iGaming Daily

Ted OC (00:04.078)
Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Anaya McDonald (00:04.272)
just go straight into it.

Ted OC (00:09.344)
Okay, he's going out tomorrow morning, isn't he? And we're talking about a porn star. That's not really considered that. It's on brand new, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, true. It will be funny.

Anaya McDonald (00:09.392)
Okay, because he's going out tomorrow morning, isn't it? And we're talking about a porn star. It's not really considered that. It's on brando, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, true. It will be, it will be funny.

Ted OC (00:24.686)
Good morning and welcome to the iGaming Daily podcast sponsored by Optimoo, the number one CRM solution for the iGaming market. And today I'm joined by the Insider Sports team to discuss a really interesting story that's going to have potential ramifications on sports sponsorship. Yesterday we saw regulatory development come out of the UK as it was confirmed

Anaya McDonald (00:26.82)
Good morning and welcome to the iGaming Daily podcast sponsored by OptiMove, the number one CRM solution for the iGaming market. And today I'm joined by the Insider Sports team to discuss a really interesting story that's going to have potential ramifications on sports sponsorship. Yesterday we saw regulatory development come out of the UK as it was confirmed that state

Ted OC (00:54.52)
that Steak would be ceasing to have a presence in the UK market after backlash involving a marketing stunt, they had a hand in with adult film star Bonnie Blue. Firstly, let's talk a little bit about context because this wasn't kind of an isolated approach to marketing for Steak. It was part of a wider guerrilla marketing campaign

Anaya McDonald (00:55.502)
would be ceasing to have a presence in the UK market after backlash involving a marketing stunt they had a hand in with adult film star Bonnie Blue. Firstly, let's talk a little bit about context because this wasn't kind of an isolated approach to marketing for Stake. It was part of a wider guerrilla marketing campaign from the operator.

Ted OC (01:23.576)
from the operator. And I mean, you really couldn't go anywhere online without seeing or on social media. You couldn't go anywhere on social media without seeing that stake watermark. Yeah, it was quite some campaign Ted, right? Yeah, it was quite an interesting one, quite an unorthodox one, as you said, across a lot of Instagram and ex-stroke Twitter pages.

Anaya McDonald (01:25.336)
And I mean, you really couldn't go anywhere online without seeing or on social media. couldn't go anywhere on social media without seeing that stake watermark. Yeah. It was quite some campaign Ted, right? Yeah. It was quite an interesting one and quite an unorthodox one, as you said, across a lot of Instagram and X stroke Twitter pages.

Ted OC (01:50.978)
you've seen the state watermark displayed across a lot of different content as well, like not just obviously, you know, you'd expect it to be mainly sports themed ones, which we're a lot of in there. But as we're going to discuss, it appears have covered the whole range of different topics and areas and, you know, forms of content. mean, our colleague Kieran actually did a bit of digging on this and I think he's come across one of the companies we think has been working with stake on this called Elevate Media.

Anaya McDonald (01:51.108)
You've seen the state watermark displayed across a lot of different content as well. not just obviously, you know, you'd expect it to be mainly sports themed ones, which were a lot of in there. But as we're going to discuss, it appears they've covered the whole range of different topics and areas and, you know, forms of content. I mean, our colleague Kieran actually did a bit of digging on this and I think he's come across one of the companies we think has been working with stake on this called Elevate Media.

Ted OC (02:19.128)
who it appears have been one of the middlemen in this, of sort of reaching out to different social media accounts and notable people to inquire as to whether they want to have a stake watermark and work with the company. it's, yeah, as we said, it's quite an unorthodox way of putting the brand out there. And yeah, it's obviously just partially culminated in them having to leave the market.

Anaya McDonald (02:19.258)
who it appears have been one of the middlemen in this, of sort of reaching out to different social media accounts and notable people to inquire as to whether they want to have a state watermark and work with the company. it's, yeah, as we said, it's quite an unorthodox way of putting the brand out there. And yeah, it's obviously just partially culminated in them having to leave the market.

Ted OC (02:48.876)
Yeah. So I guess that's worth noting Ted that, in terms of the content creation, there was little effort from state little input from state. was merely from what we saw largely, was them just having their watermark placed on some of this content that would then go viral or catch a lot of views online. they were then, you know, just by default associated with the content. Yeah. I mean, obviously we are just speculating a bit here. We can, guess we can't really fit.

Anaya McDonald (02:48.996)
Yeah. So I guess that's worth noting Ted that, in terms of the content creation, there was little effort from stake, little input from stake. was merely from what we saw largely, was them just having their watermark placed on some of this content that would then go viral or, yeah, catch a lot of views online. they were then, you know, just by default associated with the content. Yeah. I mean, obviously we are just speculating a bit here. We, I guess we can't really for

Ted OC (03:19.598)
can't really for sure, say for concrete reasons that the state did or did not have a significant hand in whatever their watermark went across. But it does seem that, it's almost like a bit of a blanket approach of working with these intermediaries, these middlemen who would then get in touch with influencers and noble accounts to see about setting up a relationship. This is then obviously is.

