Premier League clubs breaking crypto casino sponsorship rules
Clubs in the Premier League with crypto casinos as shirt sponsors are failing to meet rules.
Premier League regulations state that teams must offer fans an option to buy replica shirts that do not feature sponsorship logos of gambling companies.
Although gambling sponsorships will not be allowed in the Premier League from 2026, more than half of its teams currently have a betting company displayed on the front of their shirts.
Some of these sponsors are crypto casino sites, with Southampton having signed up Rollbit as their partner after earning promotion to the Premier League for the 2024-25 season.
Southampton had described Rollbit as “an innovator in the world of online gaming and entertainment” in their announcement even though the company calls itself a crypto betting site.
Everton, one of the most historic clubs in the Premier League, have the top crypto casino site Stake.com as their main shirt sponsor, with the agreement claimed to be a club-record deal.
Premier League regulations state: “Ensuring that mechanisms exist to enable supporters to have the ability to purchase adult replica kits that do not include gambling sponsorship logos, in the event that they are not otherwise available for purchase.”
However, neither Southampton nor Everton are providing their fans with the option to buy a replica shirt that does not feature the branding of a crypto casino at the present time.
Research conducted by the Pitch Inspection found that five Premier League clubs with gambling sponsors are breaking the rules, with Aston Villa, Fulham and Nottingham Forest falling foul.
Responding to the rule-breaking revelations, The Big Step, which campaigns for football to bring a complete stop to gambling sponsorship in football, said: “This is yet more evidence that football can’t be trusted on gambling – it’s time for the government to end this nonsense.”
The UK government is considering amending gambling regulations with the Labour Party promising reform of the industry in its manifesto ahead of a landslide win at the 2024 election.
Chelsea considered signing up Stake.com as a shirt sponsor last year but the deal fell apart after fans of the club protested against a partnership with the crypto casino company.
Football teams in countries such as Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands are not allowed to have gambling companies such as crypto casinos displayed on the front of their replica shirts.
Premier League clubs will be banned from having betting sponsors from the 2026-27 season.
