Premier League Season to Begin with Three Gambling Sleeve Partners

There has been less take up of sleeve sponsorships of English Premier League football clubs from gambling operators going into the 2026/27 season than perhaps would have been expected.

Fans may notice this season, which starts today (Friday), will not include gambling operators on the front of teams’ shirts, as part of a voluntary ban introduced by the 20 clubs following the end of last season. However, all other forms of sponsorship from gambling operators is still permitted, including official betting partnerships, training kit sponsorship and sleeve sponsorship.

New deals

So far, only three Premier League teams have announced gambling operators as sleeve partners. The most high-profile of these agreements would be Aston Villa’s deal with Betano; Aston Villa won last season’s UEFA Europa League and will play in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Betano was previously Villa’s front-of-shirt sponsor, and the new deal will run until the end of the 2028/29 season.

Another club to have moved their front-of-shirt sponsor to the sleeve for the upcoming season is Everton, in an updated multi-year partnership with Stake. Stake has not been operating in Great Britain since March 2025, when TGP Europe decided to close the website following an investigation by regulator the Gambling Commission regarding an advertising scandal.

In July meanwhile, Bournemouth signed a multi-year partnership with MrQ Casino, with the operator becoming the Cherries’ official UK online casino partner and sleeve sponsor through to the end of the 2028/29 season. Bournemouth will play in the Europa League this season, after qualifying for European competition for the first time in the club’s history.

Lower value

At the time of writing, six Premier League clubs are yet to announce a sleeve sponsor for this season, but the fact three clubs have announced sleeve partnerships with gambling operators could be a sign that interest in sponsoring teams in the league is reducing, with sleeve sponsorships likely providing far less value than front-of-shirt sponsorships. Last season, 11 Premier League teams had front-of-shirt partnerships with gambling operators.

Despite this, operators could still show interest in partnerships with some of the league’s bigger clubs at a lower cost than what a shirt sponsorship may entail. An example of this would be Betway owner Super Group’s agreement with Manchester United.

Betway will serve as the club’s Official Principal Partner and Exclusive Global Betting Partner. Betway’s logo will feature on the training kits of United’s men’s and women’s teams, and Betway’s branding will feature prominently on home matchdays. The deal with United means Betway is now partnered with the top three Premier League teams from last season, as it also has partnerships in place with Arsenal and Manchester City.

Unlicensed sponsor scrutiny

In July, the UK government began a consultation on the idea of banning unlicensed gambling sponsorship in sport. Currently, it is possible for brands which operate outside the UK to sponsor teams based in or events happening within the UK. While these operators are meant to geo-block their websites, they can still potentially be accessed via virtual private networks.

The ban would come into effect on a fixed date in August 2027, before the start of the 2027/28 football season, and would apply to any new unlicensed operator advertising or sponsorship contracts following the introduction of the legislation.

Any pre-existing contracts would be allowed to conclude under their original terms until August 2028. The consultation will remain open until September 9.