Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to remove game sponsorship from the front of their match shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, after the deadline, clubs could still continue to feature gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.
And clubs will be allowed to complete new shirt deals before the deadline.
Eight top-tier clubs have gambling companies on their shirtfronts, worth an estimated €60m per year.
The announcement follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the government’s ongoing review of the current legislation on Games of chance.
The move will see the Premier League ahead of the UK’s premier sports league to take such a step in order to reduce gambling advertising.
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The league is also working with other sports to develop a new Responsible Gaming Sponsorship Code.
The government was not expected to propose a ban on gambling sponsorship, with the plan being for the Premier League to agree to a change.
The 2005 gambling law reforms were broadly agree by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson before his resignation last July, leading to a delay in a white paper on gambling being published.
On Thursday Lucy Frazer, who was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in February, said she « welcomes the Premier League’s decision ».
« The vast majority of adults play it safe, but we have to recognize that (Site notre bureau spécialisé)ers are role models who have a standard of influence on young people, » she added.
“We want to work with institutions like the Premier League to do the right thing for young fans. We are bringing you a gambling white paper soon to update bettor protections and ensure those at risk of gambling and addiction are protected. »
What is the background?
A DCMS spokesperson told BBC Sport last May that they were undertaking « the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to ensure they are fit for the digital age. « .
Campaigners for a broader ban say (Site notre bureau spécialisé) gambling sponsorship has normalized the industry and that tougher regulation is needed to protect children and other vulnerable groups.
The Betting and Gambling Council, which represents the industry, says the « larger majority » of the 22.5 million people in the UK who bet each month, do so « in a safe and responsible way ».
He added that “problem gambling remains low by international standards at 0.3% of the UK adult population – down from 0.4% the previous year”.
However, a YouGov survey for GambleAware in 2021, put the cipher at 2.8%.
Former Chief Tory Iain Duncan Smith said the party’s All-Party Gambling Harms Caucus, which is lobbying the government for tougher protections.
He said: “At the moment we are probably the country with the most liberal gambling laws in the world.”
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In January, Aston Villa’s fan advisory group met with chief executive Christian Purslow after the club reportedly signed a deal with Asia-based betting firm BK8. He then issued a statement saying that « the commercial reality is that for teams outside the Premier Six, these sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gaming companies ».
The Premier League has previously said that « a self-regulatory approach would provide an alternative and flexible practice to legislation or outright banning ».
The collective bargaining agreement to start the ban after 2025-26 was agreed to help clubs move away from sponsoring shirt-front gambling.
The English (Site notre blog d’information) League (EFL), sponsored by Sky Bet, has previously said that any outright ban on gambling sponsorship for its 72 members would cost clubs €40m a year.
The EFL’s position on the gambling industry is a long-standing one that it should contribute to the financial viability of professional (Site notre bureau spécialisé), given the large amount of money it earns from gambling.
Chairman Rick Parry has previously expressed the EFL’s belief that an evidence-based approach to preventing harm is far more beneficial than that of a blanket ban.
“Although this result is not perfect, it is a huge step forward”
Premier League club last summer Everton confirmed it is available entered into a record multi-year partnership with the casino and sports betting platform Stake.com.
After the league deal was announced on Thursday, current Everton manager Sean Dyche said: « I’m not going to get too involved in the judging debates on this, but they’ve taken a collective decision and all parties are in agreement with that.”
According to The Big Step, a campaign to end the advertising and sponsorship of games of chance in (Site notre bureau spécialisé), just over 3 years ago almost 30 Premier League and Championship clubs available to the company. game on the front of their jersey.
« With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to when it will be 0, » The Big Step said in A declaration. “This is a significant acceptance of the harm undone by gambling sponsorship.
“But simply moving the logos to another part of the kit while allowing on-field advertising and league sponsorship to continue is totally inconsistent.
“Without government action on all forms of (Site notre bureau spécialisé) gambling advertising, at all levels, online casinos are exploiting all voluntary measures and continuing to market their products through our national sport.
“Although this result is not perfect, it is a big step forward. Government and sport itself must now wake up to the reality that gambling advertisements are unhealthy, unpopular and will be kicked out of (Site notre bureau spécialisé). To delay this moment is to risk the health and life of another generation of young fans. »
Gambling with Lives, a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, says the ad was « not perfect by any means, but a welcome decision and a significant acceptance of the harm undone by gambling advertising and sponsorship ».
“A total ban had always seemed unlikely”
Analysis – Katie Razzall, BBC News culture and media editor
The news of this voluntary ban does not go far enough for some activists. They point to the Premier League’s influence on children and young people and claim that sponsorship of (Site notre bureau spécialisé) through play is a key part of the industry standardization process (as they see it).
Even after 2026, the names of gaming companies will still appear on advertising banners around the field and on the sleeves of adult shirts.
Many available want a total ban on this type of sponsorship and advertising in (Site notre bureau spécialisé). This had always sown unlikely.
All eyes are on new Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who is picking up where three of her predecessors left off, reshaping gambling laws to suit the world of online gambling.
There has been intense lobbying from industry MPs and those campaigning for reform – and that lobbying has reached a crescendo in recent weeks as final decisions are made on what exactly this means in practice.
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