Entain Demands Premier League Clubs Stop Promoting Unlicensed Gaming Firms
A new corporate battlefield is developing as the Premier League gets ready for a historic "front-of-shirt" ban in 2026–2027. Industry titans like Entain are now calling for the complete removal of unlicensed "shadow" operators from stadium screens.
For the 2026–2027 season, clubs will formally stop using front-of-shirt gambling sponsors; however, supporters will still see betting logos on sleeves and on digital signage inside stadiums.
The clubs' voluntary restriction was implemented in reaction to the increased prevalence of problem gambling among young people in the UK, particularly men. The goal of excluding front-of-shirt gambling advertising is to reduce the exposure of the gambling sector in the popular sport of England.
The Independent Football Regulator published its Second Licensing Regime Consultation this week. In response, Entain, the parent firm of Ladbrokes and Coral, testified before the IFR requesting that all sponsorships from unlicensed gaming organizations be prohibited.
Prohibit Illegal Gambling Activities
Stella David, CEO of Entain, is recommending to the IFR that Premier League clubs be prohibited from collaborating with unlicensed gambling websites and applications.
A number of illegal providers, such as the well-known online sweepstakes casino Stake, which supports Everton, have club agreements in place. W88 (Sunderland), SBOTOP (Fulham), bj88 (Bournemouth), and 96.com (Burnley) are further gambling sites with Premier League exposure but do not possess gaming licenses from the UK Gambling Commission.
"Premier League clubs are being sponsored by criminal gambling firms. The Independent Football Regulator can stop this tomorrow by simply acknowledging that unlicensed gambling companies targeting UK customers through English football are breaking the law — plain and simple,” David wrote.
Clubs are already prohibited by the IGR's regulations from taking money "connected to serious criminal conduct." David proposes that the IFR reconsider its definition of criminal behavior to incorporate unlicensed gaming establishments.
"The regulator does not need any new powers, new legislation, or even a new rule to make this happen. We are asking the regulator to define and apply it before the next season begins. The IFR was created to fix English football’s governance failures. This is one of them,” David concluded.
Liverpool's official betting partner is Ladbrokes. Coral advertizes extensively in and around the Premier League, mostly concentrating on UK horse racing, but it is not affiliated with any Premier League team.
Channel for Acquiring Customers
David claims that soccer is a major source of new players for illicit gaming companies. The game is "one of the black market's most effective acquisition channels," according to his Entain application.
By the end of 2027, more than half of all sponsorships in UK sports would come from unregulated gambling companies, according to independent study commissioned by the UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).
According to the study's findings, unregulated gaming businesses will spend three times as much on advertising next year as they did in 2019.
In order to safeguard consumers and the regulated sector, the BGC urged the UK government in February to extend a proposed ban on promoting unlicensed gambling businesses in football to all sports.
