Entain has renewed its push for the UK government to immediately ban unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sport.
The Ladbrokes Coral owner has reiterated demands it first made during the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s consultation on the issue, this time backed by fresh analysis.
Entain’s new submission draws on deeper research into the growing prevalence of black market bookmakers operating within the Premier League’s commercial ecosystem.
Earlier this month, Entain wrote directly to ten Premier League clubs it identified as having affiliations with unregulated gambling companies.
Shortly after that move, Sunderland announced a partnership with Shuffle, a crypto-focused online casino and sports betting platform that operates without a UK licence, with the brand set to appear on the club’s sleeve.
Entain has also leaned on research showing that four in five consumers are unable to identify whether a gambling operator is licensed or unlicensed.
That finding raises serious concerns about the potential damage being done to the credibility of harm prevention organisations such as GAMSTOP, which rely on consumer trust to function effectively.
Chief Executive Officer Stella David has been particularly vocal, criticising both the government’s pace and the Premier League clubs continuing to engage with unlicensed operators.
DCMS has repeatedly indicated that any ban on unlicensed operators sponsoring sport, if ultimately approved, would not come into effect until the 2027/28 Premier League season at the earliest.
Entain has made clear it views that timeline as unacceptably slow, with unlicensed firms gaining more commercial exposure with every passing season.
The calls come against a difficult internal backdrop for Entain, which has announced it may be cutting up to 400 roles within its customer care department.
Alongside those concerns, David has also urged Andy Burnham and his Cabinet to avoid imposing higher taxes on machine games, amid rumours that Machine Games Duty could be doubled in the Autumn Budget.
Entain has consistently been the most outspoken licensed operator in these debates, and its latest intervention signals it has no intention of easing pressure on the government to act.
