Premier League gambling ban to cut average sponsorship value by 38%
The upcoming Premier League gambling ban in the 2026/27 season is set to cause major financial disruption, according to research published this week in The Sponsor. The latest Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values report warns that some clubs could lose more than half of their current front-of-shirt sponsorship income overnight.
The financial forecast
Clubs like AFC Bournemouth are among the most exposed. The club's reported £6.1 million-a-year front-of-shirt deal with gambling sponsor BJ88 is 49% above fair market value. When the ban takes effect, Bournemouth, along with the ten other Premier League clubs with gambling sponsors, will struggle to secure non-gambling partners willing to match the current figures.
The harsh reality is that gambling brands are currently propping up the Premier League sponsorship market. When those brands exit, the entire structure becomes vulnerable, as clubs struggle to find sponsors willing to match those fees. Securing sponsorship is already highly competitive, and that competition will intensify next year as clubs chase a limited pool of non-gambling brands. One Commercial Director told this publication that their highest offer from a non-gambling brand was less than half of what a gambling sponsor had put on the table. That shows you the scale of the problem.
Eleven Premier League clubs currently feature gambling sponsors on the front of their shirts. On paper, many of these deals appear to align with today’s published fair market values. However, that figure in the context of the impending ban is misleading. Fair market value today is significantly inflated by fees from gambling brands, which account for over half of the market.
Recalibrating the model
When we strip gambling deals out of the model and recalculate using only non-gambling commercial benchmarks, sponsorship values drop significantly. For some clubs, the correction is modest, but for others, it’s severe. In addition to Bournemouth, Fulham and Wolves are projected to lose over half of their fair market sponsorship value, while the average reduction in fair market value across all gambling-sponsored clubs is 38% of their current deal.
When that revenue disappears, many clubs, particularly those outside the ‘big six’, could find no sponsors willing to meet their current deal value. Clubs will then face a fierce race to replace gambling revenue from a much smaller pool of non-gambling sponsors, intensifying competition among the most exposed.
The result? A market-wide correction in Premier League sponsorship value, one that could disproportionately harm smaller clubs and further widen the commercial gap between the top and bottom of the table.
What comes next?
The Premier League gambling sponsorship ban does not extend to sleeve sponsorship. Therefore, it is highly likely that many of these gambling brands will transfer their sponsorship from the front-of-shirt to the sleeve position. The average Premier League sleeve sponsorship deal is currently 39% of the club's front-of-shirt agreement. On average, gambling brands pay 38% above the fair market rate for their front-of-shirt sponsorships. If this inflated deal value were to translate to the sleeve sponsorship, then clubs could recoup a significant portion of their expected front-of-shirt sleeve losses.
New opportunities
While the Premier League gambling ban will hit clubs financially, it opens the door for non-gambling brands with modest budgets. With fewer buyers and increased competition among sellers, lower asking prices create a rare buyer’s market. Brands that hold their nerve at the negotiating table could secure high-impact Premier League partnerships at excellent value, unlocking global visibility at a fraction of the usual cost.
