The Premier League have today announced that they will no longer allow clubs to have gambling sponsors on the front of their football shirts in what is a watershed moment in reducing gambling accessibility.
The move goes hand in hand with the UK government’s white paper on gambling legislation, and was voted for by 18 of the 20 Premier League clubs, with two more abstaining.
‘Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising’, the Premier League’s statement began.
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.
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.
Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising
➡️ https://t.co/FG6V7sJcds pic.twitter.com/5xDX5sR4gY
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 13, 2023
- Bournemouth – Dafabet (online bookmaker)
- Brentford – Hollywoodbets (online gambling firm)
- Everton – Stake (online crypto casino and sports betting platform)
- Fulham – W88 (betting firm)
- Leeds – SBOTOP (sports betting company)
- Newcastle – Fun88 (sportsbook and casino)
- Southampton – Sportsbet (online gambling company)
- West Ham – Betway (online gambling firm)
However, Sky Sports add that ‘Clubs will continue to be able to feature gambling brands in other areas, including shirt-sleeves and LED advertising’, which will still offer plenty of advertising for betting companies to take advantage of.
