TGP Europe, the company behind several websites like Stake.com in the UK, gave up its license after being told it would have to pay a £3.3 million ($4.4 million) fine and make major improvements if it wanted to keep operating in Great Britain.
According to the UK’s Gambling Commission, the penalty was due to TGP not doing enough background checks on its business partners and breaking anti-money laundering rules.
TGP ran what’s known as a white label business, which means it operated gambling sites on behalf of other brands, using their names and logos.
TGP Europe accused of failing to carry out sufficient checks
The commission’s investigation found that TGP Europe fell short in several key areas. It said that the company didn’t do proper due diligence on the people and entities involved in the ownership of third-party businesses, nor did it dig deep enough into where the money behind these business arrangements was coming from.
It also accused the firm of not taking money laundering risks seriously enough or considering whether third parties were involved in any illegal activities, either in the UK or elsewhere. There were also clear breaches of anti-money laundering rules, like not following its own policies for enhanced due diligence.
For example, the commission said that the TGP failed to properly check and assess information it received from third parties.
📢TGP Europe (the infamous company behind Stake in Britain) have surrendered their licence!
Unclear right now if it's a result of CEGA's complaint but 3 more football clubs (Bournemouth, Fulham and Wolverhampton) are now promoting unlicensed gambling companies as a result. pic.twitter.com/e56ZfpZN3M
— Coalition to End Gambling Ads (@EndGamblingAds) May 16, 2025
This isn’t the first time TGP Europe has run into trouble with the UK’s Gambling Commission. In 2023, the company was fined £316,250 ($420,542) for similar issues, including failing to properly assess and manage money laundering risks tied to its business-to-business relationships, and having weak due diligence processes before entering into white label agreements.
Soccer clubs face the heat
As TGP has left the Great Britain market, several soccer clubs find themselves in a tricky spot, as they’re still tied to sponsorship deals with gambling brands that are no longer licensed to operate in the UK.
In response, the commission stated that it has reached out to AFC Bournemouth, Fulham FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, and Burnley FC, warning them about the risks of promoting unlicensed gambling sites.
The regulator is asking the clubs to confirm they’ve done proper checks on their white label partners and to make sure people in Great Britain can’t access or use these gambling sites.
Clubs will also need to prove that any geo-blocking measures they’ve put in place are actually working, especially since tools like VPNs can often get around those blocks. On top of that, the Commission plans to do its own checks to make sure everything’s being enforced properly.
Club officers could face prosecution, fines, or even prison time if it’s found that they’ve been promoting unlicensed gambling services to UK consumers.
‘Unwilling or unable to meet regulatory standards’
The commission’s enforcement head, John Pierce, said: “This case involves a gambling company that was unwilling or unable to meet the regulatory standards we expect from our licensees. It is right that they have now exited the British market.
“Following TGP’s exit, several online gambling operators can no longer lawfully offer gambling facilities to consumers located in Great Britain. These sites, previously operating under TGP’s licence, may not provide adequate protection against criminal activity or gambling-related harm and should not be available to GB consumers with immediate effect.”
Pierce continued: “We have already been in contact with several football clubs today 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. “
He stated: “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.
“We would like to warn consumers that sites operated by TGP are now unlicensed and may not provide protections against criminality or gambling related harm.”
ReadWrite has reached out to TGP Europe and several soccer clubs for comment.
Featured image: Canva
