Premier League Clubs Brace for Gambling Sponsor Ban
Premier League sponsorship incomes could be cut in half by the upcoming ban on gambling companies being allowed to feature on the front of shirts.
Premier League sponsorship income could be set to fall. © Vikram TKV, Unsplash
Key Facts:
- Ban will come into play in time for the 2026-27 league season
- Around half of Premier League sides had a gambling shirt sponsor during the recently completed campaign
- Experts forecasting a large cut in income in the coming years
- Some clubs were recently warned about a gambling sponsor
The upcoming 2025-26 Premier League season will be the last campaign in which betting sponsors will be permitted due to a change in regulations.
With around half of Premier League teams currently having a shirt sponsor linked to gambling, this will be a significant switch for the country’s football industry.
Trade publication The Sponsor has released its latest Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values report, with new champions Liverpool topping the table.
The Reds – paid £50 million a year by shirt sponsor Standard Chartered – are ahead of Manchester City, with Manchester United rounding out the top three.
Notably, many of the teams in the bottom half of the Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values report have gambling-related brands on the front of their shirts.
Less Than Half
Gambling companies are currently “propping up” the sponsorship market in the Premier League, according to The Sponsor’s editor, Sean Connell.
He said: “One commercial director told me their highest offer from a non-gambling brand was less than half of what a gambling sponsor had put on the table. That shows you the scale of the problem.”
Connell noted there could be problems ahead as non-gambling brands may not be willing to stump up as much cash as betting companies to become shirt sponsors.
He added: “When those [betting] brands exit, the entire structure becomes vulnerable, as clubs struggle to find sponsors willing to match those fees… Securing sponsorship is already highly competitive, and that competition will intensify next year as clubs chase a limited pool of non-gambling brands.”
A handful of Premier League teams are already facing questions over their shirt sponsors as a result of links to TGP Europe, a white-label operator that recently exited the UK market with a handful of gambling sponsors unregulated as a result.
Newly promoted Burnley and four Premier League clubs – AFC Bournemouth, Fulham FC, Newcastle United FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC – have deals with TGP Europe brands but the company pulled out after being fined £3.3 million over various regulation breaches.
Sponsorship Value Drops At Manchester United
Poor performance on the pitch has affected Manchester United’s finances, with the new man in charge, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, implementing a range of cost-cutting measures.
United finished 15th in the most recent Premier League season and missed out on Champions League qualification after losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
United failed to qualify for any European competitions in the coming campaign, and the club’s recently extended Snapdragon partnership is said by The Sponsor to be overvalued.
Connell added: “There’s still time to turn it around. United’s global fanbase and legacy remain incredibly strong, and its front-of-shirt sponsorship value is still greater than those of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham at £51.1 million. However, the gap between reputation and performance is widening and sponsors are taking note.”
