© Getty Images West Ham are one of eight Premier League clubs to be sponsored by a gambling firm
Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, after the deadline, clubs will still be able to continue featuring gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.
And clubs will be allowed to secure new shirt-front deals before the deadline.
Eight top-flight clubs have gambling companies on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60m per year.
The announcement follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation.
The decision will see the Premier League become the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.
A gambling white paper is expected to be published by the government after its review of gambling legislation.
The government was not expected to propose banning gambling sponsorship, with the plan being for the Premier League to agree voluntarily to a change.
The plans were largely agreed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson before he stepped down.
In January, Aston Villa’s fan consultation group met chief executive Christian Purslow after the club was reported to have signed a deal with Asia-based betting firm BK8. It later issued a statement saying “the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies”.
The Premier League has previously said “a self-regulatory approach would provide a practical and flexible alternative to legislation or outright prohibition”.
The collective agreement to start the ban after 2025-26 has been reached to assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponsorship.
‘Some will question the timescale’
Analysis – BBC football reporter Simon Stone
The Premier League’s move doesn’t take effect until 2026 and some will question that timescale and the fact clubs can sign new front of shirt deals up to that point.
However, the move is to be welcomed because it is adopting a new strategy around a social issue that has started to become increasingly problematic.
As with alcohol, the link between gambling and football will probably always be there. However, as happened with alcohol, it feels increasingly uncomfortable for advertising around gambling to be quite so prominent.
Of course, the Premier League is more able to execute a move like this because its huge TV deals shield the clubs. The English Football League is not in such an advantageous position.