The Premier League has drawn a line on gambling sponsorships, banning betting companies from the front of matchday shirts starting with the 2026-27 season. It’s a move that makes English football’s top flight the first major sports league in the UK to voluntarily adopt such a restriction.
The decision, agreed upon by all 20 Premier League clubs back in April 2023, came after consultations with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Clubs were given a three-season runway to find replacement sponsors.
The money problem
At the time the ban was announced, eight Premier League clubs had gambling companies on the front of their shirts. Those deals were collectively worth around £60M per year.
The estimated revenue shortfall from the ban, however, is closer to £80M annually across all 20 clubs. That gap reflects not just the loss of existing deals but the reality that replacement sponsors from sectors like fintech, insurance, and financial services tend to pay less than betting firms did.
