Stake to leave UK after controversy over advert with adult content creator, Bonnie Blue
Online players in the UK have been advised by the UK Gambling Commission that Stake.uk will no longer be a licensed website from next month.
TGP Europe Limited (TGP), who operate the site as part of a white-label arrangement, have stated they will be shutting the site. The move follows the launch of a Commission investigation into a widely viewed video displaying the Stake-branded logo, which was distributed on a social media platform and featured an adult actress outside Nottingham Trent University.
Campaigners had complained to the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy about the advert, which was posted on X in December and showed a video of adult content content, Bonnie Blue, promoting Stake. In January 2025, porn actress Bonnie Blue claimed to have had sex with 1,057 men in one day as part of a publicity stunt.
Will Prochaska of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads said: “We’ve submitted a complaint to the ASA about this gambling advert by Stake featuring pornographic actress Bonnie Blue. It clearly breaches rules to stop gambling being linked to seduction and appealing to young people.”
TGP has previously been the subject of enforcement action and after a meeting with the Commission have stated they will immediately stop accepting new registrations to the Stake.uk.com platform and remove redirection links from the main Stake website. Final shutdown of the Great Britain site will take place by 11 March 2025. Stake are currently front of shirt sponsor of English Premier League Football Club Everton.
Ben Glass, Senior communications manager, at the Gambling Commission said: “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. The Commission will seek assurance from the clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and 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.
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.
Mr Glass added: “When an operator leaves the British gambling market we expect an orderly closure of its website to consumers in Great Britain and this includes providing consumers with clear information on how to obtain their funds. If a customer has questions concerning their account they should contact the operator via its website.”
A spokesperson for Stake said: “Stake has made a strategic decision in mutual agreement with TGP Europe to exit white-label agreements and focus on securing local licenses through our in-house platform and operations, building upon our growth in key regulated markets such as our recent expansions into Italy and Brazil.”
Richard Williams, gambling partner at Keystone Law, said: “Whether officially sanctioned or not, it’s difficult to know where to start with regulatory concerns about Bonnie Blue’s sponsored advertising of betting brand Stake outside Nottingham Trent University. Certainly, it’s linking gambling to seduction and sexual success, which is a breach of the CAP Code. Whilst this event will generate huge publicity for the Stake brand, it may be the end of the road for Stake in Great Britain (GB) and possibly for all GB-facing white labels of international gambling brands.
“The Gambling Commission is clearly cracking down on brands who are advertising in GB and unlawfully accepting British customers to their .com businesses. It’s all well and good saying “we have a white label arrangement serving the UK market”, but if those customers are actually using VPNs to register on the brand’s international website (often with ineffective geoblocking and residency checks) then advertising in GB is just attracting British customers to the .com business. The same argument can be made for football shirts sponsorships, such as Stake with Everton. These sponsorships only work where a licensed white label version of the brand is available in GB. Once the white label no longer exists, there is a risk that advertising the brand in GB when it is not licensed to operate by the Gambling Commission, is a criminal offence under s.330 Gambling Act 2005 (advertising unlawful gambling). White labels have previously cured this problem, but this option may no longer be available.
“International brands are going to have to improve their procedures to ensure they are not committing offences by accepting British customers. The other alternative is for the Gambling Commission to allow crypto-focussed gambling operators to obtain an operating licence in GB, which it has always resisted. I am sure the majority of operators don’t want to operate illegally, but if they accept cryptocurrency as a method of payment, they currently don’t have an option of getting a licence in Britain. This is a classic catch-22 situation.”
