Kaiyun Sports is under the spotlight for its sponsorship of two EPL franchises despite not having a UK gambling license. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

The Gambling Commission has warned Nottingham Forest that the main gambling sponsor prominently displayed on team jerseys does not have a license to operate in the UK.

Crystal Palace is in the same boat

Fellow English Premier League franchise Crystal Palace is in the same boat, with its players sporting the gambling brand Kaiyun Sports on their team shirts. The Athletic cited a UKGC spokesperson as confirming it had warned Forest that its association with the “Asia’s largest digital sports platform” makes it “liable for the offence of advertising unlawful gambling.”

The regulatory body confirmed it has never issued Kaiyun with a gaming license.

According to media reports, Kaiyun’s Isle of Man-based parent TGP Europe believes itself to be operating in compliance with UK gaming law. Because Kaiyun Sports is unavailable to UK bettors and therefore not marketed or promoted to them, the offshore firm is reportedly comfortable it’s not breaking any laws.

Kaiyun could be in further hot water over its reported Philippines base, as the country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week announced a blanket ban on all locally licensed online operations owned by offshore gaming operators (POGOs) that target bettors in other countries.

What gives Kaiyun’s UK status with Forest and Palace increased exposure is that, according to The Athletic, its sponsorship of the two franchises does “not comply with guidelines in football’s new code of conduct regarding gambling sponsorship.”

Various bodies including the EPL, the English FA, the Women’s Super League, and the British Horseracing Association last week issued the new “socially responsible” code of conduct comprised of four principles focused on gambling sponsorship. TGP and the two EPL franchises are likely sweating the fourth principle, which requires gambling sponsorship deals to not “compromise the integrity” of UK soccer competitions.