Mansion’s Asia-facing gambling brand M88 is under a probe by the British gambling regulator. The investigation has resulted in the company losing its sponsorship for the English Premier League.

T-shirt sponsorship will not revenue

English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth announced on Friday that it will renew its shirt sponsorship deal. The deal expired this past Sunday. The club thanked M88 for its sponsorship for three years. However, it noted that it would be finishing up the remaining of the EPL season using a different kit. The club hasn’t revoked its sleeve sponsorship with M88’s parent company Mansion yet.

Bournemouth is reportedly looking for a new commercial sponsor. If it is unable to do so, the club will likely feature a ‘Thank You’ message for COVID-19 frontline medical workers on its kit. There are nine games remaining in the ongoing EPL season.

The move came after the UK Gambling Commission intimated its investigation into the company. The regulator said that it is

“Currently looking at various aspects of M88 and Mansion Europe model and operations.”

The regulator did not specify which part of the model it is probing. However, in April, there were reports about the UKGC investigating the VIP scheme of MansionBet, another one of Mansion’s brands. They suggested a Mansion rep told a customer that the brand didn’t like to require disclosure of fund origins from the customers. However, they did it because the UK regulators make them do it.

Another regulatory issue for the company

The Mansion Group has frequent run-ins with the gambling regulators. It was fined €150k some years ago by the Netherlands Gambling Authority. The company was offering its services to Dutch customers without permission to do so. M88 has also announced the discontinuation of its services from Malaysia and Cambodia markets.

The company didn’t reveal specific reasons behind it exits in the two Asian markets. However, the company’s brand may not be affected by the exit, given it has large businesses in Vietnam, Thailand, and China.