Bet ban reshapes Premier League kit revenue, finance steps in

From the 2026/27 season the Premier League has turned a corner off the pitch, swapping the once‑dominant betting logos on the front of shirts for a growing presence of financial sponsors, while clubs still retain betting branding on sleeves, backs and stadiums.

Ban on front‑shirt betting logos

From the 2026/27 season the Premier League has prohibited betting companies from appearing in the master (front) area of club shirts. The ban does not affect branding on sleeves, backs, shorts or in stadiums, where exposure remains allowed.

Three‑year transition period

The rule was collectively approved by the clubs in April 2023, with a three‑year transition window for existing contracts. The deadline for renegotiating those deals falls in the current 2026/27 season.

Until the 2025/26 season, more than half of the elite English clubs – eleven of the twenty Premier League teams – relied directly on betting money in the primary shirt space.

Mid‑table and smaller clubs such as Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton and West Ham were among the most affected. The three clubs relegated last season – West Ham, Burnley and Wolves – all featured betting sponsors on the master, unlike the promoted sides Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City.

Financial firms fill the sponsorship void

In the 2026/27 campaign, roughly half of the Premier League clubs still maintain betting partnerships, but only Everton and Aston Villa display a bookmaker on the front of their kits. The remaining clubs have either found alternative sponsors or eliminated the partnership entirely.

Several clubs have shifted betting branding to other assets. Tottenham announced a deal that places a bookmaker on the front of its training shirts and on television, LED boards, digital actions and pre‑match equipment. Manchester United signed a £20 million agreement with Betway, the biggest training‑kit sponsorship, covering both the men’s and women’s squads after ending its Tezos deal in June 2025.

Legal consultant Bernardo Cavalcanti Freire of the National Association of Games and Lotteries explained that the United Kingdom first created a regulated environment, strengthened enforcement and only then considered further advertising limits. Sports‑marketing professor Ivan Martinho warned that the £80 million potential loss in shirt‑sponsor revenue must be rebuilt, noting that clubs may have to accept lower‑value deals.

With the master‑area ban in force, financial companies have stepped into the sponsorship void. Six Premier League clubs have signed contracts with firms from the financial sector, double the number that did so in the previous season. The Portuguese source uses the words “Na” and “Com” when describing this shift.