A new study from the University of Bristol found that fans saw more than 5,000 gambling ads during just one Premier League soccer match this season, even though there’s supposed to be a voluntary “whistle to whistle” ban to cut down on that kind of exposure.
The report, titled “Gambling Marketing and the Premier League: Continued Saturation and Failed Self Regulation,” showed that the Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Manchester City game showcased 5,262 gambling messages, the most of any broadcast study. Over the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season, researchers counted more than 27,000 gambling messages across live matches, sports news, and social media.
According to the report, the Premier League has become “a saturated marketing environment where ever more brands are now competing for the same limited spaces – driving intensity rather than reducing exposure.
“Over 13,000 gambling messages appeared during the so-called ‘whistle to whistle’ ban, showing that self regulation has clearly failed in reducing the volume of gambling marketing during football matches,” the authors added.
Research found 27,000 gambling ads during @premierleague's opening weekend, with 91% visible during live play. Banning gambling shirt sponsors won't work if companies can just shift ads elsewhere. It's time to kick gambling ads out of sport. #GamblingHarmhttps://t.co/tpsFpfhF4G
— Reducing Harm Related to Gambling APG (@GamHarmAPG) October 8, 2025
The study found that over 60% of gambling promotions appeared during the period when they were supposed to be restricted, which goes against the whole point of the voluntary ban. Introduced by the industry in 2019, the whistle to whistle rule was designed to stop gambling ads from showing during live play and for five minutes before and after matches broadcast before 9 p.m.
Lead researcher Dr. Raffaello Rossi said the results point out how poorly self-regulation is working. 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’s own goal of 20%.
Even upcoming changes aren’t expected to have much impact. Set to start in 2026, the Premier League’s front-of-shirt sponsorship ban won’t make a big difference since shirt sponsorships account for less than 10% of total gambling exposure during matches.
The researchers are calling for a full whistle to whistle ban across all platforms, mandatory harm reduction messages, and tighter rules on unlicensed or misleading sponsorships. “Given the continued pervasiveness of gambling marketing in the Premier League, and the persistent failure of self regulation to reduce exposure, we call for tighter legislation that establishes comprehensive rules on gambling marketing,” the report said.
Global trends show mixed shifts in sportsbook gambling ads across major sports
The findings in the UK mirror a wider global shift in how gambling operators are targeting sports fans. New data shared with CasinoBeats by iSpot suggests that while sportsbook advertising is declining in some sports, it’s expanding rapidly in others. In the United States, sportsbook ads during NFL games dropped by almost 8% during the 2024–2025 season, with total impressions falling nearly 15%.
But the NBA went the other way, with a 23% jump in ad airings and a 9% increase in impressions. MLB advertising activity fell slightly overall, but impressions rose 12% as brands experimented with new placements.
At the same time, the University of Bristol team also looked beyond football. During the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, fans were exposed to almost 6,000 gambling related messages, which was far more than the 369 recorded during the NBA Finals.
Speaking to CasinoBeats, Joe Maloney, SVP of Strategic Communications at the American Gaming Association, said: “A low single-digit percentage of ads during pro sports broadcasts from regulated operators sets the record straight against lazy narratives, and further shows how critical these ads are to platform legal sports wagering, and continues to shrink the size of predatory illegal operators.”
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