Premier League Shirt Sponsors for 2023-24 – How Many Clubs Have Betting Companies on Their Kit?

Betting Sponsors – 7

Below, we have compiled a table to detail the seven Premier League sides that will have gambling companies as their primary, front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2023/24 campaign. We have also then noted where each company’s headquarters are located, which makes for some interesting reading!

Well, other than the fact that betting companies appear to a) almost exclusively sponsor sides whose name is in the first ten letters of the alphabet, and b) be headquartered in tax havens worldwide, there is a clear trend here. Other than Aston Villa, who finished 7th, it appears that the sides most likely to partner with gambling companies are what you might call mid-table or bottom-half sides, suggesting that the traditional “big six” are looking for more high-class and uncontroversial sponsorship options. Or perhaps more accurately, can attract big-money deals from mainstream brands that not only offer more money, but do so with less “baggage”.

Furthermore, although gambling sponsors will be outlawed by 2026, it is interesting to note that two teams made the switch from non-gambling sponsors to gambling brands. Both Villa, who moved from Cazoo to BK8, and Burnley, who swapped Classic Football Shirts for W88, were obviously unfazed by the imminent ban.

Aston Villa, who will be competing in the UEFA Conference League this season, have faced backlash from their Supporters’ Trust as the BK8 deal appears to be a quick cash-grab before the ban comes into place, a move which seems to ignore the concern around the prevalence of gambling in football. BK8 also previously saw their sponsorship deal with Norwich City terminated back in 2021 after supporters claimed that the gambling brand used “misogynistic” marketing tactics that involved sexualising young women. Classy.

Gambling is currently one of the most controversial and frequently debated topics within football, especially following the eight-month suspension of Brentford forward Ivan Toney. The striker was charged with 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules in May 2023.

Considering that Brentford remain sponsored by Hollywood Bets, the shirt sponsor that the England striker will wear when he returns to football, it appears as if the dangers of gambling addiction are not being taken seriously enough by England’s top-flight clubs. Toney is not alone: Nottingham Forest left-back Harry Toffolo allegedly broke the same rules a whopping 375 times between 2014 and 2017, and could face a similarly long ban from football. More recently, at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta was involved in a betting-based scandal too.

Considering these are high-profile cases involving professional footballers, not just ordinary punters, struggling from gambling addictions, it seems shocking that 35% of Premier League sides have a gambling company as their main sponsor. In addition, both Crystal Palace and Wolves also sport betting sponsors on their sleeves.

For some clubs, such as Everton, who have struggled financially in recent years, the level of cash offered by betting firms is just too much to turn down. Back in 2020, the club’s then-chief executive, Denise Barret-Baxendale, declared that Everton would ideally not be sponsored by a betting company, yet here they are! The deal with Stake.com, agreed in 2022, will last for several years, and is worth a reported £10 million a season for the Merseyside club, who have become another side to take cash over their supposed morals.

It is also worth noting that the gambling companies that are appearing on Premier League shirts tend not to have already penetrated the UK market in any great way. Brands such as Fulham’s SBOTOP and Burnley’s W88, are examples and these sites aim to establish themselves as major players in the market with the help of the Premier League.

Financial Services – 5

Next up, we have financial services, which includes an array of different brands, from Liverpool’s long-term banking sponsor Standard Chartered, to Wolves’ AstroPay, an online payment platform who are only in their second year of sponsorship. Below, we have compiled a table to highlight the different financial services sponsors in the Premier League, and where they’re headquartered.

Well, alongside the fact that we have now moved to the opposite end of the alphabet, something you may immediately notice with the financial services brands that currently sponsor PL sides is the fact that two of them are based in the UK. Whilst all seven of the gambling companies were based abroad, both Standard Chartered and AstroPay are UK-based brands. This makes them two of only four Premier League sides to have a shirt sponsor with British headquarters, which is half of the number (eight) who are headquartered in Asia, showing that shirt sponsorship is clearly a worldwide business!

What is also interesting here is that three of the five financial services brands have agreed very long-term deals: Brighton, Liverpool and Spurs, whilst the other two, Wolves and Sheffield United, are operating on season-long partnerships. In Tottenham’s case, AIA have been their principal shirt sponsor since 2013, and a new deal was agreed with the life insurance brand back in 2019. This arrangement was an eight-year extension that will see the north London side earn around £40 million per season until 2027, an incredibly lucrative agreement.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have had bank Standard Chartered emblazoned on their shirts since 2010, and have also recently extended the deal. In 2022, the Reds announced that Standard Chartered would remain as the club’s principal sponsor until at least the 2026/27 campaign, and this new deal is reportedly worth at least £50 million a season!

Long-term investment in clubs such as Liverpool and Tottenham seems to be sensible, as they are likely to always be around the top of the table. Whilst title challenges might not always happen, these clubs will still be guaranteed big bucks from TV rights, especially if they also happen to be competing in Europe.

This is also likely to be the reason why both Sheffield United and Wolves have secured more short-term sponsorship deals. There is no real guarantee that either will stay up this season, and clubs competing in the Championship are unable to command such lucrative sponsors.

Brighton’s sponsors, American Express, probably cannot believe their luck, given that they extended their sponsorship deal with the Seagulls, which began in 2010, up until 2031, and the club have since skyrocketed from relegation candidates to Europa League hopefuls. The sponsorship was renewed back in 2019, and was worth a reported £100 million across 12 years.

