The UK government has announced plans to fully ban unregulated gambling companies from being sponsors British sports teams, marking a major escalation in the crackdown on the “shadow” gambling industry.
Ministers have labeled these offshore operators a “massive threat to public safety,” citing their total disregard for consumer protection laws and financial checks.
Closing the Brand Exposure Loophole
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is championing the move to ensure fans are not inadvertently lured into unsafe platforms. While the UK Premier League previously agreed to a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors starting after next season, many clubs continue to sign lucrative deals for sleeve patches and LED perimeter boards with unlicensed firms.
Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross emphasized the danger of this visual exposure:
“Unlicensed companies use massive football clubs to boost their global profiles right now. This dangerous exposure pulls innocent fans toward highly unsafe betting platforms.”
The Illegal Gambling Taskforce
To support this effort, the government launched a specialized Illegal Gambling Taskforce last month, uniting law enforcement with tech giants like Google, TikTok, Visa, and Mastercard. The group aims to block digital payments to offshore sites and prevent illicit advertisements on social media.
A public consultation on the sponsorship ban is set to launch this spring. The new rules will require every sports sponsor to hold a valid British license, effectively ending the era of “white-label” loopholes that allowed offshore brands to gain visibility on the global stage through British football.
