Everton Sponsor Gives Up GB Licence Amid Probe Into Porn Advert
2025.05.09 16:13
Everton will receive a written warning after their shirt sponsor was outlawed - thanks to a link with adult actress Bonnie Blue.
A video probed by the Gambling Commission showed the Stake logo on screen while the porn star - who claims to have slept with more than 1,000 men in a day - was stood outside Nottingham Trent University vowing to 'sleep with 180-barely legal 18 year olds'.
It has now been deleted and was never promoted by an official Stake account. However, the matter was investigated by the Gambling Commission due to concerns over sexual content being used to promote gambling, and Stake - an Australian online betting firm - has decided to give up its licence in Great Britain.
Blue - whose real name is Tia Billinger - is not included in the investigation and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part.
Nottingham Forest and Leicester City will also receive written warnings and all three could be hit with fines while staff could face prison sentences over front-of-shirt sponsors that have been deemed ‘unlawful' in Great Britain.
Stake will stop operating in this country by March 11.
Everton front-of-shirt sponsor Stake has given up its GB license
The online betting firm has given up its license amid an investigation into an advert featuring pornstar Bonnie Blue (pictured)
The Gambling Commission will write to Nottingham Forest and Leicester about their sponsorship deals
In a strongly-worded statement, the Gambling Commission said Everton and two other Premier League clubs, understood to be Forest and Leicester, would now receive the warnings. Fines and prison sentences may follow if measures are not in place to ensure that sponsors cannot transact with consumers in this country.
The move is unlikely to affect Everton's partnership with Stake, which is global, rather than UK-focused. New owners Friedkin Group inherited the relationship.
Forest sponsor, the Asian sportsbook Kaiyun, is unlicenced in Britain, while Leicester partner BC Game is also unlicensed here.
Premier League clubs will not promote bookmakers on the front of shirts from the 2026-27 season.
‘The Commission will be writing to Everton - along with two other football clubs with unlicensed sponsors - warning of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites,' a Gambling Commission statement read.
‘The Commission will seek assurance from the clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and เกมสล็อต that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites.
‘Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that any steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily by-passed by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network.
‘Clubs will be expected to carry out sufficient due diligence to assure the Commission that consumers cannot transact with the sites from Great Britain by any means. The Commission will also be taking steps to independently verify effective measures are in place.'
Bonnie BlueTeam GBEverton
A video probed by the Gambling Commission showed the Stake logo on screen while the porn star - who claims to have slept with more than 1,000 men in a day - was stood outside Nottingham Trent University vowing to 'sleep with 180-barely legal 18 year olds'.
It has now been deleted and was never promoted by an official Stake account. However, the matter was investigated by the Gambling Commission due to concerns over sexual content being used to promote gambling, and Stake - an Australian online betting firm - has decided to give up its licence in Great Britain.
Blue - whose real name is Tia Billinger - is not included in the investigation and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part.
Nottingham Forest and Leicester City will also receive written warnings and all three could be hit with fines while staff could face prison sentences over front-of-shirt sponsors that have been deemed ‘unlawful' in Great Britain.
Stake will stop operating in this country by March 11.
Everton front-of-shirt sponsor Stake has given up its GB license
The online betting firm has given up its license amid an investigation into an advert featuring pornstar Bonnie Blue (pictured)
The Gambling Commission will write to Nottingham Forest and Leicester about their sponsorship deals
In a strongly-worded statement, the Gambling Commission said Everton and two other Premier League clubs, understood to be Forest and Leicester, would now receive the warnings. Fines and prison sentences may follow if measures are not in place to ensure that sponsors cannot transact with consumers in this country.
The move is unlikely to affect Everton's partnership with Stake, which is global, rather than UK-focused. New owners Friedkin Group inherited the relationship.
Forest sponsor, the Asian sportsbook Kaiyun, is unlicenced in Britain, while Leicester partner BC Game is also unlicensed here.
Premier League clubs will not promote bookmakers on the front of shirts from the 2026-27 season.
‘The Commission will be writing to Everton - along with two other football clubs with unlicensed sponsors - warning of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites,' a Gambling Commission statement read.
‘The Commission will seek assurance from the clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and เกมสล็อต that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites.
‘Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that any steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily by-passed by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network.
‘Clubs will be expected to carry out sufficient due diligence to assure the Commission that consumers cannot transact with the sites from Great Britain by any means. The Commission will also be taking steps to independently verify effective measures are in place.'
Bonnie BlueTeam GBEverton