Government moves to tighten restrictions on gambling sponsorship in sport

Luke Jackson, sports sector specialist and Legal Director at Walker Morris, comments: “Gambling sponsorship has been deeply embedded in football for many years, with a significant number of clubs relying on these partnerships as a core revenue stream. Moving from a voluntary front‑of‑shirt ban to a legally binding restriction on exhibiting unlicensed gambling brands across all kit sponsorship would mark a major shift, and one that may have direct consequences for the underlying commercial contracts. For some clubs, this may create pressure to bring existing sponsorship arrangements to an early end, or at least to revisit the terms. It also reinforces the importance of forward‑looking contract drafting, with rights to terminate, suspend or renegotiate in the event of regulatory change becoming essential to mitigating risk.”

He added: “While the removal of these gambling sponsors will inevitably create a gap in the market, that gap is likely to be filled quickly. Sectors such as crypto, trading platforms and buy now, pay later have already shown strong interest in sports sponsorship. However, these are themselves highly regulated industries, each carrying distinct legal and reputational risks.

“As clubs explore replacement sponsors, due diligence and regulatory awareness will be critical. This is not simply a case of swapping one logo for another, it’s about understanding how evolving regulation, brand alignment and long‑term commercial resilience fit together in a changing sponsorship landscape.”