Unlicensed gambling operators to be banned from sponsoring Premier League clubs

Premier League clubs will be banned from accepting sponsorship from unlicensed gambling operators under Government plans.

Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said it was “not right” that gambling companies without a UK licence “can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards”.

In 2023, the Premier League voluntarily committed to removing all gambling sponsorship from the front of shirts by the end of this season. However, gambling companies, including unlicensed operators, are still able to strike deals that involve putting logos on shirt sleeves.

Clubs that have partnership deals with unlicensed gambling companies include Fulham, Bournemouth, Wolves and Burnley. Many of these deals were made through a company called TGP Europe, which ran a so-called “white label business model” providing a UK licence for other gambling businesses. It left the UK market last year after the Gambling Commission said it needed to pay a £3.3m penalty and make significant changes if it were to continue trading here. The clubs are not acting unlawfully in maintaining these sponsorship arrangements as long as the gambling operators are not accessible to UK consumers.

But ministers fear the branding could drive sports fans towards unlicensed sites and want to stop this kind of sponsorship altogether, with the unlicensed gambling market linked to organised crime.

Unlicensed operators do not adhere to measures designed to protect consumers, including mandatory financial vulnerability checks and responsible advertising. They often lack data protections, leaving customers vulnerable to fraud and identity theft, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Fiona Palmer, the chief executive of GamStop Group, which supports people with online gambling problems, said: “Any move to prevent unlicensed gambling operators from gaining visibility through Premier League sponsorships is a positive step for consumer protection.”

Photography by IMAGO/Conor Molloy/Avalon