Turkish media mogul Ilicali’s Hull City backed by illegal betting firm in Türkiye

Hull City, owned by prominent Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali, has entered into a controversial sponsorship agreement with Sportsbet.io, an illegal betting company banned in Türkiye. The partnership has raised eyebrows, given the company’s status.

In a statement published on Hull City’s official website, Brett Carroll, head of Commercial for the team, acknowledged the partnership, stating, “Sportsbet.io’s growing player base in Türkiye makes this deal a perfect match, and we look forward to working with them over the next two seasons for the benefit of both parties.”

Despite Sportsbet.io being illegal in Türkiye, tax evading and banned by the government, this statement by Hull City’s head of commercial has been met with backlash. This is not the first time Ilicali and Hull City have been associated with an illegal company. 

Similar allegations about Ilicali and Hull City before 

A similar incident occurred in 2022 when Ilicali purchased the Hull City football team. The team was sponsored by Jeton, an app allegedly linked to illegal betting.

Hull City announced the sponsorship on its website, and the team’s players posed with jerseys displaying the brand’s name. Investigative journalist Murat Agirel, who questioned Ilicali about Jeton’s sponsorship ties with Hull City, reported that Ilicali claimed he was unaware of the sponsorship and that it was canceled once he found out.

Despite the issues surrounding this, Hull City and Acun Ilicali later signed a sponsorship deal with Sportsbet.io, a company that operates illegally in Türkiye.

Hundreds of complaints about Sportsbet.io

Sikayetvar.com, a popular Turkish website known for user reviews, has a profile for Sportsbet.io. Many users have reportedly left complaints about Sportsbet.io not paying them out. The problem is compounded by the fact that Sportsbet.io operates illegally in Turkey, leaving these users with no legal recourse to recover their money.

Sportsbet.io reopens illegal site after government closes it 

Sportsbet.io, an illegal betting company in Turkey, faces access restrictions due to the ban. To circumvent this, they reportedly resort to frequently changing their website domain.

Sportsbet438.io in the hours we prepared the news with the name Sportsbet.io illegal activities in Türkiye as the site is closed by the state 439, 440 continues to carry out its business with new numbers such as.

While preparing this report on Sportsbet.io’s illegal activities, we discovered the site (Sportsbet.io) has been blocked by the authorities. However, it appears the company is continuing its operations under new domain names, such as Sportsbet438.io, Sportsbet439.io, and Sportsbet440.io.

Sportsbet.io has also faced repeated closures of its Turkish Twitter account in the past. These closures likely stem from complaints filed by the Turkish authorities.

Will Ilicali end their sponsorship relationship? 

Sportsbet.io, which sponsors Ilicali’s team, operates illegally in Türkiye. Given this, it seems unlikely that media giant Ilicali will maintain the sponsorship relationship with a company involved in legal offenses in Türkiye.

Additionally, Sportsbet.io’s Turkish advertising for Hull City could have legal ramifications, as the company is promoting its services illegally in the country.