MrQ secures sleeve sponsorship deal with AFC Bournemouth 

MrQ has announced a sponsorship agreement with Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, which will see the operator become the team’s official sleeve partner for the 2026-27 season.  

The announcement was accompanied by a marketing campaign which saw a giant towel with the MrQ logo sprawled across Bournemouth beach.  

The deal comes as a new era of gambling sponsorship is ushered into the Premier League. 

The 2026-27 season marks the start of a voluntary ban on gambling-related front-of-shirt sponsorships for Premier League teams. 

Top flight teams first struck the voluntarily agreement in 2023 following consultations with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 

The implementation of the ban was later delayed until the 2026-27 season to give teams a chance to wrap up any existing gambling-related front-of-shirt deals and pursue new opportunities. 

As part of the agreement, operators are still permitted to advertise on shirt sleeves and pitchside LED boards. Clubs can also continue to have gambling brands sponsor their training kits.

Affiliated platforms, such as news portals or scores apps, will also be prohibited from any front-of-shirt sponsorships.

Bournemouth are one of the teams most affected, after being previously sponsored by Asia-facing operator BJ88.  

The club announced earlier this year that insurance giant Vitality, which already holds the naming rights for the club’s home ground, would become the new front-of-shirt partner.

Regarding the MrQ deal, Jim Frevola, president of business at AFC Bournemouth said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating the partnership with MrQ and kicking it off with a very special activation on Bournemouth beach.  

“The creativity of it says a lot about how our partnership will work, and it’s going to be great to see how supporters and visitors enjoy it on the seafront. I’d like to thank everyone involved and I’m looking forward to working with MrQ going forward.” 

Adam Ryan, MrQ’s chief commercial and marketing officer, added: “We could’ve bought a billboard. But where’s the fun in that? We’d much rather meet the Cherries’ fans where it matters most to kick off this partnership.  

“Becoming the official sleeve partner of our first Premier League club is a huge moment for us, and AFC Bournemouth couldn’t be a better fit. Ambitious, authentic and, like us, know that everything starts with the fans. 

“As ‘The Casino You Love To Hate’, we don’t do forgettable partnerships. We want to create moments supporters genuinely enjoy, spark conversation and become part of the matchday experience. This is just the beginning.” 

MrQ underwent a brand relaunch at the tail end of 2025, which included the ‘The Casino You Love To Hate’ TV, digital and out-of-home ad campaign.

In addition to launching its own in-site currency Qoins this week, the operator unveiled its ‘Q+’ subscription service for users last month.

The Bournemouth deal serves as the latest push in MrQ’s football-related marketing efforts.  

Last month, the boostrapped challenger online casino announced a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers for next season. 

Fellow challenger online brand Midnite has also used the Championship for sponsorship deals, securing front-of-shirt agreements with Middlesborough and newly relegated Wolves, in addition to extending its existing agreements with Sheffield United and Southampton. 

Last season, 11 out of the 20 Premier League teams had gambling companies as their front-of-shirt sponsors.  

Brentford, previously sponsored by Hollywoodbets, has already moved to secure a new sponsor for the upcoming season in the form of jobs platform Indeed.  

In May, The Athletic reported Betway was in advance talks over a training kit sponsorship with Manchester United, although parent company Super Group were unable to confirm these rumours when speaking to EGR in May.

The post MrQ secures sleeve sponsorship deal with AFC Bournemouth  first appeared on EGR Intel.

 Online casino operator announces agreement for 2026-27 season, as the Premier League’s voluntary ban on gambling-related front-of-shirt sponsors kicks in
The post MrQ secures sleeve sponsorship deal with AFC Bournemouth  first appeared on EGR Intel.