The UK government has opened a consultation into the possibility of completely banning unlicensed operators from sponsorship deals in British sport.
Led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the eight-week consultation will explore introducing secondary legislation which would prohibit unlicensed sponsorship and advertising across all sectors in Great Britain
In a sporting context, the ban would apply to kit and equipment sponsorships, pitchside billboards, tournament programmes, venue infrastructure and the naming of events, leagues and venues.
The proposed legislation would make it a criminal offence for “any club, league, event, venue, individual or related assets to advertise or be sponsored by a gambling operator not licensed by the Gambling Commission when operating in Great Britain”.
The DCMS has posited two possible timelines for implementing the ban.
One proposal would see a ban come into effect on a fixed date in August 2027, before the start of the 2027-28 football season.
All sport sponsorship and advertising by unlicensed operators at sporting events must have ceased before this date.
The DCMS is in favour of this method as it acknowledges “football is the primary source of unlicensed gambling sponsorships and advertising”.
An alternative proposal would see a ban applied to any unlicensed operator advertising or making new sponsorship contracts following the introduction of the legislation.
Pre-existing contracts will be allowed to reach their conclusion under their original terms, so long as those contracts do not extend beyond the beginning of August 2028.
A DCMS statement read: “The government’s preference is to have a fixed start date for the ban, to give clarity to clubs and consumers and to eliminate a situation where some clubs can partner with unlicensed operators while others cannot.
“We are aware there could be negative financial consequences for any clubs having to end contracts early due to this legislation.
“However, we think there are good reasons to introduce this ban as quickly as practicable, so we protect consumers, ensure a level regulatory playing field and help protect the gambling market from crime.
“We also welcome evidence from stakeholders who believe the ban should come into effect under different timelines than set out in the options above.”
The government department said its own estimates show around 40% of Premier League clubs had sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed operators last season.
The consultation is set to run until 9 September 2026.
The current legislation allows unlicensed operators to enter into sporting sponsorships so long as players in Great Britain are unable to access their platforms.
Several offshore operators have sponsored Premier League football teams over the past few years, with the deals facilitated by white-label agreements.
In the Premier League last season, 11 of the 20 teams had unlicensed gambling operators as front-of-shirt sponsors, with the likes of SBOTOP (Fulham), BJ88 (Bournemouth), 96.com (Burnley) and NET88 (Crystal Palace) among the white-label brands.
Stake was also the front-of-shirt partner of Everton but will move to become the Toffee’s shirt-sleeve partner ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Several operators were previously live in Great Britain via the TGP Europe white-label matrix. TGP Europe left the market following a £3.3m settlement with the Gambling Commission in May 2025.
Premier League clubs voluntarily agreed to a ban on gambling-related front-of-shirt sponsorships in 2023, with the agreement coming into effect before the start of the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The ban extends to all entities affiliated with a gambling operator, including news portals or live scores platforms.
The DCMS stated any ban would not extend to white-label agreements, despite the government recognising there had been “previous issues” with those types of deals.
The statement continued: “We do not anticipate extending this ban to cover gambling operators which are in white-label agreements. We are aware there have been previous issues with white-label partners acting in a manner that is not compatible with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
“However, there are also a number of gambling operators in white-label agreements outside of sport sponsorship and advertising which do adhere to the LCCP and have legitimate interests in the British market.
“We will work with the Gambling Commission to determine whether any action is required to further ensure white-label agreements are sufficiently monitored and enforcement action taken where needed. We welcome further evidence on white-label gambling operators.”
The DCMS outlined the justification for the consultation, adding: “We want to change this [current legislation]. The current legislation undermines the gambling licensing and advertising regulatory frameworks, which aim to protect consumers in Great Britain and reduce the risk of money laundering and crime.
“Specifically, our rationale for change is driven by three core objectives. To protect consumers, especially young people and those who are vulnerable, from unregulated platforms that may not offer adequate player protections or fraud recourse.
“Defending the integrity of our domestic market by ensuring advertising footprints are exclusive to operators that are required to adhere to the Gambling Commission’s LCCP; and in the sport sector, to eliminate money laundering vulnerabilities within football clubs and agents that have been flagged within our National Risk Assessment.”
Research published by H2 Gambling Capital in May estimated more than £16bn was staked on the black market in the UK in 2025.
Furthermore, data gathered by global intelligence firm WARC on behalf of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) suggested black market operators would be outspending their licensed counterparts on advertising in the UK within the next two years.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport earmarks August 2027 for a potential ban, insisting the current legislation “undermines the gambling licensing and advertising regulatory frameworks”
The post Government opens consultation on banning unlicensed operators from sports sponsorships first appeared on EGR Intel.