Premier League Linked to Alvin Chau
The Premier League has been threatened with an investigation unless it is able to offer satisfactory answers to questions raised over links to TGP Europe and jailed gambling tycoon Alvin Chau. TGP Europe, a white label operator that has partnered with Asian betting firms sponsoring Premier League clubs, is purported to be controlled by the SunCity Group.
Macau is the only Chinese city in which gambling is legal. ©Robert Stokoe/Pexels
Gambling Kingpin Jailed
The Premier League is facing questions over links between a number of its clubs with TGP Europe. The Isle of Man based business is linked with gambling kingpin Alvin Chau. The Macau tycoon has been sentenced to eighteen years in jail over more than a hundred charges, including illegal gambling and organized crime.
Chau, a high-profile figure in the local casino industry, denied the charges. However, the court found the 48-year-old guilty in a case centering on illegal bets exceeding HK$823.7 billion. Former Portuguese colony Macau is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal. Chau was the chairman of Suncity Group, the world’s largest junket operator.
Suncity Group organized casino trips for wealthy gamblers from China to Macau. The operator also offered loans, collected debts and operated VIP rooms in Macau casinos. Chau, known by some as the ‘Junket King’, was arrested in November 2021. Shares in the group plunged by 48% following his arrest, and he resigned shortly afterwards.
Chau was accused of leading a criminal syndicate that orchestrated undeclared bets. Prosecutors alleged that the government lost over HK$8.26 billion in tax income as a result. Chau was found guilty of most of the charges in the high-profile case, but was acquitted of money laundering.
The gambling tycoon is a famous figure in China, often appearing in tabloids which took an interest in his love affairs. He was nicknamed ‘Washing Rice Wa’ after a character in a sitcom, in a nod to the rumors of money laundering.
Twenty other defendants were involved in the case. Last September, more than thirty people were jailed for cross-border gambling. The enforcement action comes as the government seeks to crack down on the practice of gambling junkets. According to official figures, the were one hundred junket operators in 2019. That number is now down to 36.
Asian Betting Sponsors
The case has been covered by news outlets around the world, and now its impact is being felt in the UK. The Premier League has found itself caught up in fallout of the case, due to links between some of its clubs and TGP Europe, a white label operator. The Isle of Man based business allows foreign brands to offer their products and services in the UK via its own license.
The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world with an enormous potential TV viewership of 4.7 billion people. White label partnerships allow foreign operators to promote their brands to this international audience. In markets like China and Thailand where gambling is by and large prohibited, this serves as a lucrative advertising opportunity.
An investigation carried out by the Daily Mail has revealed connections between Alvin Chau and TGP Europe. Ten Premier League clubs are currently part of sponsorship deals with Asian-facing sports betting brands that have utilized TGP Europe to secure online gambling licenses in the UK.
Amongst those that have partnered with sportsbooks affiliated with TGP Europe are Arsenal and Southampton. Both clubs have partnered with Sportsbet.io. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are both partnered with BK8. Aston Villa is also sponsored by Kaiyun Sports.
Manchester City’s Asian betting partner is 8xBet, while Stake.uk.com sponsors Everton. Fun88 has partnered with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle. Wolverhampton Wanderers is sponsored by 12bet.uk and Leeds United main shirt sponsor is SBOTOP.
The paper did note that there was no suggestion that any of the top-flight clubs were aware of the potential link between Chau and TGP Europe, but it has left the league in an uncomfortable position. MPs are now calling on the league to investigate the link between the white label operator and the jailed Chinese billionaire with links to triad gangs.
Premier League in Hot Water
The Daily Mail stated in its report that its investigation “raises serious questions” about the circumstances in the which the clubs benefit from millions of pounds from these betting sponsors. It also suggested that further analysis of how the sector is regulated is necessary. The government is currently in the final stages of its Gambling Act Review, and a white paper detailing new legislation is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
Former Conservative leader of the opposition and Vice-Chair of the Gambling Harm APPG Sir Iain Duncan Smith had strong words for Premier League organizers. He said that the APPG has already told the MoS that it would launch an inquiry unless the league and the Gambling Commission, which regulates the UK’s gambling industry, provide satisfactory answers.
Duncan Smith told reporters that the reputational risk to the EPL is considerable and should not be taken lightly. The gambling watchdog responded to the criticism, claiming that it lacks the direct authority to find out who the owners of club sponsors are. This means that such links as the one between Chau and TGP Europe can remain hidden from the public through private trusts in offshore territories.
There is no evidence to suggest that TGP Europe itself is involved in illegal activity, but the benefit of sponsorships to the owners of the firm is impossible to identify from public records. The Premier League told the Daily Mail that it had carried out due diligence on its associated betting partners, but did not see the need to review other businesses working on assisted commercial tie-ups.
Nevertheless, the allegations against the Premier League do not bode well ahead of the publication of the white paper. It remains to be seen whether serious curbs on betting sponsorships in football will be introduced, but MPs and campaigners have called for a ban on front of shirt sponsorships from gambling operators.
