The Premier League has announced plans to withdraw betting brands from the front of shirt at all clubs from the beginning of the 2026/27 season. In this article, SportQuake discuss the changes to Premier League betting sponsorship and what they mean for brands over the coming years.
Overview: What is the situation facing betting brands in the Premier League?
Betting brands have been a common presence on the front of Premier League shirts since Betfair sponsored Fulham in 2002/03. Currently, the betting sector spends approximately $103m on Premier League sponsorship (the 3rd highest spending sector in the league).
Currently, 8 out of 20 Premier League front of shirt sponsors are from the betting sector, accounting for $50m of betting sponsorship spend in the Premier League.
Front of shirt sponsorship has long been a hot topic of discussion for anti-gambling campaigners who think advertising and promotion, including front of shirt sponsorship (and the awareness is generates) is harmful to the section of the UK adult population who struggle with gambling addiction.
After much deliberation, the government’s new white paper on gambling is scheduled to be released later this month. As part of this new regulatory framework, Premier League clubs will enter into a voluntary ban whereby betting brands will no longer be able to sponsor Premier League front of shirt from the 2026/27 season onwards.
As the UK’s highest-ranking sport (by popularity and revenue), the Premier League will be the only sporting competition to make this voluntary ban. All other sports will continue to activate betting sponsorship as they currently do.
What are the key points of the Premier League’s new voluntary ban?
In the short term, betting brands will continue to be able to advertise on Premier League front of shirts as per usual for the next three seasons (2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26).
From 2026/27, the voluntary ban comes in and betting brands will no longer be able to invest in front of shirt sponsorship in the Premier League.
However, despite the voluntary ban on Premier League front of shirt sponsorship, other sponsorship positions will remain open to betting brands. This includes Premier League sleeve sponsorship, training wear sponsorship, stadium naming rights sponsorship, non-uniform global partnerships and other forms of advertising (e.g. LED).
Short Term: What does this mean for betting sponsorship in the Premier League 2023-2026?
For betting executives, the key short term difference over the next three years will be the investment level required to sponsor a Premier League front of shirt.
We expect inflation in the market, as more brands (both seasoned investors and new entrants) look to capitalise on the valuable branding platform offered by Premier League front of shirt sponsorship while they still can.
Alongside this, it is likely that there will be significantly more betting brands on secondary kit positions, including sleeve sponsorship and training wear sponsorship, as brands test the water and jockey for position on the uniform inventory that will continue to be allowed from 2026/27 onwards.
There is also likely to be a massive growth in demand and value for non-uniform based club partnerships and LED packages which are proven strategies for betting brands in football.
Long Term: What does the future hold for betting sponsors in the Premier League and beyond 2026/27?
From the 2026/27 season onwards, there will be no betting brands on Premier League front of shirts.
For betting brands, there are three key takeaways from the news:
- Firstly, the Premier League is still very much open for betting brands to promote themselves. While front of shirt is no longer possible, there is still an array of alternative inventory that can be used instead (sleeve, training wear, stadium naming rights, global partnerships, LED packages) which will all still be allowed.
- Secondly, there is likely to be an inflationary effect on the investment level required for alternative kit positions due to the increased demand created by betting brands, now they can no longer buy front of shirt sponsorship.
- Finally, brand sector exclusivity is likely to be a key battle ground. This may become a key battle ground and determinator of pricing, with different clubs likely to have different strategies depending on their view on betting and optimising sponsorship revenue – i.e. clubs having one global betting partner vs. multiple betting partners.
In summary, Premier League betting sponsorship revenue will remain roughly the same, albeit from different sponsorship inventory. Likewise, betting brands will continue to be able to promote their businesses just as effectively, albeit through different sponsorship strategies.
To find out more, get in touch with a member of the SportQuake team.