Entain has urged England’s Independent Football Regulator to stop clubs from taking sponsorship money from gambling companies that are not licensed in the UK.
The Ladbrokes and Coral owner made the request in response to the regulator’s second licensing consultation, which is shaping the club licensing regime for the top five tiers of English men’s football. Entain wants the IFR to confirm that its draft ban on income connected to serious criminal conduct covers unlicensed gambling sponsorship.
Entain says the regulator can act now
Entain CEO Stella David said the regulator does not need new legislation to move against the deals. The company’s position is that operators targeting British consumers without a Gambling Commission licence are already breaking the law when they accept bets from those customers.
The submission asks the IFR to act before the 2026-27 season begins. Entain said six Premier League clubs currently have sponsorship links with gambling operators that do not hold a UK licence, while some other clubs have carried pitch-side advertising from unlicensed brands.
The company also wants clubs to make an annual board-level declaration on whether they have commercial agreements with licensed gambling operators. It has called for clearer due diligence duties and for reputational risk from commercial partners to sit within club governance rules.
UK ministers are already looking at a ban
The request lands ahead of a government consultation on unlicensed gambling sponsorship in British sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in February that it planned to consult on measures that would stop gambling companies without a UK licence from sponsoring British sports teams.
Ministers said the aim is to stop unlicensed operators using football clubs to build visibility with British fans. The government also said operators serving customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission.
The Premier League has already agreed to remove gambling sponsors from the front of shirts from the end of the 2025-26 season. That voluntary change does not stop gambling brands from appearing on sleeves, training wear, pitch-side boards or other club assets.
Sponsorship fight moves into football governance
Entain argues the IFR should not wait for the DCMS process to finish. Its case is that the football regulator already has a draft rule that can be applied through club licensing.
The IFR consultation has now closed, leaving the regulator to review submissions before finalizing its approach. Its decision will show whether unlicensed gambling sponsorship is treated as a football governance issue, or left for ministers to settle through a separate gambling sponsorship ban.
