Crystal Palace and Wolves’ gambling shirt sponsors: Who are they and why are they controversial?

Crystal Palace and Wolves will both have new shirt sponsors next season — gambling firms that are likely to raise an eyebrow or two.

On Tuesday June 11, Wolves announced DEBET as their new front-of-shirt sponsor for two seasons, while a day later Crystal Palace confirmed a two-year deal with Net88, another obscure betting company.

Both DEBET and Net88 are ‘white-label’ firms, which are operated by someone other than the brand owner.

So who are they and why are they controversial?

Who are Crystal Palace’s new shirt sponsor?

Last week, Palace announced they had signed a “record” two-year contract with gambling company Net88 to become the front-of-shirt-sponsor for their men’s team. It means the company, which has only a minimal online presence in the UK, will see its logo appear on Palace’s kit for 2024-25, as well as their training attire.

Palace say a new front-of-shirt-sponsor for their women’s team kit will be announced in due course while there will be no shirt sponsor for junior, infant and baby kits.

Net88 first posted on X from its English-language account on June 12, the same day its sponsorship of Crystal Palace was confirmed. It also has a Vietnamese X account.

When accessed from the UK, Net88’s website carries a message saying: “We are working on building a brand new betting experience. Our full website will be live soon. Net88 promotes responsible, legal gambling.”

Who are Wolves’s new shirt sponsor?

Wolves announced last week that DEBET would be their new “principle sponsor” for the next two seasons, with the company’s branding appearing on the front of both the club’s match shirts and training kit.

The announcement of the deal read: “Established in 2019, DEBET have become one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing gaming platforms and offer an exciting range of sports betting and casino gaming products.”

DEBET launched its English-language X account on July 11. Its website is written in Vietnamese.

What are the rules on gambling shirt sponsors and why are they set to be banned?

In April 2023, Premier League clubs voted for a ban on gambling companies as front-of-shirt sponsors. It will come into effect as of the start of the 2025-26 season.

But while the most visible shirt sponsorship will no longer be permitted, it will not prevent gambling companies from being allowed to sponsor shirt sleeves. Perimeter LED advertising will also be unaffected by the ban.

It came in the wake of the government launching a review into gambling, which was presented that same month.

UK clubs have previously pledged to not sell children’s replica kits with gambling sponsors on them, meaning senior teams and youth teams often have different sponsors, but this is not a binding rule.

Why is Crystal Palace’s new shirt sponsor controversial?

Net88 is an example of a white-label gambling firm, which is operated by someone other than the brand owner — in this case, London-registered Risq Capital, which is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.

There is a lack of publicly available information about Net88 alongside the fact it is a white-label firm.

Palace fan Robert Sutherland said: “Gambling is, whether we like it or not, part of our sporting culture. My issue isn’t with Palace taking on gambling sponsorship as a whole — although I disagree with it from a moral position — because we’re surrounded by it, but partnering with these white-label entities to promote gambling abroad, often in countries where it is outlawed, really doesn’t sit right with me. It feels unethical.”

Why is Wolves’ new shirt sponsor controversial?

Much like Palace’s deal, Wolves’ agreement has caused surprise and concerns among sections of their fanbase because of the illegal nature of DEBET’s promoting gambling to Vietnam, where online gambling is currently against the law.

There is no suggestion that the deal breaches any laws in the UK. DEBET is registered with the UK Gambling Commission, meaning the company is permitted to sponsor UK firms legitimately, but the fact its operation is effectively aimed at the Vietnamese market and not the legal British one raises obvious moral questions.

Like Palace’s partnership with Net88, there is no suggestion that the deal breaches any laws in the UK.

A spokesperson representing both Net88 and DEBET said: “It’s not illegal in southeast Asia. It just doesn’t have the legislation and the licensing in place for these firms to actually get their licence and trade, so it’s neither illegal nor legal. It’s in a grey area. The vast majority of those populations in southeast Asia do bet.”

Welcoming our Principal Partner, @DEBET_Eng 🤝

— Wolves (@Wolves) June 11, 2024

What are white-label companies?

A government white paper presented to parliament in April 2023 says: “‘White label’ describes a commercial arrangement where a licensee offers remote gambling under a brand provided by a third party, which does not itself hold a remote gambling licence.

“The Gambling Commission will consolidate and reinforce expectations for operators on contracting with third parties, including white labels.”

“Neither Net88 nor DEBET have functioning UK-facing websites. They have been licensed through ‘white label’ arrangements with existing licence-holders Risq and TGP Europe,” says Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of Clean Up Gambling.

“This gives them permission to advertise in the Premier League with a view to appealing to Asian markets.”

These deals are not new to the Premier League, with many clubs having partnered with white-label firms in some capacity in previous seasons.

The Premier League is an attractive proposition due to its global exposure, with companies from across the world keen on sponsorship deals because it is so widely watched.

Why are white-label companies controversial?

The UK Gambling Commission has admitted to “concern” that some of the companies running white-label websites may not have effective anti-money laundering controls or carry out “sufficient due diligence” to ensure there are no “links to criminal activity”. It has not commented on Risq Capital and TGP Europe.

A YouGov poll following that vote found that 77 per cent of respondents were in favour of the ban on gambling companies sponsoring the fronts of shirts and only eight per cent opposed it. It also found that 56 per cent supported extending the ban to advertising on perimeter advertising and 42 per cent favoured gambling companies being removed from shirt sleeves.

The Athletic understands Wolves liaised with its Fans’ Advisory Board in early 2024, without naming the names of potential sponsors but outlining the financial differences between gambling and non-gambling sponsorship.

Fans on the board expressed a view that they would prefer a non-gambling sponsor but heard the commercial reasons for Wolves considering one —  the DEBET deal is worth £10million a year over a two-year deal, compared to less than £5million a year from former sponsor Astropay.

The club ultimately decided that, as long as betting sponsors are legal and while other Premier League clubs are taking advantage of white-label sponsors, the commercial benefits were too good to turn down.

Wolves and Palace have both previously struck similar deals with other white-label operators including W88 (2018), ManBetX (2019), 12bet (2022) and 6686 (Wolves only in 2023). Palace’s shirt-sleeve sponsor, Kaiyun Sports, is another example of a white-label company that has also had partnerships with other Premier League sides. In 2022-23, they announced another white-label firm, BK8, as a new club partner.

What have Net88 and DEBET said?

A representative for both firms said: “(Net88) is very simply a big brand that wants to take advantage of the global exposure that the Premier League will give them and they’ve entered into a fully legal agreement with Crystal Palace, and DEBET have done with Wolves.

“We’ll see a few more as the real estate of the shirt is going to be quite a commodity in the next two years because of the voluntary ban.

“They did start from zero followers (on social media) but you have to start somewhere.

“They (Net88) will be specially licensed in the UK with the Gambling Commission via the white label. They are not asking any Palace fans to bet irresponsibly or come to them with their money, but if they do, there will be a legal, regulated website.”

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(Top photos: Getty Images)