Entain has once again called on Premier League clubs to cut ties with unlicensed gambling operators in the UK, reigniting a debate over club reputation, fan protection and the future of international betting sponsorships in British football.

On this episode of iGaming Daily, Fernando Noodt sat down with senior journalist for iGaming Expert, Christian Lee and SBC News journalist Patrick Killeen to explore Entain’s argument and just how realistic an unlicensed gambling ban sponsorship agreement might be in the most lucrative football league in the world. 

Entain’s comments come just days after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) consultation on unlicensed gambling operator advertising in sports wrapped up. A decision from this consultation is expected sometime in the future. 

For Killeen, Entain’s frustrations are twofold: regulated operators are being squeezed by rising taxes and unresolved affordability checks, while watching unlicensed brands like 8XBet and FUN88, be advertised by clubs like Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.

“These unlicensed brands aren’t being forced to pay these taxes, don’t follow the same regulatory standard,” Killeen says, “but can still be in a way endorsed by some of the biggest clubs in the world.”

Lee points to the scale behind Entain’s case, noting the Premier League’s UK TV audience which has been reported at around 34 million, or 55% of the country’s TV-watching public. 

Lee added: “If over half of the UK TV audience is exposed to companies that are not licensed to operate here, then why should that not be something that Entain, a licensed operator, should raise with the relevant parties?”

One system Entain has recommended regulators adopt in the past in order to combat illegal gambling is geo-blocking. But as Killeen points out, these systems are very easy to bypass.

He gives an example from Entain, who claimed to have been able to access an unlicensed site and deposit money in just 5 minutes, using a VPN, even going as far as to register under the alias, Andy Burnham, the current UK Prime Minister, highlighting just how ineffective existing player protection systems are on these unlicensed platforms. 

On where responsibility should sit, Lee argued clubs are held to a low bar, since Gambling Commission rules only require operators to block UK customers, not clubs to vet who they partner with. 

For fans, he said, a sponsorship implies trust: “you are assuming that they’re a trusted company that your club is happy to enter into a business agreement with.”

Killeen added that most supporters can’t tell a licensed sponsor from an unlicensed one, since few would ever check a site’s footer for a UK Gambling Commission licence.

Looking ahead, both agreed that only legislation will move the needle. 

Lee called a full ban while Killeen warned that even then, unlicensed operators would likely pivot toward guerrilla social media marketing and influencer deals rather than disappear altogether.

Watch the full episode here.