UK ministers are preparing a consultation that would ban unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports teams. The measure is meant to close a gap in the rules that still allows unlicensed casinos such as Stake to back clubs.
The consultation was expected to go live this week, according to reporting cited by the Guardian, after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in February that it would begin a review in spring. That delay drew criticism for leaving time for gambling firms to strike more deals with Premier League clubs.
In early June, Entain chief Stella David wrote to gambling minister Baroness Twycross urging faster action. She warned that sponsorship agreements with unlicensed firms were “surely now being finalised” and said the absence of government action could be read as a green light for next season.
Her warning was followed within weeks by Everton FC signing a three-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Stake.com. According to the reporting, that deal went ahead despite Gambling Commission guidance urging clubs to think twice before entering such arrangements.
Stake had effectively surrendered its licence to operate in Britain last year after a regulatory review that included concern over apparent promotion of the brand by the porn actor Bonnie Blue. Days after that surrender, the Gambling Commission put sports teams on notice that clubs and their executives could face prosecution if they promoted unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with British consumers.
The commission’s guidance says sports organisations that enter sponsoring or advertising arrangements with unlicensed gambling operators are at serious risk of committing the offence of advertising unlawful gambling under section 330 of the Gambling Act 2005. It also says officers may, in some circumstances, face a fine, imprisonment or both, and that clubs should ensure the relevant online gambling activity is blocked and inaccessible to consumers in Great Britain.
The commission also expects clubs to show that they have carried out due diligence on gambling partners, and warns that IP blocking can be circumvented, making ongoing monitoring essential. It says it may independently verify that effective blocking measures are in place.
The issue sits inside a broader market in which gambling sponsorship remains common in football. A Betting and Gaming Council scoping paper said nine of 20 Premier League teams had gambling sponsors in 2017/18, rising to 10 of 20 in 2019/20, with those top-flight deals worth £76.1 million. It also said 17 of 24 Championship teams were sponsored by a gambling firm.
A University of Bristol report later found 27,440 gambling messages across four media platforms during the Premier League opening weekend in August 2025. It said more than 60% of the messages recorded during broadcasts appeared during the industry’s whistle-to-whistle ban, and that 8.8% of the gambling messages came from operators without a UK licence.
A London-based legal analysis noted that Premier League clubs have already voluntarily committed to removing gambling sponsors from front-of-shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season and moving them to sleeves and training kits. It also said there are no formal restrictions on gambling-sector partnerships.
A government spokesperson said it was “not right” that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of the country’s biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that do not meet regulatory standards. The spokesperson said the consultation on banning unlicensed operators from sponsorship deals in British sport will go live soon.
