Half of Premier League clubs have sponsorship deals with unlicensed operators ahead of 2026 ban risk

Half of the 20 English Premier League clubs currently have sponsorship agreements with unlicensed operators. The practical issue for PSPs and payment teams is simple: if those contracts get banned next year, the commercial and payments setup around a lot of football-facing gambling traffic will need to be unwound fast.

1. According to the source, 10 of the 20 Premier League clubs have sponsorship deals with unlicensed operators.
2. The source says such contracts may be prohibited next year, which would directly affect the commercial model behind those deals.
3. For payment providers servicing gambling or betting brands tied to football sponsorships, the headline risk is not brand exposure alone. It is the possibility that merchant relationships, processing flows, and counterparties built around these agreements get disrupted on a fixed timeline.