Kieran Maguire makes ‘betting’ claim after Everton agree new Asian deal
Bookmakers may be using clubs such as Everton to bypass legal restrictions on gambling in China.
So says finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Toffees’ new partnership with i8.Bet.
The club announced on Wednesday (1 December) that i8.Bet, who have no operational UK website, would become their official betting partner in Asia.
Joey D’Urso, investigations writer for The Athletic, linked the deal via Twitter on Thursday (2 December) with his report on ‘white label’ gambling.
Maguire explained the white label concept and how it is being used to bypass gambling red tape in the far east.
“Some companies are attempting to use football as a bridgehead to access certain markets,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“This is pertinent with regards to the Asian betting markets. They use relationships with football and its global following to legitimise their brand.
“What they will do domestically is have a ‘white label’ website. This is associated with the company but you can’t actually bet on it.
“Even if you can bet on it, the odds and markets are so bad and narrow that no one would bother.
“The whole aim is to get that brand to viewers overseas. Betting is banned in China but many can use offshore gambling territories to bypass that.
“It’s an attempt to reach out to an audience that you wouldn’t be able to access otherwise.
“Football is the ideal way to do this because it attracts a gambling demographic.”
Everton dropped previous gambling sponsor SportPesa two years early in 2020 amid concerns about their business practices.
The Merseysiders still revealed £64million commercial income in their last set of accounts.
In other news, Noel Whelan defends “brilliant” Marcel Brands at Everton after sack reveal.