The main sponsor of Everton, a top English Premier League soccer club, has surrendered its British license following an investigation into an ad featuring porn actress Bonnie Blue.
On Wednesday, the Gambling Commission advised Stake, a sportsbook and casino operator, to halt UK activities due to the controversy.
Everton risks losing major sponsorship funding and may face regulatory consequences over Stake’s activities, impacting millions of fans in Great Britain.
Stake’s owner, TGP Europe, operates the site via a white-label agreement, which allows global gambling firms to enter the UK market while minimizing development costs.
The commission said: “TGP has previously been the subject of enforcement action and after a meeting with the Commission have stated they will immediately stop accepting new registrations to the Stake.uk.com platform and remove redirection links from the main Stake website.
“Final shutdown of the Great Britain site will take place by 11 March 2025.”
Why is Stake shutting down?
Tia Billinger, known as the adult actress Bonnie Blue, was in a social media video near Nottingham Trent University. However, it is unclear if she was aware or involved in posting the video.
In the clip, she boasted about how she would “sleep with 180 barely legal 18-year-olds” while Stake’s logo was displayed.
The clip was shared by a user claiming to be linked to the gambling company, not the official account. The post has since been removed online.
With Stake losing its footing in the UK gambling scene, the company has diverted its focus towards its expansion in other countries like Brazil.
In a statement, Stake said: “[We have] made a strategic decision in mutual agreement with TGP Europe to exit white-label agreements and focus on securing local licenses through our in-house platform and operations, building upon our growth in key regulated markets such as our recent expansions into Italy and Brazil.”
The UK regulator will warn Everton F.C. and two other clubs about the risks involving unlicensed gambling websites.
The Gambling Commission underlines that clubs that have not carried out due diligence can be liable to prosecution. In the case of a conviction, the clubs could face a fine, imprisonment, or both.
The commission said: “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 by-passed by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network.
“Clubs will be expected to carry out sufficient due diligence to assure the Commission that consumers cannot transact with the sites from Great Britain by any means. The Commission will also be taking steps to independently verify effective measures are in place.”
