TGP Europe exit UK market: Is this the start of a domino effect? 1n6v5m
4 Min Read TGP Europe, which formerly operated over 30 UK websites, has received a £3 million fine from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). As a result, they have withdrawn from the UK market. 3z5c71
Domains such as fun88, 12bet, sbotop, tlcbet, and bj88 will no longer be available in the UK.
The UKGC has fined operator TGP Europe over £3 million due to issues surrounding anti-money laundering (AML) and failing to carry out proper business checks on its partners.
Instead of paying the fine, TGP Europe has opted to leave the British market. This has left several English Premier League clubs with sponsorship deals with now unlicensed gambling operators.
Is this the start of a domino effect? How many more operators will be forced to leave the UK market? We’ll try and answer these questions.
Why did the UKGC fine TGP? 413m18
The Gambling Commission investigated TGP Europe, which ran several UK sites. They discovered the following list of issues regarding their business operations:
Failure to carry out due diligence on third-party entities.
Failure to carry out due diligence on the source of funds.
Issues with money laundering risks.
Did not sufficiently consider illegal third-party activity.
This isn’t the first time that TGP has breached the Gambling Commission's regulations. In 2023, TGP Europe was fined over £300,000 for failing to mitigate money laundering risks due to business-to-business relations. The fine was also due to social responsibility failures surrounding safe gambling practices.
The Head of Enforcement at the Gambling Commission has backed the decision for TGP to leave the UK market, stating:
“This case involves a gambling company that was unwilling or unable to meet the regulatory standards we expect from our licensees. It is right that they have now exited the British market.”
Following TGP’s exit, several online gambling operators can no longer lawfully offer gambling facilities to consumers located in Great Britain. These sites, previously operating under TGP’s licence, may not provide adequate protection against criminal activity or gambling-related harm and should not be available to GB consumers with immediate effect.”
What does this mean for football clubs? 546l6o
Football clubs such as AFC Bournemouth, Newcastle United FC, Burnley FC, Fulham FC, and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC all have sponsorships with unlicensed gambling sites. The UKGC has now alerted each club regarding this issue.
In a previous article, we discussed the impacts of football shirt sponsorship on online gambling. From the summer of 2026, Premier League clubs have self-imposed a ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors.
Football clubs must prove they did due diligence before entering the sponsorship agreements. Otherwise, those responsible for the deals may be at risk of fines and imprisonment. This is a cause for concern, especially since TGP had already been fined in 2023 for failing to comply with UK regulations.
Reduced visibility 53931
The anticipated reduction in visibility could explain why gambling companies have continued to on the front of Premier League shirts.
With the ban coming into place in just over a year, operators have been maximising their chances of advertising to millions of people weekly.
It is estimated that the total value of these sponsorships in the Premier League is around £500 million. Such vast sums of money explain why clubs continue taking such risks, especially before the ban occurs.
Will this create a domino effect? 2o5h1j
It’s encouraging to see regulators, such as the UKGC, cracking down on operators. Spreadex was also hit with a £2 million fine due to regulatory issues, which was announced last week.
We are likely to see more operators found to have violated regulations, especially those as stringent as those in the UK market.
However, it is in the best interests of players and safer gambling. These d operators have been found to have failed to put player safety at the forefront, meaning that people would be more susceptible to risky gambling behaviours.
It is unknown just how many more operators will be at risk. Nevertheless, the Gambling Commission is clearly doubling down on its rules and regulations.
