Entain, one of the biggest gambling companies in the UK and in the world, is looking to redefine a key pillar of sports betting marketing in its home nation.
The General Counsel of Entain, the parent company behind the Ladbrokes and Coral betting brands, has written letters to the chairs of six Premier League clubs urging them to end their partnerships with unlicensed betting firms.
Simon Zinger’s letters to Burnley, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton Wanderers continues a campaign against marketing activity in the English football top-flight by the bookmaker.
In letters to Bill Foley, Bournemouth chairman, and Angus Kinnear, chief executive of Everton, seen by SBC News, Entain’s Zinger stated that the FTSE 100 company “is deeply concerned” about the clubs’ respective partnerships with BJ88 and Stake.
In letters to Bill Foley and Angus Kinnear, Entain’s Zinger stated that the FTSE 100 company “is deeply concerned” about the clubs’ respective partnerships with BJ88 and Stake.
“As you will know, Stake’s heavy reliance on cryptocurrency and its history of operating in
grey jurisdictions make it a lightning rod for concerns regarding money laundering and lack
of player protection,” he wrote to Kinnear.
“Stake’s rapid rise has been fuelled by an unregulated streamer culture that specifically targets the younger demographics your Everton in the Community programmes seek to protect.”
Addressing Bournemouth’s Foley, Zinger wrote: “The sponsorship with BJ88 is particularly concerning given the brand’s lack of transparent corporate history and its focus on the grey market.
“BJ88 has been frequently associated with aggressive marketing tactics in regions where gambling is prohibited, often using unregulated payment methods like cryptocurrency to evade financial oversight.”
“By accepting sponsorship from a firm that operates in the shadows of international law, Bournemouth is actively legitimising the infrastructure used by the global black market.”
Aside from Bournemouth and Everton, Burnley is partnered with 96.com, Fulham with SBOTOP, Sunderland with W88, and Wolves with DEBET.
All six firms do not hold licences to operate in the UK, though this is permitted by the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), as long as the companies in question prevent British customers from accessing their platforms.
Entain’s campaign against unlicensed marketing
The FTSE100 gambling group has been becoming increasingly vocal about unlicensed sponsorship activity recently. This comes after years of scrutiny over the relationship between betting companies, both licensed and unlicensed, and English sports, particularly football clubs.
Stella David, Entain’s chief executive, appealed directly to Richard Masters, chief executive officer of the Premier League, back in February, arguing that “it cannot be right that clubs competing in the world’s most watched football league are promoting gambling brands that do not hold a UK licence”.
From next season onwards, the Premier League will implement a self-imposed ban on front-of-shirt deals with betting companies – whether licensed or unlicensed. Sleeve sponsorships, perimeter LED advertising, and social media marketing, can continue.
Concerns around the extent of black market gambling activity in the UK, as well as public and political frustration with gambling advertising in general, have led to DCMS consulting on whether to ban unlicensed betting firms from sponsoring in British sports outright.
“I welcome the government’s intention to crack down on this,” Zinger wrote in his letters to Bournemouth and Everton.
“Going beyond the Premier League’s voluntary front-of-shirt gambling ban from next season, they are consulting on banning all unlicensed, illegal gambling operator sponsorship in sport, including sleeve patches and perimeter boards.”
Entain is clearly not waiting around for the DCMS’ Illegal Gambling Taskforce to complete its consultation, however – perhaps having taken note of how long UK political processes around gambling regulation have been in the past.
The company is also not satisfied with the Premier League’s response to its CEO’s February appeal, as Zinger’s letters outline.
“With the Premier League failing to show sufficient leadership, I am appealing to you directly,” Zinger wrote to Bournemouth’s Foley, also citing the clubs’ commitments under the Premier League Owners’ Charter.
Leaders take
Entain’s campaign against unlicensed advertising is a clever one for a few reasons.
Firstly, if it is able to secure a curbing of unlicensed sponsorship in the Premier League, something that looks very possible given the DCMS consultation, it is effectively securing a win for its own marketing – cutting back the competition.
There is also the reputational element. The company, a fully licensed and LSE-listed operator, has a much better image than the offshore firms it is criticising, and it is positioning itself well as the good guy in the debate after years of political scrutiny over the UK betting industry.
Finally, the essence of the campaign has some winning attributes. The company’s focus on football appeals to a sport which is deeply rooted in British culture and communities, and which has seen its relationship with betting closely scrutinised also in recent years.
