Birmingham City FC has announced a new partnership with the crypto casino Duelbits, continuing its efforts to establish successful collaborations with Asian-focused betting operators.
Duelbits has become the club’s new Asian partner in the Championship, replacing God55, as part of Birmingham City’s ongoing strategy to globalize its marketing efforts.
Earlier this year, the club attracted attention after an iGaming Expert investigation revealed that God55 misled users by claiming to hold a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
Although the club did not comment officially on the matter, promotional videos featuring God55 were removed from its social media channels.
Little is known so far about how Birmingham City will promote Duelbits, but club management has welcomed the addition as part of its growing list of commercial partnerships.
Birmingham City Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Dale, said: “We are excited to welcome Duelbits onboard as the club continue to increase our global standing.
“As an organisation, we are big on fan experience, and in Duelbits, we have a partner who shares that approach and puts their customers at the forefront of their operation.”
Asia has long been seen as a growth market for English football clubs, as evidenced by the ongoing trend of teams collaborating with gambling operators focused on the Asian region.
In Birmingham City’s case, players such as Japanese Kyōgo Furuhashi and Tomoki Iwata, as well as South Korean Paik Seung-ho, are helping to raise the club’s profile in the region.
The Recurring Dilemma of Football
Football clubs face significant criticism from fans, politicians, and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for partnering with gambling operators that do not hold a UK licence.
In October, Leicester City came under fire for “legitimising” BC.Game by returning the operator as their front-of-shirt sponsor for the current Championship season.
Duncan Garvie, Founder of BetBlocker, told iGaming Expert: “That a major UK football club has chosen to legitimise a gambling operator that is illegal in the UK only adds to consumer confusion around which sites are legal and appropriately regulated,” said Garvie.
“This is a practice that the [UK Gambling Commissions] need to be empowered to stamp out. The standards for safer gambling practices have been clearly set in the UK market. If BC.Game was meeting those standards, they would hold a UK license.”
Although the UKGC does not directly prohibit such partnerships, the commission has warned clubs that they must conduct “sufficient due diligence” to ensure that UK consumers cannot interact with operators not licensed in the country.
Duelbits previously operated in the UK, but its activities ceased after TGP Europe exited the market following a UKGC investigation that revealed serious AML violations. The operator currently holds a licence from the Curaçao Gaming Authority.
While past controversies may lead some clubs to reconsider the value of sponsorship deals with such operators, Birmingham City appears undeterred and continues to expand its commercial portfolio.
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