On 26th March, Calvin Ayre reported that 188BET has “abruptly” announced the cessation of its activities in the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands. Customers (of the mainly Asian-facing operator) were assured that 188Bet’s UK parent company was in no financial difficulty and that they would have until August 30th to withdraw any remaining funds. It is said that its pursuit of a UK licence was widely viewed as a way for it to access sponsorship opportunities in UK football, which is wildly popular among Asian sports bettors, and dropping its UK-facing operations mean it will no longer be able to sponsor UK football.
https://calvinayre.com/2019/03/26/business/188bet-halts-uk-ireland-online-gambling-ops/