Crystal Palace and Wolves will both have new shirt sponsors next season — gambling firms that are likely to raise an eyebrow or two.
On Tuesday June 11, Wolves announced DEBET as their new front-of-shirt sponsor for two seasons, while a day later Crystal Palace confirmed a two-year deal with Net88, another obscure betting company.
Both DEBET and Net88 are ‘white-label’ firms, which are operated by someone other than the brand owner.
So who are they and why are they controversial?
Who are Crystal Palace’s new shirt sponsor?
Last week, Palace announced they had signed a “record” two-year contract with gambling company Net88 to become the front-of-shirt-sponsor for their men’s team. It means the company, which has only a minimal online presence in the UK, will see its logo appear on Palace’s kit for 2024-25, as well as their training attire.
Palace say a new front-of-shirt-sponsor for their women’s team kit will be announced in due course while there will be no shirt sponsor for junior, infant and baby kits.
Net88 first posted on X from its English-language account on June 12, the same day its sponsorship of Crystal Palace was confirmed. It also has a Vietnamese X account.
When accessed from the UK, Net88’s website carries a message saying: “We are working on…
