Entain calls on UK government to ban unlicensed gambling sponsorship in British football immediately

Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Cora, wants the UK government to bring in its planned ban on unlicensed gambling sponsorship without waiting for another football season to pass. For PSPs and operators in high-risk verticals, the point is straightforward: once a jurisdiction decides that brand visibility can be treated as a consumer-protection and financial-crime issue, the commercial window can close fast.

1. Entain says the recent consultation on the unlicensed gambling sponsorship ban gives Premier League clubs too much time to keep promoting operators without Gambling Commission licences. The company’s position is blunt: “Inconvenience is not an excuse for inaction.”
2. The operator cites analysis forecasting that UK staking with unlicensed operators will nearly double from £17bn in 2025 to more than £33bn by 2028. It also says 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs now have sponsorship or advertising arrangements with gambling operators that do not hold a Gambling Commission licence, up from the government’s own estimate of eight clubs in the 2025/26 season.
3. New deals have continued even after the government said it intended to ban these arrangements. Entain points to Sunderland AFC’s new deal with Curaçao-based Shuffle, and names the other clubs involved as Everton (Stake.com), Fulham (SBOTOP), Chelsea (8XBet), Tottenham Hotspur (VSBet), Ipswich Town (8XBet), Nottingham Forest (FUN88), Crystal Palace (Chexx.bet), Coventry City (8XBet), Aston Villa (8XBet) and Newcastle United (8XBet).
4. Entain says these sponsorships use shirt sleeves, training kits, stadium branding and perimeter boards, with the branding often appearing in match-day TV coverage, including replays on the BBC’s Match of the Day. Its argument is that clubs that signed new deals knew there was a risk of a ban and should not get a year’s grace period.
5. In its submission, Entain says many unlicensed gambling operators do not meet British consumer-protection regulations, anti-money laundering standards and tax obligations required of regulated firms. It also says over 80 per cent of consumers cannot confidently distinguish licensed operators from unlicensed ones, and therefore unlicensed sponsorship can give outside-the-perimeter brands a credibility boost they have not earned.

Entain is also pressing for the ban to cover online and digital advertising. The practical issue for the market is not just shirt sponsorship; it is whether the UK is prepared to treat operator visibility as part of its licensing perimeter, including references to GAMSTOP, deposit and spending limits, and affordability checks.