Leicester City sponsor BC.GAME reportedly set to lose gambling licence
The deal had already come under scrutiny.
UK.- It’s been reported that BC.GAME, the main shirt sponsor of Leicester City, is to lose its operating licence in Curaçao. The football news site Josimar has reported that, according to a document from the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB), the regulator is about to revoke the licence of Small House B.V, which operates the brand.
Questions had already been raised about the future of the operator’s sponsorship of the Premier League club due to its financial problems. BC.GAME has confirmed reports of its bankruptcy amid a legal case brought by customers, who claim that they have lost money because of system failures. BC.GAME’s operators, first Blokdance BV and now Small House BV, have denied the claims.
Leicester City said in a statement earlier in the week: “BC.Game have provided the club with the strongest assurances that they are actively appealing this case, and that the process which has been initiated in Curacao is administrative in nature and has not arisen due to any concerns with their financial standing.
“BC.Game have further assured us that they have no issues with liquidity and that they remain fully committed to meeting their ongoing contractual and financial obligations, including to the club, and that this case will not impact on BC.Game’s continuing international operations.”
Leicester is 16th in the Premier League, just two places out of the relegation zone. It’s feared that the sponsor’s problems could harm club revenue. The club’s deal with BC.GAME had already been questioned since the gambling operator is not active in the UK. The Swedish gambling regulator banned Small House in July and the KSA has issued warnings to Blokdance.
The latest concerns are likely to again place a spotlight on the issue of gambling sponsorship in UK sport. Some campaigners continue to call for a complete ban despite the Premier League’s pledge to remove front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship by the 2026-27 season.