Anaya McDonald (03:19.696)
I can't really for sure, save for concrete reasons that the state did or did not have a significant hand in whatever their watermark went across. But it does seem that, it's almost like a bit of a blanket approach of working with these intermediaries, these middlemen who would then get in touch with influencers and notable accounts to see about setting up a relationship. This is then obviously is

Ted OC (03:43.498)
led to a state watermark appearing on this video that was filmed outside of I think was Nottingham Trent University wasn't it featuring the adult content star Bonnie Blue and that was then referred to the gambling commission and possibly the government as well I think to DCMS which then led to an investigation which has led to the UK GC

Anaya McDonald (03:43.64)
led to a state watermark appearing on this video that was filmed outside of, I think it was Nottingham Trent University, it? Featuring the adult content star, Bonnie Blue. And that was then referred to the gambling commission and possibly the government as well, think, to DCMS. Which then led to an investigation, which has led to the UK GC.

Ted OC (04:11.616)
informing TGP Europe, which is a company that operated the stake UK brand via white label agreement with state. They've then been informed they need to remove the website for UK consumers. this Calum, wasn't this wasn't we've kind of gone a little bit ahead, but yeah, this was on sports content. It was on kind of viral content like Ted mentioned with

Anaya McDonald (04:11.746)
Informing TGP Europe, which is a company that operated the stake UK brand viral white label agreement with state. The then been informed that they need to remove the website for UK consumers. this Callum, wasn't, this wasn't, we've kind of gone a little bit ahead, but yeah, this was on sports content. was on kind of viral content like Ted mentioned with.

Ted OC (04:39.286)
Bonnie blue, it was also on like just a myriad of other kind of viral clips and pictures online. Yeah. You couldn't almost escape it. Every, every image on what you say X or as far as I know X at the moment, the images on X that you'd always see this, this state of a watermark no matter how big it could be, it could be literally minuscule and still be there. So, yeah, you can't really escape it. And obviously we, we covered it on Inside the Sport.

Anaya McDonald (04:39.654)
Bonnie blue, it was also on like just a myriad of other kind of viral clips and pictures online. Yeah. You couldn't almost escape it. Every, every image on would you say X or, well, as far as I know X at the moment, the images on X that you'd always see this, this state watermark. No matter how big it could be, it could be literally minuscule and it'd still be there. So, yeah, you can't really escape it. And obviously we, we covered it on Inside the Sport.

Ted OC (05:09.014)
The ASA got in touch, they said they were monitoring it. Now after this investigation where Stake are leaving the UK market, the ASA have also got back to us and said, well, we'll continue to monitor the watermarks on social media platforms. So yeah, it's something that at the moment it feels like a step in the right direction in trying to stamp that out in terms of what the UK GC are doing.

Anaya McDonald (05:09.124)
The ASA got in touch, they said they was monitoring it. Now after this investigation where Stake are leaving the UK market, the ASA have also got back to us and said, well, we'll continue to monitor the watermarks on social media platforms. So yeah, it's something that at the moment it feels like a step in the right direction in trying to stamp that out in terms of what the UK GC are doing, but...

Ted OC (05:36.942)
as of right now, I think it was, I think the authority belongs on the, on the social media, on the social media platforms like X to truly stamp it out instead of they do a community notes, which says this goes against our guidelines, which over the map, that's all they include. So yeah, I think it's more or less on the social media apps to stop the song. Yeah. Highlighting the community notes, highlighting that, you know, there is gambling advertisement featured in this clip.

Anaya McDonald (05:37.072)
as of right now, I think it was, think the authority belongs on the, on the social media, on the social media platforms like X to truly stamp it out instead of they do a community notes, which says this goes against our guidelines, which other than that, that's all they include. So yeah, I think it's more or less on the social media apps to stamp this out. Highlighting the community notes, highlighting that, you know, there is gambling advertisement featured in this clip.

Ted OC (06:05.806)
When it is the watermark, but like you say, it's a hard thing to regulate. It's not easy Hence I guess the success that steak had in terms of getting their branding out there and just really getting their Their brand and their logo associated with so many clips and getting so many eyes on their logo. Yeah, Ted just bring us back like they did obviously push the boat out too far with the

Anaya McDonald (06:06.176)
when it is the watermark, but like you say, it's a hard thing to regulate. It's not easy. hence, guess the success that Stake had in terms of getting their branding out there and just really getting their brand and their logo associated with so many clips and getting so many eyes on their logo. yeah, Ted, just bring us back. Like they did obviously push the boat out too far, with the

Ted OC (06:35.084)
the Bonnie Blue stuff, that was the one that really, the straw that broke the camel's back, if you like. Yeah, what was kind of the sequence of events that led to them, their downfall in the UK, if you like? This is hard to say, really. I mean, it seems that maybe the whole video film that featured Bonnie Blue was kind of the...

Anaya McDonald (06:35.264)
Bonnie Blue stuff. That was the one that really, the straw that broke the camel's back, if you like. Yeah, what was kind of the sequence of events that led to them, their downfall in the UK, if you like? This is hard to say really. mean, it seems that maybe the whole video film that featured Bonnie Blue was kind of the

Ted OC (07:01.774)
More drew attention to what had been going on maybe rather than specifically that being that video the one that went right, this is the one that's breached rules. know, again, I'm just speculating here, but it seems like that may have been the case that this was really the one that drew attention to this campaign. Obviously betting adverts on social media X and so on, like let's say if it's Bet365, Betfred, Betway, whoever, if they were to post a promotional tweet.

Anaya McDonald (07:01.904)
More drew attention to what had been going on maybe rather than specifically that being that video, the one that went, right, this is the one that's breached rules. know, I'm again, I'm just speculating here, but it seems like that may have been the case that this was really the one that drew attention to this campaign. Obviously betting adverts on social media X and so on, like let's say if it's bet 365, bet Fred, bet way, whoever, if they were to post a promotional tweet.

