13,000 Betting Mentions Recorded During Premier League’s Advertising “Ban”

An attempt to clean up English football from the flood of bookmaker logos has fallen flat. A new study from the University of Bristol found 27,440 betting references during the opening weekend of the new Premier League season — appearing on players’ shirts, LED boards, interview backdrops, and TV graphics.

Researchers manually analyzed nearly 29 hours of live Premier League broadcasts, radio coverage, and social-media content between August 15 and 18. On average, betting promotions appeared 12.6 times per minute.

Half of All Mentions During the “Ban” Period

Out of the total count, 13,262 references occurred precisely during the period when gambling ads were supposed to be banned* — a 32% increase compared with last year.

About one in ten betting mentions promoted unlicensed operators.

Brands found ways to skirt the restrictions, remaining visible through sponsorship boards, shirt logos, in-game graphics, and other indirect channels.

Over 2,400 Mentions Linked to Unlicensed Bookmakers

The researchers also flagged 2,412 references to bookmakers without a UK licence.

Social-media activity was another area of concern: the study examined 489 betting-related posts promoting Premier League matches and found that around 76% came from international accounts outside the remit of the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Reactions and Implications

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, head of the parliamentary group on gambling reform, called the level of gambling promotion in the Premier League “staggering.”

Experts are urging the government to step in and impose stricter limits. The University of Bristol researchers agreed, saying the current system protects industry profits rather than viewers.

The Premier League voted in 2023 to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, but that rule will not take effect until next season. For now, 11 of the league’s 20 clubs still feature betting logos in the central area of their shirts.

* The UK’s “whistle-to-whistle ban” prohibits gambling TV adverts from airing within five minutes before kick-off and five minutes after the final whistle.