Premier League Sponsors Still Target UK Gamblers After License Loss

Premier League clubs are once again facing questions over gambling sponsorships, as an investigation found that several shirt sponsors continue to accept UK players despite lacking the legal authority to do so. The revelations come from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), which shared its findings with Sky News.

Good to know

• BC.Game, DEBET, and 96.com lost their UK licenses but are still accessible to British users.
• These brands sponsor Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley.
• TGP Europe, the former license holder, surrendered its UK license in May to avoid a fine.

CEGA investigators were able to deposit funds on all three gambling platforms, raising concerns that these companies are still targeting UK customers. Despite warnings from the Gambling Commission, the clubs have continued to feature these brands on their shirts.

Each operator was formerly licensed through TGP Europe, an Isle of Man-based entity. That license was surrendered on May 15 to avoid a £3.3 million fine. BC.Game ended its relationship with TGP Europe months earlier, in December 2024, and has operated without a UK license since then.

According to CEGA director Will Prochaska, using BC.Game was surprisingly easy. “In fact, it was one of the easiest for me to gamble on—there were very few checks whatsoever,” he said. Prochaska also claimed he reached out to Leicester City in March but never received a reply.

Sky News confirmed it was able to register accounts on all six gambling websites connected to Leicester, Wolves, Burnley, Bournemouth, Fulham, and Newcastle United. Each brand was once tied to TGP Europe and is now prohibited from engaging with UK users. However, many still accept UK phone numbers and Telegram-based signups without proper location checks. In one case, BC.Game verified a UK phone number and still completed the registration process.

The Gambling Commission has not yet issued a formal statement but has previously committed to carrying out spot checks and pursuing enforcement when violations are confirmed. Head of enforcement John Pierce has said that operators must block access for UK users “by any means,” including the prevention of VPN workarounds.

Despite the warnings, none of the clubs have signaled any intention to end their sponsorship deals. All three current partnerships—Leicester, Wolves, and Burnley—are in the middle of two-year terms, with the 2024–2025 season already concluded.

Prochaska criticized the lack of urgency: “Far too many children, far too many football fans, are seeing these adverts every day. It’s got to stop.”