Gambling Commission threatens four Premier League clubs with legal action over sponsorship deals

Four Premier League clubs have been warned over betting sponsorship deals by the Gambling Commission. 

Bournemouth, Fulham, Newcastle, Wolves and newly-promoted Burnley all have sponsorship deals with websites owned by TGP Europe. 

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However, the company lost their licence after breaching anti-money laundering rules and ‘failing to carry out sufficient checks on business partners’ – a story that FIRST.com revealed at the weekend. 

The Gambling Commission have since sent a letter to all five clubs warning them that they "may be liable to prosecution if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain". 

The full letter to the five named clubs includes the following: "You will want to continue to satisfy yourself that your sponsorship and associated advertising arrangements are legal and do not present a reputational risk to your sport.

"We would advise that any organisation engaging in sponsorship from brands that do not hold a Commission licence manage their exposure to risk. This includes satisfying themselves as to the source of the funds for the arrangement."

TGR Europe were fined £3.3 million for their rule breaches and forced to leave the UK iGaming market on 15 May. 

Some of their brands include bj88, SBOTOP, DEBET and 96.com. These websites are currently front of shirt sponsors for Bournemouth, Fulham, Wolves and Burnley respectively. 

FUN88, who were Newcastle United’s front-of-shirt sponsor between 2017 and 2023 and are their current official Asian betting partner, are also owned by the banned company. 

John Pierce, who is the head of enforcement at the Gambling Commission, added: "We have already been in contact with several football clubs to highlight the impact of the withdrawal from the market by TGP and make clear that we will be carrying out checks - without further notice - to ensure these sites remain blocked.

"We will also conduct ongoing spot checks as necessary to ensure they are not accessible to consumers in Great Britain by any means. Should any of these sites be available to GB consumers, we will take appropriate action.

"It is essential that football clubs play their part in protecting fans and GB consumers who may be exposed to advertising of these sites through their sponsorship arrangements from harm or exploitation. All licensed operators with similar arrangements to TGP should take notice of the action taken in this case."

This is not the first time this season that a Premier League club has been notified by the Gambling Commission over sponsorship deals. Everton were warned by the fact that their shirt sponsor Stake.com is no longer licensed in the UK. Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have also been in-trouble with similar offences. 

With the chance of criminal prosecution and imprisonment on the cards for those that fall foul of this rule, it remains to be seen how quickly these clubs will act over removing them as official sponsors.