Stake.com, who’s currently the front-of-shirt sponsor of the Everton football club in the Premier League, will soon have to leave the UK gambling market after recent reveals of a video featuring the Stake logo and an adult actress.
This may keep you wondering how the news will affect the popular football club and Stake.com bettors from the UK. At least, it did the trick for me.
First off, the Gambling Commission has already announced that the UK Stake website will no longer operate on the UK gambling market starting next month.
Investigations have shown that the Stake logo was displayed in a social media video featuring an adult actress. As a result, Stake.com will pack up and leave in March.
As a matter of fact, it’s not Stake’s first time. TGP Europe, Stake’s operator, has already faced some later proven allegations from the Commission in the past. After this, the operator had to pay a fine of £316,250 ($393,977.90) in 2023 for several failures in ensuring social responsibility and anti-money laundering systems.
But let’s be real, that fine doesn’t even compare to what the company will face this time.
If you’re a Stake user, you might’ve received an email stating the operator’s exit the following way: “We regret to inform you of a business decision that has led to the Stake brand ceasing its UK operations.” This basically means that as of the 10th of March, you will no longer be able to access your account whatsoever.
As a customer, you’re advised to log in to your Stake account and withdraw all funds, if any, before the mentioned closure date. Make sure you don’t skip this.
Now, back to the football club affected the most by this announcement. The Gambling Commission has written to Everton, sponsored by Stake.com, as well as other football clubs with unlicensed sponsors, warning them about the risks of partnering and, for what it’s worth, promoting unlicensed operators.
By the way, it was last year when Premier League clubs voted to ban gambling companies for shirt sponsorship. What’s more, such practices will be considered illegal by the end of the 2026 season.
It seems the UK gambling industry is going to face some real changes in the future, especially when it comes to regulation, now that even football clubs are slowly giving up on such sponsorships.
The Gambling Commission isn’t playing around. Football clubs like Everton and others may face prosecution, fines, and even time in jail for promoting unlicensed gambling sites in the UK. It’s about to get real, guys.
If anything, the UK gambling industry is one of the strictest out there (everybody knows that), and such allegations against giant online casinos and betting platforms cannot go unnoticed, no doubt. There’s no place for unlicensed gambling in the country, and the authorities seem to take the security of the nation pretty seriously.
As for Everton FC, whether you’re a fan or not, it’s interesting to know that the club doesn’t plan on changing sponsors, although it did request Stake not to use club logos for promos.
- No More Betting? Everton Sponsor Stake.com to Leave the UK Market - February 20, 2025