Leicester City is thought to be confident that its shirt sponsorship deal with BC.Game remains fully operational despite companies behind the online gaming platform being declared bankrupt by a court in Curaçao.
SportBusiness understands that the Premier League club has received assurances from BC.Game that the two-year sponsorship agreement remains in place despite what were described as “transactional” issues in Curaçao, the Caribbean island where BC.Game operates under a licence issued by the country’s gambling regulator.
In July, Leicester City announced BC.Game as its new main shirt sponsor, becoming the latest Premier League club to partner with a company from the gambling sector before a league-wide ban on such deals comes into force following the 2025-26 season.
BC.Game issued a statement today (Thursday) insisting it had “adhered to industry compliance standards in all relevant operations” and accusing the plaintiffs in the bankruptcy case of “lacking substantive evidence and failing to demonstrate any violations by our platform”. It said it would be appealing the bankruptcy decision and insisted that it has “no issues with liquidity, financial standing or adhering to any of its existing contractual obligations”.
Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Curaçao confirmed the bankruptcies of two companies – Small House and Blockdance, who operate the BC.Game platform – following an appeal by players who claimed they had not received more than $2m (€1.9m) in winnings.
The Court ruled that the two companies should be declared bankrupt because they had been unable to meet their financial obligations to players. It further found that Small House had failed to comply with Curaçao’s licensing requirements, including the obligation to operate with a local or reputable bank account.
Blockdance had operated the BC.Game platform until April this year, when it transferred control of the platform to Small House. The two players were seeking $1.48m and $680,000 in winnings, respectively.
The bankruptcies followed an appeal by the Foundation for the Representation of Victims of Online Gaming (SBGOK), which argued that despite the formal separation, both companies shared common stakeholders and that player funds had largely disappeared following the transition to Small House.
In its statement, BC.Game said that the claims made in court “lack sufficient supporting evidence, with many claims based solely on unverified statements”.
In a further statement issued to SportBusiness, BC.Game said: “Contrary to SBGOK’s claims, BC.Game is not facing liquidity issues and has maintained solid financial stability. Allegations of financial misconduct or lost funds do not reflect the company’s current financial standing. We continue to operate globally, fulfilling all contractual obligations with our partners and users.
“While the court has declared Blockdance and Small House bankrupt, we are actively appealing the decision. The legal issues are complex, and we believe that, after further investigation, the true nature of the claims will become clear.”
It acknowledged that “some players have made claims regarding lost funds” but maintained that the claims are “based on unverified assertions and inconsistent circumstances that have yet to be fully substantiated”.
BC.Game replaced Thai travel retail group King Power as front-of-shirt sponsor of Leicester’s men’s team. King Power, which also holds naming rights to Leicester’s stadium, became the club’s new training wear sponsor and has remained shirt sponsor of the club’s women’s and Under-21 teams.