(AsiaGameHub) –   Entain remains a vocal critic of the Premier League’s tendency to align itself with unlicensed gambling operators, and is now applying direct pressure on six top-tier clubs.

Simon Zinger—Entain’s Group General Counsel and Chief Customer Care Officer—has sent letters to the chairpersons of Burnley, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, Sunderland, and Wolves regarding their ongoing promotion of ‘predatory’ black market gambling firms.

He urged all six clubs to pledge to partner exclusively with UK-licensed gambling providers and cut ties with 96.com, BJ88, SBOTOP, Stake, W88, and DEBET—each linked to one of the clubs.

A letter from Zinger to Bill Foley, chair of AFC Bournemouth (obtained by iGaming Expert), stated: “BJ88 is often linked to aggressive marketing strategies in areas where gambling is banned, frequently using unregulated payment options such as cryptocurrency to avoid financial supervision.

“By taking sponsorship from a company that operates outside the bounds of international law, Bournemouth is actively validating the framework that supports the global black market.”

Zinger further noted that companies like BJ88 employ ‘predatory’ practices to target vulnerable populations, including problem gamblers and minors.

In a letter to Everton’s Chief Executive Officer Angus Kinnear, Zinger was equally critical of Stake—a prominent crypto casino that has been featured on Everton’s jerseys since the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season.

He characterized the operator as a ‘focal point for worries about money laundering and insufficient player safeguards,’ citing its use of streamers to reach younger audiences.

Only two matches remain in the current Premier League season before clubs must comply with a ban on gambling sponsors appearing on the front of their shirts.

Bournemouth has confirmed that health insurance provider Vitality will take over as their front-of-shirt sponsor, while Everton is reported to have signed a £30m deal with financial services group CMC Markets.

However, there are no restrictions preventing Premier League clubs from partnering with entities like BJ88 or Stake for other sponsorship opportunities, such as sleeve ads.

Gambling Commission rules state that football clubs only need to ensure UK players cannot access gambling sites to meet compliance guidelines.

Due to the narrow scope of these rules, Zinger said he is directly appealing to clubs to adopt a firmer stance on their marketing practices.

Echoing sentiments across both letters, he said: “Under the Premier League Owners’ Charter, [the clubs] have pledged to operate [themselves] ‘in an economically stable, sustainable, and socially responsible way’ (Point 3) and to conduct [their] affairs ‘with good faith, honesty, and the highest standards of professional conduct and sporting integrity’ (Point 10).

“Based on the evidence provided, a front-of-shirt partnership with an unlicensed gambling operator is incompatible with either commitment. The clubs deserve better than to be compromised by harmful sponsors.”

The UK government has launched a consultation on prohibiting British sports teams from partnering with unlicensed operators. But Zinger expressed concern that such a ban would not take effect in time to impact next season’s sponsorship deals—so Entain decided to reach out directly to the clubs.

Earlier this month, the group also wrote to the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) urging it to include illegal gambling in its mandate, which prevents English football clubs from accepting revenue ‘connected to serious criminal activity’.

Entain’s Chief Executive Stella David argued that some Premier League clubs continue to be sponsored by ‘criminal gambling firms’, as these companies violate the Gambling Act 2005 by accepting bets from British consumers.

David said: “The IFR can end this immediately by simply recognizing that unlicensed gambling companies targeting UK customers via English football are breaking the law—plain and simple.

“The regulator doesn’t need new powers, legislation, or even a new rule to do this; it already has a draft rule in place. We’re asking the regulator to finalize and enforce it before next season begins. The IFR was created to fix English football’s governance failures, and this is one of them.”

Beyond football, Entain has committed to collaborating with the broader industry to address the threat of the black market amid ongoing tax changes and regulatory reforms.

Speaking at February’s BGC annual general meeting, Zinger stated that the company has set up a dedicated task force to gather information for relevant authorities, to guide enforcement actions against black market operators.