UK Government to Finally Ban Unlicensed Gambling Sponsorship?
As a business that works in, and passionately supports a fair, safe and regulated UK market, the announcement of a new consultation to ban dodgy gambling sponsorship in sport can’t come soon enough!
The Background
Given that Gambling regulation in the UK is quite mature, especially compared to other similarly sized markets around the world, it does seem quite odd that the practice of allowing unlicensed gambling operators to ink sponsorship deals in the UK has persisted.
It is also quite strange given that UK licensed operators are genuinely held to such strict codes, as laid out in the LCCP.
The truth is, there has been a loophole that has allowed unlicensed operators to make sponsorship deals with UK sports teams, who have accepted large sums of money through these deals.
The loophole: As long as the product is adequately “geo-blocked” from UK users, then it’s fine! These companies can have their name and logo displayed on the stands of football stadiums, or the shirtsleeves of enormous football teams.
What’s in it for both sides?
For the gambling operators, the British football leagues are now such a worldwide commodity that it doesn’t matter to them that British fans won’t be able to access their stuff. For the teams, they’re likely to get more money from unlicenced operators because their profit margins are bigger as they’re not beholden to paying their fair share of tax.
There’s an extra complication now too. The British public are now much more acquainted with the concept of VPNs, especially after the government’s Online Safety Act, so even British players can get around GEO blocking and sign-up to these unregulated and unlicensed sites.
The government estimates that 40% of Premier League teams had an unregulated gambling sponsor of some sort during the 2025/2026 Season. No wonder people decided that something had to change.
So what is being proposed?
The Department for Media, Culture and Sport is proposing to ban all physical sponsorship and advertising from these outside operators in British sport. That would include:
- Shirt & Kit sponsorship
- Pitch side billboards
- Programmes
- Venue/Stadium names
- League or Event names
This ban would only apply to unregulated gambling operators. Regulated brands and white-label operators that comply with the UK licensing regime would be allowed to continue sponsorship, under the current conditions. For example, the Premier League has instigated a full front of shirt ban on kits in the league. But legal operators can still appear in the places named above.
The consultation has laid out two timelines for this to occur, the first being its preference.
- The ban would come into effect in August 2027, just in time for the 2027/28 Premier League season.
- No new contracts can be agreed, but existing contracts could run until August 2028, when the ban would be enforced from the 2028/29 season onwards.
Though this is primarily aimed at Sports, the ban would encompass all industries. This is more of a pre-emptive move to stop these unlicensed operators pivoting to other British industries.
What happens next?
The consultation has started and will continue through until September 2026. The government will then make further pronouncements on its next steps.
I was also heartened to see the Financial Conduct Authority’s comments being taken seriously on a potential influx of sponsorship from unregulated trading and crypto firms. Some sports teams, especially smaller clubs, may look to plug the potential shortfall in cash by looking to other equally dodgy sources.
Entain, the well-known operators behind beloved brands like Coral and Ladbrokes, have come out swinging in favour of this consultation. In fact, they’ve even urged the Premier League to issue a voluntary ban for the upcoming season. A fair enough take, but unlikely given there will be plenty of lucrative deals already inked.
I shall leave the final word with Stella David, Entain’s CEO, and her punchy comments about these off-shore, unregulated operators which I strongly agree with:
“Unlicensed gambling operators are often little more than fronts for organised crime. They target vulnerable consumers, pay no UK tax, and ignore safeguards licensed operators must provide.”
Hear, hear!
