From the summer of 2026 Premier League clubs will no longer be able to have gambling firms as their main front-of-shirt sponsor.
Following on from the Government’s ongoing review into gambling legislation and its relationship with sport, the Premier League’s 20 member clubs cast their votes last month over a voluntary ban on betting firms being able to take up the most prominent sponsorship opportunity that football clubs can offer.
That vote was passed with the clubs in favour of voluntarily bringing to an end front-of-shirt betting firms having a place in the Premier League, although sleeve sponsorship, training apparel and commercial stadium deals such as advertising hoardings with gambling companies will continue to be permitted.
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At present, eight Premier League clubs have a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal in place with a form of betting company; Everton, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham, Southampton and West Ham United. The total value of those deals is understood to eclipse the £60m mark.
For Everton, its deal with Stake.com, which was inked last year, delivered a club-record sum for a main shirt sponsorship, although the decision to partner with the firm wasn’t without controversy, especially given previous comments from Toffees CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale.
In January 2020, speaking at a club AGM, Barrett-Baxendale said that following the termination of a previous sponsorship deal with betting firm SportPesa, Everton would, “in an ideal world” not partner with such a firm. But with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic biting hard, and with Everton’s financial struggles seeing them need to raise revenues wherever possible, the club returned to a partnership with a firm from the gambling industry.
Clubs have a three-year period of grace before they need to put an end to their main shirt sponsorship deals with betting firms, time enough for current deals to elapse and clubs to seek other partners to take on one of the most lucrative commercial opportunities that football clubs have to offer.
In a sponsorship market where the biggest clubs attract the blue chip companies and command huge annual sums, betting companies have been a way for many of the clubs outside of the so-called ‘big six’ to get a better deal from their main shirt sponsorship, with such companies often paying a larger fee than other industries to secure such partnerships.
The removal of such a deal may seem financially impactful for clubs like Everton when it comes to raising commercial revenues, but with gambling firms still able to be involved in sponsorship deals away from the front of shirts, the value of other commercial propositions that clubs have to offer, such as sleeve sponsorship, could be increased.
“Sleeve sponsorship deals have not been particularly successful and a lot of clubs have been doing one-year deals as it is an asset that has been commoditised quite quickly,” Daniel Haddad, head of commercial strategy at global sports agency Octagon told the ECHO.
“With Everton, they actually had success with Angry Birds. That was a partnership that performed well and did creative things.
“The upcoming voluntary ban on gambling sponsorship will likely mean that all other assets that provide high exposure will become more valuable. Brands who had historically held main shirt sponsorship deals will be able to redeploy budgets to sleeve level deals.
“Football clubs have three clothing assets they need to generate revenues from; shirt, sleeve and training kit. The value of the last two of those will likely increase should they be sold to betting firms given the desire from those firms to remain involved and the removal of the opportunity that previously existed to them when the voluntary gambling ban does come into effect.
“Ultimately, I think the value of the sleeve sponsorship market in the Premier League will be improved for a lot of those clubs outside of the big six, many of whom have struggled to sell such sponsorship for more than one-year deals.”
Everton currently have the home heating technology platform BOXT as their sleeve partner, a deal that was announced back in August and one that runs for the duration of this season.
While the voluntary gambling ban arriving in 2026 will be disruptive to the sponsorship space, Haddad expects partnerships with such firms to continue as clubs seek to maximise revenue opportunities that are available to them.
“Clubs have to target sectors that disproportionately pay for eyeballs, every club has the same consideration,” said Haddad.
“It is the market reality and when do you stop? Does it end at gambling or does it eventually extend to crypto deals? These are the kind of things that clubs will have to navigate through.”
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