UK government moves to ban unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports teams

The UK government is launching a consultation to ban unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports teams, as operators have also used deepfakes to impersonate Jude Bellingham and Bruno Fernandes.

• The government will launch a consultation this week to ban unlicensed casinos, such as Stake.com, from sponsoring Premier League clubs.
• Everton FC signed a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Stake.com, which surrendered its UK licence in 2025 amid a regulatory review.
• Unlicensed operators Nightwin and QH88 used AI-generated deepfakes to falsely present Jude Bellingham and Bruno Fernandes as brand ambassadors.
• Stella David, CEO of Entain, warned the government in June that delayed action risked clubs finalizing deals with unlicensed operators.