© Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Gambling sponsors on the front of club shirts are to be scrapped from 2025/26 Premier League season

Premier League clubs have agreed to a voluntary ban on football shirt sponsorship by gambling companies.

The proposal will see front-of-shirt sponsorship by betting firms banned but sleeve deals still permitted, was, according to the Times, agreed to by 18 of the 20 clubs with two abstaining.

The changes will come into place from the 2025/26 season, giving clubs a three-year transition period to leave their current deals with companies before finding new sponsors.

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A government white paper on gambling is due to be published within weeks but ministers have signalled it will not include shirt sponsorship restrictions if the voluntary agreement was reached.

Southampton’s current front of shirt sponsor is sportsbet.io, a crypto-focused betting and casino website. The company have been present on matchday kits since 2020 and their relationship with Saints represents the biggest sponsorship agreement in the club’s history

A statement on the Premier League’s website read: “Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.

“The announcement follows an extensive consultation involving 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 Premier League is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship.

“To assist clubs with their transition away from shirt-front gambling sponsorship, the collective agreement will begin at the end of the 2025/26 season.”

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