Entain has escalated its campaign against unlicensed gambling operators in English football, calling on the Independent Football Regulator to use existing powers to prohibit Premier League clubs from accepting sponsorship deals with illegal betting firms. The move signals growing frustration within the regulated industry over black market operators using top-flight football as a gateway to UK consumers.

The Regulatory Case

During the IFR’s second licensing consultation, Entain argued that the regulator already possesses the legal tools needed to act. The draft rulebook prohibits clubs from accepting funds linked to serious criminal conduct. Entain’s position is straightforward: unlicensed gambling operations targeting UK customers through English football breach the law, and the IFR should make this explicit in its guidance.

Stella David, Entain’s Chief Executive, framed the issue bluntly: “Premier League clubs are being sponsored by criminal gambling firms. The Independent Football Regulator can stop this tomorrow by simply acknowledging that unlicensed gambling companies targeting UK customers through English football are breaking the law.”

The Scale of the Problem

The scope of unlicensed sponsorship in the Premier League is substantial. Five clubs, including Everton, Sunderland, and Fulham, currently have shirt deals with operators without UK licenses. More concerning, research shows that 18 of the 20 Premier League sides displayed advertising for illegal operators on LED boards this season.

The black market generates an estimated £4.3 billion annually in Britain. Projections suggest that figure could exceed £17 billion. Yield Sec research indicates that 420,000 schoolchildren are gambling through social media, VPNs, and cryptocurrency wallets. Meanwhile, advertising targeting is sophisticated and pervasive: 67 percent of GamStop users report being targeted by black market advertisements.

A Four-Point Framework

Entain’s submission to the IFR outlines a systematic response rather than ad hoc club interventions. The proposals include:

  • Explicit guidance confirming that unlicensed gambling income constitutes funds linked to serious criminal conduct
  • Mandatory board verification of gambling partner license status in annual declarations, with legal penalties for false statements
  • Strengthened corporate governance requirements treating commercial partnership reputational risk as a standing board responsibility
  • Published guidance establishing due diligence and notification duties for all clubs

Entain has also written directly to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters, requesting a voluntary moratorium on unlicensed operator sponsorships and advertising ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The Timing Question

The push comes as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport prepares a separate consultation on banning unlicensed sponsorships across British sport. Entain’s position, however, is that waiting for government action risks continued market penetration by illegal operators. The regulator should act now, not defer to Westminster’s timeline.

Football sponsorship has become the illegal betting sector’s most effective marketing channel. WARC projects that unlicensed sponsorship will represent more than half of UK sports sponsorship spending by 2027, a trajectory the regulated industry clearly finds unsustainable and commercially corrosive.

What the team thinks

Carl Mitchell says:

Philippa’s piece nails the real tension here: Entain’s got a point about unlicensed operators using Premier League glamour to sidestep regulations, but the IFR’s got limited teeth on commercial sponsorship decisions that ultimately sit with individual clubs and the league itself. What’s missing from this argument is that the regulated operators could do more on the ground level, working directly with clubs through their compliance teams rather than just pushing for top-down prohibition. From covering the bookies to the online space for over a decade, I’ve seen that when the legitimate industry and clubs partner on this stuff rather than just regulate against it, you actually get better player protection outcomes and fewer punters getting caught in dodgy deals.