Gambling ads are getting more universal, but as it seems the Premier League as a high level of the English football league system is going to stop the advancement.
The front of shirts in the Premier League will no longer feature gambling firms as sponsors. This is the result of a historic vote by all 20 clubs in the league. The new rules will take effect by the end of the 2025/2026 season. Several teams will have to look for new sponsors by then. According to the Reuters, Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to stop featuring gambling sponsorships on the front of soccer kits from the 2026-27 season.
The UK government is expected to publish a white paper – a proposal for future legislation – on gambling regulation.
This ban follows similar gambling advertising restrictions instituted in Italy’s Serie A in 2019 and Spain’s La Liga in 2021.
Premier League clubs vote to ban gambling ads on front of game day shirts
“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 statement from the league read.
The clubs agreed to the move to prevent the government from imposing a total ban on it. The ban on betting firms will only apply to the front of shirts, while sleeve sponsorships and LED pitchside advertising will remain allowed. The clubs will also have three years to implement the change, so they will need to find new sponsors by the beginning of the 2026-27 season.
Lucy Frazer, a member of the UK Parliament and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, tweeted her support of the ban, mentioning the tried-and-true trope that athletes are role models to young children.
Gambling firms sponsor the front of shirts for eight Premier League teams this season; they are Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Southampton, and West Ham United. These sponsorships are worth about £60 million ($75.1 million) a year.
In addition, betting companies sponsor the front of the shirts of five Championship teams. They are Birmingham City, Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, and Watford.
“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,” the statement said.
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The Premier League clubs’ decision comes before the UK government publishes its review of gambling laws later this month, which has been delayed several times. It also follows similar restrictions in Italy and Spain. Since 2019, Serie A clubs have not been allowed to have betting companies on their shirts, and since 2021, neither have La Liga sides.
The growing presence of gambling companies in football has raised concerns among campaigners, who claim that it exposes more people to the risk of addiction. Clubs have agreed not to put gambling sponsors on children’s replica kits in the past.
