Premier League bans betting firms as main shirt sponsors

In the bustling corridors of a London stadium, the familiar logos of betting firms are disappearing from the front of shirts. After years of waiting, the Premier League has officially banned clubs from using gambling companies as their main kit sponsor, a rule adopted in 2023 when eleven of the twenty English clubs still displayed such sponsors.

Clubs struggled to meet the original deadline because severing or altering ties with betting firms proved complex. The complications meant the date set by the clubs could not be applied before the new regulation took effect.

The Premier League says the measure aims to curb gambling addiction and eradicate it at its source within football. As a result, no team will display advertising that encourages gambling on the chest of their kits. The league stresses that protecting fans, especially younger supporters, is a core priority.

From the next season, clubs will feature new sponsors drawn from nine different sectors. Finance will dominate, with five clubs backed by financial companies, three clubs by airlines, and both technology and food companies appearing on two shirts each. These sectors will replace betting logos on the front of the kits.

Additional sectors will also be represented, including human‑resources firms, insurers, software providers, telecommunications groups and tourism operators. Together they complete a diverse sponsorship landscape for the new campaign.

Three clubs will go without a primary sponsor altogether: Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. Their kits will therefore be free of any main commercial branding for the upcoming season.

The rule only bans betting houses and online casinos from being the primary sponsor; they may still appear in secondary locations such as sleeves, shorts or stadium signage, albeit with reduced visibility. This exception lets clubs retain a limited relationship with the gambling industry without breaching the regulation.