The gambling regulator in the Netherlands has warned the Sauber F1 team to not promote Stake during Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

The gambling regulator in the Netherlands has warned the Sauber Formula 1 team about advertising unlicensed gambling platform Stake during the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix. The operator is the team’s main title sponsor, with its logo appearing across its cars and drivers.

Stake doesn’t have a license to offer gambling services in the Netherlands

The KSA highlighted how Stake doesn’t have a license to offer gambling services in the Netherlands, and that’s why it cannot advertise its brand.

While Stake has enacted geoblocking to deter people in the country from accessing its site, the regulator noted that residents are still using it to gamble, bypassing the restrictions using VPNs. This is why the KSA has requested that Sauber doesn’t race under the Stake name during the race on Sunday.

It’s not the first time the team has run into this issue, with races taking place in many regions where gambling is not allowed or strict licensing laws are in place. One such issue occurred when the authorities in Switzerland started legal action to prevent Stake from advertising during a race.

When this happens, the team instead prominently displays the logo of the Kick streaming platform, which is owned by the same people who started Stake.