Study shows stark differences in bookies’ presence during Premier League and World Cup

A study from the University of Nottingham has highlighted the key differences in gambling sponsorship during the 2026 World Cup and 2025/26 Premier League season. The research shows that gambling brands were visible for 32.6% of YouTube highlights of Premier League games, compared to 1.5% in the World Cup. A key factor for this will be the free-for-all-like style of gambling advertising within the Premier League, whereas the World Cup saw FIFA partner with just one traditional bookmaker in Betano. ADI Predictstreet became the official prediction market partner of the tournament but, true to the form of the predictions sector’s outlook, the study separated predictions from gambling. During the World Cup highlights assessed during the research, the “trading, crypto and predictions” category accounted for 3.7%. In the Premier League, it was 4.4% as the prevalence of trading and crypto platforms continues. The University of Nottingham study made clear that 81% of 3-17-year-olds regularly watch YouTube, making the prevalence of gambling brands particularly risky. Premier League’s ban may not matter While this 32% figure is slightly affected by the front-of-shirt ban which is now implemented for the 2026/27 season, the proliferation of bookies via shirt sleeve deals and LED advertising boards is still more than noticeable for viewers on YouTube highlights. In the study, front-of-shirt placement only accounts for 27.1% of gambling brand appearances in Premier League highlights. Meanwhile, the vast majority (72.9%) of gambling exposure occurs elsewhere, led heavily by pitchside boards or LED screens (50.4%), followed by stadium signage (10.1%), sleeve sponsorships (5.4%) and staff clothing (3.1%). All of these deals are still up for grabs for operators. Before the highlights even played, 10 out of 12 pre-roll YouTube adverts in the Premier League sample were for gambling operators. In contrast, no gambling adverts preceded the World Cup highlights. It was a relatively small sample size, as 10 highlights packages covering the final 10 games of the 2025/26 season were analysed, alongside 19 official FIFA 2026 World Cup highlights packages. The World Cup games were selected from the first group stage matches and the knockout matches from the Round of 16 onwards, choosing the match featuring the highest-ranked team if multiple games fell on the same day. More pressure for UK bookies The study comes as a wave of pressure hits the gambling sector in the UK. Alongside the now-active front-of-shirt ban is the increase in remote gaming duty tax to 40% from 21%, which is set to be joined by the rise in general betting duty tax to 25%. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also proven to be no fan of the sector thus far, having described betting shops as “dodgy businesses” as he looks to restrict their presence on the UK high street. The regulated industry in the UK is also currently dealing with an explosion in popularity of the black market, and black market operators still have the same opportunities in terms of Premier League sponsorship as the regulated market does, though there is an ongoing consultation looking to remove this. But it seems that researchers at some of the UK’s top universities are now looking to join many across the country in lobbying for even tighter regulation on the industry. And they too believe that there are ways in which gambling firms’ Premier League prevalence can be quelled. “The World Cup comparison shows that tighter central control of the advertising environment produces lower and more diffuse exposure,” the study read. “FIFA – or in the case of the Premier League, the UK government – could exercise control over the advertising environment to entirely restrict brand appearances to neutral or health-promoting categories.”