It’s as the gambling regulator investigates the Stake logo featuring on an adult video

Australian bookmaker Stake – an Everton FC front-of-shirt sponsor – is giving up its license to operate in Great Britain from next month amid a Gambling Commission investigation.

The move follows an investigation by the gambling regulator into a widely-viewed video featuring the adult star Bonnie Blue and displaying the Stake-branded logo, which appeared on X.

In the video, the porn star talked about having sex with “barely legal 18-year-olds” in their first year at Nottingham University while the Stake logo appeared across the screen.

Stake bills itself as “the world’s leading cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook”, allowing customers to bet with Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies.

In the UK, it is best known as a sponsor of Everton FC.

Stake’s UK website, which does not offer crypto gambling, is run under license by an Isle of Man-based company, TGP Europe, through a so-called white label agreement.

Deals like this are frequently used by international gambling firms that want to launch in the UK without having to invest large sums in development and infrastructure.

The Gambling Commission advised consumers on Wednesday that Stake “will no longer be a licensed website from next month” after TGP “stated they would be shutting the site”.

The commission said in a statement: “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 Stake.uk.com platform and remove redirection links from the main Stake website.

“Final shutdown of the Great Britain site will take place by 11 March 2025.”

The statement added: “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.”

The commission said the letter would warn that “club officers may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promoted unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain”.

“When an operator leaves the British gambling market, we expect an orderly closure of its website to consumers in Great Britain and this includes providing consumers with clear information on how to obtain their funds. If a customer has questions concerning their account they should contact the operator via its website.”

Bonnie Blue – whose real name is Tia Billinger – last month attempted to break the world record for having the most amount of sex in 12 hours. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part.

The ad was posted by an account claiming to be affiliated with Stake rather than an official account for the company and has now been deleted.

It is not clear whether Bonnie Blue was involved in its creation, or whether the account that posted it simply repurposed a video from elsewhere.

Will Prochaska, director of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads, which first complained to the Gambling Commission about the ad, said: “Forcing Stake out of the UK market is important, but will do little to change a system that enables predatory gambling marketing, sometimes by firms that haven’t even applied for their own gambling licence.

“We need regulators that will put the nation’s health ahead of gambling industry profits.”
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