Tom Brady’s Birmingham City FC partner, God55, is under investigation after Insider Sport and iGaming Expert discovered the site to be misleading consumers over claims it holds a Maltese Gaming Authority (MGA) licence.
The partnership, announced on 14 March, named God55 as the English Football League club’s official Asian betting partner.
Announcing the agreement, God55 was described as “one of the biggest and most trusted brands in the online gaming industry”. The Malaysian-based operator claims to be licensed by three gambling regulators: the MGA, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA).
However, upon investigation, iGaming Expert found no evidence that God55 has a valid licence from any of these regulators in their databases.
When contacted about this, the MGA confirmed it does not license the Asian-facing bookmaker and that “any reference to the authority is therefore false and misleading”.
The MGA has now launched its own investigation into the matter following iGaming Expert’s intervention.
What this means for Birmingham City
Since NFL legend Brady announced minority ownership at St Andrew’s in August 2023, the Blues have enjoyed an increasing number of high level partnerships with the likes of Nike, Delta and Coral. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising to hear of another commercial deal.
However, the partnership caught the attention of Insider Sport, particularly given the recent history around Asian-facing gambling sponsorships at the top level of English football.
Last year, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace received a warning from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) concerning their partnerships with Kaiyun Sports, an Asian gambling company unlicensed in the UK.
Birmingham City will now find itself in the same situation, with the UKGC warning football clubs over potential prosecution for breaching standards around betting sponsorship. If found guilty of breaking due diligence laws, clubs could face fines or possible imprisonment of club officers.
As noted by the UKGC, clubs are expected to conduct thorough due diligence when selecting partners, particularly those unfamiliar with their home market. In the case of Forest and Palace, Kaiyun Sports was UK-licensed when the deal was made.
In contrast, Birmingham has chosen God55 as a partner, despite the operator seemingly not holding a licence in any global jurisdiction – something uncovered by Insider Sport and iGaming Expert in approximately thirty minutes.
Birmingham City FC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Story broken by Kieran O’Connor.
