Four Premier League clubs warned over gambling sponsors
Four Premier League clubs have been warned by the Gambling Commission over their relationship with an unlicensed gambling business.
Bournemouth, Fulham, Newcastle, and Wolves, as well newly promoted Burnley, are all sponsored by betting websites run by TGP Europe.
The company surrendered its UK licence after an investigation found it had failed to "carry out sufficient checks on business partners" and breached "anti-money laundering rules".
A letter sent to the clubs has warned they "may be liable to prosecution…if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain".
TGP Europe brands bj88 (Bournemouth), SBOTOP (Fulham), DEBET (Wolves), and 96.com (Burnley) all currently appear as match day shirt sponsors.
FUN88 was Newcastle's shirt sponsor from 2017 to 2023, before becoming the club's "official Asian betting partner".
BBC Sport has approached the five clubs and TGP Europe for comment.
In February, the Gambling Commission contacted Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester about three other TGP Europe websites that had already lost their licence.
Stake (Everton), kaiyun (Nottingham Forest), and BC.GAME (Leicester) have all remained on the respective shirts since.
TGP Europe surrendered its licence after being told it needed to pay a £3.3 million penalty and "make significant improvements" to continue trading.
The Gambling Commission says it is seeking assurances "that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites".
"Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that any steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily bypassed by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network", they added.
From beer to betting - how have football shirt sponsors changed?
Premier League to limit gambling sponsors on shirts
More than half of this season's Premier League teams have a gambling company as their shirt sponsor.
Premier League clubs have agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Coalition to End Gambling Ads raised concerns about TGP Europe's practices with the Gambling Commission.
Director Will Prochaska said: "Action against TGP Europe is welcome, but warnings against advertising unlicensed gambling companies ring hollow."
"Premier League clubs – including Everton and Leicester – have been advertising unlicensed sites for months."
The Gambling Commission's head of enforcement John Pierce said: "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."
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This coming season marks the first year of a new broadcast rights cycle in which TV income has once again soared to new heights, with the 2025-28 cycle generating an estimated 17 per cent more than 2022-25. Based on past evidence, there is little to suggest clubs would not simply push themselves right up against the upper limit, wherever it may fall. All of this also ignores the fact even allowing clubs to lose an 'acceptable' amount of money in the first place rather stands at odds with the very notion of 'profit and sustainability'. One area where clubs and proponents of a higher loss limit might have better supporting evidence is in how it is costing more and more to run a football club, or any business. The UK has experienced high inflation in recent years, so general running costs have increased. 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Premier League clubs over the past 12 years have enjoyed greater riches than ever before yet continue to lose huge sums, principally because of their refusal to reduce spending on player wages and transfers. Last year's wage stagnation might actually be evidence of PSR rules, and what happens when you break them, having the effect of constraining wage growth, though time will tell. The rules, based as they are on limiting losses, encourage player sales for those in fear of a breach. But a deeper issue lies in how clubs arrived at that point in the first place. (Top photos: Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
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'We didn't forget the football side,' says Foley. 'We made sure we had a very competitive team.' Former Northern Ireland international Terry McFlynn, who had a successful playing career in Australia with Sydney FC and was running Perth Glory's academy, was hired as their director of football. In turn, he recruited his former Sydney team-mate Steve Corica to become Auckland's first-team manager. The club's popularity has resulted in commercial interest, with 35 deals signed already, including two with ANZ and Anchor, the country's biggest names in banking and commercial dairy, respectively. An embedded TV crew have followed their first season for a documentary out later this year. There is a boardroom star factor too. As with Bournemouth, where Foley brought Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan on board as an investor, he has compiled a who's who of famous Kiwis: former All Black Ali Williams, AllBirds footwear billionaire Tim Brown, Zuru Toys founder Anna Mowbray, and ex-West Ham defender Winston Reid. Advertisement There is even an NBA star onboard: Houston Rockets centre Steven Adams, who is from New Zealand. And the 31-year-old is not just lending his famous name to the club; he is invested in its success on both levels. 'I was attracted by the group itself,' he says. 'And by the Kiwi sportsmen who are successful, who know how to win, and have had winning experiences. I would say I am a football fan — not necessarily knowledgeable about all the tactics and whatnot, but I appreciate any form of physical expression.' Adams has been pleased to see his homeland respond so enthusiastically. 'It's been great to see the strong support,' he says. 'There is the sports side, obviously, but there's the whole experience: seeing families and kids out there, enjoying themselves. 'My hope is to win championships and also, the grassroots piece is really important. To create pathways for kids that give them more opportunities for school and their career.' Curiously, there is an Auckland football team competing back in the U.S. at the moment — but it isn't the one Adams has bought into. Auckland City, who made headlines by losing 10-0 to Bayern Munich on Sunday, are a semi-professional side who are there by virtue of being the champions of Oceania, or winners of the OFC Champions League. Because they compete in Australia, and Football Australia is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix cannot take part in the OFC Champions League. So no limelight in his homeland this summer then, but Foley's focus is increasingly laser-like on the sporting part of his business. 'I'm at the stage now of basically limiting most of my public company positions,' he explains. 'I have resigned as chairman of Alight (a health and wealth management company). Then I stepped down as chairman and CEO of Cannae, which is one of the investors in Black Knight Football Club. 'Now I'm the vice chairman and just responsible for football operations. That's all I want to do.' But after such a remarkable rise, is there a risk Auckland's second season might not live up to the first? 'Now the players have been to the semi-finals, and the group has stayed together, they know what it is like to be there and lose at that stage,' says Becker. 'They won't want that feeling again. The next step is to win it, and that's our motivation for next season. Advertisement 'The bigger risk might have been to go through and win it all. Then the motivation for next season would have been a different challenge, but now we have unfinished business.' The last word goes to Foley, with a smile but also a dash of that old military steel behind his eyes: 'If anyone sits on their laurels, they won't be playing for Auckland FC,' he says. 'Period.'
