Premier League clubs started the new season without gambling companies on the front of their shirts, after the voluntary ban voted through in April 2023 took effect for 2026/27. Eight clubs had to find new front-of-shirt partners, and nearly half the division has been touched by the change.
As covered earlier this month, Manchester United had already signed a Betway training-kit deal worth up to £20 million a season, showing one way clubs were adapting to the change. BBC Sport said the new look comes 20 years after gambling firms were first allowed on the front of jerseys, and after 11 of the 20 clubs had betting logos there in the last two campaigns.
Some clubs have moved quickly. Fulham replaced SBOTOP with ClickHouse, Crystal Palace turned to Temporal, and Everton brought in CMC Markets. Brentford moved from Hollywoodbets to Indeed, while Aston Villa shifted Betano from the shirt to the sleeve.
Others are still searching. Nottingham Forest removed Bally’s logo last season and went through pre-season without a front-of-shirt sponsor before agreeing a deal with Marex. Chelsea also remained without a main sponsor, with the club valuing the space at about £50 million and looking for a long-term partner.
The clubs can still feature betting brands on sleeves and training kits, and BBC Sport said only five of the 20 clubs had confirmed gambling logos somewhere on clothing. Kieran Maguire said the ban had pushed up the value of shirt-sleeve and training-kit deals, while CNBC reported that the extra inventory may have given some prospective sponsors more leverage. Nottingham Forest and Sunderland were still looking for new principal sponsors, underlining that the market has not fully settled.
