A new report from the University of Bristol has revealed that football fans were exposed to 27,440 gambling messages during the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League, nearly triple the number recorded in 2023. Researchers warn that self-regulation in gambling advertising has failed, leaving fans, including children, at risk.
For the third consecutive year, the study found that gambling marketing saturates football broadcasts, with thousands of instances breaching even the industry’s own codes of conduct.
Gambling ads flood Premier League broadcasts
Between 15 and 18 August, researchers analysed nearly 29 hours of live football coverage across Sky Sports, TalkSport radio, Sky Sports News, and social media. The findings showed that 21,815 gambling messages appeared on Light-emitting diode (LED) hoardings, stadium structures, and football shirts, at a rate of 12.6 ads per minute.
The Wolverhampton vs Manchester City match recorded the highest exposure, with 5,262 gambling messages, averaging 22 ads per minute.
“The Premier League is now so saturated with gambling marketing that brands are fighting each other for every inch of advertising space,” said Dr Raffaello Rossi, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Impact Lead for the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research. “The evidence is overwhelming: self-regulation has failed. Voluntary codes are protecting profits, not fans.”
Whistle-to-whistle ban proves ‘tokenistic’
The research also exposed the ineffectiveness of the industry’s “whistle-to-whistle” ban, introduced in 2019 to limit gambling adverts during live matches before 9 p.m. Despite these restrictions, the team recorded 13,262 gambling messages during the banned period, marking a 32 percent increase from last year’s total of 10,027.
Critics say the policy is a symbolic gesture that fails to reduce exposure meaningfully. Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Chair of the Gambling Reform APPG, called the findings “frankly astonishing.”
“The whistle-to-whistle ban is far too limited and ineffective,” said Smith. “The industry claimed it was reducing advertising, but yet again it has failed to keep its promises. Regulators are out of step with a fast-evolving industry, and the government must now act to protect children.”
Unlicensed operators and social media loopholes
Another alarming discovery was that one in 10 gambling ads, over 2,400 messages, came from unlicensed operators, directly breaching the industry’s own Sponsorship Code of Conduct. The report also found that 42 percent of organic gambling ads on social media were not clearly identifiable as advertising, marking a violation of the UK’s Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Yet because many gambling firms are registered abroad, eight of the ten brands studied fell outside the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) jurisdiction during data collection in August.
This loophole, only closed in September 2025, meant that 371 ads (38 percent) escaped oversight entirely, potentially allowing over 30,000 unregulated gambling ads to reach UK audiences in a year.
“It is alarming when the industry doesn’t even follow its own rules,” said Dr Rossi. “That makes it clear this system was never designed to protect fans. The government already has the authority to act — and the delay is becoming indefensible.”
‘Totally inadequate’ regulation, say lawmakers
Lord Foster of Bath, Chair of Peers for Gambling Reform, echoed these concerns, calling the ASA “toothless.” Adding, “This research underlines the total inadequacy of gambling advertising regulation,” said Foster. “The government must step in to reduce people’s — and especially children’s — exposure to gambling ads that we know can cause harm.”
The number of gambling brands active in the Premier League has also surged, rising from 31 in 2024 to 43 in 2025, underscoring the industry’s deepening ties to football.
‘Indefensible’ exposure to children
Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton CBE, a patron of the research initiative and a vocal advocate for gambling reform, said the findings were “simply indefensible.” He said, “Gambling advertising in football has reached saturation point, with even the industry’s own rules being broken.” Adding, “What troubles us most is the impact on children, who are being exposed to thousands of gambling ads — now even from unlicensed brands.”
Call for urgent government intervention
According to the study, which is a component of the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, the voluntary self-regulatory system in the UK is seriously flawed. Although there have been recent crackdowns, researchers contend that only direct government intervention can shield consumers from damage, given that roughly 30,000 advertisements appeared in a single weekend.
Dr Rossi summarised the urgency: “The question now is not whether self-regulation has failed — but how much longer the government will wait before acting.”
From 1 September 2025, new gambling advertising rules brought that content under full regulation. A University of Bristol study found 29,145 gambling messages during the opening Premier League weekend of August 2024, including more than 100 flagged social posts referred to the ASA.
The Committee of Advertising Practice extended the CAP Code to include all UK-facing marketing by licensed operators, even if based overseas. The rules apply to non-paid social media posts, influencer content, YouTube and TikTok videos, blogs, apps targeting UK players, and websites using .uk domains. The amendment applies to all non-broadcast marketing, from social media and websites to apps, blogs, and print, but excludes TV and radio advertising, which remain under the BCAP Code. Paid-for ads were already covered. A three-month consultation, open until 1 December 2025, will gather industry feedback.
Subscribe HERE to SiGMA’s Top 10 News countdown and SiGMA’s weekly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest iGaming News from the world’s iGaming authority, and benefit from subscriber-only offers.
