How Premier League Clubs Are Sidestepping the New Ban on Gambling Shirt Sponsors
The Premier League has banned betting sponsors from appearing on the front of matchday shirts starting this season, following a collective agreement reached by its 20 clubs. Despite this change, prominent teams like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have found ways to keep gambling advertisements highly visible elsewhere.
A Limited Victory Against Gambling Ads
This ban was decided over three years ago but only took effect for the 2026-27 season to allow clubs time to adjust. Notably, 18 out of 20 clubs originally opposed a complete ban on gambling sponsorship on shirt fronts. Prior to the ban, research estimated that Premier League clubs earned about 3104 million combined in the 2024-25 season from these deals.
The Rise of Gambling Sponsorship in Football
The prominence of gambling brands in English football began after the 2005 Gambling Act liberalized the industry. Tottenham was among the first to sign a major deal with online casino Mansion in 2006, while clubs like Middlesbrough also had gambling sponsors early on. By 2019, over half of Premier League and Championship clubs featured betting logos on their shirts.
Visible Gambling Ads Remain Despite Shirt Ban
Although betting logos are no longer on matchday shirt fronts, gambling advertising saturates stadiums, training gear, pre-match outfits, and broadcast coverage. Fans see gambling logos on advertising boards, big screens, and players' pre-game kits. Betting companies continue to sponsor TV coverage for the Premier League and lower divisions. Before the ban, an average Premier League match could display as many as 3,500 gambling logos during broadcast.
"Removing shirt-front logos is just a gesture. The only real solution is for the government to step in and end all gambling advertising in football," said Nick Harvey from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads.
Exploiting Loopholes: Sleeve and Training Kit Deals
One key loophole allows gambling companies to sponsor sleeve patches and training kits. Manchester United signed a record 320 million-per-year training kit deal with Betway, a major betting and casino brand. This deal exceeds many front-of-shirt sponsorships in value and prominently features Betway logos on men's and women's training kits, as well as matchday apparel at Old Trafford and other venues.
Tottenham also partnered with betting firm Betano for training and pre-match wear, while clubs like Everton and Aston Villa shifted gambling sponsors to sleeve positions. Six Premier League clubs now have betting firms sponsoring sleeves.
Social media and club content featuring training and pre-match gear expose audiences of all ages worldwide to gambling brands continuously, not just during matches.
Government Focus on Unlicensed Gambling Sponsors
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is cracking down on unlicensed gambling operators sponsoring football clubs. About half of Premier League clubs reportedly have deals with companies unlicensed in the UK, such as Stake.com (Everton's sleeve sponsor), SBOTOP (Fulham's training kit sponsor), and 8XBet. These companies often target Asian markets and have become more common since the shirt-front ban.
The DCMS aims to make such sponsorship illegal, citing concerns about the lack of consumer protections and links to gambling addiction and related harms. The Premier League opposes the ban, arguing some services are unavailable in the UK.
"We welcome the Premier League's voluntary shirt-front ban but remain concerned about unlicensed operators raising their profile through sponsorship," a DCMS spokesperson said.
The Big Step Campaign Fighting Gambling Ads
The Big Step campaign, led by people affected by gambling harm, has fought to end gambling ads in football for seven years. Part of Gambling With Lives, it highlights the thousands of gambling-related suicides in England annually and the significant impact on young people.
James Grimes, a recovering gambler and director of the national gambling harm prevention program Chapter One, founded The Big Step in 2019 by walking between stadiums of clubs with gambling sponsors. He lost roughly 3100,000 over 12 years and stopped gambling after a severe loss in 2018.
"The relationship between gambling and football drew me in because gambling was everywhere — on shirts, on TV. I was influenced when I trusted the sport," Grimes told GOAL. "I struggled to watch football during recovery because of all the gambling advertising."
Criticism of Loopholes and Call for Stronger Action
Grimes criticized clubs exploiting sponsorship loopholes, saying football and gambling industries prioritize profit over fans' well-being. He expects more workarounds to appear unless governments listen to public health concerns and those with lived experience.
He emphasized the harmful effects of gambling, especially on young people facing other life stresses, urging football to remove gambling promotion from all aspects of the fan experience.
Contradictions Highlighted by Player Bans
Premier League players have also suffered consequences due to gambling addictions. Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned eight months in 2023 for 232 betting breaches and diagnosed with gambling addiction. Tottenham's Sandro Tonali received a 10-month suspension in Italy and admitted developing a gambling problem in his youth.
Ironically, Tonali must now wear training kits bearing Betano's logo, a sponsor Spurs agreed with this summer. The Big Step pointed out the contradiction of players advertising products linked to their addictions.
"Clubs have players struggling with gambling addiction but still make them billboards for the thing that destroyed their lives," Grimes said.
Progress Made but Much More Needed
The Big Step sees the shirt-front sponsor ban as a small improvement amid the vast presence of gambling advertising in football. Though fewer clubs now feature gambling sponsors on shirts compared to seven years ago, the overall volume of gambling messages remains high.
Grimes believes football decision-makers have prioritized revenue over public health but takes pride in The Big Step's achievements in pushing for change.
"Football knows gambling harm affects many but still puts profit before fans’ health. We got something done, which took a lot," he concluded.
