Abdulhafiz TeslimEntain, the corporate owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has written to Everton F.C. demanding the club end its association with Stake — raising serious questions about gambling sponsorship in football, but also about who is driving the campaign and why.
Everton have found themselves at the centre of a growing lobbying effort led by Entain after reports suggested the club could continue their commercial relationship with Stake next season by moving the brand from the front of the shirt to the sleeve following the Premier League’s incoming front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban.
Entain’s General Counsel, Simon Zinger, has written directly to Everton and the Everton Fan Advisory Board urging the club to commit to only working with UK-licensed gambling sponsors. The letter was also copied to Kim Johnson, whose constituency includes the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in a move that critics may view as part lobbying effort, part public pressure campaign.
In his letter, Zinger argued that Everton’s reported plan to retain Stake branding via shirt sleeves would amount to exploiting a loophole in the Premier League’s voluntary gambling sponsorship restrictions.
> “Everton’s reported decision to keep Stake as a sponsor next season, by moving it to the club shirt sleeve, shows how teams are finding loopholes which will only help the illegal market,” Zinger wrote.
Everton met Sunderland A.F.C. today — a fixture Entain CEO Stella David publicly branded a “black market derby”, a phrase seemingly designed to generate headlines as much as highlight regulatory concerns.
The campaign is not limited to Everton. Entain have also reportedly contacted Burnley F.C., Fulham F.C., AFC Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. over sponsorship relationships involving offshore betting operators.
The backdrop to the dispute is an ongoing government consultation into gambling sponsorships in British sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering tighter rules surrounding unlicensed betting operators and whether existing restrictions leave loopholes that clubs and sponsors could exploit.
At the centre of Entain’s argument is the fact that Stake no longer holds a direct licence from the UK Gambling Commission. Entain claim that unregulated gambling operators pose growing risks to consumers, particularly vulnerable supporters and younger audiences, with the Betting & Gaming Council estimating that UK consumers stake around £2.7 billion annually with illegal or unregulated operators.
The letters sent by Entain also cite concerns surrounding cryptocurrency-based gambling platforms, alleged weak player protections, and claims that offshore operators can still reach British audiences through VPNs, social media, and overseas licensing arrangements.
However, while the concerns themselves are legitimate, Everton supporters are equally entitled to question the motivations behind the campaign.
Entain is not a neutral watchdog. It is one of the world’s largest gambling corporations and a direct commercial rival to many of the operators currently sponsoring Premier League clubs. Critics may argue the company is using football’s regulatory debate to strengthen its own market position while presenting the campaign as a matter of fan protection and sporting integrity.
Neither Everton nor the other clubs mentioned have been accused of breaking UK law.
The Premier League has previously stated that clubs are permitted under the Gambling Act to enter into agreements with overseas betting companies, provided the gambling services in question are not offered to customers within the United Kingdom.
Still, pressure is growing on football authorities to tighten sponsorship rules further beyond the incoming front-of-shirt ban.
Whether Everton should continue any relationship with Stake remains a legitimate debate. But many supporters may also wonder whether a multi-billion-pound betting giant is the right organisation to be leading the charge.
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Abdulhafiz Teslim
