London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Premier League to limit gambling sponsors on shirts

Premier League to limit gambling sponsors on shirts

Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.

However, after the deadline, clubs will still be able to continue featuring gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.

And clubs will be allowed to secure new shirt-front deals before the deadline.

Eight top-flight clubs have gambling companies on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60m per year.

The announcement follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the government's ongoing review of current gambling legislation.

The decision will see the Premier League become the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.

The league is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship.

The government was not expected to propose banning gambling sponsorship, with the plan being for the Premier League to agree voluntarily to a change.

Reforms to the Gambling Act 2005 were largely agreed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson before he stepped down last July, leading to a delay in a gambling white paper being published.

On Thursday, Lucy Frazer, who was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in February, said she "welcomed the decision by the Premier League".

"The vast majority of adults gamble safely but we have to recognise that footballers are role models who have enormous influence on young people," she added.

"We want to work with institutions like the Premier League to do the right thing for young fans. We will soon bring forward a gambling white paper to update protections for punters and ensure those who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected."


What is the background?


A DCMS spokesperson told BBC Sport last May that they are undertaking "the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to make sure they are fit for the digital age".

Campaigners for a wider ban say gambling sponsorship in football has normalised the industry, and that tighter regulation is needed to protect children and other vulnerable groups.

The Betting and Gambling Council, which represents the industry, said the "overwhelming majority" of the 22.5m people in the UK who bet each month, do so "safely and responsibly".

It added the "rate of problem gambling remains low by international standards at 0.3% of the UK's adult population - down from 0.4% the year previous".

However, a YouGov survey for GambleAware in 2021 put the figure at 2.8%.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith is part of the All Party Parliamentary Group on gambling-related harm, which has been lobbying the government for tougher protections.

He said: "At the moment, we are probably the country with the most liberal gambling laws in the world."

In January, Aston Villa's fan consultation group met chief executive Christian Purslow after the club was reported to have signed a deal with Asia-based betting firm BK8. It later issued a statement saying "the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies".

The Premier League has previously said "a self-regulatory approach would provide a practical and flexible alternative to legislation or outright prohibition".

The collective agreement to start the ban after 2025-26 has been reached to assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponsorship.

The English Football League (EFL), which is sponsored by Sky Bet, has previously said any outright gambling sponsorship ban for its 72 members would cost clubs £40m a year.

The EFL's position on the gambling industry is long standing, that it should contribute to the financial sustainability of professional football, considering the significant amount of money it makes from the game.

Chairman Rick Parry has previously expressed the EFL's belief that an evidence-based approach to preventing harms is of much greater benefit than that of a blanket ban.


'Although this outcome isn't perfect, it's a huge step'


Last summer Premier League club Everton confirmed they had agreed a club-record, multi-year partnership with casino and sports betting platform Stake.com.

After the league's agreement was announced on Thursday, Everton's current manager Sean Dyche said: "I am not going to get too involved in the debates of judging about it but they have made a collective decision and all parties have agreed with that."

According to The Big Step, a campaign to end gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, just over three years ago nearly 30 clubs in the Premier League and the Championship had a gambling company on the front of their shirt.

"With today's announcement, we are getting closer to when that will be 0," said The Big Step in a statement. "It is a significant acceptance of the harm caused by gambling sponsorship.

"But just moving logos to a different part of the kit while allowing pitch-side advertising and league sponsorship to continue is totally incoherent.

"Without government action on all forms of gambling ads in football, at every level, online casinos will exploit any voluntary measures and continue to market their products through our national sport.

"Although this outcome isn't perfect, it's a huge step. The government and the sport itself now need to wake up to the reality that gambling ads are unhealthy, unpopular and will be kicked out of football. Delaying that moment is risking the health and lives of another generation of young fans."

Gambling with Lives, a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, said the announcement was "not perfect by any means, but a welcome move and significant acceptance of the harm caused by gambling advertising and sponsorship".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×