West Ham United inked an extended front-of-shirt partnership with Irish bookmaker BoyleSports on terms rumored to be around £12 million (US$16.3 million) for the 2025-26 campaign, according to an exclusive Daily Mail report.
It's the team's final opportunity to retain a gaming sponsor on its home and away jerseys before the Premier League's voluntary prohibition imposed in 2026-27 takes effect.
Key takeaways
- West Ham United secured a £12 million one-year shirt sponsorship deal with gambling firm BoyleSports.
- BoyleSports replaces Betway as the team's sponsor ahead of the Premier League's gambling shirt ban in 2026.
- Despite a crackdown on public gambling and betting ads, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will allow them on the Tube.
BoyleSports is replacing Betway, which sponsored West Ham's shirt since 2019. The Betway deal is valued at around £10 million (US$13.6 million) annually and expires at the end of next season.
The agreement is BoyleSports' return to top-flight English shirt sponsorship. The company was Sunderland's main jersey sponsor between 2007 and 2010. The switch adds £2 million to the Hammers in what is likely the last gaming-related kit deal of the current set of league rules.
In the wake of impending bans on gambling logos appearing on kits, sponsors such as BoyleSports are working to make the most of the time available before new rules kick in. In the 2022-23 campaign, 11 of the Premier League sides had gambling front-shirt sponsors, dropping to eight in 2023-24.
Pressure on betting firms remains
The move follows wider turmoil in the U.K .gaming industry. Earlier this year, gaming company Stake was forced out of the British market following a regulatory investigation.
Everton front-shirt sponsor Stake.uk.com found itself in the limelight in February following a viral online marketing video. A video of an adult entertainer with the Stake logo in hand outside of Nottingham Trent University led to Gambling Commission interest.
Following the investigation, Stake confirmed it would shut its U.K. website by Mar. 10, 2025 and urged customers to withdraw all funds before closing its doors. The Gambling Commission also said it would write to Everton and two other Premier League teams with unlicensed backers to notify them of the legal risk of associating with illegal gaming companies.
Mayor of London spares Tube betting ads
At the same time, advertising policy within London's public transport network has also caused controversy. London Mayor Sadiq Khan promised in his 2021 re-election strategy to ban all gambling ads on the Transport for London (TfL) network.
But the government's planned prohibition is on hold because it doesn't include an official definition of "problematic gambling."
Khan promised to wait until the government publishes more detailed guidance before enforcing the policy. Green Party leader Caroline Russell accused the mayor of backtracking on his vow to bring an ethical advertising policy to the capital's transport network.
So far, TfL continues to allow gambling ads until the government issues further guidance.
