Newcastle United threatened with rules breach warning over links to £6.5m deal

Newcastle United have been warned they could face potential prosecution due their association with their former front of shirt sponsor, Fun88.

The Gambling Commission has reportedly sent out letters to five Premier League clubs, Newcastle included, warning them sanction is possible over their relationship with unlicensed gambling business, TGP Europe, to which Fun88 is associated.

The Gambling Commission is an executive, non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for regulating gambling and supervising gaming law in Great Britain.

Who is Fun88 - and what is their association with NUFC?

Fun88 were Newcastle United shirt sponsors for six years from 2017-2023, before they were replaced by Sela two seasons ago. The Fun88 deal pre-dates the majority buyout by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, having been signed off while former Sports Direct magnate Mike Ashley has his name above the door. The deal was said to be worth in the region of £6.5m per annum to the Magpies.

While Fun88 stepped aside as a main sponsor, they were retained as a “betting partner” and are still listed as such on the club’s official website. A statement released on June 5, 2023, confirmed: “FUN88 has become Newcastle United's official Asian betting partner in a multi-year deal

“FUN88, one of Asia's leading betting and gaming sites, has built strong ties with Newcastle United and its supporters since becoming the club's principal sponsor at the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign, with the brand's logo featured on the front of the Magpies' kits and training wear for a total of six seasons.

“The partnership will continue to support with the club's commercial growth in Asia through FUN88, offering in-market initiatives, official club merchandise and VIP experiences for supporters.

“The club thanks FUN88 for its support over the past six campaigns and looks forward to working together over coming seasons.”

Gambling Commission warn FIVE Premier League clubs

Current top flight sides Bournemouth, Fulham, Newcastle, and Wolves, as well as soon-to-be Premier League club, Burnley, are all sponsored by betting websites run by TGP Europe.

TGP was forced to give up its British trading licence after an investigation found, according to the BBC, it had not carried out “sufficient checks on business partners” and breached “anti-money laundering rules”.

The letter, seen by the BBC, states clubs were warned the could be prosecuted if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in the UK.

The brand are still entitled to advertise and sponsor companies in the UK, as long as they don’t provide services to people in this country.

BJ88 sponsor AFC Bournemouth, while SBOTOP, DEBET and 96.com are front of shirt sponsors for Fulham, Wolves and Burnley respectively.

Newcastle United declined to comment on the story when approached by NewcastleWorld.

A statement on the Fun88 website states: “Please note that fun88.co.uk will no longer be available to both new and existing players. In an effort to efficiently proceed with the closure of the website, we disabled any new registrations from Thursday 8th May 2025, and all existing players have been contacted via their registered email address to confirm the closure of their accounts and settlement of open bets. Any outstanding balances have been withdrawn back to the last deposit method used. However, if this was not possible, we have attempted to contact all affected players to arrange the withdrawal of their funds. Deletion of any personal data will be actioned in line with TGP Europe's Privacy Policy and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].”