A new study from the University of Bristol found that fans watched more than 5,000 Gambling ads During just one Premier League match this season, though, there is supposed to be a voluntary “whistle-to-whistle” ban to reduce this type of exposure.
the a reporttitled “Gambling Marketing and the Premier League: Persistent Saturation and the Failure of Self-Regulation,” showed that the Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Manchester City match displayed 5,262 gambling messages, the largest number of any broadcast study. During the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season, researchers counted more than 27,000 gambling messages across live games, sports news and social media.
According to the report, the Premier League has become a “saturated marketing environment with more brands now competing for the same limited spaces – increasing density rather than reducing exposure.”
“More than 13,000 gambling messages appeared during the so-called ‘whistle to whistle’ ban, demonstrating that self-regulation has clearly failed to reduce the volume of Gambling marketing The authors added during football matches.
Research found 27,000 gambling ads during @premierleagueOpening weekend, with 91% showing up during live play. Banning gambling t-shirt sponsors won’t work if companies can only move advertising elsewhere. It’s time to keep gambling advertising out of sports. #Harm of gamblinghttps://t.co/tpsFpfhF4G
— Gambling Harm Reduction APG (@GamHarmAPG) October 8, 2025
The study found that more than 60% of gambling promotions appeared during the period when they were supposed to be restricted, which defeats the entire purpose of the voluntary ban. The whistle-to-whistle rule, introduced by the industry in 2019, would prevent gambling ads from being shown during live play and for five minutes before and after matches are broadcast before 9pm.
Lead researcher Dr Raffaello Rossi said the findings indicate just how bad self-regulation is. The team also found that about 8.6% of televised ads came from unlicensed gambling operators, while only 12% included harm reduction messages. This was well below the industry target of 20%.
Even the upcoming changes are not expected to have a major impact. The sponsorship ban on the front of Premier League shirts is set to begin in 2026, and will make little difference from then on. Shirt care It represents less than 10% of total gambling exposure during matches.
The researchers are calling for a complete ban on all platforms, mandatory harm reduction messaging, and stricter rules on unlicensed or misleading sponsorship. “Given the continued prevalence of gambling marketing in the Premier League, and the ongoing failure to self-regulate to reduce exposure, we call for tougher legislation setting comprehensive rules on gambling marketing,” the report said.
Global trends show mixed shifts in sports gambling advertising across major sports
The results in the UK reflect a wider global shift in how gambling operators target sports fans. The new data was shared with CasinoBeats iSpot notes that while sports betting advertising has declined in some sports, it is rapidly expanding in others. In the United States, sports betting ads during NFL games declined approximately 8% during the 2024-2025 season, with total impressions declining approximately 15%.
But the NBA went the other way, with a 23% jump in broadcast ads and a 9% increase in impressions. MLB ad activity was down slightly overall, but impressions were up 12% as brands experimented with new placements.
Meanwhile, the University of Bristol team also looked beyond football. During the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, fans were exposed to nearly 6,000 gambling-related messages, far more than the 369 messages recorded during the NBA Finals.
Speaking to CasinoBeats, Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications at the American Gaming Association, said: “The low single-digit percentage of ads during professional sports broadcasts from regulated operators sets the record straight against lazy narratives, and also shows how important these ads are to the legal sports betting platform, and continues to drive down the volume of predatory, unscrupulous operators.” “legalists.”
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