A major Isle of Man-based white label provider has pulled out of the UK gambling market, leaving a trail of questions for several high-profile betting brands and their Premier League partners.
TGP Europe, a company long associated with providing white label platforms for sportsbook operators targeting the Asian market, has surrendered its UK license following a regulatory probe by the Gambling Commission. The exit affects 11 brands previously hosted under its license, including major shirt sponsors like SBOTOP and Fun88, and could now expose Premier League clubs to potential legal and reputational risks.
The Commission confirmed that TGP Europe’s departure follows a penalty notice demanding a GBP3.3 million ($4.4 million) payment and an overhaul of its compliance framework. Regulators flagged serious shortcomings in the company’s due diligence and anti-money laundering protocols—issues that echo a previous enforcement action from 2023, when TGP was fined GBP316,250 ($422,000) for similar faults.
This month, all 11 TGP-linked sites – including 12bet, Fun88, Sportsbet.io, SBOTOP and DuelBits – ceased operations in the UK. Notices on their websites informed users that accounts were closed, bets settled, and balances returned or refunded where possible. Several of the impacted brands had high-visibility sponsorship deals with Premier League teams, a practice that has previously drawn scrutiny in the UK due to transparency concerns around white label partnerships.
SBOTOP, which appears on Fulham FC’s kit, and Fun88 – Newcastle United’s long-time Asian betting partner, are among those caught in the crossfire. Following the license surrender, the Gambling Commission has warned clubs that continuing to promote these now-unlicensed brands to UK consumers could constitute a criminal offense under the Gambling Act.
“The operators behind these brands can no longer lawfully offer gambling services in Great Britain,” said John Pierce, head of enforcement at the Commission. “These sites may lack adequate consumer protections and must not be accessible to British players. We are actively monitoring this and will conduct unannounced checks to ensure compliance.”
Several clubs – including Fulham, Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley FC – have reportedly been contacted directly by the Commission and advised to review their sponsorship arrangements. Club officials were warned they could face prosecution if found to be promoting unlicensed gambling operators to UK consumers.
The case reignites debate around the UK’s white label system, a long-criticized framework that allows license-holding firms to effectively rent out their regulatory permissions to foreign-facing brands. While marketed as a compliant gateway to global expansion, critics have argued that the model invites regulatory arbitrage and facilitates access to the UK market for firms that would not otherwise meet licensing standards.
TGP Europe had its registered office in Castle Street in Douglas, above a now-shuttered branch of Joe Jennings bookmakers. Although the company was not licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) at the time of its exit, its operations and identity remained closely associated with the island’s well-established eGaming sector.
In a statement, the GSC confirmed that TGP Europe held no active Isle of Man license and was not conducting licensable activity from the island. Celton Manx, parent company of SBOTOP and a former Isle of Man license holder, also surrendered its local permit on May 9th.
The collapse of TGP’s white label empire highlights the increasing pressure on UK authorities to tighten controls around the system. The 2023 Gambling White Paper identified white labels as a regulatory loophole that could enable unsuitable firms to access the British market by proxy. Gambling Minister Fiona Twycross has since indicated the government intends to close this loophole.
The broader implications extend beyond compliance. For football clubs, it’s a reputational minefield. Premier League teams have benefited from Asian betting sponsorships for years, often with minimal visibility into the operational or regulatory standards of the partner brands. The current episode demonstrates the potential liabilities that can arise when compliance breaks down.
While white labels once offered a streamlined way for overseas brands to gain exposure through Premier League partnerships, the fallout from TGP’s withdrawal may finally force clubs – and their commercial teams – to re-evaluate the true cost of these arrangements.
It also poses a challenge to operators looking to maintain a UK presence through third-party licensing. The Commission’s increasingly proactive stance signals a move away from tolerating business models that outsource responsibility. Any operator pursuing white label deals in the UK can likely now expect greater scrutiny – not only from regulators but from commercial partners wary of collateral damage.
