The 20 clubs currently in the English Premier League have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts. The self-regulation will come into effect from the start of the 2025/26 season.
This gives three years for the eight clubs currently sporting betting brands on their short to find new sponsors. They are Newcastle, Leeds, Everton, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth and Southampton.
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.
That may yet supersede the voluntary stepping back from gambling and may force further restrictions. today’s announcement still allows for alternative shirt positioning, in-stadium LED advertising, and other sponsorship assets to remain open to betting companies.
In the Republic of Ireland, only Dundalk still have a betting shirt sponsor, a dramatic change from only a few short years ago when they were much more prevalent.
The Government here is also likely to introduce new legislation in this area following the announcement of the creation of a gambling regulator.
The GAA and the FAI both have a formal policy not to accept gambling-related sponsorship, though the National Lottery does remain a key, albeit less visible funding mechanism for sport in a number of different forms through central Government funding
