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 or even stadium naming rights.
And clubs will be allowed to secure new shirt-front deals before the deadline as long as they end by the end of the 2026 season.
For West Ham this means they could extend the Betway shirt sponsorship deal to 2026 and could then do a deal to move the gambling company to their sleeves.
Betway will still be able to advertised in the London Stadium pitch side on LED advertising boards and hospitality lounges and there would be nothing in theory to stop a gambling company buying Stadium naming rights although stadium owners London Legacy Development Corporation might veto that.
The voluntarily ban of front of shirt sponsorship seems a bit of a pointless gesture.
A Premier League statement 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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