Premier League Clubs Face Challenges Replacing Gambling Sponsors

(AsiaGameHub) –   Premier League teams are entering a more constrained sponsorship landscape as the prohibition on front-of-shirt gambling agreements takes effect following the current season. This rule was approved in 2023, and clubs now confront a collective deficit estimated at around £80 million leading up to the 2026/27 campaign.

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Good to Know

• Nine Premier League clubs haven’t locked in a new front-of-shirt sponsor for the upcoming season.
• A total of twelve clubs remain without signed deals as the season draws near.
• Per The Guardian, sponsorship offers for clubs outside the big six have dropped by roughly 50%.

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Premier League Sponsor Valuations Decline Ahead of Gambling Ban

The decline is hitting hardest for clubs outside the top tier. According to The Guardian, shirt sponsorship bids for many teams have fallen from a previous range of £8 million to £12 million per season to approximately half that level. Some clubs are now shifting existing sleeve, stadium, or training ground partners to the front of the shirt at reduced rates.

Bournemouth and Brentford are among the examples already mentioned. Both teams have moved existing commercial partners into the main shirt position, but for less money than gambling brands previously paid.

“Nearly everyone is losing money,” a senior club executive told The Guardian regarding ongoing negotiations.

“Outside the big six, shirt sponsorship offers have dropped by around 50% from a range of between £8m and £12m a season. There may be some exceptions but it is a very diffi­cult market. And with some clubs ­opting to switch sleeve or training kit partners to front-of-shirt, there is a knock-on effect for those deals too.”

In April 2023, the Premier League announced that clubs had collectively agreed to remove gambling sponsorships from the front of matchday shirts starting with the 2026/27 season. Sleeve branding and other forms of gambling advertising were excluded from this voluntary restriction.

Everton provides one of the clearest examples of how clubs are adapting. Stake, the club’s current front-of-shirt partner, is set to stay involved as a sleeve sponsor even after losing access to the Great Britain market. The Gambling Commission stated in February 2025 that Stake would exit Great Britain, with the site’s final shutdown scheduled for 11 March 2025.

For many clubs, the issue is straightforward. Gambling companies had become some of the highest-paying shirt sponsors in football, especially for teams outside the elite tier. Replacing that revenue has proven far harder than swapping the logo on the shirt.