Half of Premier League clubs now hold sponsorship or advertising deals with gambling companies not licensed in the UK, putting tens of millions of pounds in revenue at risk if the government presses ahead with a proposed ban. An eight-week government consultation on the plans closes on Wednesday, pitting UK-licensed operators such as Ladbrokes and William Hill against the Premier League, which is lobbying against a ban on the grounds that these largely Asia-facing betting firms and online casinos are not technically available to UK customers, despite being easily accessible via a VPN.

Guardian analysis found the number of top-flight clubs with commercial ties to unlicensed operators has risen from six to ten over the summer, a shift likely driven by the league's own voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship this season. Everton signed a three-year sleeve deal with crypto casino Stake.com, while Fulham shifted its SBOTOP sponsorship to training kit; eight further clubs, including Chelsea and Tottenham, have stadium or player-branding arrangements, with Curaçao-licensed 8XBet alone tied to five clubs. Unlicensed operators earned £379m from UK users in the first half of 2025, now holding 9% of Britain's £8.2bn online gaming market, up from 2% in 2022, and lack safeguards such as Gamstop self-exclusion and affordability checks. Entain, owner of Ladbrokes, has written to all ten affected clubs, notably invoking Everton fan and prime minister Andy Burnham, while gambling minister Vicky Foxcroft is said to be planning to introduce the ban next year despite pressure to let existing contracts run their course.