The Premier League has banned gambling sponsorships on shirts, a move that marks the end of a 20-year era where 11 clubs had betting companies on their jerseys. This change comes after the 2005 Gambling Act gave greater freedom for betting companies to put their names on the front of football shirts. The value of front-of-shirt sponsorship deals has soared, with commercial revenue increasing by nearly 4,000% from £58m to £2.4bn in 2024-25.
Eight Premier League clubs needed to find a new shirt sponsor this summer due to the ban. Chelsea have only briefly had a front-of-shirt sponsor in recent seasons. The big six clubs are looking for a minimum of £10m per season, and can double this if there are secondary relationships with the sponsors.
Finance is now the leading sector, sponsoring five of the 17 teams. Crystal Palace and Fulham have switched from gambling to technology and AI sponsors. Everton have signed a deal with CMC Markets. The next battleground could be cryptocurrency firms, which are appearing on shirt sleeves. BingX sponsors Chelsea, while OKX has a sleeve agreement with Manchester City.