TGP Europe Exits UK Market Amid Gambling Commission Crackdown on Illegal Football Sponsorships

The exit comes after the company was issued a £3.3 million penalty and instructed to improve its regulatory compliance. Instead of paying the fine and restructuring its business to meet British standards, TGP chose to exit the jurisdiction entirely—leaving a string of Premier League football clubs with unlicensed gambling sponsors.

TGP Europe operated 31 online casino domains under its UK licence, including high-profile sites such as BCGame.uk, duelbits.co.uk, and stake.uk.com. Several of these brands had partnered with top-tier English football clubs, making the company a prominent name in the sports sponsorship scene. Clubs impacted by TGP’s exit include AFC Bournemouth (sponsored by BJ88), Fulham FC (SBOTOP), Newcastle United FC (Sportsbet.io and Fun88), Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (Debet), and Burnley FC (96.com). These sponsorships, all linked to TGP’s operations, are now considered unlawful under UK gambling regulations.

The Commission’s investigation found severe shortcomings in TGP Europe’s due diligence processes. The company failed to adequately assess the ownership and source of funds behind third-party operators using its licence. It also neglected to evaluate money laundering risks and ignored potentially illegal activities conducted either in Great Britain or abroad. These findings prompted the Commission to issue a financial penalty and demand operational improvements, both of which TGP refused—opting to leave the British market instead.

Gambling Commission Head of Enforcement John Pierce described the situation as a case of a licensee being “unwilling or unable” to meet expected regulatory standards. “It is right that they have now exited the British market,” he said. “Following TGP’s exit, several online gambling operators can no longer lawfully offer gambling services to GB consumers. These sites may not provide adequate protection against criminal activity or gambling-related harm and should not be accessible to British users with immediate effect.”

The Commission has already contacted affected football clubs, urging them to demonstrate that proper due diligence was carried out when entering these sponsorship agreements. Authorities are particularly concerned about the possibility of British consumers bypassing geoblocks using VPNs to access now-unlicensed gambling platforms. Clubs have been reminded that they are responsible for ensuring that their commercial partners are compliant with UK regulations and that fans are not exposed to harmful or illegal gambling operations.

Pierce further warned: “We are conducting checks without notice to ensure these sites are no longer accessible from within Great Britain. Spot checks will continue, and any breach could lead to serious enforcement action.”

The case underscores growing regulatory pressure on football clubs to vet their commercial relationships more carefully, especially with regard to gambling sponsorships. It also highlights the wider issue of white-label operations, where smaller or offshore companies operate under the licence of a larger entity—often without sufficient oversight.

One notable example is BC.Game, one of TGP Europe’s flagship domains, which was previously the main sponsor of Leicester City. A tweet promoting the partnership reportedly reached 2.2 billion views last summer. However, BC.Game has since withdrawn its Curaçao licence amid bankruptcy rumors, raising further questions about the stability and integrity of some of these online gambling brands.

The Gambling Commission’s strong stance signals that similar white-label arrangements will face close scrutiny going forward. “Licensed operators with business models similar to TGP’s should take notice,” Pierce added. “This case sends a clear message: if you fail to meet the standards, you will not be allowed to operate in our market.”

Consumers are also being warned to avoid gambling sites previously run by TGP Europe, as these are now considered unlicensed and pose significant risks in terms of security, responsible gambling, and protection from fraud.

Ultimately, the Commission's actions mark a firm move to safeguard consumers and hold both operators and their commercial partners—such as football clubs—accountable in maintaining the integrity of the UK gambling market.