Burnley declined to comment but are understood to be monitoring the situation. LoveBet, Vivaro Limited - which runs LoveBet’s UK-facing website - and the UK Gambling Commission did not respond to questions from The Athletic. The company’s website appears not to be working in China, a key market as indicated by the Chinese language characters on Burnley’s shirts and on billboards around Turf Moor. One source told The Athletic that LoveBet had been struggling during the pandemic, which has badly hit the gambling industry in many Asian countries. It is extremely rare for a shirt sponsor to change mid-season, but The Athletic has seen correspondence indicating that agents in Asia are being approached with the opportunity to sponsor Burnley’s shirts for the rest of the current season as well as all of 2021-22 for several million pounds.
The company is believed to have paid a significant amount of money up front.
Burnley signed a three-year deal with LoveBet at the start of last season, worth a reported £7.5 million a year.
