Everton front-of-shirt sponsor giving up license in Great Britian following investigation into porn advert - with Toffees set to be served stern warning by Gambling Commission

According to The BBC, the Gambling Commission has started its investigation into an advertisement featuring pornographic actress Bonnie Blue. The ad, which sparked significant controversy, was filmed outside Nottingham Trent University and included explicit references to sexual activity, with Stake’s logo prominently displayed on the screen. Campaigners strongly criticised the ad, arguing that it used sexualised content to promote gambling, particularly to a younger audience. They urged the UK Culture Secretary to intervene, leading the Gambling Commission to take regulatory action.

As part of its response, the Gambling Commission has announced that it will formally warn Everton about its duty to ensure that gambling websites promoted on club shirts cannot be accessed by users in Great Britain. The regulator will also issue similar warnings to Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, both of whom are sponsored by gambling firms that are unlicensed in Great Britain—Kaiyun and BC.Game, respectively.

Clubs whose sponsorships fail to comply with UK gambling laws could face severe penalties, with the commission emphasising that officials from the clubs could be sentenced to up to 51 weeks in prison or receive unlimited fines if found guilty of promoting illegal betting platforms.

Following the investigation, Australian-based betting company Stake has opted to shut down its UK operations. The Gambling Commission confirmed that the company's British division will stop accepting new sign-ups immediately and will close permanently on March 11.

In an official statement, Stake revealed that its decision was reached mutually with TGP Europe, the firm managing its UK gambling license under a white-label agreement.

In a statement released by Stake, it 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."

Despite Stake's imminent exit, Everton have no plans to replace them as the club’s main shirt sponsor. Stake, which describes itself as the "world’s leading cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook," allows users to place wagers on sports and virtual casino games. However, due to UK gambling laws, customers in Britain cannot use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin for betting.

While the Gambling Commission’s investigation focused on Stake's involvement in the controversial ad, Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, was not part of the inquiry. In January, the adult film actress attempted to set a world record for the highest number of sexual partners in 12 hours, but this was unrelated to the gambling probe. The video featuring Blue was not officially posted by Stake and has since been deleted.

The controversy surrounding Stake's advertising scandal has reignited the debate over gambling sponsorships in football. Premier League clubs have already agreed to phase out gambling companies as front-of-shirt sponsors by the end of the 2025-26 season. However, they will still be allowed to feature gambling ads on shirt sleeves and stadium digital hoardings.