Birmingham City Football Club’s Asian betting partner, GOD55, is under investigation for falsely claiming to hold a Maltese Gaming Authority (MGA) license.
Earlier this month, the English soccer club announced a deal with the online casino platform, but it appears this latest development will bring unwanted attention for the Blues.
The official press release from the League One side, which is currently unavailable, described GOD55 as “one of the biggest and most trusted brands in the online gaming industry”.
That has been thrown into doubt with the revelation that the Malaysia-based entity has been misleading customers, with the MGA opening an investigation into the issue following claims that it was an approved operator.
GOD55 said it held licenses from three regulators: the MGA, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA). However, a probe undertaken by Insider Sport and iGaming Expert revealed no listing for the platform from any of the regulatory bodies.
In response, MGA confirmed it does not license GOD55 and that “any reference to the authority is therefore false and misleading”.
Impact on Birmingham City
Undoubtedly, this is bad PR for Birmingham City Football Club.
The club is currently in a strong vein of form on the pitch and galvanised off the field, thanks to the leadership and direction from its US investor owners, including NFL legend Tom Brady. It is a relative sleeping giant in the third tier of the English game, with promotion to the Championship looking very likely. If that happens, there will be ambition next season for a consecutive promotion into the promised land of the Premier League.
A lot of things are being done well in Birmingham at present, but this particular commercial deal with GOD55 doesn’t appear to be one of them, with a lack of due diligence carried out.
English football clubs are continually striving to compete and bring in sponsorship money, opening the door to overseas gambling firms.
Deals can be completed before all the details are uncovered, as other clubs have found out.
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, of the English Premier League, received a reprimand from the UK Gambling Commission over their relationship with Kaiyun Sports, another Asian platform that is not approved or accessible in the UK.
Birmingham City FC is yet to comment on this ongoing story relating to GOD55.
Image credit: BCFC/X
