Gambling self-exclusion software provider Gamban has announced a sponsorship agreement with Lewes Football Club for the 2026/27 season.
Lewes FC is a fan-owned, semi-professional club competing in the Isthmian League Premier Division, one of English football’s lower pyramid tiers.
The club has actively campaigned against what it considers the harmful impact of gambling advertising and sponsorship in football since 2019.
Lewes has consistently called on governing bodies to introduce tighter regulations around gambling-related advertising and shirt sponsorships across the game.
“The majority of football kits are covered in gambling sponsorships, while betting adverts are almost impossible to avoid in and around stadiums,” Gamban said in a statement.
Gamban added that it is “excited to be working with a club that shares our belief that football can do things differently.”
The timing of the deal coincides with the introduction of new restrictions on front-of-shirt gambling advertising in the Premier League, which have drawn criticism in some quarters.
Lewes director John Peel described the new Premier League rules as “tokenistic,” pointing to ongoing commercial realities lower down the football pyramid.
Peel noted that Lewes itself is “mandated to carry gambling advertising on the other sleeve of our shirt” due to Entain-led Pitching In’s sponsorship of the Isthmian League.
Pitching In serves as the multi-year title sponsor and grassroots sports investment partner of the Isthmian League, Northern Premier League, and Southern League, collectively known as the Trident Leagues.
As part of that arrangement, the Pitching In logo is required to appear on the shirt sleeves of every club across all three leagues.
Gamban co-founder Matt Zarb-Cousin praised Lewes for its stance, saying the club “has been leading by example in refusing betting sponsorship and calling for an end to gambling ads in football.”
Zarb-Cousin added that “sports betting is a gateway to the highly addictive online slots and casino, which has created an epidemic of mental ill health and financial harm in Britain.”
He further stated that “millions of people are now addicted and at-risk, while the gambling industry posts record profits,” arguing that Lewes FC “should be commended for platforming Gamban as an antidote.”
This latest deal builds on Gamban’s growing presence in sports partnerships, having previously signed an agreement with Danish esports team ECSTATIC in September last year.
That esports deal was described as the first time a professional esports team chose a sponsor “dedicated to reducing gambling harm instead of promoting betting,” according to Gamban.
