The UK government is moving forward with plans to fully prohibit unregulated gambling operators from sponsoring sports teams.Illegal operators are viewed as threats to...
Entain CEO supports the ban on illegal UK gambling sponsors
Stella David, the Chief Executive Officer of Entain, has become the largest figure by far to join the debate of banning unlicensed gambling sponsorships in British sport.
David has urged the Premier League not to wait for a ban but to take immediate action against sports clubs that promote illegal gambling operators in a letter written to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters.
The Entain CEO pushed for an immediate ban on sponsorship deals with operators who don’t have UKGC licenses, and warned that football’s top division shouldn’t be a “shop window for the black market”, stressing that logos on shirts, sleeves, and boards expose fans to unnecessary risks.
David wrote:
“It cannot be right that clubs competing in the world’s most-watched football league are promoting gambling brands that do not hold a UK license. These operators do not contribute to British sport, they do not pay UK gambling duties, and they do not uphold the standards of player protection that our regulated market is built upon.”
The letter comes after the government of the UK announced plans to ban illegal operators from sponsoring sports teams, as the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport is preparing to conduct a consultation on a formal ban during the spring of 2026.
David added:
“On Saturday, 28 February, Bournemouth will host Sunderland in what can only be described as a ‘black market derby’, with both teams sporting gambling sponsors on their shirts that do not hold UK licences. It exemplifies the rise of black market gambling in the UK, the Premier League’s complicity in it, and the very real harms at stake.”
The Premier League has already confirmed that front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships will be removed at the end of the current season.
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