In anticipation of the long-awaited and greatly-delayed gambling reform whitepaper, the Premier League has reportedly stated its intention to slowly ban front-of-shirt sponsorships with online casino and gambling sites over the next few years.
In the same report, the Premier League proposed to ministers to have gambling sponsors remain on the sleeves. The justification for this is that shirt sleeves are less visible than the front of the shirt, but having them available still allows clubs to still take advantage of the significant revenue that these companies provide.
According to a report from BBC Sport that was published in May, Premier League clubs may not be allowed to sign gambling and betting firms as sponsorships on the front of their shirts. This comes after campaigns to ban such sponsorships in order to better protect minors and vulnerable gamblers.
There are currently a number of teams in the Premier League that have sponsorship agreements with gambling companies. One example was West Ham, who have an existing agreement with Betway casino as the team's primary shirt sponsor.
Everton FC also made the news in June 2022 for signing a three year sponsorship deal with Stake.com. This sponsorship in particular drew the ire of regulators and players alike, in light of the incoming whitepaper being expected to crack down on online gambling activities and involvements in other media.
