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Entain Targets Six Premier League Clubs Over Unlicensed Betting Sponsors

Ladbrokes Coral owner sends formal letters to Burnley, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, Sunderland and Wolves, demanding a commitment to UK-licensed sponsors before the 2026/27 season kicks off in August.

Category: iGaming News - UK · By Growl Games Editorial Team · Thu May 21 2026 · Updated Thu Jul 23 2026

Entain Targets Six Premier League Clubs Over Unlicensed Betting Sponsors

Table of Contents

1. Story Summary

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has escalated its public campaign against unlicensed gambling sponsorship in English football. On 15 May 2026, the company's General Counsel Simon Zinger wrote directly to six Premier League clubs currently partnered with operators that do not hold a UK Gambling Commission licence, urging them to commit to UK-licensed sponsors only for the 2026/27 season.

2. The Letter Campaign

The letters follow an earlier February intervention by Entain CEO Stella David, who wrote to Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters and the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). Entain has asked the IFR to confirm in guidance that its draft licensing code – which already prohibits clubs from accepting income “connected to serious criminal conduct” – applies to unlicensed gambling operators. The IFR was created by the 2025 Football Governance Act and is currently consulting on its second licensing framework, CP 2/26.

3. The Six Clubs and Their Sponsors

Zinger’s letters were sent to executives at Burnley, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Their current front-of-shirt or principal sponsors are 96.com, BJ88, SBOTOP, Stake, W88 and DEBET respectively. With the exception of Stake, all are Asian-focused bookmakers; none currently hold a UK Gambling Commission licence. Four of the six brands (BJ88, SBOTOP, 96.com, DEBET) previously operated under UK licensing via Isle of Man white-label provider TGP Europe, which surrendered its licence on 15 May 2025 after a £3.3 million regulatory fine for AML and partner-check failings.

4. The £16.6 Billion Black Market

Entain’s campaign lands against a backdrop of fast-growing illegal activity. A May 2026 H2 Gambling Capital study found that annual stakes with unlicensed operators reached £16.6 billion in 2025 – more than triple the 2019 figure. Separate Yield Sec analysis cited by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates that illegal operators now control roughly 9% of Britain’s online gambling market. Frontier Economics research commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC)estimates that 1.5 million Britons stake about £4.3 billion a year with illegal operators, while WARCprojects unlicensed gambling sponsorship could account for over half of all UK sports sponsorship spend by October 2027.

5. Regulatory Pressure Mounts

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published the terms of reference for its new Illegal Gambling Taskforce on 13 May 2026. Chaired by gambling minister Baroness Twycross, the 12-month taskforce includes Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa alongside regulators and trade bodies. Its three core objectives are: disrupting payments to and from illegal operators, removing illegal gambling advertising online, and improving cross-agency enforcement. The UK Gambling Commission received an additional £26 million in government funding over three years to support this work, and has just posted a senior “Head of Illegal Markets” role. The pressure follows the Remote Gaming Duty rising to 40% in April 2026, which industry critics warn risks pushing players toward unregulated sites.

6. What Happens Next

Entain has asked the IFR to act before the 2026/27 Premier League season begins in August 2026. The DCMS consultation on a full ban of unlicensed gambling sponsorship in British sport, launched in February 2026, is also ongoing. Premier League clubs have already agreed a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship from the 2026/27 season, but that agreement does not specifically address unlicensed operators in sleeve, pitchside or digital placements.

7. Key Quote

“Premier League clubs are being sponsored by criminal gambling firms. The Independent Football Regulator can stop this tomorrow by simply acknowledging that unlicensed gambling companies targeting UK customers through English football are breaking the law – plain and simple.”
— Stella David, Chief Executive Officer, Entain plc

8. Sources

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