Nottingham Forest and Sunderland are still looking for front-of-shirt sponsors now that the Premier League-wide gambling sponsorship ban is in effect.
Key Takeaways
- Eleven Premier League teams had gambling front-of-shirt sponsors last year.
- Chelsea is also without a sponsor, but it is not tied to gambling sponsorship.
- Offers from non-gambling companies have often been less lucrative.
Premier League clubs, amid mounting pressure from the U.K. government, agreed in April 2023 to enact a front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban beginning for the 2026-27 season.
Chelsea also has a vacancy, though it is unrelated to the ban, as the club has never had a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor. Sunderland previously partnered with W88, while Nottingham Forest was sponsored by Bally's Corporation.
Eleven of 20 (55%) Premier League teams had a gambling sponsor last year. Three of them - Burnley (96.com), West Ham United (BoyleSports), and Wolverhampton Wanderers (DEBET) - were relegated to the EFL Championship.
The other eight - Aston Villa (Betano), AFC Bournemouth (BJ88), Brentford (Hollywoodbets), Crystal Palace (NET88), Everton (Stake.com), Fulham (SBOTOP), Nottingham Forest (Bally’s), and Sunderland (W88) - were left to secure new partners.
Front-of-shirt sponsorships gave gambling companies global exposure, including in markets where sports betting remains illegal.
Although sponsors can still be added even after the season begins, the teams without a front-of-shirt partner already unveiled their kits for the upcoming campaign and are prepared to play without a sponsor.
Get your 26/27 Forest Home Kit today online or in-store. 🙌
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 18, 2026
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Sponsorship well drying up
While the gambling sponsorship ban was enacted as a way to improve public health, it has been especially punitive for Premier League teams.
The sponsorship market has dried up in recent years. Companies haven’t shown the same willingness to fork out wads of cash to display their brands, which made the global rise in gambling popularity particularly well-timed for clubs in need of front-of-shirt sponsors.
"Sponsors are under incredible amount of scrutiny to justify their expenditure,” said Sean Connell, editor of The Sponsor, an independent sponsorship research and valuation publication. “Then there's an unusually high number of teams in the market looking for a sponsor - in a normal year it might only be one or two, but it was 11 this summer.
“The gambling ban has taken what was already a shrinking pool of sponsors and removed a healthy chunk of those. It’s created what I believe is the most competitive and difficult sponsorship environment that Premier League clubs have ever faced.”
Teams were given more than three years to plan for 2026-27 and beyond. Reports suggest the clubs rejected lower-paying offers from non-gambling brands in hopes of securing more lucrative deals.
🏆 Triumph of ‘37.
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) July 28, 2026
Introducing our 2026-27 hummel home shirt — available in-store and online at 8am BST tomorrow! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/D5wFmqOgyn
A public service?
According to the Daily Mirror, research found betting logos were shown as many as 3,500 times during a live television broadcast of a Premier League game. Critics argue that level of exposure contributes to the normalization of gambling and increases the risk of problem gambling.
“Formula 1 cried foul that ending tobacco sponsorship would destroy the sport, but it's gone from strength to strength,” said Will Prochaska, director of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA). “Ridding (soccer) of its links to the gambling sector is an opportunity to turn a corner, not a burden.”
There are less than three weeks until defending champion Arsenal host promotion winner Coventry City. Arsenal is a +145 favorite to win the league again, according to FanDuel’s Premier League odds, followed by Manchester City (+280), Liverpool (+500), Manchester United (+700), and Chelsea (+750).