Ted OC (07:27.95)
From what I understand, that will be targeted, won't it? So that will only be seen by accounts that are listed as being 18 and above. Because when you set up a social media account, obviously you put your age in there. I'm not sure whether, because this state campaign was so much more wide ranging, it wasn't the company directly putting in posts, it was their branding featuring on various different accounts covering a lot of content, whether that could have then been accessed by...

Anaya McDonald (07:28.058)
From what I understand, that will be targeted, won't it? So that will only be seen by accounts that are listed as being 18 and above. Cause when you set up a social media account, obviously you put your age in there. I'm not sure whether, because this state campaign was so much more wide ranging, it wasn't, you know, the company directly putting in posts. was their branding featuring on various different accounts covering a lot of content, whether that could have then been accessed by.

Ted OC (07:55.946)
under 18s. don't know if maybe that could have been part of the investigation as well. Obviously we're gonna, I think, you know, the UK gambling commission would be the ultimate source of authority on that as to whether that was the case or not. Obviously another thing to consider is TGP Europe itself. They are a company based in the Isle of Man who

Anaya McDonald (07:56.066)
Under 18s. don't know if maybe that could have been part of the investigation as well. Obviously we're going to, think, you know, the UK gambling commission would be the ultimate source of authority on that as to whether that was the case or not. Obviously another thing to consider is TGP Europe itself. They are a company based in the Isle of Man who

Ted OC (08:22.368)
operate white label agreements with a range of different companies, predominantly overseas ones, which want to have a brand presence in the UK, but aren't directly licensed with the UK gambling commission themselves. They are obviously the one who have removed the site and Stake have now confirmed that they've exited the agreement with them. And obviously this was part of a wider marketing push for Stake. Another

Anaya McDonald (08:22.498)
operate white label agreements with a range of different companies, predominantly overseas ones, which want to have a brand presence in the UK, but aren't directly licensed with the UK gambling commission themselves. They are obviously the one who have removed the site and Stake have now confirmed that they've exited the agreement with them. And obviously this was part of a wider marketing push for Stake. Another

Ted OC (08:50.776)
big element of what they've done to kind of push their brand out there and yeah, just their marketing strategy has been through some real major agreements within sports sponsorship. Yeah, just tell us a little bit more about these and also the ramifications of this decision on the the ramifications of this decision on these partnerships.

Anaya McDonald (08:50.884)
big element of what they've done to kind of push their brand out there and yeah, just, just their marketing strategy has been through some real major agreements within sports sponsorship. Yeah, just tell us a little bit more about these and also the ramifications of this decision on the, the ramifications of this decision on these partnerships.

Ted OC (09:21.714)
This is part of a wider marketing campaign for Stake. This has been part of a much wider marketing push to really get their brand out there. One of the key strategies they've kind of implemented has been through some really major sports sponsorships. Can you just tell us the ramifications of this move and this story on those sports sponsorships and also what are some of those sponsorships? Yeah, sure Joe. mean,

Anaya McDonald (09:21.832)
This is part of a wider marketing campaign for Stake. This has been part of a much wider marketing push to really get their brand out there. One of the key strategies they've kind of implemented has been through some really major sports sponsorships. Can you just tell us the ramifications of this move and this story on those sports sponsorships and also what are some of those sponsorships? Yeah, sure Joe. mean,

Ted OC (09:51.118)
Stakes main primary sports sponsorship that they have right now is with the Premier League club Everton. It's a Frontless shirt sponsorship. Now I'm not too sure when that deal ends. It could end this season. could, it might expire next season. But as far as we know, Everton are in bit of a, a bit of a sticky situation now, obviously with the news of Stakes website being banned because

Anaya McDonald (09:51.204)
Stakes main primary sports sponsorship that they have right now is with the Premier League club Everton. It's a front of shirt sponsorship. Now, I'm not too sure when that deal ends. It could end this season. could, it might expire next season. But as far as we know, Everton are in a bit of a, a bit of a sticky situation now, obviously with the news of Stakes website being banned because

Ted OC (10:19.24)
UKGC informed Everton and other relevant football clubs that have similar unlicensed operating sponsorships that as we know as 11th March state will no longer be within the UK. they so the commission have also got in touch with these relevant clubs and warned them about redirection links and the blocking of new UK customers to the state website and other unlicensed operators. This rolls into question whether Everton will look to end the partnership.

Anaya McDonald (10:19.258)
The UK GC informed Everton and other relevant football clubs that have similar unlicensed operating sponsorships that as we know as of 11th of March, state will no longer be within the UK. So they, so the commission have also got in touch with these relevant clubs and warned them about redirection links and the blocking of new UK customers to the state website and other unlicensed operators. This rolls into question whether Everton will look to end the partnership.

Ted OC (10:49.1)
themselves, but there's also a set of due diligence guidelines that they must adhere to in order to keep Stake as a front of shirt sponsor. So, yeah, again, this also brings into geo blocking services that these clubs must adhere to and also preventing VPNs, virtual private networks that are able to bypass certain blocked accounts, blocked websites, should you say.

Anaya McDonald (10:49.22)
themselves, but there's also a set of due diligence guidelines that they must adhere to in order to keep Stake as a front of shirt sponsor. So, yeah, again, this also brings into geo blocking services that these clubs must adhere to and also preventing VPNs, virtual private networks that are able to bypass certain blocked accounts, blocked websites, should you say.

