As the UK government considers introducing a blanket ban on advertising for unlicensed bookmakers in football, Newcastle United has become the latest Premier League club to become the partner of mysterious Asian-facing sports betting platform 8Xbet, previously linked with a cyber slavery compound in Cambodia.
By Philippe Auclair
It is unusual, but not unknown, for football clubs to enter into new commercial partnerships mid-season. Yet Newcastle United FC surprised many with the - discreet - unveiling of their latest sponsor, "leading sports bookmaker in Asia" 8Xbet, which they said would "help the club unlock new opportunities with its growing supporter base in the region". The statement, which was posted on the club's website on 31 January, attracted very little attention. It is only when the name and logo of the gambling brand started to appear on the LED perimeter boards at St James Park that a handful of fans took notice.
Newcastle's move was unexpected. Josimar understands that, some seven or eight months ago, they had decided to terminate their longstanding relationship with another unlicensed online casino, FUN88, because of concerns about the legality of their business model. FUN88 was one of dozens of Asian-facing unlicensed operators who had registered a UK domain name with the Great Britain Gambling Commission (GBGC) through the services of infamous White Label provider TGP Europe. But the Isle of Man-based TGP, originally the brainchild of jailed Macau casino tycoon Alvin Chau,
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