UK's proposal to ban sponsorship deals with unlicensed gambling operators

On 15 July 2026, the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) launched its consultation on proposed legislative changes to the Gambling Act 2005 to ban sponsorship and advertising arrangements with gambling operators that are not licensed by the Gambling Commission, the gambling regulator for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) (GB) (Gambling Commission), across all sectors including sport (Consultation). 

Under the Gambling Act 2005, it is a criminal offence to "provide facilities for gambling" to persons located in GB without holding an operating licence issued by the Gambling Commission. It is also a criminal offence (applies to operators and third parties) to advertise unlawful gambling, this includes where a person (a) does anything to encourage persons to take advantage of facilities for gambling; or (b) brings those facilities, or information about them, to people’s attention with a view to increasing their use; or (c) participates in or facilitates either of these activities knowing or believing (or where they should know or believe) that the gambling is unlawful. A person charged with the advertising of unlawful gambling offence may have a defence if the relevant person "reasonably believed that the advertised gambling was lawful" or otherwise shall only have committed the offence if "he knows or should know that the advertised gambling is unlawful". The effect of these provisions mean that it is not unlawful for gambling operators who are not licensed by the Gambling Commission to sponsor or advertise in GB provided that they do not "provide facilities for gambling" to persons in GB. This has been interpreted by the Gambling Commission as their gambling services are blocked and inaccessible to persons in GB, such that no persons can transact with the operator by any means (and includes ensuring that persons cannot access the facilities by circumvention of geo-blocking measures by tools such as VPNs).

The Consultation states that the key objectives of the proposed ban are to:

• protect consumers (particularly young or vulnerable individuals) from platforms lacking adequate player protections or fraud recourse;
• safeguard the integrity of the domestic licensed market by ensuring advertising is exclusive to operators bound by the Gambling Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP); and
• in the sport sector specifically, address money-laundering vulnerabilities linked to football clubs and agents identified in the National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing 2025.

While the Consultation makes it clear that the ban is targeted at sports, in particular football, the proposed ban will prohibit any physical forms or manifestations of advertising or sponsorship across all sectors in order to prevent other sectors (such as music or other cultural events) replacing sport as an alternative vehicle for sponsorship deals by non-GB licensed/white label operators.

In a sporting context, in-stadium advertising is identified as a key problem area tackled by the ban. As proposed, the ban will make it a criminal offence under the Gambling Act 2005 for a non-GB licensed operator (that does not have a white label arrangement) to advertise via, or sponsor:

• any competition, event or league taking place in GB;
• any team, club or individual when competing or performing in GB,

regardless of the origin or usual location of those events or individuals. In particular, the DCMS has also expressly stated that the following sponsorship rights: kit and equipment, pitch side billboards, tournament programmes, venue infrastructure and naming rights in respect of events, leagues and venues, are intended to be within the scope of the ban.

As already provided under the Gambling Act 2005 (including as may be amended), any person involved in a sponsorship or advertising arrangement amounting to advertising of unlawful gambling would also commit a criminal offence. Further, continuing an existing unlicensed sponsorship or advertising relationship after the ban takes effect would itself constitute the offence, and a person causing an advertisement to be displayed or accessible commits a fresh offence on each day it continues.

However, as currently framed by the Consultation, there are a number of key exemptions and limitations to the ban:

• online/digital advertising or sponsorship- are excluded from the ban (at least for now, since this would require primary legislation, see more on this below);
• white label arrangements - are excluded from the ban, meaning that an overseas remote gambling operator operating under a white label arrangement with a GB licensed operator may still engage in online/digital advertising or sponsorship; and
• the ban will apply to GB only – other jurisdictions (including Northern Ireland) outside of GB and the remit of the Gambling Commission are not within the scope of the ban. So, as proposed by the Consultation, it appears that: (i) any competition, event or league taking place outside GB; or (ii) any team, club or individual when competing or performing outside GB, would be outside the scope of the ban.

Note that, while the standards of broadcasting of advertising/sponsorship on television and radio are within the remit and responsibility of the UK's communications regulator, OFCOM (rather than the Gambling Commission). OFCOM is required to reflect the requirements of the Gambling Act 2005 (including where amended by secondary legislation) within its standards. In the Consultation, the UK Government, has confirmed it will work with OFCOM, and any other relevant bodies, to ensure they can fulfil the requirements of the ban.

The latest proposals follow the UK Government's press release published earlier this year in which it announced a "crack down on gambling operator sport sponsorship" (23 February 2026) with the objective of preventing unlicensed operators from sponsoring sports clubs. The Consultation forms part of the UK Government and Gambling Commission's wider measures to tackle the unlicensed gambling market. As noted in our previous article, the Gambling Commission also published a joint statement with gambling regulators for Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain published (25 November 2025) on their commitment to the "fight against illegal online gambling" in which they collectively warned of the increasing proliferation of online gambling advertisements by unauthorised overseas operators targeting consumers in their respective jurisdictions, and the threat such activity poses to consumer protection, public health, the activities of lawful operators and the objectives of the whole regulatory framework. By the joint statement, the regulators announce their reunited and united commitment to fighting illegal gambling in their jurisdictions.

 

What happens next?

The Consultation runs for 8 weeks, with all responses by stakeholders and other interested parties to be submitted by 11.59pm (BST) on 9 September 2026.

Once the Consultation closes, the DCMS has indicated that it plans to formally respond and announce its decision as to whether to introduce legislation before the end of 2026. In the Consultation, the DCMS proposes for the UK Government to implement the ban using secondary legislation (rather than primary legislation) relying on section 328 of the Gambling Act 2005, which empowers the Secretary of State to make regulations controlling the advertising of gambling, subject to Parliamentary approval. The Consultation notes that using secondary legislation allows government "to move faster on this issue" and proposes two potential timelines for the ban coming into effect: 

• Option 1: The ban will come into effect on a fixed date in August 2027, before the start of the 2027/28 football season. All sport sponsorship and advertising of unlicensed operators at sporting events must have ceased before this date; and
• Option 2: The ban will apply to any new unlicensed operator advertising or sponsorship contracts following the introduction of the legislation. Any pre-existing contracts will be allowed to conclude under their original terms, provided those contracts do not extend beyond the beginning of August 2028.

The UK Government's preference is to have a fixed start date for the ban (i.e. Option 1), with the objective of giving clarity to clubs and consumers and eliminating a situation where some parties can partner with an unlicensed operator(s) while others cannot. However, the Consultation specifically requests evidence from stakeholders who believe that an alternative timeline should be introduced.

Additionally, provisional timeframes could be subject to further revision given that the Consultation was announced in the final days of the previous UK Government (under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's leadership) and the new UK Government (under leadership of Prime Minister Andy Burnham) may prioritise other legislative reforms.

If you have questions about the Consultation or anything raised in this article, please get in touch with the authors or your regular DLA Piper contact.