Unlicensed casinos could face ban on sponsoring UK sports teams from 2027

Unlicensed casinos could be banned from sponsoring sports teams in the UK from next year, in a move that poses financial questions for Premier League football clubs such as Everton FC and sports including Formula One.

Plans for a ban, revealed by the Guardian on Sunday and confirmed by the government on Wednesday, are aimed at protecting vulnerable people and reducing the risk of sport being used by organised crime groups for money laundering.

Ministers have launched an eight-week consultation seeking responses to its proposals, which could lead to a ban coming into force as soon as August 2027, covering logos on kits, stadium infrastructure and pitch-side hoardings.

Existing rules do not prohibit sports teams from accepting sponsorship from gambling companies without a Gambling Commission licence, as long as the companies do not accept bets from British consumers.

But the government said it was concerned that people in the UK were accessing unlicensed sites via “virtual private networks” after being attracted by advertising linked to football.

Under the new proposals, commercial deals that are now allowable would become a criminal offence.

One such deal is the sleeve sponsorship tie-up signed in June between Everton FC and its longstanding partner Stake.com, a crypto casino that does not have a licence to serve customers in Great Britain.

Everton pursued the agreement, understood to be worth at least £10m, despite the government warning in February that it was considering a crackdown.

The club now faces the prospect of having to rip up the deal midway through a three-year term that is slated to expire at the end of the 2028-29 season.

The government said its ban would come into force no later than August 2028 and potentially a year earlier, meaning the club stands to miss out on at least one year of the contract.

“We believe that, although most sectors and sports will be unaffected, some sports or clubs will be impacted,” said the gambling minister, Fiona Twycross.

The proposed ban is separate to a voluntary decision by Premier League clubs not to advertise gambling on the front of match-day kits from the start of the 2026-27 season.

Everton, whose prominent supporters include the vocal gambling industry critic and likely next prime minister Andy Burnham, is not the only sports team that could be affected by the government’s plans.

Premier League clubs with an unlicensed gambling partner include Chelsea, Ipswich (both 8Xbet) and Fulham (SBOTOP), while multiple clubs further down the football pyramid have similar deals.

Formula One motorsport could also be affected. Stake.com has previously sponsored the Sauber team. Any similar deals struck in future could mean teams having to remove a gambling sponsor’s decals for the British Grand Prix.

The World Snooker Tour is sponsored by Sportsbet.io, which also does not have a licence to operate in Great Britain.

The proposed ban does not cover online partnership, which would require separate legislation, although the government said it would consider this if necessary.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by any of the betting companies named.

The Guardian has contacted Everton FC, Chelsea FC, Ipswich Town FC, Fulham FC, Formula One, the World Snooker Tour, 8Xbet, Stake.com, SBOTOP and Sportsbet.io for comment.