Premier League Shirt Ban Leaves Gambling Advertising Widespread, Bristol Study Finds

The Premier League’s ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship has removed most of the targeted branding, but betting advertising remains widespread across football broadcasts, according to research from the University of Bristol.

Researchers recorded 15,571 gambling marketing messages across the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season, including 11,205 during seven live match broadcasts. Gambling branding was visible for a combined five hours and 16 minutes, almost one-fifth of the live coverage analysed. 

The findings highlight the limits of a voluntary restriction that covers the front of matchday shirts while allowing operators to retain exposure through sleeves, training clothing and stadium advertising.

What the 10.5% Reduction Measures

The study’s 10.5% figure refers specifically to live-match gambling messages excluding sponsorship lead-ins, compared with the average recorded during the opening weekends of the previous three seasons.

On that basis, messages declined from an annual average of 11,715 in 2023-2025 to 10,484 in 2026. Including sponsorship lead-ins, the reduction was larger: total live-match messages fell 35.9%, from an average of 17,490 to 11,205.

Much of that overall decline came from sponsorship lead-ins, which fell 87.5%. These placements were outside the scope of the shirt sponsorship restriction, making it misleading to attribute the entire reduction to the ban. 

Branding Remains Prominent Elsewhere

Front-of-shirt gambling messages fell by more than 99% against the previous three-season average. However, messages on sleeves and training kits increased approximately 363%, while full electronic pitchside advertising also rose. 

Pitchside boards accounted for 72% of gambling messages during matches. Newcastle United’s fixture against Liverpool produced the highest count, with 2,702 messages, averaging more than 12 per minute. Gambling branding appeared during almost 41% of that broadcast.

The wider monitoring covered every Premier League match broadcast live in the UK from August 21-24, alongside 15 hours each of Sky Sports News and TalkSport, plus social media activity from major gambling brands. The results therefore describe exposure during a sampled opening weekend rather than the whole season. 

Parliamentarians Call for Stronger Restrictions

The findings were presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Reform on October 21. Co-chair Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP called for stronger government regulation.

The Premier League defended its approach, saying it was the first British sports league to voluntarily remove gambling sponsors from shirt fronts. It described the restriction as part of a broader set of measures intended to protect children and vulnerable people. The agreement was reached in 2023 and took effect for the 2026/27 season.