TLDR The UK government is preparing a consultation to close a loophole letting unlicensed offshore gambling firms sponsor British football clubs. Everton signed a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with crypto casino Stake.com, reigniting debate over gambling in football. Stake no longer holds a UK gambling licence after its white-label partner gave up its licence last year. Entain’s CEO pushed ministers to speed up the review before clubs locked in new season sponsorship deals. Everton and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham have not commented on the sponsorship deal.
The UK government is getting ready to launch a consultation on gambling sponsorship rules in British football. The goal is to stop unlicensed offshore betting companies from sponsoring sports teams.
This plan was expected to start in spring but stalled after February. During that pause, some offshore operators signed new sponsorship deals with Premier League clubs.
Entain’s chief executive, Stella David, wrote to the gambling minister in June. She asked the government to move faster before clubs finalized deals for the new season.
David warned that silence from the government could be read as a green light. She said clubs might assume these sponsorship deals were still allowed.
Weeks later, Everton announced a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Stake.com, a crypto casino. The deal quickly drew attention back to gambling sponsorships in football.
Everton’s Sponsorship History With Stake
Stake was once Everton’s main shirt sponsor. That changed when the Premier League introduced a voluntary phase-out of front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships starting in the 2026-27 season.
Many clubs responded by moving gambling sponsors to shirt sleeves, training kits, or stadium ads instead of ending the partnerships. Everton’s new deal with Stake follows that same pattern.
Some in the gambling industry criticized the timing of the deal. One executive suggested Andy Burnham, a