Ted OC (11:19.342)
and being able to bypass these laws. it's interesting for Everton at the moment, because like you said, I'm sure Stake are paying them quite a lot of money to be a sponsor in the front of the shirt. But I think as long as Everton do follow the due diligence laws and you know, if they do break them as well, there is potential hefty fines and possible imprisonment as well. So I think they're playing a bit of a fine line, but as long as they do.

Anaya McDonald (11:19.472)
And being able to bypass these laws. So, it's interesting for Everton at the moment, because like you said, I'm sure Staker paying them quite a lot of money to be a sponsor in the front of the shirt. But I think as long as Everton do follow the due diligence laws and if they do break them as well, there is potential hefty fines and possible imprisonment as well. So I think they're playing a bit of a fine line, but as long as they do.

Ted OC (11:47.574)
adhere to the rules then I'm sure did work. Well from the 26-27 season obviously the front of shirt betting sponsorships, gambling sponsorships are banned from the Premier League so from that season it would end anyway but I do still think there'll be value in partnerships with the Premier League for operators and I don't think from the approach we've seen from Steg

Anaya McDonald (11:47.694)
adhere to the rules then I'm sure they'd want to keep on. Well, from the 26, 27 season, front of shirt betting sponsorships, gambling sponsorships are banned from the Premier League. So from that season, it would end anyway. But I do still think there'll be value in partnerships with the Premier League for operators. I don't think from the approach we've seen from Stake,

Ted OC (12:16.982)
If we're to take anything by that, don't think they would want to end all their Premier League partnerships. I think they would still want to have a presence in the Premier League. It's so valuable for operators, for global operators, even operators with no presence in the UK. It's so valuable to be associated with the Premier League. It builds a level of trust and obviously massive brand awareness because of the global eyes that are on the league. So I think the fact that, yeah,

Anaya McDonald (12:17.112)
If we're to take anything by that, don't think they would want to end all their Premier League partnerships. think they would still want to have a presence in the Premier League. It's so valuable for operators, for global operators, even operators with no presence in the UK. It's so valuable to be associated with the Premier League. It builds a level of trust and obviously massive brand awareness because of the global eyes that are on the league. So I think the fact that, yeah.

Ted OC (12:45.378)
This will kind of throw into jeopardy their status with Premier League clubs, but the fact they can still have partnerships in the Premier League will be massive for Stake, I think, as other operators. And I think that's something they'll almost certainly want to retain. Ted, let me bring you in here. obviously it changes the dynamics of sports sponsorships for Stake a little bit.

Anaya McDonald (12:45.486)
This will kind of throw into jeopardy their status with Premier League clubs, but the fact they can still have partnerships in the Premier League will be massive for Stake, I think, as other operators. And I think that's something they'll almost certainly want to retain. Ted, let me bring you in here. Yeah. Obviously it changes the dynamics of sports sponsorships for Stake a little bit.

Ted OC (13:13.738)
Yeah, well, like you said, don't for starters, I'm not, I don't think that the UK has ever really been a core market for stake anyway. With, we've seen a statement from them, haven't we saying that they've made a strategic decision to focus on Brazil and Italy in particular. And there's been a lot of developments over the past year that suggests that this has been quite a, a, a significant objective for them for a while anyway, focusing on these two, these two markets. But.

Anaya McDonald (13:13.88)
Yeah. Well, like you said, don't, starters, I'm not, I don't think that the UK has ever really been a core market for stake anyway. With, we've seen a statement from them, haven't we saying that they've made a strategic decision to focus on Brazil and Italy in particular. And there's been a lot of developments over the past year that suggests that this has been quite a, a, a significant objective for them for a while anyway, focusing on these two, these two markets.

Ted OC (13:43.054)
It's a core market in terms of user engagement, but still one of the massive value in terms of marketing. Yeah, yeah. 100 % because as you said, the Premier League is probably the most followed football league in the world. Everton themselves are quite a notable team anyway, with a pretty solid international fan base. You then got to factor in the fact that when Everton played even bigger teams like Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, any of these really big names who have an even

Anaya McDonald (13:43.152)
It's not a core market in terms of user engagement, but still one of massive value in terms of marketing. Yeah, yeah. A hundred percent. Cause as you said, the premier league is probably the most followed football league in the world. Everton themselves are quite a notable team anyway, with a pretty solid international fan base. You then got to factor in the fact that when Everton played even bigger teams like Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, any of these really big names who have an even

Ted OC (14:12.226)
vast a global following, particularly in Latin America, Asia, African markets as well, I guess. When people watch these games of these teams playing against Everton, they'll see the state branding. So that's why it's significant because of the, as you said, the global reach. think the impact it will probably more have on sports sponsorships of dynamics in the UK is the impact it might just have on a lot of the conversations around it.

Anaya McDonald (14:12.346)
vast global following, particularly in Latin America, Asia, African markets as well, guess. When people watch these games of these teams playing against Everton, they'll see the state branding. So that's why it's significant because of the, as you said, the global reach. think the impact it will probably more have on sports sponsorships of dynamics in the UK is the impact it might just have on a lot of the conversations around it.

Ted OC (14:42.574)
These kind of developments aren't always a great look for the Premier League or for the betting companies that are engaging with it. It can reflect quite badly on the entire ecosystem at large and the existing partnerships that are in place between companies that are fully regulated, fully licensed UK firms have been active in the market for a long, time and have these partnerships with prominent English clubs.

