The UK government has opened a consultation on plans to stop British sports organizations from signing sponsorship and advertising deals with gambling companies that are not licensed by the Gambling Commission. Ministers say the move would close a loophole that has allowed overseas betting brands to maintain a high-profile presence in English sport despite being unable to legally serve customers in Great Britain.
The eight-week consultation, published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on July 15, would make it a criminal offence for clubs, leagues, venues and other organizations to enter sponsorship or advertising agreements with unlicensed gambling operators. While the proposal applies across sport, football is expected to feel the biggest impact because of its long-running reliance on betting partnerships.
The proposed rules would cover shirt sponsorships, LED advertising boards, stadium branding, event programmes and naming rights. Ministers argue the current framework allows overseas operators to secure visibility through geo-blocked websites, even though those restrictions can be bypassed using virtual private networks.
The consultation follows the after it surrendered its Gambling Commission licence during an anti-money laundering investigation. According to the government, that episode exposed weaknesses in existing legislation after several football clubs were left with sponsorship deals linked to brands no longer licensed in Britain.
Officials want the ban introduced before the 2027/28 football season, although they are also seeking views on allowing existing agreements to continue until August 2028. The government estimates around 40% of Premier League clubs held sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed operators during the 2025/26 campaign.
The proposals build on plans first outlined earlier this year, when ministers signaled they intended to tighten sponsorship rules as part of a crackdown on illegal gambling. They also come as Premier League clubs voluntarily ended front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships from the 2026/27 season, although betting brands will still be permitted on sleeves, pitchside advertising and other commercial assets.
Research from Investigate Europe points out how deeply betting companies are embedded in football. Its study found 296 of 442 clubs across the top 31 leagues in the European Union and the UK had at least one gambling partnership during the 2024/25 season, while every Premier League club had some form of betting partner.
Entain welcomed the consultation and urged football authorities not to wait for legislation before ending relationships with unlicensed operators.
The Betting and Gaming Council, as well as Stella David, Chief Executive of Entain, welcomed the consultation, describing it as an important step in tackling illegal gambling. She argued that unlicensed operators often have links to organized crime, avoid UK taxes and are not required to provide the consumer protections imposed on licensed firms.
David said in a statement, “We welcome the launch of this consultation, which was expected earlier this year and represents another important step forward in tackling illegal gambling.”
She said the government had correctly identified the risks created by sponsorship agreements with unlicensed operators, adding that clubs and governing bodies should not wait for legislation before acting.
“Given that principle has now been established, we believe clubs, leagues and governing bodies should act immediately and voluntarily end relationships with unlicensed operators rather than wait for legislation to compel them to do so,” David said.
David also urged regulators to follow the Financial Conduct Authority’s approach to unregulated crypto firms, warning that sponsorship agreements with unlicensed gambling operators could quickly lose their value.
Entain said research from H2 Gambling Capital estimates the illegal gambling market has grown from £5 billion in gross gambling yield in 2019 to £16.6 billion in 2025, with further expansion expected. The company also cited Betting and Gaming Council analysis suggesting unregulated operators could account for almost half of UK gambling advertising spending during the 2026/27 season.
The company argued that enforcement should extend beyond football sponsorships to the wider online ecosystem, including search engines, social media platforms, affiliate networks and payment providers that help illegal operators reach consumers.
David said the consultation should be part of a broader strategy rather than the only response to the problem.
“Today’s consultation represents a significant step forward,” she said, but warned that “Sponsorship restrictions should not become a substitute for tackling the wider digital ecosystem that enables illegal gambling operators to grow their presence in Great Britain.”
Entain said it has also written to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters, urging the league to prohibit sponsorship and advertising by unlicensed gambling operators, beginning with LED perimeter advertising before the 2026/27 season.
The company has also contacted Independent Football Regulator Chair David Kogan OBE to propose governance measures aimed at preventing unlicensed gambling companies from using English football to promote their brands.
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