A controversial sponsorship deal signed by Everton Football Club is to trigger a government crackdown on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams, according to a report in The Guardian.
The Toffees recently revealed that Stake.com is to become the club’s official sleeve partner from the start of the 2026/27 season as part of a multi-year agreement.
The agreement will see the Stake logo move from the front of Everton’s shirt to the sleeve for the 2026/27 campaign.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has previously said it would seek to ban unlicensed gambling operators from football sponsorship, but those plans seem to have stalled.
Stake.com was previously accused of allowing UK users bypassing controls to illegally gamble on the platform using cryptocurrency. Its UK website was run under licence by an Isle of Man-based company called TGP Europe but has been shut down since March 2025.
However it has not stopped the firm from sponsoring Everton’s shirt sleeves, as well as being featured across its digital channels and on matchdays at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and Goodison Park – the latter now being the home of its women’s team – as well as the club’s Finch Farm training base.
In early June Stella David, chief executive of Ladbrokes owner Entain, wrote to gambling minister Baroness Twycross urging the government to act quickly. In the letter, seen by The Guardian, David said sponsorship agreements with unlicensed firms were “surely now being finalised”.
Weeks later Everton – ignoring guidance from the Gambling Commission – announced the Stake.com deal.
Premier League clubs recently agreed voluntarily to ban front-of-shirt deals with all casinos and sports books, with these operators now seeking to move to shirt sleeves and training kits.
The Everton deal has brought forward a government consultation of experts about a full ban, according to Guardian sources. It is expected to begin this week.
Stake has been Everton’s main partner for the past four seasons. However early last year the Australia-based online casino gave up its licence to operate in Great Britain as regulators reviewed its practices, including a post on X which featured its logo alongside Bonnie Blue.
In the video, the porn actor boasted of trying to have sex with “barely legal 18-year-olds” in their first year at Nottingham Trent University.
Reports suggest that Stake’s branding has also appeared on viral videos featuring violence and other graphic images.
The Guardian also reported a promotion in which the firm offered a $10 ‘free’ bet to anyone who wagered $5,000 in a week, which it says led to Everton telling the brand not to use club imagery in the promotion.
Everton FC declined to comment to The Guardian.