Premier League: Gambling providers give way to crypto companies

The Premier League, the flagship of English football, is facing a historic turning point: the ban on gambling providers as main sponsors on jerseys marks the end of an era in which sports betting companies in particular have occupied a central place in the league for years.

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This step is not without reason – the increasing criticism from authorities, addiction researchers and fan organizations about the massive advertising presence of these providers has increased the pressure on the clubs. The linking of football stars with gambling is seen as particularly problematic. According to experts, there is an increased risk that addiction-critical processes will be trivialized and the potential dangers, especially for younger fans, will be concealed. A resolution from 2023 stipulates that by the 2026/27 season, no more betting providers will be seen on the chests of Premier League players, which affects almost half of the twenty clubs.

However, the gap left by this withdrawal already seems to be filling. Crypto companies that have been working towards a breakthrough into the mainstream for years are moving into the focus of the sponsorship landscape. Similar to other sports and competitions, a shift is also looming in the Premier League. Crypto sponsorship not only promises new sources of income, but also access to an emerging industry that is developing at a rapid pace.

But despite the growing interest, cryptocurrencies and corresponding companies remain a controversial topic. Their high volatility and strong price fluctuations and the often limited regulations give rise to skepticism. Critical voices ask whether such sponsorships are really safer than the previous ones with the gambling industry? The transition from one industry with a questionable reputation to the next is likely to give rise to some debate. In one particularly curious case, the founder of a crypto exchange embezzled the equivalent of several million euros from gambling.

The crypto industry is in the starting blocks and has already made an impressive entrance into the Premier League

The crypto industry has already integrated itself into the Premier League’s sponsorship landscape as a dynamic alternative. Although gambling companies will not be completely banned from the league’s advertising space, they are likely to be much less prominent from the 2026/27 season at the latest and the main sponsorship ban that will then come into effect. This decision marks a strategic step to defuse the Premier League’s image as a close partner of the gambling industry. At the same time, it offers space for new sources of finance that large crypto companies are only too happy to take up.

According to sports sponsorship agency SportQuake, sponsorship money related to cryptocurrencies in the Premier League has already reached a record high of £130 million for the 2024/25 season, a remarkable increase of 30 percent compared to the previous season. This development shows how strongly crypto companies are expanding their presence in professional football and establishing themselves as serious competitors to other industries.

• Leading brands such as OKX and Floki have already signed contracts with renowned clubs such as Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
• Another prominent example is the recently announced cooperation between the crypto exchange Kraken and Tottenham Hotspur. Incidentally, Kraken also works with Atlético Madrid in Spain, another world-renowned football club.

These deals are not only financially lucrative, but also show the Premier League’s transition to innovative sponsorship models that, not least, reflect a technological change. The crypto companies are positioning themselves as modern sponsorship partners and offering the Premier League access to a technologically savvy audience or a new target group.

Crypto sponsorship is spreading in general

The exact share of the crypto industry in global sports sponsorship remains difficult to determine, as many contract details, especially financial amounts, are usually not made public. What is clear, however, is that such companies have long been active in sports beyond British football. There are also prominent partnerships in Formula 1 and tennis. The tracks of the premier class of motorsport have been adorned with the logos of major cryptocurrency platforms for years and the Austrian trading portal Bitpanda supports the Swiss tennis professional Stan Wawrinka. Bitpanda has also entered into a cooperation with FC Bayern Munich. Crypto.com has also expanded its commitment and has been sponsoring the UEFA Champions League since August 2023 – until 2027. The company was previously a sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. And these are just a few prominent examples.

The league is being cautious with its new partners

The Premier League is taking a cautious approach to its new partnerships with the crypto industry. The volatility of the crypto market and concerns about reputation in particular play a decisive role.

The reputation of the crypto industry, like that of gambling companies, is not without controversy and the common target audience – risk-loving, tech-savvy consumers – exacerbates this impression. Christian Lang from the Center for Sports Management at the University of St. Gallen emphasized to the press that this parallelism in the target groups is a key feature that connects both industries. Due to various uncertainties, Singapore recently restricted the use of crypto in casinos.

• Given the erratic price developments in cryptocurrencies, many clubs are therefore demanding that sponsors pay in advance – a safety net in the event of a sudden loss of value or insolvency of the crypto partners.
• Clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have decided to structure their contracts in such a way that they can terminate them at any time if their reputation is damaged. This underlines the sensitivity with which the clubs are entering into new partnerships, especially at a time when pressure is growing to distance themselves from traditional gambling sponsors.

But not all clubs are consistently following the new crypto direction, which is also a sign of caution. Despite the industry shift towards cryptocurrencies, teams such as Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have continued to sign contracts with gambling providers. This highlights the financial dependence of many clubs on lucrative sponsorship contracts and the difficulty of breaking away from an industry that has been an important financial partner for years.

Conclusion

Sponsorship in the Premier League is undergoing a profound change that reflects the constant influence of the so-called new economy. While online gambling providers marked a turning point a few years ago and opened up the market to innovative sources of finance, power is now shifting further towards new technologies. Old economy companies are becoming increasingly less important – and the crypto industry is increasingly taking over the helm. The entry of this industry, which stands for modernity and change like no other, is the high point of this development so far.

But despite the financial advantages, a clear dichotomy remains: the Premier League and its clubs benefit from the financial support, but also show caution. The reputation and volatility of the crypto industry pose a risk that the clubs do not underestimate. It is a balancing act between financial security and protecting their own brands – a certain dilemma that could shape the Premier League in the long term.