Game Over for Gambling Logos on Premier League Football Shirts

The UK’s gambling watchdog has clashed against Premier League clubs regarding gambling in the past. Yet the problem repeatedly crops up, despite bans and public announcements. We are, of course, talking about gambling advertising in Premier League matches. The advertising can be found on the display boards around the field, in intervals during live match coverage, on some social media channels and, perhaps most notably, printed on the front of football shirts.

Just back in February and May, the UK’s gambling regulator sent warnings to several Premier League clubs regarding promoting gambling. This season, the 2025/26 EPL season, looks like it will be the last with shirt-front gambling sponsorship, pending a collective agreement between Premier League clubs. But the saga may not necessarily end there.

Premier League Clubs Donning Gambling Promos

The very first shirt-front sponsor in English top flight football was Hitachi, who made a partnership with Liverpool back in 1979. Kit sponsors really became notable in the 1980s, and now they are an integral part of football kit design. Even if the sponsor changes every few years. But don’t need to go back as long in time to find the first instance of a pro-gambling football kit sponsor. Fulham’s 2002/03 kit, which featured their new partner Betfair.com, was the first instance of a Premier League shirt having a gambling brand. Until then, it was mostly telecommunications brands, electronic goods, and even alcoholic brands.

Skip forward to 2018/19, and 9 of the 20 Premier League teams featured betting firms, a number that slowly expanded to 11 clubs in 2025/26. That’s right, over half of the teams currently in the Premier League have sports betting sites on the front of their shirt.

Not pointing the finger, but keep a lookout in matches featuring:

• Aston Villa (Betano)
• Bournemouth (BJ88)
• Brentford FC (Hollywood Bets)
• Burnley (96.com)
• Crystal Palace (NET88)
• Everton (Stake.com)
• Fulham (SBOTOP)
• Nottingham Forest (Bally’s Corporation)
• Sunderland (W88)
• West Ham (BoyleSports)
• Wolverhampton Wanderers (DEBET)

Gambling Marketing Throughout Matches

But this will be the last time those shirts (or any for that matter in the Premier League) will have those gambling sponsors. The sponsors won’t go, but the front of the shirt gambling marketing is going to be removed at the end of this season. (For any football shirt collectors, you heard that right, this is the last season to buy these kits). The Premier League announced a voluntary agreement between all clubs that gambling sponsorships on the front of shirts will be phased out, and from the 2026/27 season onwards, they will no longer appear. The statement was made in April, 2023, and clubs were given 2 years to find new commercial partners to appear on the front of their shirts.

However, that doesn’t spell the end for gambling visibility in Premier League matches. Far from it. They are still allowed to feature logos or brands on sleeves, training kits, and around stadiums. Just this season, the BBC reported over 5,000 visible gambling ads were shown in the match between Man City and Wolves on August 16. Of those 5,000+, over 90% were visible during live play. The other percent fell in pre-match and post-match coverage.

But during matches, over 4,500 gambling promos were shown. These weren’t just visible on the fronts of shirts, but also in half time interval ads, pitchside advertising boards, and stadium naming or hospitality partnerships. They are even in the social media posts and influencer collabs. These gambling messages do have disclaimers about betting responsibly and other messages for punters to be cautious. But it is practically impossible to go a full match without seeing some kind of gambling call to action. You may not recall too many instances of gambling ads during football matches. But let’s jog your memory, do any of these seem familiar?

• A boosted odds offer on an upcoming match
• Key player bets at great prices (goalscorer, to score 2+, and more)
• Stream the action and bet live on a betting platform
• Acca betting opportunities
• Sign up bonuses or limited run boosts

Whether it is dangling an enhanced odds offer on Arsenal’s striker to score, or a bonus bet for any wager featuring Man City’s upcoming game against Liverpool, or really anything else. You have undoubtedly seen some of the messages. They can be highly creative and even feature ex-football players or well known sports figures.

Too Much Gambling Exposure

It goes without saying that this heightened exposure to gambling can have harmful impacts on anyone watching. It doesn’t just encourage gambling or put the idea in people’s heads. It can produce a negative impact on normalizing gambling in society. This can be especially harmful in a societal context, where people feel they need to gamble to fit in or keep up with their peers.

This is especially true for youth, who are highly vulnerable to the ups and downs of gambling. It can be explained biologically in simple terms. The brain’s reward system, located in the limbic system, develops before the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision making and impulse control. Youth have an imbalance when reacting to dopamine alterations or emotional triggers, as they haven’t developed the self-control responses to avoid acting on impulse. If they get a taste for gambling, they are more prone to developing bad habits, which can later lead to gambling addiction or impulsive betting. If for nothing else, then for dopamine hits and to create artificial stimulation.

Regulatory Concerns – The Gray Market

Over exposure is dangerous, and that is just one of the areas the UKGC is focused on improving for players. Another aspect of this campaign is which gambling operators are getting prime-time coverage in Premier League matches.

There are a number of operators who are not licensed in the UK. For example, Net88 (Crystal Palace), and BJ88 (Bournemouth), do not actually have UKGC issued licences. They primarily operate in Asia, and thus the advertising is more for the millions of Asian footie fans who tune in to watch the Premier League. The UKGC argues that this undermines the domestic legislation, as it highlights unregulated betting sites for fans.

How Other Countries Deal With Gambling Ads

The UK is not alone in its plight to tackle gambling visibility in sports. Across Europe, the governments are starting to tighten advertising in-game advertising and pressurize sports clubs to find sponsorship from other industries.

• Italy: launched the Dignity Degree in 2019, imposing a blanket ban on gambling ads across sports
• Germany: The Interstate Gambling Treaty limits gambling ads to specific hours, and prohibits sports betting brands from promoting youth teams or stadiums associated with underage audiences. Only operators with valid German licences can sponsor teams
• The Netherlands: The Dutch introduced a massive ban on underage gambling ads in 2023, covering TV, radio and other platofrms. The sponsorships of sports clubs and events are banned. The Netherlands’ KSA is one of the most aggressive authorities on gambling marketing
• Spain: In 2021 the Royal Decree on Advertising banned all gambling sponsorships on football shirts, stadiums and digital channels connected to teams. What’s more, Spain recently mandated anti-gambling messages must be displayed on gambling platforms, and they will also have an AI player monitoring detection system across all licensed platforms

Future of Gambling Ads in Sports

Outside of Europe, countries like Australia and Canada have taken partial measures, including restricting gambling ads during live sporting events or banning them during hours when children are likely to watch. Australia’s federal government is even considering a full phase out of gambling advertising in sport by 2026.

The common trend is clear. Gambling logos are not wanted during sports games, and betting brands should not leverage the popularity of sports clubs to gain better visibility. We probably won’t count 5,000 gambling ads in a Premier League match next year. But will that be enough for the UK’s gambling watchdog? This is hardly a new topic, it has been floated around for a few years. And it may not stop at the front of shirt gambling ads. As European gambling legislation and marketing laws tighten, it remains to be seen what will happen next with sports gambling ads and club sponsorships.