Anaya McDonald (14:42.704)
These kind of developments aren't always a great look for the Premier League or for the betting companies that are engaging with it. can reflect quite badly on the entire ecosystem at large and the existing partnerships that are in place between companies that are fully regulated, fully licensed UK firms have been active in the market for a long, long time and have these partnerships with prominent English clubs.

Ted OC (15:08.95)
The, as you said, we've got the sponsorship band, the voluntary sponsorship band, we should say, coming in at the start of the 2026-27 season. The Premier League clubs opted to do themselves. The, I think just developments like this will mean that the conversations around the sustainability of these partnerships and to a lot of critics of gambling's relationship with sport, the efficacy of these partnerships will continue beyond that band coming into place.

Anaya McDonald (15:09.04)
The, as you said, we've got the sponsorship band, the voluntary sponsorship band, we should say coming in at the start of the 2026-27 season, the Premier League clubs opted to do themselves. The, I think just developments like this will mean that the conversations around the sustainability of these partnerships and to a lot of critics of gambling's relationship with sport, the efficacy of these partnerships will continue beyond that band coming into place.

Ted OC (15:38.7)
think it's also worth noting jokes on that the Premier League has an international feed, right? they did the feed for China is going to be, they're going to have ad campaigns tailored for the Chinese market. They're like the US ad campaigns tailored for the US market as well. when you talk about those ad campaigns, what ads is that specific? So the boards around the, around the state, around, you know, around the pitch, they remain the same.

Anaya McDonald (15:38.768)
I think it's also worth noting Joe, sorry, that the premier league has a, international feed, right? So they, the feed for China is going to be, they're going to have ad campaigns tailored for the Chinese market. They're like the U S they'll have ad campaigns tailored for the U S market as well. when you talk about those ad campaigns, what ads is that specific? the, boards around the

around the state, around, you know, around the pitch. They remain the same for each feed. They're different for each. Those, those, those screens change dependent on market. So you might see a, you might see a BetMGM for instance, at a Newcastle game. BetMGM are obviously a licensed, I'm pretty sure they are a licensed UK operator. So for stake, they are a licensed Brazilian operator, for example, that Premier League feed.

Ted OC (16:07.79)
for each feed, they're different for each. Those screens change dependent on market. So you might see a, you might see a Bet NGM for instance, at a Newcastle game. Yeah. But Bet NGM are obviously a licensed, I'm pretty sure they are a licensed UK operator. Yeah, they have been, yeah. they are a licensed Brazilian operator, for example. That Premier League feed, whether it's Manchester United versus Manchester City, for example.

Anaya McDonald (16:32.1)
whether it's Manchester United versus Manchester City, for example, that feed will then obviously be able to show state because it's being viewed within the Brazilian market. I think some of the ad campaigns for some of these unlicensed operators, that's where, you know, a Kayan sport, for example, they're a Chinese operator, right? But they're also unlicensed in the UK. I think they'll be able to be able to use those ad campaigns on that Chinese feed as long as it isn't present for the UK audience.

Ted OC (16:35.278)
that feed will then obviously be able to show up to state because it's being viewed within the Brazilian market. I think some of the ad campaigns for some of these are mysos operators. That's where, you know, a Kynesport, for example, they're a Chinese operator, right? But there are also mysos in the UK. I think they'll be able to be able to use those ad campaigns on that Chinese feed as long as it isn't present for the UK audience.

Okay, that's really interesting.

Anaya McDonald (17:02.128)
Okay, that's really interesting.

Ted OC (17:07.246)
Trigger the ad break now please. Yeah sorry, I forgot about that. You're 100 % sure about different feeds for the Premier? That is a thing, I don't know whether Kayon or a Chinese one though. Should we check whether, I know they are Asian. You're up 12 o'clock next time. Yeah, do you want to just repeat that and just say I'd replace Chinese with Asian?

Anaya McDonald (17:10.128)
Yeah, sorry. I forgot about that. I might have just... You're 100 % sure about different feeds for the Premier That is a thing. I don't know if they're K or a Chinese one though. Should we check whether... I know they are Asian. They were in at 12 o'clock next time. Yeah. Do want to just that and just say I'd replace Chinese with Asian?

Just leave out.

Anaya McDonald (17:39.278)
Do you hate me as an editor? Do you actually hate me?

Ted OC (17:40.654)
Do hate me as an editor? Do you actually hate me?

This is hell.

Anaya McDonald (17:46.148)
This is hell.

Ted OC (18:04.782)
Yeah, just maybe trim Kyan out of there, I guess. We can always come back to them. Just do the advert, like chop that bit out that Cam said about Kyan. % sure that it's a different advertising feed for Premier League games. I kind of had it in my head that Premier League games, the Premier League is one of the few leagues that doesn't have a different advertising feed. I remember George saying, I think he said the opposite.

Anaya McDonald (18:04.912)
Yeah, just maybe trim Kyan out of that, guess. We can always come back to them. Just do the advert, like chop that bit out. you're both 100 % sure that it's a different advertising feed for Premier League games. I kind of had it in my head that Premier League games, the Premier League is one of the few leagues that doesn't have a different advertising feed. I remember George saying what we used to think. I think he said the opposite.

You think it's at the opposite? Well, if we review a short and let's just cut that out. campaigns as well. TV ad campaigns, not just LED, but. We'll just chop that bit. If we're not, if we're not sure, then we should chop it.

