Tottenham Cancel Controversial 1XBet Deal, Liverpool and Chelsea to Follow?

News broke yesterday that Tottenham Hotspur had decided to terminate their betting sponsorship with Russian firm 1XBet. Fellow Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool, who also signed deals with 1XBet recently, are said to be currently weighting up their options.

As per the Sunday Times, all three clubs were warned by the Gambling Commission that they could face fines for advertising 1XBet, who are not officially licensed in the UK.

1XBet have reportedly breached several betting and advertising rules, including the fact that they've had ads up on illegal streaming websites. The company is under investigation and it's UK website has been suspended.

The Commission said: “We recently wrote to Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC to remind them that organizations engaging in sponsorship, and associated advertising arrangements, with an unlicensed operator may be liable to prosecution…for the offense of advertising unlawful gambling.”

The deals were recently closed by the three clubs and add up to £15m annually, making them highly lucrative for a second-tier sponsorship.

According to SportBusinnes, the Liverpool deal is the most lucrative out of the three. Closed this summer, it will run until 21-22 and "includes six to eight minutes of LED time, player access, collective image rights, branding on Liverpool’s digital and social media platforms, tights to produce LFC-branded car and access to LFC Legends".

Elsewhere, 1XBet signed a five-year deal with Barcelona, also this summer, and has been the official international title sponsor for Serie A for some time now.

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