The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) intends to revoke the gambling licence of Leicester City Football Club shirt sponsor, BC.Game.
According to a document seen by NEXT.io, the GCB will withdraw the licence of Small House BV, trading as BC.Game, due to questions surrounding several disputed claims by former players of the brand.
The operator has until Friday (29 November) to clarify its position on the matter and convince the GCB not to move forward with this path.
The regulator also highlighted the risk of losing confidence from users and other stakeholders, as well as potential operational disruptions.
It follows a Curaçao court declaring Small House bankrupt earlier in the month, amid BC.Game’s refusal to pay out players for what it called their “fraudulent claims,” and a disagreement about the correct legal entity responsible for payment of the claims.
In response to a NEXT.io request for comment, BC.Game said the players in question had committed fraud and were therefore not entitled to receive payment.
Leicester City FC reiterates BC.Game deal support
BC.Game is an offshore crypto casino that signed a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Leicester City Football Club this summer.
The club tried to pour cold water on the issue last week, citing assurances from BC.Game that it was actively appealing the decision, the bankruptcy was administrative in nature, did not arise due to concerns with its financial standing, and would have no negative financial consequences for the club.
A spokesperson said last week: “BC.Game have further assured us that they have no issues with liquidity and that they remain fully committed to meeting their ongoing contractual and financial obligations, including to the club, and that this case will not impact on BC.Game’s continuing international operations.”
When asked by NEXT.io whether licence revocation would leave the company without a licence globally, BC.Game said it had already obtained a different gaming licence, and that the bankruptcy would not affect the company’s liquidity or continuation of its operations. BC.Game added that it contemplated surrendering its Curaçao gaming licence because it had no further use for it.
The BC.Game brand is also live in the UK through a licensing agreement with white label business TGP Europe, which would not be immediately affected by issues with the Curaçao licence.
The bankruptcy ruling came after a dispute initiated by a group of international claimants represented by the Foundation for the Advocation of Victims of Online Gambling (SBGOK).
The BC.Game management team said last week: “We strongly disagree with the court’s recent rulings and will vigorously appeal the decision, as we believe it failed to adequately consider key facts.
“BC.Game is confident in our ability to demonstrate compliance and uphold our reputation as a legitimate operator in the industry.”
BC.Game liability disputed in court
BC.Game said the potential licence revocation comes as the result of a dispute about the validity of claims brought by SBGOK and the question of who would be liable for these claims, if legally proven.
The firm argues that SBGOK claims it is the BC.Game brand’s new operator, Small House BV, while BC.Game said liability lies with its previous operator, Blockdance BC.
Small House claimed in previous court filings it acquired the brand’s assets from Blockdance BC in April 2024, but that its liabilities were not part of the deal.
This, the company had argued, meant it was not responsible for player claims against it, which was the proximate cause of the bankruptcy.
Speaking to NEXT.io, BC.Game said it had provided the court with the contract showing that Small House did not assume Blockdance’s liabilities following the acquisition.
SBGOK disputed that Blockdance is no longer involved with the online casino, however, and referred to the company’s LinkedIn page that still stated that BC.Game was its major brand.
NEXT.io sources expect that BC.Game’s own legal counsel will be frozen out of the process of Small House’s assets post-bankruptcy, representing only unknown third parties.
Since the bankruptcy, a trustee has been nominated, who will represent the company going forward instead.
Sources indicated the GCB did this to minimise its exposure to the fallout from the decision and protect its stakeholders.