Ted OC (18:29.118)
Well, if neither of you are sure, then let's just cut that out and go to the ad break. We'll just chop that bit. If we're not sure, then we should chop it. Can you retry answering the question? It's kind of a tangent, right? But do we even have to, can we not just... You know what, think we just carry on. You do the ad break and just cut it at the bit where I finish.

Anaya McDonald (18:47.003)
It's kind of a tangent. But do we even have to come in? just, know what? Just carry on. You do the advert and just, I could be wrong, but I'm not 100 % sure.

Ted OC (19:00.014)
So I could do.

Ted OC (19:04.558)
What was the question? What do mean you won't be able to cut it? Can you not just cut it off from when I finish? What so instead of having... I'm kind of interjected. Yeah, so you could just cut it out anyway when it starts with me when I start saying Not necessarily. Why not? Because if it overlaps into something that Ted's saying and then Ted doesn't finish his No, it didn't know because I'd finished. I'd like full stop finished. But then you started asking a question. No, he didn't.

Anaya McDonald (19:04.688)
What was the question? What do mean you won't be able to cut it? Can you not just cut it off when I finish? Callum kind of interjected. Yeah, so you could just cut it out anyway when it starts with me when I start saying it. Not necessarily. Why not? Because if it overlaps into something that Ted's saying and then Ted doesn't finish it. No, it didn't know because I'd finished. I'd like full stop finished. But then you started asking a question. No, he didn't. He didn't.

Ted OC (19:31.726)
So you asked a question. No, no one asked a question. I followed up with another point. But you didn't cut him. No, 100 % not. His hand's point was a bit rogue and like, we're not 100 % sure on it. I don't know why I edited it into it, I just think I put it down there for you. Okay, you're ready to continue recording. Yeah, just do an ad break and then we'll come back to it. finished this part off, you have a break? Yes, sir. you sit? Wait, hold on. Sorry about that.

Anaya McDonald (19:32.72)
He finished his point and I followed up with another point. But you didn't clock him. No, no. We're just not sure. Callum's point was a bit rogue and we're not 100 % sure, innit? I don't even know why I had it in to it. I think I put it down there somewhere. Okay. You're ready to continue. You're going to say the ad break then? You do an ad break and So Ted, where Ted finished his part off, do the ad break. Yeah, so... Wait, hold on. Sorry about that. I've got it down.

Ted OC (19:59.276)
Okay, and we're gonna discuss, obviously Stake have reacted to this and they've kind laid out their future and we're gonna discuss that after a short break.

Anaya McDonald (19:59.384)
Okay. And we're going to, we're going to discuss, obviously Stake have reacted to this and they've kind of laid out their future and we're going to discuss that after a short break.

Ted OC (20:14.092)
Thanks for joining us and Ted, obviously we heard from Stake yesterday with what they said. We heard from Stake yesterday as they kind of responded to this situation. What does the future look like for them? What did they say on this? Well, as we said earlier, Dave, spokesperson for Stake has said that the company's strategic focus at the moment is on Brazil and Italy.

Anaya McDonald (20:14.212)
Thanks for joining us and Ted, obviously we heard from Stake yesterday with what they said. We heard from Stake yesterday as they kind of responded to this situation. Yeah. What does the future look like for them? What did they say on this? Well, as we said earlier, they've a spokesperson for Stake has said that the company's strategic focus at the moment is on Brazil and Italy.

Ted OC (20:40.812)
And as we said earlier, I don't think the UK was ever a core market for them in terms of players and customer base anyway. So Brazil, as Callum said earlier as well, is a hugely significant market at the moment. It's been live since 1st of January. Stake have always been building up quite a solid marketing presence in Brazil. They're partnered with a top division football club.

Anaya McDonald (20:40.912)
And as we said earlier, I don't think the UK was ever a core market for them in terms of players and customer base anyway. So Brazil, as Callum said earlier as well, is a hugely significant market at the moment. It's been live since 1st of January. Stake have always been building up quite a solid marketing presence in Brazil. They're partnered with a top division football club.

Ted OC (21:06.882)
They're partnered with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who's obviously one of the really significant global Brazilian athlete right now. They are going to be chasing a significant position in this market along with a lot of other operators. It's a highly competitive market. I think there's over 200 licensed betting sites now in Brazil at both the state and federal level. So marketing, particularly sports marketing is really going to be a big significant factor.

Anaya McDonald (21:06.98)
They're partnered with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who's obviously one of the really significant global Brazilian athlete right now. They are going to be chasing a significant position in this market along with a lot of other operators. It's a highly competitive market. I think there's over 200 licensed betting sites now in Brazil at both the state and federal level. So marketing, particularly sports marketing is really going to be a big significant factor.

Ted OC (21:35.946)
in setting companies like Stakeout from the competition. So I think we can expect them to obviously continue with the partnerships they've already got, perhaps even enter some new ones. The other one, as I said, is Italy. They have secured a spot in Italy by acquiring a local company, Idealbet, which I think they bought them in November 2024.

Anaya McDonald (21:36.066)
in setting companies like Stakeout from the competition. So I think we can expect them to obviously continue with the partnerships they've already got, perhaps even enter some new ones. The other one, as I said, is Italy. They have secured a spot in Italy by acquiring a local company, Idealbet, which I think they bought them in November 2024.

