New deals have been signed ahead of a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling deals from 2026.
UK.- Campaigners are putting pressure on the UK government to intervene after three Premier League clubs signed new gambling sponsorship deals. The Premier League has already agreed on a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling promotion from the end of the 2025/26 season, but in the meantime, new deals are going ahead.
Burnley and Fulham have recently signed one-year deals with W88 and SBOTOP while Aston Villa signed a three-year deal with BK8 earlier in the year.
The campaign group, Big Step, which wants to end all gambling advertising in football, said the partnerships were “short-sighted”. It said: “Football can’t be trusted on gambling and the government must now step in to end these deals.
“Clubs talk about mental health while desperately accepting cheques from online casinos to promote gambling – forcing their own young players and fans to be walking billboards for products that cause addiction and suicide.”
However, the Premier League has stressed that it is the first UK sports league to adopt voluntary measures to reduce gambling advertising. Fulham has stressed that its record sponsorship deal with SBOTOP will play “an integral part in keeping the club competitive” as it aims to stay in the Premier League following its promotion.
During the 2022-23 season, eight Premier League clubs had gambling companies on the front of their shirts in deals estimated to be worth £60m per year. Under the voluntary ban from 2026, clubs will still be able to feature gambling brands on shirt sleeves and LED advertising.
