Everton and Leicester in Trouble over Gambling Sponsorships

Last month, the UK gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission, warned Premier League clubs about sponsorships with gambling companies. The announcement followed the announcement about the shutdown of Stake’s operations in Great Britain which came months after the announced exit of BC.Game from the UK. The former gambling operator decided to cease operations in the UK after an advertisement that featured a popular adult film actress.

BC.Game and Stake Can Be Accessed by British Customers via VPN, CEGA Claims

In light of the market exit of the two companies, the Commission demanded they take steps to ensure they do not accept customers from the UK. Two clubs that have active sponsorship deals, Everton and Leicester City, which have teamed up with Stake.com and BC.Game respectively, were also notified by the Commission that they should demonstrate steps for geoblocking the aforementioned websites. At the same time, the regulator acknowledged that some geo-blocks can be avoided with the use of VPNs.

Only recently, one of the opponents of betting and gambling advertising in the country, the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), announced that despite the exit of the two operators from the market, they can be accessed easily by British customers. The Coalition accused the two premier clubs of promoting illegal gambling and also asked if the Gambling Commission would consider prosecution.

“An investigation by CEGA has found illegal gambling websites promoted by Everton and Leicester City FC are still easily accessible to British Consumers, a month after UK Gambling Commission warned them of potential prosecution if found to be the case,“

reads a statement from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads

Last week, the gambling watchdog in the UK slapped Corbett bookmakers with a £686,070 ($890,000) fine. The monetary sanction came after social responsibility and Anti-Money Laundering practice failures. Still, at the time of writing, the Commission hasn’t publicly commented on the case with Everton and Leicester City.

Stake’s Safeguards Detected and Restricted UK Account Holder Within an Hour

Reportedly, a representative of CEGA was able to easily create an account with Stake.com and successfully bypassed restrictions after using a VPN. While the terms and conditions explained that customers from the UK are not permitted, the person was able to start playing after uploading an ID verification of Bonnie Blue, the same adult actress who was featured in an ad by the popular gambling operator. CEGA’s representative was permitted to play for about an hour, after that, their account was restricted, The Athletic reports.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Stake.com reaffirmed the company’s dedication to compliance with the regulations in different jurisdictions and regulatory integrity. The spokesperson condemned CEGA’s actions, recognizing them as not only “deceptive” but “outright fraudulent and illegal.” Moreover, the spokesperson explained: “They fraudulently created an account using fake credentials, engaging in identity fraud. They attempted to conduct an illegal transaction, despite being in violation of multiple safeguards.”

According to Stake.com’s representative, the operator’s safeguards worked “exactly as intended” considering that the inconsistencies in data were flagged which led to the shutdown of the account. Finally, the spokesperson said that this serves as proves that Stake.com “is not operating in the UK, has no interest in doing so, and enforces strict controls to prevent access from restricted jurisdictions.”