Sauber’s F1 title sponsor ordered to leave UK over pornstar ad
Stake - Sauber's F1 title partner - has been told to close its UK website after a pornstar ad probe.
Sauber’s F1 title partner Stake has been told to shut down its UK website by the Gambling Commission.
The UK Gambling Commission has ordered Stake.uk.com to close next month after a video filmed outside Nottingham Trent University was promoted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) featuring porn actress Bonnie Blue.
In the video, Blue said she was there to “sleep with 130 barely-legal 18 year olds” in two weeks. Stake’s logos featured on the screen.
The Gambling Commission, which fined Stake.uk.com's operator TGP Europe Limited £316,250 in 2023 for failing to take sufficient action to promote responsible gambling and prevent money-laundering, announced the website will no be licensed from 11 March.
“The move follows the launch of a commission investigation into a widely viewed video displaying the Stake-branded logo, which was distributed on a social media platform and featured an adult actress outside Nottingham Trent University,” the commission said in a statement.
“TGP has previously been the subject of enforcement action and after a meeting with the commission have stated they will immediately stop accepting new registrations to the Stake.uk.com platform and remove redirection links from the main Stake website.
“Final shutdown of the Great Britain site will take place by 11 March 2025.”
Stake entered into a sponsorship deal with Sauber in 2024 and its name has appeared on the Swiss-based outfit’s F1 cars at races where gambling adverts are legal.
Stake are also the front-of-shirt sponsor for Premier League football team Everton.
“Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that any steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily bypassed by use of tools such as a virtual private network,” the commission added.
“Clubs will be expected to carry out sufficient due diligence to assure the commission that consumers cannot transact with the sites from Great Britain by any means. The commission will also be taking steps to independently verify effective measures are in place.
“The letter will warn that club officers may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain.”
It is not clear at this stage how the decision will impact Sauber, but there may be implications for any of the team’s UK-based activities.
The soon-to-be-Audi F1 team has announced plans to open a new engineering hub in the UK’s ‘motorsport valley’ later this year.
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