12th February 2025 – (London) Britain’s gambling regulator announced on Wednesday that it will issue warnings to three Premier League football clubs—Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City—over the risks of promoting unlicensed gambling websites on their kits. The move follows the revocation of Stake.uk.com’s gambling licence after an investigation by the U.K.Gambling Commission.

Earlier in the day, the Commission declared that Stake.uk.com, operated by TGP Europe Ltd, would cease operations in the UK by next month. Stake.com, a global online betting platform, is currently the front-of-shirt sponsor for Everton, while other online gaming platforms, Kaiyun and BC Game, sponsor Nottingham Forest and Leicester City respectively.

In its forthcoming letter, the Gambling Commission will caution club officials that promoting unlicensed gambling businesses accessible to British consumers could result in fines, imprisonment, or both. The regulator emphasised that clubs must conduct thorough due diligence to ensure that these platforms are entirely inaccessible to UK-based users.

A notice on BC Game’s website revealed that it had already disabled new registrations in November in preparation for shutting down its U.K. operations. Meanwhile, Everton declined to comment on the matter, and Leicester City and Nottingham Forest did not immediately respond to requests for remarks. Attempts to contact Stake, Kaiyun, and BC Game were also unsuccessful.

The Premier League had already agreed in 2023 to phase out gambling sponsorships on the front of club shirts, with the ban set to take effect from the 2026-27 season. However, the recent developments highlight the urgency of addressing concerns surrounding gambling industry sponsors in football.

The investigation into Stake.uk.com was reportedly triggered by a social media video that displayed the Stake logo alongside an adult actress near Nottingham Trent University. Following the probe, TGP Europe Ltd agreed to halt new registrations for Stake.uk.com, remove links redirecting users from the main Stake website, and permanently shut down the platform in Great Britain by 11th March.