Bristol study finds shirt sponsorship ban cuts gambling messages 10.5%

A study from the University of Bristol counted 15,571 gambling messages over the first weekend of the 2026/27 top-flight English season. That represents a 10.5% decrease, and the campaign is the first in which clubs have been barred from carrying a betting sponsor on the front of their shirts under the voluntary ban. The report's findings are scheduled to be presented to the UK parliament on Wednesday.

The researchers looked at every top-flight English fixture shown live in the UK over the opening weekend of 21-24 August. Their sample also covered 15 hours of Sky Sports News television output and 15 hours of TalkSport radio output, plus organic and paid social media advertising from the 10 major gambling brands with the largest social media followings.

Digital channels are another focus of the report. On Facebook and Instagram, the researchers counted over 1,000 paid adverts, which they estimated reached 153.2 million UK accounts, and people aged 18 to 24 made up more than 10% of that total. According to the study, 93% of the gambling content marketing it identified lacked clear labelling as advertising.

Dr Raffaello Rossi, the project lead at the University of Bristol, said: "This cannot be presented as a success for self-regulation."

Peter Shilton, the former England goalkeeper who has long served as a patron of the research project, called the findings “deeply concerning”, citing the harm betting can do to individuals and their families. He said: “When gambling is so visible throughout the game, it risks making betting feel like a normal part of being a football fan or player.” He added: “We are not at all anti-gambling but believe more needs to be done to reduce the amount of gambling advertising especially around the young.”

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Reform, said: "These findings are further evidence that the voluntary approach to gambling advertising in football is failing."