A senior industry source called on Andy Burnham, a lifelong Everton fan and a vocal critic of the gambling industry, to condemn the deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBurnham became stridently anti-gambling when he became mayor of Manchester, but his own football club is taking money from an unregulated gambling company,\u201d said the source. \u201cWe face the prospect of our prime minister wearing an Everton shirt and becoming a billboard for a crypto casino, which would be outrageous. He should condemn the Everton deal in the strongest terms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stake effectively surrendered its licence to operate in Britain last year, amid a regulatory review of practices<\/a>, including apparent promotion of the brand by the porn actor Bonnie Blue.<\/p>\n Days later, the Gambling Commission put sports teams on notice that they and their executives could be liable for prosecution<\/a> if they were found to have promoted unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with British consumers. Stake says it does not take bets in the UK.<\/p>\n However, the law does not prevent unlicensed casinos such as Stake \u2013 and a host of other brands that chiefly target football viewers in east Asia \u2013 from sponsoring British clubs. The government consultation will seek expert opinion on proposals to close that loophole.<\/p>\n The long-awaited review comes a month after the Entain boss issued her warning to Twycross, in a letter seen by the Guardian.<\/p>\n David said the delay \u201craises the real and imminent risk of football clubs interpreting the absence of government action as a green light to enter into new sponsorship agreements for next season. These deals are surely now being finalised.\u201d<\/p>\n She called on the government to warn the Premier League that its member clubs\u2019 sponsorship agreements might be cancelled mid-season, if the consultation results in a ban.<\/p>\n David also warned that some unlicensed casinos were illegally taking bets in the UK, claiming that they \u201cprofit international criminal networks, deprive the Treasury of tax revenues and have a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of UK consumers, especially the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n Stake.com is one of the largest gambling companies in the world and there is no suggestion that David was referring to the company, or that it has committed any wrongdoing. The company did not return a request for comment.<\/p>\n Stake was at the centre of multiple controversies before it finally left the UK last year when its \u201cwhite label\u201d partner, TGP Europe, gave up its licence to operate.<\/p>\n It came after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into why Stake\u2019s branding appeared in a video shot by Bonnie Blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the video, Bonnie Blue boasted of a stunt in which she tried to have sex with \u201cbarely legal 18-year-olds\u201d in their first year at Nottingham Trent University.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | Every weekday<\/p>\n Sign up to Business Today<\/p>\n Get set for the working day \u2013 we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Stake\u2019s branding has also appeared on other viral videos on social media, including some featuring violence and other graphic images.<\/p>\n Stake has previously told the Guardian that it did not consent to the use of its logo and branding by these content creators.<\/p>\n The Guardian has previously revealed controversial practices by Australia-based Stake<\/a>, including a promotion in which it offered a $10 \u201cfree\u201d bet to anyone who wagered $5,000 in a week.<\/p>\n The revelation led to Everton<\/a> telling the brand not to use club imagery as part of the promotion, although the wider commercial partnership continued.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/500.jpg\")
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