Entain, the UK-licensed operator behind Ladbrokes and Coral, has escalated its campaign against unlicensed gambling sponsorship in English football as the 2026-27 Premier League season begins. In a further intervention reported by SBC News on 17 August 2026, Entain criticised what it called the "nerve and audacity" of unlicensed operators sponsoring Premier League clubs, continuing pressure it first raised with the Premier League and the Independent Football Regulator earlier in 2026.
Background: The Campaign So Far
Entain first raised the issue in a letter from Chief Executive Officer Stella David to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters on 25 February 2026. David stated that gambling companies with no licence to operate in the United Kingdom were sponsoring Premier League clubs, and called for a comprehensive ban covering shirts, sleeves, and all other partnership types. At the time, 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs for the 2025-26 season carried a gambling sponsor, and 6 of those 11 held no UK gambling licence: Bournemouth (BJ88), Burnley (96.com), Everton (Stake.com), Fulham (SBOTOP), Sunderland (W88), and Wolverhampton Wanderers (DEBET).
On 15 May 2026, Entain's General Counsel, Simon Zinger, wrote directly to executives at the same six clubs. The letters urged each club to commit to using only UK-licensed gambling sponsors for the 2026-27 season, and raised specific concerns about some partners' reliance on cryptocurrency and unregulated payment methods.
What Entain Is Calling For Now
As the 2026-27 season gets under way, Entain has escalated its public pressure. In comments reported by SBC News on 17 August 2026, a senior Entain executive described the position of unlicensed operators in English football sponsorship as having "nerve and audacity", and said the scale of the unlicensed market's presence remained "extraordinary".
Entain has continued to press the Independent Football Regulator to treat unlicensed gambling sponsorship as a breach of the law, following a submission the company made to the regulator's licensing consultation in May 2026. Entain cites research from Frontier Economics estimating that around 1.5 million people in Britain stake approximately £4.3 billion a year with illegal gambling operators, and research from WARC suggesting unlicensed sponsorship could account for more than half of all UK sports sponsorship spending by October 2027. The Independent Football Regulator formally gained its powers to oversee English football governance in 2025, and its licensing consultation is the first process through which clubs' commercial arrangements, including sponsorship, could face direct regulatory scrutiny.
What This Means for Premier League Clubs and Bettors
The Premier League's own voluntary ban on gambling sponsorship applies only to the front of shirts, and took effect from the 2026-27 season. It does not extend to sleeve patches, perimeter advertising, or social media partnerships, which means clubs remain free to continue commercial relationships with unlicensed operators through those channels.
For UK bettors, the distinction matters because operators without a UK Gambling Commission licence fall outside the consumer protections that licensed operators, including Entain's own Ladbrokes and Coral brands, are required to provide. Those protections include mandatory responsible gambling tools, dispute resolution through an approved body, and adherence to UK advertising and marketing standards. Gambling Zone recommends only operators holding a valid UK Gambling Commission licence.
Neither the Premier League nor the six clubs named have issued a public comment on Entain's latest statement at the time of writing. Gambling Zone will update this story if that changes.
