At least five major English football clubs have been encouraged to seek new sponsors after the contentious gambling company TGP Europe unexpectedly relinquished its UK license last week. 

This follows the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) imposing a £3.3 million ($4.4 million) penalty on the firm for inadequately assessing business partners and violating anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. 

The UKGC stated that TGP must invest and implement “significant improvements” to remain trading in the UK. 

On Friday, the regulator disclosed that the Isle of Man-based company had chosen to withdraw, exiting its operations from the UK. 

White-Label Gap 

TGP utilized the "white label" licensing model, enabling gambling firms to operate in the UK on behalf of the company, using its license. 

In that system, TGP would develop a website with an operator’s branding, while the content and services provided would be handled and overseen by TGP. This has controversially spurred a surge of sportsbooks targeting Asia that show minimal interest in the UK market. 

Rather, these operators utilize the Premier League as a launchpad to access the challenging yet highly profitable Chinese market, where advertising gambling is prohibited. 

The UKGC contacted AFC Bournemouth, Fulham FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, and Burnley FC last week, all of which have sponsorship deals with TGP-related brands, to alert them about the dangers of endorsing unlicensed gambling sites. 

The regulator cautioned that team officials might face legal action and potentially imprisonment if they persisted in endorsing the brands. 

Research from Josimar, an investigative soccer site, indicates that TGP was initially created as a subsidiary of Suncity, which was the largest junket operator in Macau at that time. Suncity was led by Alvin Chau, allegedly a former high-ranking member of the 14K triad. 

In January 2023, a Macau court sentenced Chau to 18 years in prison for 162 counts of fraud, illegal gambling, and criminal association. 

‘Vigorish Serpent’ 

In July 2025, the cybersecurity firm Infoblox announced it had found a connection between China-oriented sports betting companies and organized crime related to human trafficking and money laundering. 

Infoblox identified a criminal group named "Vigorish Viper" that was supplying these brands with a complete technology package, encompassing software, DNS setups, website hosting, payment systems, and mobile applications. 

Infoblox expressed "strong confidence" that the technology suite of Vigorish Viper was created by the Yabo Group, which was previously a sponsorship partner of Manchester United. 

Yabo manages “potentially the largest illicit gambling operation aimed at Greater China,” as per a 2023 report by the Asian Racing Foundation (ARF). The organization also possessed numerous apparently unrelated brands. Certain companies, like Kaiyun Sports, functioned through TGP Europe’s white-label platform and are now sponsoring Nottingham Forest. 

The ARF study references accounts that have explicitly linked Yabo to labor camps along the Cambodia-Laos border, where trafficked individuals are compelled to assist in operating gambling ventures and scam call centers.