Birmingham City’s official betting partner in Asia - God55 - have come under scrutiny about its licences

It was reported last week that Birmingham City were partnering with God55, who were going to become their official betting partner in Asia. However the news has soon taken a turn...

"We’re thrilled to welcome God55 to the Birmingham City family as our official Asian betting partner,” said a spokesperson for the club.

To learn more about responsible gambling, visit our responsible gambling in sports betting page which also offers resources and advice on where to seek help if needed. 

“This partnership highlights the club’s growing international appeal and provides an opportunity to further engage with our supporters in Asia. We look forward to working closely with God55 to achieve great things together."

God55 even launched a film in order to help celebrate and promote the partnership, which looked like it could turn into an interesting collaboration.

Since then, however, the news article regarding the partnership has been removed from the Birmingham City website and a further development has occurred surrounding God55 and whether they are actually a licensed casino after all.

A joint investigation by iGaming Expert and Insider Sport has found that God55 is not licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) despite claims that it was.

The MGA explained in a recent statement that it is ‘hereby declaring that it has no connection’ with a total of 17 different domains for God55.

The company have been hailed as one of the ‘most trusted casinos’ across several South East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, yet a few links pointed to by the MGA are not accessible in the UK.

God55 even used the MGA logo on its website, despite not holding a licence with the authority while using “false and misleading” methods to appear as authentic as possible.

Logos from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) were also used on the website, although both were outdated and didn’t actually link to any possible licence.

The deal between God55 and Birmingham City was just the latest of partnerships between English clubs and overseas betting partners.

Given their League One status, this came as a surprise, especially given the vast majority of gambling partnership deals we see in the Premier League. 

However, clubs are keen to increase revenue by having an official betting partner on the front of their shirts, but from the start of the 2026/27 season a front-of-shirt betting sponsorship ban will come into effect, meaning clubs will have to source additional revenue elsewhere; or try to curtail the rules by having their sponsor on other advertisement materials.

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds a minority stake in the club, which has allowed them to attract more commercial opportunities such as the one with God55.

Wolves, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest are also partnered with Asian betting firms, although these deals have evoked plenty of backlash from supporters and the media alike.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) are cautioning Forest and Palace over the continuing partnership with Kaiyun Sports after their licence with Isle of Man-based operator TGP Europe expired.

This recent news surrounding Birmingham and God55 could certainly put an end to these sort of partnerships, especially with the front-of-shirt ban coming into effect from the summer of 2026.