Sunderland signs multi-year sleeve partnership with crypto casino Shuffle despite no UK license

The English Premier League club has named centralized crypto casino and sports betting platform Shuffle its Official Sleeve Partner, replacing LiveScore Bet. The deal matters for high-risk operators because it shows how betting and casino brands are still buying Premier League visibility even when they do not hold a UK gambling licence.

1. Sunderland announced a multi-year partnership with Shuffle, a Curaçao-licensed casino and sportsbook that offers casino games, live casino products, sports betting, and its own cryptocurrency, SHFL. Shuffle also accepts major tokens including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
2. Shuffle does not have a UK gambling licence, so its services should not be available to customers in the country. Even so, it has secured a place on Sunderland’s sleeves, after LiveScore Bet held the same slot during the 2025–26 season.
3. The timing matters because Premier League clubs agreed in 2023 to remove gambling sponsorships from the front of shirts starting with the 2026–27 campaign. Sleeve inventory is now one of the remaining visible placements, which is exactly where brands like Shuffle are landing.
4. Sunderland is not an outlier. Everton earlier this summer signed a sleeve sponsorship with Stake, even though Stake had surrendered its UK gambling licence. With Sunderland’s deal, 11 out of the 20 Premier League teams now have partnerships with companies that do not hold a UK gambling licence.
5. The commercial tie-up is not just logo placement. Sunderland and Shuffle said they will also work on content, fan experiences, digital activations, and influencer marketing, with the club pointing to Shuffle’s “increasingly global supporter base.” Sunderland chief commercial officer Scott McCubbin called Shuffle an “exciting, ambitious global brand.”

There is also a football calendar angle here. Sunderland will play in the Europa League in the 2026–27 season, its first European campaign since 1973–74, which gives the club more inventory and a broader audience for the sponsor to work with.