Entain has welcomed the UK government’s consultation on banning unlicensed gambling sponsorships and is pushing sports bodies to act before legislation forces their hand.
The operator is calling for an immediate ban on all sponsorship deals with unlicensed gambling operators, urging the Premier League and other governing bodies to move ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Entain said the ban should cover all advertising and promotional rights, including perimeter boards, shirt sponsorships, and digital assets, without waiting for formal legislation to take effect.
The push comes as new figures from research consultancy H2GC show the illegal gambling market’s turnover grew from £5bn to £16.6bn between 2019 and 2025, with the market forecast to double again by 2028.
Separate analysis by the Betting and Gaming Council and the World Advertising Research Centre found unregulated operators are set to account for 47.7% of all UK gambling advertising spend in 2026/27.
Entain CEO Stella David said: “We welcome the launch of this consultation, which was expected earlier this year and represents another important step forward in tackling illegal gambling. Unlicensed gambling operators are often little more than fronts for organised crime.”
David added: “They target vulnerable consumers, pay no UK tax, and ignore safeguards licensed operators must provide. The government has rightly recognised that these sponsorship arrangements create risks for consumers and for sport.”
She called on clubs, leagues, and governing bodies to voluntarily end relationships with unlicensed operators immediately, also urging the government and UKGC to follow the Financial Conduct Authority’s example in warning sporting bodies about the risks of such deals.
Entain has written directly to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters urging an immediate voluntary ban on sponsorship and advertising by unlicensed operators, with LED perimeter boards identified as a priority target.
The company has also written to David Kogan OBE, chair of the Independent Football Regulator, outlining proposed governance and licensing reforms it believes are necessary to clean up the sector.
Entain’s own research published this month found unlicensed operators using social media, streaming platforms, tipsters, influencers, and affiliate networks to reach UK consumers, including audiences with a significant proportion of under-18s.
David stated: “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.”
The Betting and Gaming Council also welcomed the government consultation, with a spokesperson saying: “Unlicensed operators should not be able to use British sport to promote illegal gambling to UK consumers.”
Unlicensed sports sponsorship has been a long-running concern in football, with many Premier League clubs holding deals with obscure Asian operators largely unknown to British consumers, including brands such as Fun88, BK8, and 8Xbet.
Reporting by Josimar Football and others highlighted that many of these brands demonstrate issues including fictional executives and, in some cases, links to organised crime and cyberslavery compounds.
Many of these arrangements exploited a regulatory loophole through white label licensing, with provider TGP Europe, linked to disgraced tycoon Alvin Chau, becoming notorious for facilitating such deals.
A significant moment came in May 2025 when TGP Europe surrendered its licence after the UKGC ruled it must pay a £3.3m penalty and make substantial operational changes to continue operating.
The government then signalled in February 2026 that it was considering launching a formal consultation on banning unlicensed gambling sponsorship deals altogether, with that process now formally underway.
Reports suggest that as many as 18 out of 20 Premier League clubs featured some form of unlicensed gambling sponsorship during the 2025/26 season, underscoring the scale of the problem the industry now faces.
