Study flags prevalence of gambling ads in Premier League games

A comprehensive study into the type of marketing present in the Premier League has indicated that there is a prevalence of gambling advertisements compared to cryptocurrency and financial trading app marketing in the country’s topflight soccer league.

The authors of the study, led by Jamie Torrance of the University of Chester, have found out that during a single Premier League game, gambling company logos were shown 3,522 times, or 37 times for a single minute of soccer. The game in particular was between the teams of West Ham and Chelsea.

The study argues that because of West Ham’s partnership with Betway, the betting company’s logo is posted around the circumference of the home stadium in London, with a gambling logo present in the game every 16 seconds.

This comes amid a broader debate to restrict the reach of gambling in the Premier League with clubs agreeing to enact a voluntary ban in 2026. However, until then, many clubs have been pursuing out individual partnerships, which are designed to bootstrap their finances and give them an edge.

An ongoing debate has been raging between critics and supporters of these deals with the latter arguing that soccer clubs simply do not have a viable financial alternative. According to The Big Step, a campaigner group which calls on soccer clubs to sever ties with gambling companies, the present study was alarming.

In reality, though, this does not mean that every game in the Premier League features as many gambling ads – or any at all. At the same time, the gambling industry has said that there is no evidence between gambling advertisements in soccer and addiction, although regulators – however reluctantly – are starting to see the correlation, which has prompted more research into the matter.

As to the prevalence of individual brands, Betway was the most visible company in Premier League games, with 31.2% of all visible logos, followed by Stake with 28%. Stake and Chelsea recently were in negotiations to strike a similar partnership, but the deal came through after community backlash.

More significantly, argues the study, is the fact that only 4.4% of all gambling logos appeared in the context of some warning messaging, i.e. messaging that cautions about the dangers of gambling and advises consumers to bet responsibly. The debate continues with partnerships between soccer clubs and gambling firms set to be phased out, but also bound to cause a stir until then.

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