- Nearly half of the English Premier League clubs have yet to secure a shirt sponsorship for next season due to the league’s ban on gambling sponsorships.
- The league banned on-shirt advertising from gambling companies, costing clubs up to £80m in collective income.
- Only one of the top 10 clubs with gambling sponsors has announced a replacement thus far, with the other clubs yet to strike a deal.
LONDON – The Premier League’s ban on gambling sponsors has left more than half the league without a shirt sponsor for next season. The gambling ban is expected to cost Premier League clubs outside of the big six upwards of £80m (~$92.5 million USD).
The big six includes Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham, who have the largest fan bases and strongest financial success in the Premier League. While most of these teams are unaffected through long-term sponsorships with Emirates and other non-gambling shirt sponsors, the rest of the EPL will struggle without lucrative gambling sponsorships.
Gambling Ban Causes 50% Drop In Shirt Sponsor Deals
With the gambling ban, the shirt sponsor market has declined 50% to roughly £10m, causing teams to struggle in finding a replacement. West Ham United and Everton elected to shift their gambling shirt sponsors to the sleeves of their kit, which is allowed, but the cost of sleeve deals and training kits has also decreased drastically.
These shirt sponsors are rarely from UK sports betting sites, and rather Asian gambling companies trying to get a greater global outreach in the world’s biggest sports league. These gambling operators won’t be paying nearly as much for a sleeve sponsor.
Meanwhile, the EFL (English Football League) is sponsored by SkyBet, a legal sports betting site in England, through 2029 and will retain gambling sponsors on league shirts for the foreseeable future. EFL clubs could cash in on gambling companies that want to continue being shirt sponsors, potentially earning more than even some Premier League clubs.
