April 13 – Premier League clubs have voted to ban gambling sponsors on the front of their shirts from the start of the 2026-27 season. The league said the clubs had taken the measure “voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising”.
Eight Premier League clubs – none of the top six clubs – have gambling companies as shirt-front sponsors, with the value of those deals estimated at £60 million a year. Everton (Stake) and West Ham (Betway) have the most valuable deals. While shirt front deals will be banned, betting operators will still be allowed to sponsor shirt sleeves.
“The announcement follows an extensive consultation 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,” said a Premier League statement.
“The Premier League is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship. To assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponsorship, the collective agreement will begin at the end of the 2025-26 season.”
The move by the Premier League and the clubs to phase out shirt sponsorship by gambling companies is an effort to avert tougher government-led restrictions that would likely come through the government’s overdue White Paper on gambling regulation. The proposed new rules could include a complete ban on the gambling industry retaining a presence at stadiums and on shirts competing in the most-watched domestic football tournament in the world. A significant number of billboard ads are aimed at the Asian markets via the broadcast signal.
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