Premier League shirt sponsors: clubs agree to withdraw gambling sponsorship on matchday shirts

Leeds and Fulham are two clubs to suffer under new Premier League sponsorship ban
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The Premier League has become the first sports league in the UK to ban gambling sponsorships on the front of club’s match day shirts. The Times reported that 18 out of 20 clubs voted in favour of a new move while two clubs chose to abstain. This new ban will come into force at the start of the 2026/27 season but clubs will still be allowed to have sleeve sponsorship deals with gambling companies.

Eight top-flight clubs currently have gambling companies as shirt-front sponsors, with an estimated value of £60 million per annum although two of these sides are expected to remove theirs at the end of the 2022/23 season once their existing sponsorship deals expire. None of the Premier League so-called ‘big six’ clubs are set to be affected by the new rule (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham).

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The ban on gambling sponsors has already faced criticism by campaigners, with many citing it as “incoherent” as it ignores more visible forms of advertising such as pitchside hoardings.

Gambling in football has been hot on everyone’s minds for the past few months with Ivan Toney hitting the headlines recently after he was charged with breaching a total of 262 Football Association gambling laws which date back to 2017. The Brentford striker could face a ban of up to six months.

The UK government has been broaching legislation to ban gambling sponsorship and a government white paper on gambling is expected to be published shortly. However, ministers have signalled that this will not include shirt sponsorship restrictions if the voluntary agreement was reached.

Brentford are one of eight clubs with a gambling company as main shirt sponsorsBrentford are one of eight clubs with a gambling company as main shirt sponsors
Brentford are one of eight clubs with a gambling company as main shirt sponsors

At present, gambling partners of Premier League clubs are already being regulated and licensed by the Gambling Commission and are required to adhere to the rules of the Advertising Standards Authority.

What did the statement say?

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A statement released on the Premier League website has said: “Clubs agree to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts, the first UK sports league to do so.

“Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of club’s matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.

“The announcement follows an extensive coluntation involving the League, its clubs and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the Government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation. The Premier League is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponroship.

“To assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponroship, the collective agreement will begin at the end of the 2025/26 season.”

Which clubs does this affect?

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The eight teams which currently have gambling sponsorships on their shirts are:

  • Bournemouth (Dafabet)
  • Brentford (Hollywood)
  • Everton (Stake)
  • Fulham (W88)
  • Leeds (SBOTOP)
  • Newcastle (FUN88)
  • Southampton (Sportsbet)
  • West Ham (Betway)

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