ADULT actress Bonnie Blue posted a video that led to Everton’s shirt sponsor giving up their license to operate in the UK.
Gambling website Stake have removed their services from the UK after campaigners urged the culture secretary to intervene over a video seemingly using sexual content to promote gambling.
A social media clip containing the Stake logo showed adult actress Bonnie Blue stood outside Nottingham Trent University claiming she was there “as promised” to “sleep with 180 barely-legal 18-year-olds”.
The video has since been deleted and was never promoted by any official Stake accounts, despite featuring the Australian’s gambling company’s logo.
The clip is being investigated by the Gambling Commission after campaigners from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads had shared a screenshot of the video and expressed their outrage.
Stake have decided to exit Great Britain after the Gambling Commission launched its investigation.
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When approached by The Sun for comment, Stake said: “Stake has made a strategic decision in mutual agreement with TGP Europe to exit white-label agreements and focus on securing local licences through our in-house platform and operations.
“Building upon our growth in key regulated markets such as our recent expansions into Italy and Brazil.”
The Gambling Commission has said that Stake’s business in the UK will stop taking new registrations and will close altogether on 11 March.
Blue – whose real name is Tia Billinger – is not included in the investigation and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part.
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Billinger has made headlines in recent months for her controversial OnlyFans content, including claims that she slept with 1,057 men in 12 hours.
Stake have sponsored Everton’s shirts since the start of the 2022-23 season, penning a deal worth £10m per season with the Toffees – the highest front-of-shirt sponsorship deal in Everton’s history.
The Gambling Commission have since said it will write to Everton to warn the club of its responsibilities around their sponsorships.
While the letter will also warn that “club officers will be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both” if they promote an unlicensed gambling business.
The Gambling Commission is looking for assurances from the clubs that they have “carried out due diligence … and that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites”.
The BBC have reported that Everton have no plans to replace Stake as their main shirt sponsor.
The Gambling Commission is also writing to two other Premier League clubs over unlicensed gambling partners.
Nottingham Forest, who have a sponsorship from Kaiyun, and Leicester City, who have a deal with BC.Game, will both be contacted and warned.
Premier League clubs will be unable to use bookmakers and gambling companies as their front-of-shirt sponsors from the 2026-27 season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
