The UK gambling industry is currently going through a wave of regulatory crackdowns. The latest among them involves Stake.com (Stake), a major sponsor of Everton FC. The non-Gamstop casino company (it can be used by players who have signed up for gambling self-exclusionvia GamStop) has decided to withdraw from the UK market due to intense scrutiny from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and its updated regulations affecting casino operators.
Particularly, the UKGC launched an investigation into Stake’s advertising and compliance practices. It already has strict rules regarding advertising for gambling operators but in January 2025, it updated those rules, making them even stricter.
Even though the UKGC is yet to release an official statement regarding its findings on the company, there have been unofficial reports that Stake has some questionable responsible gambling measures and advertising practices. Just recently, a controversial video involving an adult film star went viral. The star made some disturbing remarks while promoting Stake. As you can imagine, it sparked heated conversations about the ethics of the company. The UKGC, however, did confirm that it would be writing officially to Everton FC to warn them about their sponsor.
According to the UKGC statement, “the letter will warn that club officers may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain.”
Since the inception of the UKGC, it has done its best to protect UK players from unfair gaming practices and to promote responsible gambling. To tackle responsible gambling, it introduced the gamstop program which allows players to self-exclude from UK casinos. However, not much can be done about offshore casinos since they are outside the UK’s jurisdiction. Stake, for example, is an Australian-Curaçaoan online casino. Since the UKGC cannot regulate it, the only thing it can do is block access to the site within the UK, which it has done.
It appears that the UK government is taking the gambling industry very seriously. One of its updated rules is that all players must opt in for marketing communications and they have to choose the channel they want to receive such messages. So operators can no longer just send unsolicited marketing ads or promos without consent.
It has also increased the amount of fines to impose on operators that don’t comply with its regulations, especially regarding socially responsible and anti-money laundry failures. In January 2025, Greentube Alderney Limited was fined £1m for exactly these failures.
Regarding sports, the UKGC has stated that as from 2026, betting companies like Stake will not be allowed to sponsor the front of football shirts. The front of a jersey is a premium advertising real estate that marketers would all love to have. Football matches are watched by millions at any given moment, especially in the top leagues. In 2024, the UEFA Euro finals pulled in over 24.2 million viewers across just two channels – BBC and ITV. Banning betting companies from placing their name on front of shirts is meant to reduce the awareness of viewers and potential prospects since the games are heavily televised.
It is too early to tell what the long-term impact of UKGC’s strict rules will lead to. While it will protect players, the future of operators and how they will respond remains uncertain.
