The UK government is planning a crackdown on gambling sponsorship in sport in a bid to prevent unlicensed firms from striking deals to sponsor British teams.
The government has announced plans for a consultation on a ban, saying ministers are “deeply concerned” by the dangers posed by the unlicensed betting market.
Premier League football teams and other UK sports clubs are currently allowed to strike deals with unlicensed firms provided their services are not available to UK consumers.
UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “When placing a bet on the big match, fans deserve to know the sites they’re using are properly regulated, with the right protections in place.
“It’s not right that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards.”
What is the UK government looking to do?
In a press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the government said any companies without a UK license would be banned from signing sponsorship agreements with sports clubs.
All betting firms offering services to the UK market require licenses from the UK Gambling Commission.
But firms without licenses are still currently allowed to strike sponsorship deals with UK clubs provided their services are not accessible to British consumers.
That allows them to advertise their services to overseas markets via the Premier League’s worldwide television coverage, sometimes in countries where betting is illegal or unregulated.
According to the press release, ministers believe there is a case for stopping unlicensed sponsorship altogether as it could drive consumers towards unlicensed sites operating outside the Gambling Commission’s regulatory protections.
Those protections include mandatory financial vulnerability checks and measures to prevent the personal details of customers being stolen.
Gambling minister Baroness Twycross said: “We know the real harm that unregulated gambling can cause, exploiting vulnerable people and leaving consumers without the protections they deserve.
“This consultation, alongside the work of our Illegal Gambling Taskforce, shows how seriously this government is taking the issue. We will not hesitate to act where we see people being put at risk.”
What about ‘white label’ firms?
The press release did not mention these companies, which have previously obtained licenses from the Gambling Commission via a third party company.
This is normally achieved by launching a UK-facing website which offers only only token services.
This has provided legitimacy to their UK sponsorship deals while their operations have been mainly targeted overseas — including Net88 and DEBET, the main shirt sponsors of Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
The Athletic has asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for clarification on whether any ban would cover such companies.
In February 2025, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City were warned by the Gambling Commission about their responsibilities.
The clubs were warned about potential prosecutions if they could not prove they had taken steps to ensure unlicensed sponsors’ services were not available to UK customers.
That came after the UK website of Stake, Everton’s main shirt sponsor, was closed down. The site was operated by TGP Europe Limited (TGP), which later surrendered its licence after a Gambling Commission investigation.
Subsequently in May, the Gambling Commission warned officials of Newcastle United, Wolves, Bournemouth, Fulham and Burnley that they faced potential prison terms if they allowed their clubs to promote unlicensed betting companies through sponsorship deals — all five clubs had deals with companies run by TGP.
Is this different from the front-of-shirt ban?
Yes. In April 2023, Premier League clubs agreed a voluntary ban on betting companies as front-of-shirt sponsors.
That will come into effect from the start of next season. But it does not cover branding elsewhere, such as on the sleeves of shirts or on training kits.
The government press release suggests that any future ban would cover all sponsorship deals.
Which Premier League clubs could be affected?
Several clubs could find their sponsors affected by any ban, although it would depend on whether it was extended to include white label companies.
Cyprus-based Parimatch, which is Manchester United’s betting partner in Asia, Middle East and North Africa, is currently listed by the Gambling Commission as a white label brand.
Chelsea’s website lists 8Xbet.com as the club’s official betting partner in Asia Pacific. The company does not have a presence on the club’s kits and is listed as inactive by the Gambling Commission.
Companies such as DEBET, Net88 and Stake, which would already have had to move from the front of shirts, could find themselves banned entirely depending on the wording of any legislation.