Probably not a question you ever expected to hear in this lifetime, but the answer is Russian gambling giant 1XBet. Its UK operations have been suspended following an investigation into improper conduct.

Promoting livestreamed cockfights, using naked croupiers in its online casino and accepting bets on children’s sports are among the serious breaches of gambling regulations a Sunday Times investigation came up with this week.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched an investigation into 1XBet’s conduct, leading to the suspension of the company’s UK operations following public outcry. 

FSB Technology, the platform provider for 1XBet, took the UK site offline over the weekend, assuring players that their deposits would remain protected during the investigation.

In addition to a major partnership with Spanish giants Barcelona, 1XBet also sponsors three of England’s top football clubs — Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur — whose crests were found appearing on livestreamed cockfights from the Philippines and Africa promoted by the betting site.

All three English clubs are reported to be following developments closely, the partnerships between clubs and the gambling company believed to have all strict rules governing appropriate marketing content.

The Russian-based global gambling brand has blamed the breaches on third-party providers, telling the Sunday Times:

“If any of these third-party networks or partners are found to advertise the 1XBet brand on prohibited sites or sites which break the law, 1Xbet shall investigate immediately.”

However, the firm’s licence has already been suspended in Kenya over betting industry-wide tax issues, a country included in Tottenham’s Africa-wide deal with 1Xbet last August.

The newspaper investigation showed that 1Xbet’s Kenya site was ‘taking bets on U16 basketball and other games’ – some of them appearing to be taking place in school gyms, according to reports.

1XBet, licensed in Curacao, famously fell foul of strict Italian gaming regulators two years ago after a deal with the Serie A football league was announced.

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