Who are 1XBET, the betting firm PSG have signed a deal with?
The Parisians have agreed a deal the bookmaker, which does not enjoy a stellar reputation in France and has previously had issues in England.
On 1 August, PSG announced the club had reached a regional sponsorship agreement in Africa and Asia with 1XBET, a Cyprus-based bookmaker that operates - either directly or through its subsidiaries - in more than 20 countries and has customers in more than 50 territories around the world. The agreement gave the Ligue 1 giants a significant cash injection, but it has also generated some controversy.
According to L’Équipe, PSG neglected to mention Barcelona, which has an agreement with 1XBET in place until 2024, in its statement and also apparently forgot about the company’s history with the Premier League. In 2019, three teams from the so-called “Big 6″ broke off ties with the bookmaker. 1XBET’s white label conmpany, which was operated as a subsidiary at the time, was forced to close due to a series of laws in the United Kingdom against sports betting.
1XBET fines in Kenya, Poland, Israel and Netherlands
1XBET has also been fined in countries such as Kenya, where it facilitated illegal bets on minor competitions, as well as Poland, Israel and the Netherlands, where the company offered advertizing during pirated broadcasts of Premier League games. On top of that, PSG face a bit of a problem as 1XBET is banned in France: the National Gaming Authority constantly blocks its website and prevents it from operating under normal conditions.
According to L’Équipe, despite the fact that access to 1XBET is restricted in France, the company provides an alternative service via VPN for customers to access its website and place bets, in violation of the National Gaming Authority regulations.
PSG is under no obligation to notify the French authorities that it has reached an agreement with 1XBET. As it is a regional deal in Africa and Asia, the club has adhered to legislation in place in the countries linked to the agreement and in which there are no laws that prohibit the bookmaker from operating.