A campaign group is urging the UK government to intervene following recent announcements of new shirt sponsorship agreements between three Premier League clubs and betting companies. In the last week, Burnley and Fulham have secured one-year deals with W88 and SBOTOP respectively, while Aston Villa has entered into a three-year agreement with BK8.
These agreements come after Premier League clubs unanimously decided in April to withdraw gambling sponsorships on the front of matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season. However, football clubs will be allowed to carry the logos of betting brands until the new rule goes into effect. Chelsea is also reportedly looking at getting into a year-long commitment with Stake.
The Big Step group, which is campaigning to end gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, harshly criticised these agreements: “Football can’t be trusted on gambling and the government must now step in to end these deals.”
“Clubs talk about mental health while desperately accepting cheques from online casinos to promote gambling – forcing their own young players and fans to be walking billboards for products that cause addiction and suicide,” the group added, as reported by BBC Sport.
In response, the Premier League told BBC Sport that it is the first sports league in the UK to take voluntary measures in order to reduce gambling advertising and said all gambling partners of clubs are already regulated and licensed by the Gambling Commission and are bound by the rules of the Advertising Standards Authority.
W88 has previously sponsored Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as Fulham last season, while SBOTOP has had a commercial partnership with Leeds over several seasons. Meanwhile, last season the Aston Villa club was sponsored by car sales firm Cazoo while Burnley was sponsored by Classic Football Shirts.
Teams argue these deals are key to their future success. Fulham said their record sponsorship deal with SBOTOP will play “an integral part in keeping the club competitive” with Burnley adding that the revenue they receive would help the club “compete in the Premier League.”
During the 2022-23 season, eight Premier League clubs had gambling companies on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60 million ($75.7 million) per year.
