Entain is no longer willing to wait for the government to complete the consultation process slowly. This week, CEO Stella David publicly called on the Premier League and various sports organizations to proactively sever all sponsorship ties with unlicensed gambling operators before the start of the 2026/27 season, starting with LED perimeter boards, stripping them one by one. "Unlicensed gambling operators are often nothing more than a front for organized crime," David said emphatically, "they target vulnerable consumers, do not pay a penny of UK tax, nor do they comply with any of the safeguarding obligations that licensed operators must fulfill." Meanwhile, Entain has separately written to Premier League CEO Richard Masters and the chairman of the Independent Football Regulatory Authority (IFR), David Kogan OBE, asking for voluntary action before legislation is implemented. In plain terms, this flagship of British gambling, owning Ladbrokes and Coral, is doing one thing—making the boundary between itself and illegal players as clear as possible.
From £5 billion to £16.6 billion: Illegal gambling in the UK has more than tripled in six years
The lobbying effort by Entain is supported by a set of increasingly hard-to-ignore data. Research by H2 Gambling Capital shows that the volume of illegal gambling transactions in the UK has ballooned from £5 billion in 2019 to £16.6 billion in 2025, and is expected to double again by 2028. Further analysis by BGC and the World Advertising Research Center points to the advertising end—unlicensed operators are expected to account for 47.7% of the total UK gambling advertising expenditure in the 2026/27 season, approximately £800 million, reaching consumers directly through social media, streaming platforms, affiliate networks, and influencer marketing, bypassing all scrutiny. Entain has specifically warned about a group that is easy to overlook: underage audiences. David pointed out that sponsorship restrictions should not become a "substitute for addressing the broader digital ecosystem," as illegal operators are increasingly using these digital channels to circumvent the protective measures that licensed operators must adhere to. PASA's official website has repeatedly reminded in tracking UK gambling advertising regulation that restricting logos on stadium perimeter boards is just the first step, the real battlefield is inside mobile screens.
The ghost of TGP Europe: Why the white label model has become a regulatory blind spot
Entain's appeals repeatedly cast a shadow over a case—TGP Europe. This former UKGC licensed operator provided white label services to a large number of Asian gambling brands and thereby entered the Premier League sponsorship system, some of whose brands were alleged to be linked to organized crime, including relationships with Alvin Chau, former chairman of the Suncity Group. TGP was eventually fined and surrendered its license, leaving dozens of white label brand sponsorship contracts hanging overnight, but the systemic loopholes exposed by the entire event were not automatically plugged just because one company fell. The Illegal Gambling Task Force established by DCMS in January this year has brought technology companies, advertisers, social media platforms, and payment providers into the coordination mechanism, and Entain believes that stronger measures should be taken next, especially against social media and affiliate networks, the two channels most relied upon by illegal operators.
David's closing remarks in the press release sounded more like a final ultimatum: "We believe that clubs, leagues, and governing bodies should immediately voluntarily terminate their relationships with unlicensed operators, rather than waiting for legislation to force them to act." The 2026/27 season is just around the corner, and the window for voluntary action is narrowing. For more in-depth dynamics about UK gambling regulation and sponsorship policy, please continue to follow the PASA official website.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep channel for gambling: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
