Ten of the Premier League’s 20 teams currently have sponsorship or promotional agreements with gambling businesses that lack UK licences, arrangements that could become unlawful next year under government proposals.
An eight-week consultation on plans to prohibit sponsorship by gambling firms without UK authorisation ends on Wednesday. Licensed brands including Ladbrokes and William Hill are opposing the Premier League in a dispute that could deprive clubs of tens of millions of pounds.
The league is reportedly arguing against the restriction because the betting platforms and online casinos involved mainly target Asian customers and do not officially operate in Britain. However, a person using a VPN can create an account and begin gambling within minutes.
Independent analysis indicates that the number of top-flight teams maintaining commercial ties with unlicensed gambling businesses increased from six to 10 during the summer.
That rise may be connected to the league’s voluntary prohibition, introduced this season, on gambling companies appearing as principal sponsors on the front of match shirts.
Everton agreed a new three-year sleeve partnership with crypto casino Stake.com, while Fulham transferred SBOTOP branding from their match shirts to training wear. Eight additional clubs, among them Chelsea and Tottenham, have agreements involving stadium perimeter advertisements, player-related promotions or both.
Curaçao-licensed operator 8XBet has commercial arrangements with Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Ipswich and Coventry.
Unregulated gambling has expanded sharply in recent years. According to the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, unlicensed operators collected £379m from UK customers during the first six months of 2025. Their share of Britain’s £8.2bn online gaming market reached 9%, compared with 2% in 2022.
Ministers are seeking stronger action because unauthorised operators are not required to provide protections used by regulated businesses, including affordability assessments and limits on deposits or spending. The expanding unregulated market has also been associated with financial damage, addiction and suicide.
Campaigners have focused particular attention on Everton’s agreement with Stake because Andy Burnham supports the club and attended its opening match of the season against Crystal Palace.
Entain, the company behind Ladbrokes and one of Britain’s largest gambling groups, wrote this week to all 10 Premier League teams connected with unlicensed operators. Its message to Everton specifically referred to Burnham’s position.
“The danger to football, sporting integrity and wider society is genuine,” the letter says. “Operators without licences do not have to provide the safeguards required of regulated companies, such as Gamstop self-exclusion, affordability assessments, or limits on deposits and expenditure.
“Removing these measures eliminates the protections most capable of reducing gambling-related harm, leaving vulnerable customers to bear the consequences of the commercial partnerships chosen by their clubs.
“Everton’s relationship with Stake.com also conflicts with the prime minister’s long-established support for the team. Given the government’s stated opposition to agreements involving unlicensed gambling businesses, it would be extraordinary for Andy Burnham to promote unregulated gaming simply by wearing the club’s present shirt.”
Gambling minister Vicky Foxcroft has reportedly told operators that the government intends to implement the prohibition next year. The Premier League is nevertheless expected to argue that current agreements, including Everton’s contract, should remain valid until they expire.
The league’s attempt to preserve an important source of club income is understandable, but resisting action against unauthorised gambling companies may create significant risks of its own.
Evidence increasingly suggests that advertising from unregulated betting businesses is a major source of funding for websites that illegally stream sporting events. The spread of pirated broadcasts could endanger the Premier League’s television-rights agreements, valued at £12bn.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s national report for 2024-25 described a mutually beneficial connection between sports piracy and unlicensed betting. It found that advertisements for black-market bookmakers appeared on 89% of illegal streams viewed in the UK.
Club sponsorships also seem to play an important role in directing gamblers toward unregulated platforms. A Frontier Economics study referenced in the government consultation identified sponsorship agreements as the second-biggest source of public awareness of unlicensed operators, behind advertising on social media.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
