GambleAware’s Chief Communications Officer, Alexia Clifford, has expressed disappointment in several Premier League teams for agreeing to new shirt sponsorships with gambling companies ahead of the upcoming season.
Earlier this year, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to voluntarily remove gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts, a ban that will come into effect at the end of the 2025/26 season.
However, several clubs have begun new sponsorship deals with gambling companies since the ban was announced, including Aston Villa and Burnley, which has disappointed GambleAware.
In a LinkedIn post, Clifford said: “It was disappointing to see the news that more Premier League teams will have gambling shirt sponsors this upcoming season.”
“Gambling harms are a serious public health issue. More regulation of advertising and marketing is needed in order to protect children and young people. We support a complete ban of gambling sponsorship appearing on shirt fronts, shirt sleeves, and anywhere in stadiums.”
Ahead of the Premier League’s voluntary front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban coming into force, existing gambling front-of-shirt deals can still be honoured and new deals can be agreed to so long as they don’t go past the set deadline of the end of the 2025/26 season.
For the 2023/24 season, seven Premier League clubs will feature a gambling company as their front-of-shirt sponsor – Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Burnley, Everton, Fulham, and West Ham.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers will have a gambling company as their shirt sleeve sponsor.
