Premier League Ban Strengthens Gambling's Relationship With EFL

The Premier League gambling sponsorship ban may have strengthened English football’s relationship with gambling - just further down the pyramid.

betTOM has become the latest operator to embark on an EFL sponsorship spree. The operator signed deals with Burnley, Stockport County, and Peterborough United, all over the course of the past week.

On its own, three new sponsorship deals from one ambitious operator might not mean much. However, betTOM is joining a growing number of bookmakers investing heavily in clubs outside the Premier League.

Instead of weakening betting’s relationship with English football, it seems the EPL shirt sponsorship ban has made the EFL a new target for operators.

Gambling Companies Pile Into the Championship

The Premier League's voluntary front-of-shirt gambling ban came into force at the beginning of the 2026/27 season. It took with it 20 of the most valuable shirt sponsorship opportunities in English football.

However, no equivalent restriction applies in the EFL. So, as predicted, betting companies have been quick to act. At present, 17 of the 24 Championship clubs now have some form of bookmaker affiliation, whether that’s shirt fronts, training kits, or stadium sponsorship.

Midnite was one of the first operators to secure deals. It currently has front-of-shirt deals with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United. It is also Southampton's training kit sponsor.

West Ham have also retained BoyleSports as their front-of-shirt sponsor following relegation from the Premier League. Plus, betTOM has joined the ranks with its three new deals.

The attraction is fairly obvious. Championship clubs still offer national television coverage, substantial supporter bases and, in some cases, recent Premier League status.

More importantly, they can offer betting companies something Premier League clubs no longer can: the front of a football shirt.

EFL More Important Than Ever to Bookmakers

The Premier League ban undoubtedly removed one of the most visible forms of gambling advertising in English football. However, it did not remove bookmakers' appetite for football sponsorship. Instead, it appears to have changed where some of that money is being spent.

Before the ban came into force, reports suggested that clubs further down the pyramid could benefit as betting operators searched for alternative sponsorship opportunities. The first few weeks of the new season suggest that prediction is wholly accurate.

Bookmakers that previously had the option of competing for Premier League shirt fronts now have a smaller pool of prominent football sponsorship opportunities available to them. This makes EFL clubs increasingly useful.

It does not necessarily mean clubs are already receiving more money for sponsorship deals. Most agreements are undisclosed. However, increased interest from bookmakers could put clubs in a stronger commercial position. Particularly if multiple operators are competing for the same shirt, training kit or stadium inventory.

The ‘good news’ angle is that this kind of thing matters much more to clubs outside the Premier League. Here, commercial income can represent a more significant part of overall revenue.

Yet, there is also an irony to the shift. The Premier League's voluntary ban was designed to reduce the prominence of gambling sponsorship in football. But, gambling sponsorship has not disappeared from English football.

Instead, operators such as Midnite and betTOM are building relationships with multiple clubs further down the pyramid, while betting companies remain visible across the Championship through shirts, training kits and other sponsorship positions.

The result could be a different, but potentially much broader relationship between gambling and football. Rather than one bookmaker spending heavily to appear on a Premier League shirt, operators can spread their marketing across several EFL clubs. betTOM's three deals in one week is just the latest example.

The Premier League may have succeeded in pushing gambling logos off its shirt fronts. What it appears to have done far less successfully is reduce bookmakers' interest in English football.