The UK government has launched a consultation on plans to ban British sports organizations from signing sponsorship and advertising deals with unlicensed gambling companies. The proposed rules would make it a criminal offence for clubs, leagues, venues, and other organizations to enter agreements with unlicensed operators.
The consultation aims to close a loophole that has allowed overseas betting brands to maintain a high-profile presence in English sport despite being unable to legally serve customers in Great Britain. The proposed rules would apply across sport, with football expected to feel the biggest impact due to its reliance on betting partnerships.
The current framework allows overseas operators to secure visibility through geo-blocked websites, but this can be bypassed using virtual private networks. The government argues that the proposed ban would help prevent unlicensed operators from using English football to promote their brands.
The consultation follows the collapse of white-label provider TGP Europe in 2025 after it surrendered its Gambling Commission licence during an anti-money laundering investigation. The government estimates that around 40% of Premier League clubs held sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed operators during the 2025/26 campaign.
UK ministers seek to introduce the ban before the 2027/28 football season, but are also seeking views on allowing existing agreements to continue until August 2028. The government's proposal builds on plans first outlined earlier this year, when ministers signaled they intended to tighten sponsorship rules as part of a crackdown on illegal gambling.
Entain, a leading gambling company, has welcomed the consultation and urged football authorities not to wait for legislation before ending relationships with unlicensed operators. Stella David, Chief Executive of Entain, argued that unlicensed operators often have links to organized crime, avoid UK taxes, and are not required to provide the consumer protections imposed on licensed firms.
David also urged regulators to follow the Financial Conduct Authority's approach to unregulated crypto firms, warning that sponsorship agreements with unlicensed gambling operators could quickly lose their value. Entain cited research from H2 Gambling Capital, which estimates the illegal gambling market has grown from £5 billion in gross gambling yield in 2019 to £16.6 billion in 2025.
The Betting and Gaming Council has also welcomed the consultation, describing it as an important step in tackling illegal gambling. The Council argued that sponsorship restrictions should not become a substitute for tackling the wider digital ecosystem that enables illegal gambling operators to grow their presence in Great Britain.
