Premier League Clubs Having to Deal with Unlicensed Sponsors
Some Premier League clubs have found themselves being sponsored by unlicensed gambling brands.
Unlicensed gambling brands sponsoring some Premier League clubs. © planet_fox Pixabay
Key Facts:
- TGP Europe has exited the UK owing to various ongoing issues
- Some of its brands have sponsorship deals with Premier League clubs
- This has resulted in some clubs being sponsored by unlicensed gambling brands
TGP Europe is a gambling white-label provider that has recently exited the British gambling market. The company, which is behind more than 30 gambling brands, had committed a series of offences and had violated the terms of its agreement with the UK Gambling Commission.
This has caused a problem for a number of Premier League Clubs. Some of the clubs are sponsored by gambling brands belonging to TGP Europe. These brands are currently unlicensed, following their parent company’s decision to leave the UK market.
TGP Europe’s Problems
Some of the brands belonging to TGP Europe include Betvision, 96UK, Fun88 and Sportsbet.io. The company, which was established in 2014 and is based in the Isle of Man, was fined £3.3 million by the UK Gambling Commission for breaching anti-money laundering measures.
It’s also been accused of violating its own compliance standards and failing to carry out full verification checks on partner funding sources. The UKGC has issued several warnings to the company about its failings and violations. TGC Europe, however, simply gave up its UK licences.
An Issue Facing Some Premier League Clubs
The company’s decision not to rectify its problems and satisfy the UKGC’s demands has resulted in several Premier League clubs being sponsored by unlicensed gambling brands. These include Bournemouth, Burnley, Fulham, Newcastle United and Wolves. The clubs are now in a tricky situation through no fault of their own.
Fulham, for instance, is still sponsored by SBOTOP, which isn’t able to operate legally in the UK following TGP Europe’s departure. As for Newcastle United, it still lists Sportsbet.io and Fun88 as sponsors even though these are currently without a UK licence.
Following TGP Europe’s decision to abandon its UK licences, the UKGC has issued a warning to the affected Premier League clubs. They must prove that people in the UK can’t access TGP’s unlicensed sites through their sponsorship links. The UKGC has also said that using geoblocking software isn’t enough.
This is because many people are familiar with VPNs, which can easily get around geoblocking, and regularly use them for all sorts of purposes. If the affected clubs don’t act and continue to allow people to visit unlicensed sites, they could land themselves in trouble.
Club executives could be fined or even face time in prison. This football season more than half of Premier League clubs are sponsored by gambling brands. The problems with TGP Europe may encourage clubs to seek sponsorship from a different industry instead.
