Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur football clubs face allegations of whitewashing the reputation of one of the world’s most controversial betting firms, whose operations in the UK were suspended this weekend after a Sunday Times investigation.

Some of the Premier League’s top players, including Roberto Firmino, Willian and Olivier Giroud, have launched sponsorship deals with the Russian firm 1xBet. Its websites have been blacklisted by regulators around the world.

The company’s UK website was taken down after a Sunday Times investigation into its global activities, which included promoting a “pornhub casino”, bets on children’s sports and advertising on illegal websites. A pornhub casino entices gamblers with topless croupiers. The Gambling Commission confirmed this weekend that it has launched an investigation.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, of the Campaign