However, under the incredible ownership and scouting of Tony Bloom, and the managerial wizardry of Graham Potter and Roberto de Zerbi, the south coast side have since established themselves as one of the top teams in the country. I fact, thanks to their brilliant work in the transfer market, they have made over £100 million in profit in the last 10 years! Talk about a return on your investment… Todd Boehly might be wishing he bought the Seagulls at this point!

Airlines – 2

Whilst there are no surprises here, given that Arsenal and Manchester City’s deals with UAE airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates are very well-established, long-term agreements, we have compiled a table to highlight them underneath.

Both Arsenal and City, the clubs who finished first and second last year, have been sponsored by two of the giants of air travel for a number of years, with both deals also involving the naming rights to the club’s respective stadiums.

For Arsenal, Emirates has been emblazoned on their famous red and white shirts since 2006, at which point the club were earning around £5.5 million a season from the Emirati airline. However, back in 2018, the club’s current deal was signed, and it is reportedly worth a vast £40 million a season and was one of the biggest sponsorship agreements ever in football. This deal will be up for renewal at the end of the season, and is therefore likely to increase in value, considering that the north London side have managed to re-enter the Champions League, and look to be serious title contenders for the foreseeable future under Mikel Arteta

For treble-winners Manchester City, the undisputed champions of world football, only the best (for which read, most lucrative) sponsor will do. That is why their deal with fellow Emirati airline Etihad Airways supposedly brings in £67.5 million a year, over £20 million more than fierce rivals Manchester United are earning.

However, this is a deal that remains controversial, as the club are currently being investigated for breaching a number of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018, breaches that are likely to concern the club’s deal with Etihad. On the pitch, the Cityzens continue to dominate the Premier League with ease, but it will be interesting to see what the conclusion of the league’s investigation will be. The sponsorship agreement first emerged back in 2009 and has played a major part in the club’s continued success and acquisition of some of the world’s greatest players.

Automotive – 1

As Aston Villa decided to ditch Cazoo for gambling giant BK8, we are left with only one team in the Premier League with an automotive shirt sponsor: Crystal Palace.

The Eagles first signed a deal with Cinch ahead of the 2022/23 season, after parting ways with betting company W88 (who now sponsor Burnley), after it was announced that the Premier League would be eventually banning gambling sponsors. The UK-based second-hand car brand, who sponsor a number of different sporting entities including the England Cricket Teams and the Scottish Premiership, signed a multi-year deal.

Whilst others seem to have not followed the south London club’s example, such as Villa, hopefully more brands within different industries will begin to invest in the Premier League, as the ban draws closer. Furthermore, with Palace beginning their 11th successive year in the Premier League (for the majority of which they seem to have finished 12th!) they seem to be a fairly safe bet for a longer-term investment, and Cinch were quick to snap up the opportunity. However, it is worth mentioning that the Eagles have since signed a lucrative sleeve sponsorship deal with Asian gambling company Kaiyun Sports, suggesting that their decision to drop their betting shirt sponsor was perhaps more financial than moral.

IT – 1

Another rather unique sponsor within the league, especially for such a well-known club with an illustrious history, is TeamViewer. The IT brand remain on the front of Manchester United’s shirts, despite their somewhat disastrous shirt sponsorship being terminated back in December 2022!

The deal between the Red Devils and the German software company, whose software is supposedly installed on 2.5 billion devices worldwide, was agreed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and was worth a reported £235 million over five years. Following a spell of poor performances, in which the club failed to qualify for the Champions League for several years, United had to agree a deal worth a painful £17 million less a year than their previous agreement with motoring giants Chevrolet.

After just a year of sponsoring the Manchester club, TeamViewer’s stock price had dropped more than 70%, making it nothing short of a catastrophic deal for the IT brand. However, whilst United’s shirts will no longer feature TeamViewer when a suitable replacement is found, they will remain partnered with the club until at least 2026. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are in a state of limbo, having terminated their shirt sponsorship contract with a brand that remain emblazoned on their kits, so it will be interesting to see what happens, especially given the possible impending Qatari takeover at Old Trafford.

Energy – 1

Next up, we have Premier League new boys Luton, competing in the top flight for the first time since 1992. They are the only club in the Premier League to have an energy provider as a shirt sponsor.

The UK-based energy supplier, the fourth and final British shirt sponsor on the list, have been partnered with the Bedfordshire side since 2015, at which point the club were competing in League Two, so have been instrumental in the club’s meteoric rise. The Hatters have also declared that they will not partner with a gambling company, as C.E.O Gary Sweet declared that Luton “do not feel comfortable” working with them.

This is by far the biggest sponsorship deal in the club’s history, and they will be desperate to stay in the top tier, although this would be some feat! Furthermore, Utlilia have also announced that they will be donating £2 from every Hatters shirt sold this season to Luton Foodbank, highlighting how football clubs can help those in the community.

Entertainment & Hospitality – 1

Finally, the last club on our list to have agreed a deal with a shirt sponsor is Newcastle United, with the Magpies announcing Saudi hospitality brand Sela as their new shirt partner.

Sela are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who not only own an 80% stake in Newcastle, but have also recently purchased the top four sides in the Saudi Pro League, a move which has been instrumental in bringing players from Europe to the Middle East. Ethics? Is that a county in the east of England?

This multi-year contract, worth a reported £25 million a season, is another uncomfortable episode in the Newcastle-Saudi saga, as a business owned by the Saudi government has effectively decided to sponsor a club that is also owned by the Saudi government! A horrific human rights record and criminalisation of homosexuality aside, the PIF investment in Newcastle has been extremely positive for the club’s on-field performance, as Eddie Howe’s side have managed to secure Champions League football for the upcoming season.