Premier League: ban on betting operators as main shirt sponsors comes into effect

Premier League clubs are no longer permitted to feature a sports betting operator as their main shirt sponsor, as of 1 July 2026.

Despite there being no legislation requiring them to do so, the English top flight clubs have collectively agreed to a ban on such agreements from the 2026-27 season, as announced by the English League on 13 April 2023. This voluntary compromise was meant to allow clubs to be exempt from future, stricter UK government legislation.

The regulation has a significant impact on the English top flight, where 11 of the 20 clubs (55%) had a main shirt sponsorship agreement with a sports betting operator during the 2025-26 season. Four of those clubs have already announced replacement deals effective from 1 July 2026, while three others were relegated and are therefore not subject to the ban. Among the clubs remaining in the first division, Nottingham Forest FC, Fulham FC, Sunderland AFC and Aston Villa FC have yet to secure new main shirt sponsors.

It should be noted that the Football Governance Act 2025, proclaimed into law after receiving Royal Assent on…