Betting Sponsorships Not Growing in the Championship

The voluntary ban on betting sponsors on the front of shirts in the Premier League has not driven an increase in sponsorships in the Championship for the 2026-27 season. Despite the ban, Premier League clubs can still close commercial deals for sleeves, training gear, and stadium advertising. With Sky Bet as the main sponsor, the Championship continues to allow these agreements, but only seven clubs have betting contracts on their shirts. These are the same seven as the previous year, suggesting that betting companies are not increasing their presence in this league.

Impact of the Ban in the Premier League

Since 2023, Premier League clubs agreed to stop displaying betting sponsors on the front of their shirts. However, they can still negotiate other types of sponsorships. This measure sought to reduce the visibility of betting brands, but it has not resulted in new opportunities for these sponsors in the Championship.

Current Sponsorships in the Championship

For the 2026-27 season, the clubs with betting sponsorships on their shirts include: Birmingham City with Coral, Middlesbrough and Wolves with Midnite, QPR with MrQ, Sheffield United with Midnite, Stoke City with bet365, and West Ham United with BOYLE Sports. Stoke City’s deal with bet365 is historic, linked to the Coates family.

Midnite renewed its deal with Sheffield United and replaced Unibet and DEBT at Middlesbrough and Wolves, respectively. Additionally, Midnite sponsors Southampton's training gear. West Ham continued with BOYLE Sports despite their relegation from the Premier League. Coral advanced its role with Birmingham City, while MrQ replaced CopyBet at QPR.

New Deals and Changes

Considering the clubs that have switched one sponsor for another, only Birmingham has signed a new fresh deal with Coral for the front of their shirt. Burnley changed from 96.com to Finotive One following their relegation, and clubs like Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League One, without betting sponsors.

No club in the Championship has sleeve sponsorships on their shirts. However, Wolves have signed a deal with the sweepstakes platform Wolf Competitions for this season.

What’s Next for the Championship?

The 2026-27 Championship season begins on August 14 with the match between Wolves and Blackburn Rovers. The continuation of Sky Bet as the main sponsor and the limitation of new betting agreements on shirts suggest that this aspect of marketing will remain stagnant in the short term.