.jpeg)
The Premier League, the world's largest football league, is set to ban gambling sponsors on the front of jerseys; recently, Premier League clubs decided through voting to prohibit gambling sponsors on the front of jerseys by the end of the 2025/26 season, becoming the first sports league in the world to implement such a comprehensive measure.
The prevalence of gambling in football has a long history and is very common. Moreover, the gambling industry brings considerable revenue to clubs, especially those traditionally smaller in scale.
As of the announcement of the voting results, the sponsorship value from gambling companies this year is estimated at 52 million pounds (approximately 65.73 million US dollars).
As the world's largest football league implements this initiative, it undoubtedly raises concerns within the entire gambling industry—whether it will trigger a chain effect, leading other sports leagues around the world to follow suit with similar policies;
What will the future of gambling operators' sponsorships in football and all sports look like?
.png)
Gambling Advertising Raises Concerns Among Fans
A recent survey by the Football Supporters' Association in the UK shows that over three-quarters of football fans are concerned about the prevalence of gambling advertisements and sponsorships in the sport.
The survey data also indicates that gambling advertisements are more likely to affect those who have already been harmed by gambling, leading them to spend more money and time on gambling.
Clearly, gambling plays a significant role in football, especially in the Premier League, but its prevalence continues to raise concerns among people.
Based on this data, the UK government has begun to lead the prohibition of gambling sponsorships in football as part of the review of the "Gambling Act"—advocating for stricter regulation of gambling advertisements, including banning gambling marketing in sports events and adding risk warnings to all gambling advertisements.
Under policy pressure, Premier League clubs voted through a decision—prohibiting gambling companies from becoming jersey front sponsors. This announcement was made after consultations between Premier League teams and the Minister of Culture, Media, and Sport for the UK government's ongoing review of gambling legislation.
This is likely to become a trend in policy development within the industry, serving as a precedent, with some countries having already taken action to restrict gambling promotions and sponsorships in sports events. For example, Serie A has banned gambling advertisements on jerseys since 2019, and La Liga has implemented similar restrictions since 2021.
Operators Facing Crisis Unflinchingly, Is It a Last Hurrah?
Although this policy vote has passed, the ban has a three-year grace period, meaning it will not take effect until the 2026-27 season. Although the policy ban has been implemented, we can observe that gambling sponsorships are continuing, and the cooperation between gambling companies and the Premier League is not decreasing but increasing.
For example, BetMGM extended its cooperation with Newcastle United and became the European gambling partner of the Wolves, who also reached a major agreement with Defabet. Net88 recently became the new jersey sponsor of Crystal Palace, and Betano reached an agreement with Aston Villa.
It is worth mentioning that the agreement with Villa and Betano is the largest jersey sponsorship deal in the club's history, as are the agreements between Wolves and Debet and Crystal Palace and Net88.
Currently, gambling operators occupy more than half of the Premier League jersey front sponsors, with 11 Premier League teams still having gambling sponsors' logos on the front of their jerseys.
Premier League teams, especially those that have not consistently ranked at the top, seem to be doing their best to utilize these large financial transactions before the ban is implemented.
In fact, this is not a last hurrah by gambling operators and clubs trying their best before the policy takes effect. Instead, it is a wise choice by the clubs after calculating the economic accounts:
Rick Parry, chairman of the English Football League, warned that a complete ban on gambling advertisements could lead to the collapse of some of the 72 domestic clubs in the UK.
If the gambling sponsorship ban is implemented, the English Football League could lose 40 million pounds in revenue each year, especially causing huge revenue losses for some smaller and less competitive clubs.
Therefore, this also becomes a rare contradiction between fans and teams.
How Will Gambling Operators and Football Clubs Cooperate in the Future?
The gambling industry obviously plays a key role for football clubs, especially in terms of increasing revenue and maintaining competitiveness, but this does not mean it must become the center of attention.
After the end of the 2025/26 season, gambling companies can still advertise on the sleeves of jerseys or LED billboards at the sidelines of England's top league teams.
Legal and compliant methods are also beneficial for gambling companies and football clubs themselves, indicating that they will not seize every opportunity, but rather adopt more sustainable ways to comply with the rules. Therefore, this may bring greater trust to the gambling industry.
For example, the Championship team Sunderland Football Club emphasized a method, whereby the club can maintain its key partnerships while reducing the impact on fans.
Sunderland partnered with the UK financial trading and sports gambling company Spreadex in June 2022, and recently affected by policy, Spresdex committed to providing Sunderland adult home jerseys without front brand logos for the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Although this seems like a small thing, it indeed helps to prevent the potential impact of gambling advertisements on those harmed by gambling or minors, and can become a solution that benefits more stakeholders.
The continued growth of the gambling industry along with the huge popularity of football means that both need to seek mutually beneficial services from each other.
Gambling Operators Need to Think Ahead
Handling gambling sponsorships in sports leagues is a complex issue, depending on the sport, country, and specific league's regulations and attitudes towards gambling.
But clearly, regulations in various regions are striving to balance the financial benefits of these sponsorships and the potential harms associated with gambling.
The Premier League's ban on gambling companies as jersey front sponsors is a landmark event in industry trends.
According to a report by the International Centre for Sport Security, the global sports gambling market is worth over 1 trillion US dollars, and gambling operators wanting to continue sharing this huge pie must adapt to relevant local regulations and find new ways of cooperation.
One. Operators need to achieve brand differentiation, not relying solely on jersey display sponsorships, but through innovative advertising forms and creative content, making advertisements not just simple gambling promotions, but content that resonates with the audience and reflects brand values.
Understanding and respecting cultural differences in different markets, reflecting cultural diversity and inclusiveness in advertising content according to different cultures, regulations, and user habits.
Two. More display of corporate social responsibility, such as sponsoring community activities, sports development projects, etc., to enhance the brand's positive image. Sponsoring sports teams and stars means that the brand and company itself are as respectable and trustworthy as those sports teams and stars. Gambling companies should use this effect to highlight their legitimacy and credibility as sports sponsors, thereby deepening the public's positive view of the gambling industry itself.
Three. User experience optimization, paying attention to user feedback after advertising placement, adjusting advertising strategies in a timely manner to enhance user experience and satisfaction.
Advertising content should be clear, transparent, avoid misleading consumers, establish and adhere to high standards of advertising ethics, and avoid any form of false advertising and excessive inducement.
Conclusion
Overall, the Premier League's jersey ban is a risk for operators, but it also opens up new opportunities.
Establishing a fair, just, and responsible sports gambling environment requires the joint efforts of governments, sports institutions, and all sectors of the gambling industry.
By educating the public, strengthening regulations, and supporting vulnerable groups, we can protect the commercial interests of the gambling industry while minimizing its negative impact on society.
We look forward to discussing more unique insights on gambling policies with our readers and invite you to follow the global get-rich industry's overseas information platform PASA for more firsthand get-rich industry information. Subscribe to the official PASA channel: https://t.me/pasaqqzxzz
