The Premier League's Gambling Addiction
The EPL's love affair with gambling sponsorships, now linked to a $1.7 trillion illegal market and criminal syndicates, faces scrutiny as more clubs continue to rake in millions.
The English Premier League (EPL), the pinnacle of English football, finds itself at the heart of a complex and morally ambiguous issue: the proliferation of gambling sponsorships within the sport. Despite a recent voluntary code of conduct aimed at promoting responsible gambling, the league's actions seem to contradict its stated intentions. This investigation delves into the intricate relationship between the EPL, gambling sponsorships, and the alarming rise of Asian betting syndicates and their associated criminal activities.
The Code of Conduct: A Step Forward or a Smokescreen?
In a move that seemingly acknowledges the growing concerns about gambling's influence on football, the EPL, along with the Football Association (FA), English Football League (EFL), and Women's Super League (WSL), introduced a voluntary code of conduct for gambling deals. The code, designed to ensure responsible gambling sponsorships and "limit the reach to children and those at risk of gambling-related harm," outlines four key principles: protection, social responsibility, reinvestment, and integrity.
However, critics argue that this code is merely a superficial gesture, a smokescreen to appease public concerns while clubs continue to exploit the lucrative gambling market. The ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors doesn't take effect until the 2026-27 season, leaving a two-year window for clubs to secure lucrative deals.
The Numbers Don't Lie: A Surge in Gambling Sponsorships
The figures paint a stark picture. This season, a staggering 11 out of 20 Premier League teams will sport a betting company's logo on their shirts, a significant increase from eight last season. This alarming trend has drawn sharp criticism from anti-gambling campaigners, who accuse clubs of prioritizing financial gain over the well-being of their fans and communities.
A spokesperson for The Big Step, a charity dedicated to removing gambling advertising from football, stated, "Premier League clubs must know that gambling harms are a serious public health issue that destroys many lives in their communities and around the world, yet continue to blindly sign these desperate deals for a few extra quid."
The Asian Connection: A Dark Underbelly
Adding a sinister dimension to the issue is the increasing involvement of Asian betting syndicates in football sponsorships. These syndicates, often with ties to organized crime and human trafficking, have infiltrated the sport, raising concerns about the influx of potentially illicit funds and the integrity of the game itself.
Bournemouth's "record-breaking" deal with the Asian betting firm bj88 exemplifies this trend. While the financial details remain undisclosed, the deal is understood to be worth significantly more than the club's previous sponsorship with Dafabet, another Asian betting company. This raises questions about the source of these funds and the potential for these partnerships to facilitate money laundering and other criminal activities.
Cryptocurrency Casinos: A New Frontier for Gambling and Crime
The rise of cryptocurrency casinos and Asian betting companies further complicates the issue. These platforms operate in a largely unregulated space, posing significant risks to vulnerable individuals and raising concerns about potential match-fixing and other forms of corruption. Southampton's recent partnership with Rollbit, a "crypto and NFT casino," illustrates how clubs are increasingly associating with these platforms, often without explicitly acknowledging their gambling nature.
Vigorish Viper: Exposing the Criminal Connection
Recent research by cybersecurity firm Infoblox has shed light on the extent of organized crime's involvement in the gambling industry and its exploitation of football sponsorships. The firm uncovered a Chinese cybercrime syndicate dubbed "Vigorish Viper," which utilizes sophisticated technology to take advantage of the global illegal sports gambling economy, estimated at $1.7 trillion.
Vigorish Viper has been linked to several European football club sponsorships, including those in the EPL. These partnerships are used to advertise illegal gambling sites in Asia, exploiting the clubs' popularity to attract bettors. The syndicate's activities extend beyond gambling, with links to human trafficking and money laundering operations across Asia.
![The relationship between Vigorish Viper, kb[.]com, and known sanctioned entities](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfabc7cf-f07f-41ce-adfa-038023d28477_400x593.jpeg "The relationship between Vigorish Viper, kb[.]com, and known sanctioned entities")
The research report from Infoblox details the discovery of Vigorish Viper, how it operates from a technical perspective, its ties to organized crime, and its role in the European football sponsorship scandals. Key findings include:
Sophisticated Tech Suite: Vigorish Viper's technology suite is a comprehensive cybercrime supply chain, encompassing software, DNS configurations, website hosting, payment systems, and mobile apps.
Criminal Connections: The technology was developed by the notorious Yabo Group (also known as Yabo Sports or Yabo) prior to its reported dissolution in 2022. The Yabo Group has been linked to controversy in Europe surrounding the use of certain football club sponsorships, including several in the English Premier League such as Manchester United, to illegally advertise unregulated gambling sites in Asia. The Asian Racing Federation (ARF) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Financial Crime identified Yabo as "possibly the biggest illegal gambling operation targeting Greater China" and directly tied it to practices of modern slavery in which victims are forced to support gambling services.
Elusive Operations & DNS Knowledge: Vigorish Viper operates a vast network of over 170,000 active domain names, evading detection and law enforcement through its sophisticated use of DNS CNAME traffic distribution systems.
European Sponsorship Controversy: The network is implicated in a scheme that involves securing European football club sponsorships on screens during games, or on player jerseys for example, to advertise illegal gambling sites in Southeast Asia, exploiting the clubs' popularity to attract bettors.
Interconnected Threats: Tens of seemingly unrelated gambling brands that advertise by way of sponsorship deals with certain European sports teams use Vigorish Viper technology. While these brands appear distinct, they operate more like the branches of a franchise, further highlighting the importance of a holistic view on such threats that only DNS brings to the table.
Dr. Renée Burton, VP of Threat Intel at Infoblox, adds, "This work is particularly important because it connects the physical crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, and fraud, to online crime in a way that hasn't been done before. We can now see that organized crime is executing a cunning strategy that uses unwitting European clubs to fuel their criminal cycle."
The Moral Dilemma: A Balancing Act Between Profit and Responsibility
The EPL's current stance on gambling presents a moral quandary. While the league acknowledges the potential harms of gambling and has taken some steps to address the issue, its actions often contradict its stated intentions. The proliferation of gambling sponsorships, the involvement of crime syndicates, and the emergence of new threats like cryptocurrency casinos highlight the need for a more robust and comprehensive approach.
The league's voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors from 2026-27 is a positive step, but critics argue it's insufficient and riddled with loopholes. Gambling brands will still be allowed on shirt sleeves and advertising hoardings, maintaining a significant presence in the sport. Additionally, the ban only applies to front-of-shirt sponsorships, leaving clubs free to pursue other forms of gambling partnerships.
A Call for Action: Protecting the Integrity of the Sport
As the Gambling Commission prepares to release new data on problem gambling in the UK, the debate over gambling's role in football intensifies. With 2.5% of British adults considered problematic gamblers, and the ties to human trafficking and crime syndicates abroad, the need for stricter regulations, increased transparency, and a more responsible approach from clubs and governing bodies becomes increasingly urgent.
The EPL and its associated bodies must take decisive action to address the growing concerns about gambling's influence on the sport. This includes stricter regulations on all forms of gambling advertising and sponsorship, greater transparency in financial dealings with betting companies, and a commitment to educating players, staff, and fans about the potential harms of gambling.
The future of football as a sport for all, not a vehicle for exploitation and harm, depends on it.
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