Online Betting Site Stake Kicked Out of Great Britain for Ad Featuring Adult Star

Online casino and sports betting platform Stake is turning in its gaming operator’s license in Great Britain following a regulatory probe.

The Gambling Commission launched an investigation into the company’s practices following the release of a promotional video involving an adult star, Bonnie Blue, featuring the company’s logo. 

Stake’s logo has also been featured in a variety of videos circulating social media, sometimes including ones featuring violence and not-safe-for-work material.

An illicit video

The controversial video that led to Stake’s imminent withdrawal from the U.K. was shared on numerous social media accounts. 

Blue claimed in the video that she was trying to sleep with “barely legal 18-year-olds” in their first year at Nottingham Trent University, north of the city center.

Blue is also known for sleeping with more than 1,000 men in 12 hours. 

TGP Europe Limited, which operates Stake in the U.K. as a white-label practice, announced it would stop accepting new customers shortly after a meeting with the country’s gaming commission. 

Following the Wednesday announcement that the company will let go of its license, TGP plans to completely close down U.K. operations by March 11.

“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,” a statement from the Gambling Commission read.

Stake said in a statement it mutually agreed to end its agreement with TGP Europe and will move away from white-label agreements.

Past and future troubles

According to The Guardian, Stake’s controversial promotional practices have an extended history. The platform offered a $10 “free bet” to any customer who wagered more than $5,000 per week.

The term “free” is used very liberally here, as it’s more like paying $5,000 for $10, or .2 percent of what was risked.

The Observer also found in 2022 relative ease of access for cryptocurrency gamblers and Stake despite it not being authorized to offer that service by Great Britain’s regulator. 

News that Stake is leaving the U.K. will have an effect on the sports world. Liverpool-based football (soccer) club Everton entered a multi-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Stake in June 2022 worth more than $12.5 million per year. The club now needs to find a new sponsor to emblazon the front of its kits.

The commission also said it will reach out to two other clubs with unlicensed betting sponsors to discuss the dangers of promoting illegal sites.

It also said the club officials could face prosecution if they continue to promote unlicensed gambling sites.