Russian gambling brand 1XBet has had its UK site suspended after a Sunday Times investigation exposed the brand for taking bets on children’s sport.
An investigation published last month found that, as of June this year, 1XBet’s Kenya site was taking bets on U16 basketball and other games that appeared to be taking place in school gyms.
A further investigation found evidence that 1XBet has been advertising on websites that offer illegal streaming of Premier League matches.
One such advert featured a cartoon of a topless woman removing her underwear and, in so doing, revealing a link to 1XBet’s UK site. 1XBet has also run adverts for a so-called ‘pornhub casino’ featuring topless female croupiers.
1XBet’s software provider, FSB Technology, took the UK site offline this weekend, and is now reviewing its white label agreement with the brand.
The revelations are not the first time 1XBet has been exposed for taking bets on children’s sport and other illegal activities, such as cockfighting.
Last year, UK tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that 1XBet was taking bets on cockfighting via a live stream from the Philippines. The Sunday Times also found that 1XBet has been offering odds on so-called ‘battlecock’ fixtures on other sites outside the UK.
The news comes only a month after 1XBet announced a new trio of partnerships with Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona, where the brand is the exclusive global betting partner at each club.
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1XBet was already the Official Betting Partner for Africa at Tottenham Hotspur since August last year – a deal that SportBusiness Sponsorship covered in-depth in December last year – and is also an International Presenting Partner of Serie A in Europe (outside Italy), sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas.
The UK Gambling Commission is now investigating 1XBet. FSB Technology added that 1XBet users‘ deposits are protected while the UK site is offline.
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