Ted OC (22:02.38)
Are you doing that? I thought you were telling me to be quiet or something. Sorry, Inaya.

Anaya McDonald (22:02.51)
Are you doing that? I thought you were telling me to be quiet, wasn't it? no, Sorry, Inaya.

Ted OC (22:13.134)
2020. 2020 in Italy. This is the Italian now the Italian market is quite an interesting one from a marketing and sports sponsorship standpoint because sport direct sports sponsorships like we see in the UK you know where a company will pay a club to have their logo on the front of the shirt those are banned in Italy and have been for quite a while it's actually been causing a bit of contention between the

Anaya McDonald (22:13.872)
2024 in Italy. This is the Italian. Now the Italian market is quite an interesting one from a marketing and sports sponsorship standpoint because sport direct sports sponsorships like we see in the UK, you know, where a company will pay a club to have their logo on the front of the shirt. Those are banned in Italy and have been for quite a while. It's actually been causing a bit of contention between the

Ted OC (22:39.406)
the football clubs and the government, obviously because of the amount of revenue that these sort of sponsorships bring in. Now what we've seen a lot of operators do in Italy is sign infotainment partnerships. So they'll have a media brand that carries their branding but just functions as like sports news and sports kind of gossip and tips to sort of cite that these will partner with clubs. We've seen quite a few prominent deals like that. So maybe that could be on the agenda for stake in Italy.

Anaya McDonald (22:39.536)
the football clubs and the government, obviously because of the amount of revenue that these sort of sponsorships bring in. Now what we've seen a lot of operators do in Italy is sign infotainment partnerships. So they'll have a media brand that carries their branding, but just functions as like sports news and sports kind of gossip and tips to sort of site that these will partner with clubs. We've seen quite a few prominent deals like that. So maybe that could be on the agenda for stake in Italy.

Ted OC (23:05.186)
We could potentially see some more of those further down the line as company chases a bigger position in that market. Yeah, think what we've seen from Stake is just a real appetite to get their brand and that logo out as much as possible, get it seen by as many eyes as possible. So that definitely could be a route in the Italian market. But I think off the back of this, and I don't know if you agree, but I do think those markets that they've laid out as their core markets, there might be...

Anaya McDonald (23:05.316)
We could potentially see some more of those further down the line as the company chases a bigger position in that market. Yeah. I think what we've seen from Stake is just a real appetite to get their brand and that logo out as much as possible, get it seen by as many eyes as possible. So that definitely could be a route in the Italian market. But I think off the back of this, and I don't know if you agree, but I do think those markets that they've laid out as their core markets, there might be...

Ted OC (23:34.958)
there may well be a heavier scrutinization of the marketing approach, not just of stake, but of other operators. Yeah, in those markets now, because they don't want to be seen as kind of loose when it comes to marketing regulation for gambling operators. So it's going to be interesting to see how that story develops, I think. Yeah, like we said, you can't...

Anaya McDonald (23:35.188)
there may well be a heavier scrutinization of the marketing approach, not just of stake, but of other operators, yeah. In those markets now, because they don't want to be seen as kind of, loose when it comes to marketing regulation for, for gambling operators. So it's going to be interesting to see how that story develops. think. Yeah. Like, like you said, like we said, we, can't.

Ted OC (24:01.464)
We can't know for certain what regulators in Brazil and Italy and other countries where stake is pursuing a leadership position. We can't for sure say exactly what they're thinking. I think it's probably safe to assume that a lot of these regulators may have seen what's just happened in the UK and gone, right, let's keep a bit of a closer eye on what these guys are up to to make sure they're definitely complying with our marketing. On the other hand, course, our marketing rules, On the other hand, of course, stake.

Anaya McDonald (24:01.572)
We can't know for certain what the in Brazil and Italy and other countries where steak is pursuing a leadership position. We can't for sure say exactly what they're thinking, but it's, I think, yeah, could be, it's probably safe to assume that a lot of these regulators may have seen what's just happened in the UK and gone, right, let's keep a bit of a closer eye on what these guys are up to to make sure they're definitely complying with our marketing. On the other end, course, our marketing rules, sorry. On the other end, course, steak.

Ted OC (24:31.37)
may also just take a lesson from this and go, right, well, that didn't go entirely as planned. Let's adapt our strategy for other markets to make sure this doesn't happen again. know, everything's a learning curve, isn't it? Take a more conservative approach, you reckon? Maybe. We'll wait and see on that one. We'll wait and see on that one, Ted. I'm not too sure. Let's see what happens. I'm just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt there. Well, I think, yeah, I mean, obviously it didn't play out brilliantly in the end.

Anaya McDonald (24:31.522)
may also just take a lesson from this and go, right, well, that didn't go entirely as planned. Let's adapt our strategy for other markets to make sure this doesn't happen again. know, everything's a learning curve, isn't it? Take a more conservative approach, you reckon? Maybe. We'll wait and see on that one. We will wait and see on that one, Ted. I'm not too sure. Let's see what happens. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the day out there. Well, think, yeah, I mean, obviously it didn't play out brilliantly in the end.

Ted OC (25:00.718)
with the final kind of Bonnie Blue campaign. But departure from the UK market, I don't think it's going to hinder Stakes operations too heavily. I think it's not a massive loss to them. And I think the efforts through this campaign, although it was very maverick, it was very rogue and probably a little unethical at times.

