company behind Ladbrokes, warned the gambling minister, Baroness Twycross, in early June that unlicensed sponsorship agreements were “surely now being finalised”. She argued that these operators “profit international criminal networks, deprive the Treasury of tax revenues and have a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of UK consumers, especially the most vulnerable.”
Stake.com is one of the world’s largest gambling companies. It effectively surrendered its licence to operate in Britain last year during a regulatory review. The company states it does not take bets in the UK, though previous investigations raised concerns about the ease with which British customers could bypass controls to bet with cryptocurrency on the site.
The influx of unregulated money has also created political friction. A senior industry source called on Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester and a vocal gambling critic who supports Everton, to condemn the deal. “We face the prospect of our prime minister wearing an Everton shirt and becoming a billboard for a crypto casino, which would be outrageous,” the source said.
The government consultation follows a voluntary agreement with the Premier League to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships from the 2026-27 season. That restriction has already pushed licensed bookmakers toward sleeve and training kit deals. David has urged the government to warn clubs that any agreements struck with unlicensed operators before the consultation concludes could be cancelled mid-season.
