Spanish Ad Restrictions Force Nottingham Forest to Remove Bally’s as Front-of-Shirt Sponsor

Nottingham Forest will look noticeably different when facing Real Betis in its first UEFA Europa League match on Wednesday.

With the game being played at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, Nottingham Forest will replace newly signed Bally’s Corp. with Nottingham Forest Community Trust as its front-of-shirt sponsor. Spanish advertising regulations prohibit “any form of sponsorship or marketing of betting companies in football.”

Spain’s Strict Policies Ban Major Gambling Ad Initiatives

Spain’s legislature enacted one of the world’s toughest policies against gambling advertising in 2020. It was then that it “banned sports sponsorships by betting and gaming firms as well as welcome bonuses and influencer marketing, while TV and radio advertising was restricted” to between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Sponsorships remain banned, but a Supreme Court ruling in 2024 allowed for “social media advertising, the use of athletes and celebrities in advertising campaigns, and welcome bonuses.”

Major Spanish football clubs in La Liga, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, have shifted their focus to international deals in regions with strong support levels: Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

These deals don’t include front-of-shirt sponsorships like the Premier League, but they instead “focus on regional social media and online advertising campaigns.”

Back to the Future for Nottingham Forest

Bally’s and Nottingham Forest agreed to donate the coveted shirt space to the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, the football club’s charitable arm, for tomorrow’s game in Spain.

A press release from the club stated: “Nottingham Forest Community Trust plays a vital role across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, using the power of sport, education, and wellbeing to help communities and individuals to thrive, with the aim of ensuring everybody – regardless of background – can reach their full potential.”

Bally’s and Nottingham Forest agreed to their primary shirt sponsorship deal in early August, but it will only last for this season. Premier League teams agreed to ban front-of-shirt sponsors, starting with the 2026-27 season.

Bally’s was the third gambling company to partner with Nottingham Forest in the last year. Betway became the club’s official betting partner in August of last year, and that announcement was followed by Parimatch joining as the club’s official UK betting partner in September.

This may not be the last time Nottingham Forest has to remove the Bally’s logo and replace it with a non-gambling entity on the front of its shirt. Depending on how the Europa League season unfolds, any match played in the Netherlands would require a similar move.