For a large number of years gambling companies have had close links to English football. The Premiership shirts have had Betting companies logos on which has made them inseparable from the top tier of English football.
But this is slowly shifting with the concerns of gambling influence on fans more so children with betting being a leisure activity for over 18’s. The Premier League clubs agreed in April 2023 to stop having gambling companies from sponsoring the front of shirts. This rule takes place from the end of the 2025/26 season.
So what happens next?
The Final Squeeze Before the Ban
The industry experts are saying clubs are already charging much higher prices for the sponsorship on shirts while they still can. The sides in the Championship that are hoping for promotion are pushing for one year one off deals before the opportunity closes.
Alan Alger, who brokered Betway’s major deal with West Ham in 2015, explains:
“If you want to break into a market, football shirts are one of the best ways to get noticed.”
Fresh Sponsorship Avenues
The new rules won’t remove gambling from football altogether, but instead companies will focus on other paths which include:
- LED boards pitchside
- Sponsorships on shirt sleeves
- Player appearances in regions with lower regulations
Although the new UK rules restrict younger players from appearing in ads, global campaigns are still available and still offer plenty of value.
Regional and Global Deals
Football clubs will look to regional partnerships instead of global. For example a team could have a betting partner for Asia or Africa which wouldn’t be breaking the rules. This would bring a new revenue stream but also complicates how advertising appears on international broadcasts.
Because of how the gambling industry has grown some operators are looking at bigger deals like leagues and tournaments rather than individual clubs. Bet365 secured a deal from 2024-2027 for exclusive branding rights for the UEFA Champions League. This deal offers reach but also with higher risks due to stricter oversight.
The White Label Question
White label sponsorships where overseas betting firms use UK licensed partners to strike deals is currently under investigation. This came to surface when BC Game which is a Curacao based platform collapsed and failed to pay customers which threatened its deal with Leicester City.
Another operator called Stake lost its license in the UK this year but still has sponsorship on Everton’s shirt which raises eyebrows about the regulation. Experts believe that the big changes are unlikely unless laws shift or clubs raise their standards with companies that sponsor them.
The Larger Picture: Regulation
The UK Government is looking at a football governance bill which would create a regulator that’s independent to overseas clubs, the licensing and distribution of revenue.
The House of Lords rejected a full gambling sponsorship ban as it would financially damage lower league teams they said. While the complete separation from gambling seems unlikely in football, experts say the sponsorship model will continue to change as the alcohol and tobacco advertising once did.
To Conclude
The betting industry and football remain deeply connected. The ban on front of shirt sponsorship will not end the relationship between the two. We expect a shift towards more creative, regional and global deals with the industry growing to adapt to the new rules in place.