The UK government has unveiled plans to prohibit unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring UK sports teams, labelling the practice “not right”.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is set to launch a consultation into sports sponsorships this coming spring.
According to the government, the consultation will “mitigate the risks associated with the illegal market and help eliminate unfair competition for properly regulated firms”.
DCMS chief Lisa Nandy highlighted sponsorship of UK football teams as a prominent example, insisting it’s “not right” that black-market and unlicensed operators can sponsor British clubs.
Nandy said: “When placing a bet on the big match, fans deserve to know the sites they’re using are properly regulated, with the right protections in place.
“It’s not right that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards.”
The 2025-26 season will be the last campaign within which gambling operators will be allowed to be front-of-shirt sponsors for Premier League teams, after the league entered into the voluntary agreement in April 2023.
Currently, 11 of the 20 Premier League football teams have a gambling operator as their front-of-shirt sponsor. From that 11, seven exist in the UK via white-label agreements.
These include TGP Europe brands BJ88, 96.com and Debet, which sponsor AFC Bournemouth, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
However, TGP Europe was forced to shutter UK operations last year after receiving a £3.3m fine from the Gambling Commission (GC).
The operator chose to surrender its licence rather than pay the fine and make significant changes in order to remain in the market.
Stake, which also held a white label agreement with TGP Europe, continues to sponsor Everton despite closing its UK-facing platform in March 2025.
Fulham’s front-of-shirt sponsor is SBOTOP, whose parent company Celton Manx relinquished its licence in the Isle of Man in May last year. SBOTOP was live in the UK via TGP Europe as well.
Sunderland’s front-of-shirt sponsor W88 is another Asia-facing brand, while Crystal Palace are sponsored by Vietnamese firm Net88.
It is understood these TGP Europe brands have been allowed to continue sponsoring Premier League sides if the websites remain inaccessible to UK-based users.
Licensed operators which sponsor Premier League clubs include Bally’s (Nottingham Forest), Betano (Aston Villa), Hollywoodbets (Brentford) and BOYLE Sports (West Ham United).
The government maintains that clubs with unlicensed sponsors are “not acting unlawfully” so long as UK players are unable to access these platforms.
However, ministers are of the belief that such agreements should halt altogether given the brand visibility could drive consumers towards unlicensed sites operating outside the GC’s regulatory protections.
Last month, the government launched its Illegal Gambling Taskforce, designed to align payment providers, social media platforms and law enforcement in the fight against illegal gambling.
Companies which will form part of the task force include Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa.
Led by UK gambling minister Baroness Twycross, the group will aim to stop illegal operators advertising on social media platforms, prevent payments to unlicensed sites and improve cross-agency collaboration.
The taskforce was launched quietly on LinkedIn by DCMS last month, although neither the government nor any members of the body issued further statements or information.
Twycross added: “We know the real harm that unregulated gambling can cause, exploiting vulnerable people and leaving consumers without the protections they deserve.
“This consultation, alongside the work of our Illegal Gambling Taskforce, shows how seriously this government is taking the issue. We will not hesitate to act where we see people being put at risk.”
Reacting to the announcement, Adam Rivers, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, said: “This will be welcomed by the industry, as sponsorship by unlicensed operators risked blurring the distinction between licensed and unlicensed brands in the eyes of consumers.
“That said, the Premier League sponsors it is aimed at already actively block British consumers from accessing their sites, and front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling operators will cease at the end of the season in any case.
“As a result, the impact on those operators – and on the broader illicit market – is likely to be modest compared with the measures we expect the cross-industry taskforce to pursue in the near future.”
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The post Government unveils plans to ban unlicensed operators sponsoring UK sport first appeared on EGR Intel.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport to launch consultation in the spring, which will “mitigate the risks associated with the illegal market, and help eliminate unfair competition for properly regulated firms”
The post Government unveils plans to ban unlicensed operators sponsoring UK sport first appeared on EGR Intel.