‘If you’re savvy…’ - Clubs will exploit gambling sponsor loopholes after Nottingham Forest and West Ham moves - expert
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Credit: Imago
Ben Palmer
Thu 28 August 2025 18:30, UK
Premier League clubs will no longer be able to wear matchday kits with front-of-shirt gambling sponsors but that will not put an end to betting sponsors entirely.
That is the view of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that “savvy” clubs would be able to avoid losing out significantly in terms of revenue.
Of the 19 Premier League teams with a sponsor (Chelsea are yet to agree to a sponsorship deal) 11 clubs sport a gambling sponsor on matchdays.
Thanks to an agreement reached in 2023, from the 2026/27 season, clubs will no longer be allowed to wear a betting sponsor on their kits.
The Athletic reports that Premier League clubs are facing a £100million black hole ahead of the rule change, and there will likely be a mad dash to agree deals next season.
Various teams in the division are looking to cash in whilst they still can.
Nottingham Forest agreed a lucrative one-year, £10m agreement with Bally’s Corporation, and West Ham agreed a similar deal with BoyleSports ahead of this season.
However, whilst the majority of the Premier League’s teams will be in the market for a new sponsor this season, not all of them will see their revenue drop if they are smart about the deals they do.
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This article contains exclusive comment from Dan Plumley, a football finance expert and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, Plumley explained that due to the ban being limited to front-of-shirt sponsors, clubs would look to continue to make the most of the vast revenue that is accessible from gambling sponsors by instead focusing on things like perimeter advertising
He said: “It’s only the front-of-shirt sponsor [that will be banned].
“There’s still going to be other ways that clubs can use gambling sponsors and perimeter advertising.
Credit: Imago
“They might look to recoup some of that money through other partnerships with these types of companies.
“And if you’re savvy with that, then you might end up in a position where, actually, you haven’t lost too much ground because you’ve changed your front-of-shirt sponsor, but you’ve also done deals with these companies in other ways.
“Then you end up in a near-similar place to where you were.”
Following their agreement with BoyleSports, former Everton and Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider he was unimpressed by the deal.
The former chief of two Premier League sides explained that West Ham had missed the opportunity to build a commercial opportunity with another brand.
Credit: Imago
The deal is, in Wyness’ view, a short-sighted decision, especially when considering that the East London side will be in competition with the rest of the Premier League for a new sponsor next season.
However, West Ham could still continue their partnership with the gambling sponsor in the future, as Plumley highlighted, but they will still need to find a different front-of-shirt sponsor.