Which Premier League Teams Have Betting Sponsorships In 2023/24 And Why Might This Be Changing Soon?
In the modern game, football is every bit a business as much as it is a sport. This is especially true for those charged with overseeing the smooth business operations of a club. Revenue is naturally a very important part of this, and all sides are looking at a range of options in terms of generating more money.
One of the most tried and trusted ways to do this is through sponsorship deals – especially deals in which firms pay to sponsor shirts or shirt sleeves. In addition, many clubs will also strike up official partnership deals with top brands, and this is another valuable source of income. This is certainly true for the Premier League and has seen many PL clubs sign sponsorship deals with betting firms in recent years.
Football and sports betting interlinked in modern times
The increase in sponsorship deals between betting brands and Premier League sides is no surprise when you consider how closely linked betting is to football. Many fans now add extra excitement to the matchday experience by placing wagers via the UK’s most secure sportsbooks, which can be found on this list of UK licenced betting sites.
When you factor in the prevalence of betting brands on advertising hoardings and official EPL club merchandise, it becomes clear just how integrated sports gambling has become with the business side of football. Shirt sponsorship deals are perhaps the most obvious way betting firms highlight their brand to millions of fans each week. But which sides in the league have a betting brand on their shirts in 2023/24?
Which Premier League sides have betting sponsorships in the current season?
The current Premier League season has already seen some interesting headlines emerge for those who keep an eye on the business side of the game. This includes news that transfer spending fell to £100m in January 2024, and the ongoing saga over Everton’s points deduction for breaking profitability rules.
In the current 2023/24 Premier League season, a total of eight teams from 20 are sponsored by betting firms. These include:
- Aston Villa
- Bournemouth
- Brentford
- Burnley
- Everton
- Fulham
- Nottingham Forest
- West Ham United
Premier League’s ban on shirt sponsorship by betting firms set to change things
Although some PL sides might currently have shirt sponsorship deals with betting brands, details emerged recently of a decision by the Premier League to voluntarily ban sponsorship deals with betting firms for the front of matchday shirts.
This makes them the first UK sports league to take this stance, with it set to come into force from the end of the 2025/26 season. This decision was made after extensive deliberation by the Premier League, the clubs within it and the UK Government, as part of its current gambling legislation review.
What next for Premier League sides that currently have shirt sponsorship deals with betting firms?
One of the major reasons why shirt sponsorship deals with betting brands have become a hit with multiple Premier League sides is the revenue they generate. With teams in the league agreeing to end these types of arrangements as from the end of 25/26, it may leave some fans wondering how some will fare in terms of sponsorship after this.
The truth is that sides such as West Ham will not struggle to find a new shirt sponsor post 25/26, and this decision is unlikely to unduly impact the business side of their operations. The Premier League, after all, is one of the most high-profile leagues in the world, and sides that currently rely on shirt sponsorship from betting brands will most certainly find other firms to partner with.
You only have to look at the spectrum of non-betting sponsors that other sides have for proof that there are many companies in other sectors that are keen to boost their own brand through a PL shirt sponsorship deal (such as Standard Chartered with Liverpool, or Cinch at Crystal Palace).
This may even lead to sides making better deals than they have right now, and actually increase the revenue coming in. Football is an ever-changing game (as developing tech in football stadium security shows) and a voluntary ban on PL betting shirt sponsors is simply another example of this.
Betting sponsorship agreement a bold move by Premier League clubs
In purely business terms, there is no doubt that the recent voluntary decision by Premier League clubs to ban betting matchday shirt sponsorship from the end of the 25/26 season is an interesting move. The huge revenues these deals can bring are valuable sources of income for sides that sign them. Since the Premier League itself is currently keen to show the UK Government it can self-regulate, though, it is perhaps no surprise that clubs have taken this step.
