TLDR Entain wants sports bodies to voluntarily ban sponsorship deals with unlicensed gambling firms before new UK laws take effect. The UK Government has opened a consultation on banning such sponsorship deals. H2 Gambling Capital data shows illegal betting turnover rose from £5 billion in 2019 to £16.6 billion in 2025. Entain wants the ban to cover more than shirt sponsors, including LED boards and digital ads. Entain sent letters to the Premier League and the Independent Football Regulator asking for quick action.
Entain has asked British football authorities to stop working with unlicensed gambling companies. The request comes as the UK Government opens a public consultation on the issue. Entain wants action before the 2026/27 season starts.
The betting group says illegal operators use sports deals to appear trustworthy to UK fans. These companies operate without a UK license. That means they skip UK taxes and consumer protection rules that licensed firms must follow.
Entain is not just asking for a ban on shirt sponsors. It wants the rules to also cover LED perimeter boards, digital promotions, and other ad space. The company says a narrow ban would leave gaps that illegal firms could still use.
Illegal Betting Market Keeps Growing
New research backs up Entain’s concerns. H2 Gambling Capital found that turnover from unlicensed gambling firms grew from £5 billion in 2019 to £16.6 billion in 2025. The firm expects this number to keep climbing.
A separate study for the Betting and Gaming Council found something else worrying. Unregulated firms could make up close to half of all UK gambling ad spending during the 2026/27 period. That spending is also expected to rise further.
Entain says these companies do not just rely on sports sponsorships. They also use social media, affiliate websites, betting tipsters, and