Entain calls for government action to ban unlicensed gambling advertising in British football
“Inconvenience is not an excuse for inaction,” the operator says, arguing that the 11 Premier League clubs that have deals with unlicensed operators knew their was a risk of a ban.
UK.- Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Cora, has called for the UK government to act immediately to ban operators without Gambling Commission licences from sponsoring British sport. It complains that the timelines proposed in the recent consultation on the unlicensed gambling sponsorship ban allow Premier League clubs to promote illegal market operators for another season.
The operator cites analysis that forecasts that UK staking with unlicensed operators will nearly double from £17bn in 2025 to more than £33bn by 2028. It says that 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs now have sponsorship or advertising arrangements with gambling operators that do not hold a Gambling Commission licence, up from the government’s own estimate of eight clubs in the 2025/26 season.
New deals have been announced even after the government made clear its intention to ban such arrangements, with Sunderland AFC entering a new deal with Curaçao-based Shuffle in the last week. The other clubs in question are: Everton (Stake.com); Fulham (SBOTOP); Chelsea (8XBet); Tottenham Hotspur (VSBet); Ipswich Town (8XBet); Nottingham Forest (FUN88); Crystal Palace (Chexx.bet); Coventry City (8XBet); Aston Villa (8XBet) and Newcastle United (8XBet).
The sponsorship deals involve a range of promotional assets, from shirt sleeves to training kits, stadium branding and perimeter boards. The branding typically features in match-day TV coverage, including replays on the BBC’s Match of the Day. Entain argues that the clubs that have struck new deals with unlicensed gambling operators knew that there was a risk of a ban so should not be indulged with a year’s clemency.
“The government made clear in February that it would bring in a ban and it should do so immediately: even if that means clubs ordering new kit mid-season. Inconvenience is not an excuse for inaction,” Entain argues.
Entain’s submission to the consultation stressed that many unlicensed gambling operators do not meet British consumer-protection regulations, anti-money laundering standards and tax obligations required of regulated firms. Restricting sponsorship to licensed operators would also prevent British sport from being used to legitimise brands operating outside the perimeter of UK financial crime controls, it argues.
Entain’s own research suggests over 80 per cent of consumers cannot confidently distinguish licensed operators from unlicensed. it argues that this underlines the risk that sponsorship by unlicensed brands confers unearned credibility on operators that sit outside the UK’s consumer protection framework,qa including GAMSTOP, deposit and spending limits, and affordability checks.
Entain is also calling for the ban to cover online and digital advertising. Evidence cited in the Government’s own consultation shows that 22 per cent of consumers who use unlicensed operators first encountered them through social media or social-media advertising, compared with 13 per cent through sponsorship. Entain warns that restricting the ban to physical advertising risks simply shifting the problem online.
The appeal follows Entain’s recent decision to write to 10 Premier League clubs that have commercial relationships with unregulated gambling firms. Shortly afterwards, Sunderland announced a partnership with crypto-focused online casino and sportsbook operator Shuffle, with the company set to feature on the sleeve of the club’s playing kit.
In correspondence sent to Everton, whose sponsorship arrangement includes Gambling Commission unlicensed operator Stake, Entain argued that lifelong Everton supporter and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham “would become a billboard for unregulated gaming by wearing the club’s current strip”.
Entain Chief Executive Stella David criticised both Premier League clubs entering into agreements with unlicensed betting companies and the government for what the firm regards as an overly slow response to the issue.
“Premier League clubs that have struck new deals with unlicensed gambling operators knew the risks,” David said.
