According to a report by SportBusiness 24, Chelsea FC are in talks with gambling firm Stake.com to become the Premier League side’s new shirt sponsor, despite the recent passing of a league-wide ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorship.
Stake would only be able to hold a presence on the front of Chelsea’s shirt for two years, with Premier League clubs voting in favour of a league-wide ban on all gambling/betting company sponsorships on team shirts, last April.
The five-time Premier League champions are searching for a new primary sponsor after a three-year deal with mobile network Three has expired.
Stake is reportedly offering significantly more money than Allianz to seal the front-of-shirt sponsorship with Chelsea, matching the £40m a year deal that Three paid out for previously.
The figure is also a lot more than what Stake currently pay Everton FC in their current £10m a year deal which will conclude after the 2025-26 season, when the gambling sponsorship ban will be enacted.
The ban came partially down to pressures mounting from the government, who have recently published its Gambling Act reform White Paper, and more vocal critics who state football and gambling’s entrenched relationship is having a negative effect on viewers and resulting in gambling harm.
The league ban on gambling sponsorships only applies to bans on the front of shirts, therefore sleeve sponsorships are still in-play for gambling/betting companies.
To learn more about the Premier League’s ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorships, listen to this iGaming Daily podcast episode.