Anaya McDonald (25:00.848)
with the final kind of Bonnie Blue campaign. But departure from the UK market, I don't think it's going to hinder Stake's operations too heavily. think it's not a massive loss to them. And I think the efforts through this campaign, although it was very maverick, it was very rogue and probably a little unethical at times,

Ted OC (25:29.582)
they got their brand out there and I wonder if that will be, you know, kind of the main motive for them. yeah, who knows whether internally they see this campaign as having been a success, this wider guerrilla marketing campaign as having been a success. But want to see how it plays out for them in future markets and Callum to close us off really quickly. Callum to close us off. Will this story affect any other sponsorships within English football?

Anaya McDonald (25:29.692)
They got their brand out there and I wonder if that will be, you know, kind of the main motive for them. So yeah, who knows whether internally they see this campaign as having been a success, this wider guerrilla marketing campaign as having been a success. But want to see how it plays out for them in future markets. And Callum to close us off really quickly. Callum to close us off. Will this story affect any other sponsorships within English football?

Ted OC (25:58.734)
We look at Kyan Sports, the Asian operator there obviously unlicensed within the UK now Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace both have a front of shirt sponsorship with Kyan Sports Just to correct, yeah, so think Forest have the front of shirt I think Palace is a sleeve sponsorship, right? Yeah, because they have Nittier, is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, my bad, that one Yeah, so this is all dependent on if these Premier League clubs continue with these unlicensed operator sponsorships

Anaya McDonald (25:58.862)
If we look at Cayan Sports, the Asian operator, they're obviously unlicensed within the UK now. Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace both have a front of shirt sponsorship with Cayan Sports. to correct, yeah. So I think Forest have the front of shirt. think Palace is a sleeve sponsorship. is it a sleeve yeah. Cause they have, yeah. that right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. this is all dependent on if these Premier League clubs continue with these unlicensed operator sponsorships.

Ted OC (26:27.726)
adhering to the due diligence guidelines when it comes to blocking redirection links to these operators. But as previously mentioned with the impending Front of Shirt sponsorship, there's going to be no Front of Shirt sponsorships of gambling operators anyway by the 26-27 campaign, the start of that campaign. So yeah, I think they just need to follow these due diligence guidelines and make sure they have the right parameters in place so they themselves don't get penalized and have enforcement action against them.

Anaya McDonald (26:27.856)
adhering to the due diligence guidelines when it comes to blocking redirection links to these operators. But as previously mentioned with the impending Front of Shirt sponsorship ban, there's going to be no Front of Shirt sponsorships of gambling operators anyway by the 26-27 campaign, the start of that campaign. So yeah, I think they just need to follow these due diligence guidelines and make sure they have the right parameters in place so they and themselves don't get penalized and have enforcement action against them.

Ted OC (26:57.838)
But yeah, it'll be a, I they're running quite a tight rope when it comes to this. Something else I think that's worth mentioning, Callum, is obviously, know you've written about this in the past, obviously, Stakes deal with the F1. Like, do you reckon that could be, how do you reckon that could play out now? That's an interesting one because the Dutch gambling authority, they ordered for the Stake branding to be removed from the Stake F1 team, the title sponsorship they have with the Sauber.

Anaya McDonald (26:57.978)
But yeah, it'll be, I think they're running quite a tight rope when it comes to this. Something else I think that's worth mentioning, Calum, is obviously I know you've written about this in the past is obviously stakes deal with the F1. Do you reckon that could be, how do you reckon that could play out now? Yeah, well it's an interesting one because the Dutch gambling authority, they ordered for the state branding to be removed from the stake F1 team with the title sponsorship they have with the Sauber.

Ted OC (27:28.008)
F1 team so it's called Stake F1 team they are branding all over the race cars and the team uniforms and assets like that. Now I'm not too sure but I don't think this in fort this action really took any precedent over the the Dutch Grand Prix last year so it would be interesting to see how when the UK Grand Prix comes over to Silverstone this year obviously now Stake being an unlicensed operator whether the UK GC will take a similar action but that remains to be seen.

Anaya McDonald (27:28.128)
F1 team, it's called Stake F1 team. have branding all over the race cars and the team uniforms and assets like that. Now, I'm not too sure, but I don't think this in fort this action really took any precedent over the Dutch Grand Prix last year. So it would be interesting to see how when the UK Grand Prix comes over to Silverstone this year, obviously now Stake being an unlicensed operator, whether the UK GC will take a similar action, but that remains to be seen.

Ted OC (27:56.77)
Yeah, interesting, I guess. No, if they can remain on the front of the Everton shirt, see no reason why they would not be able to remain on the front of an F1 car. But yeah, it is interesting and the F1 president has been set. So again, let's let's see how that one plays out in the future. And yeah, a really interesting discussion. I thank you both ever so much for your time. Yeah, let's see what happens in the future on this one.

Anaya McDonald (27:56.9)
Yeah. Interesting. guess, you know, if they can remain on the front of the Everton shirt, see no reason why they would not be able to remain on the front of a, an F1 car, but yeah, it is interesting. And the F1 president has been set. So again, let's, let's see how that one plays out in the future. and yeah, a really interesting discussion. thank you both ever so much for your time. yeah, let's see what happens in the future on this one.

Ted OC (28:24.814)
Thanks ever so much and thanks for joining us. Cheers Joe.

Anaya McDonald (28:25.218)
Thanks ever so much and thanks for joining us. Cheers Joe.

Ted OC (28:32.238)
See you in office.

Anaya McDonald (28:32.44)
He was