Coral’s first headline football sponsorship deal in 100 years comes as Entain calls for a ban on unlicensed gambling sponsorship in sports.
UK.- With the Premier League’s voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship coming into play for the upcoming season, focus is shifting to the second-tier EFL Championship – including among heritage betting operators. In a move that’s likely to cause controversy among campaigners, Entain’s Coral has signed a front-of-shirt deal with Birmingham City FC.
It’s the brand’s first such sponsorship deal in its 100-year history and will see Coral’s logo featured across the men’s and women’s home, away and third kits for the 2026/27 season. Coral already served as the club’s betting partner for the past two years, during which it launched fan engagement projects and community initiatives, which it says will continue.
Notably, Entain has been vocal in calling for a ban on unlicensed gambling sponsorship in sports. It’s welcomed the government’s consultation on a proposal to prevent clubs from entering deals with brands not licensed by the Gambling Commission and called for clubs themselves to introduce a voluntary ban in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Coral Entain recently ended its sponsorship of the Cheltenham Festival’s Coral Cup after over half a century blaming increased tax pressures amid the hike in UK remote gaming duty to 40 per cent.
Birmingham City returned to the EFL Championship last season and finished 10th. The team was fully acquired by US-based Shelby Companies Limited, a subsidiary of Knighthead Capital Management, in November 2025, while NFL legend Tom Brady has a minority stake. The club now hopes to make a bid for Premier League promotion after a 15-year absence, and there are plans for a new 60,000-capacity stadium.
Chief Executive Jeremy Dale said: “This partnership represents much more than a sponsorship agreement. Coral has become a trusted and valued partner of ours over the past 18 months, consistently putting supporters at the heart of everything they do.”
He added: “Their decision to take their first-ever front-of-shirt sponsorship with our club is a powerful endorsement of our vision, our ambition and testament to how our teams work together so constructively.”
Bejay Patel, Entain’s Managing Director for UK and Ireland, said: “This is the first time in Coral’s history that we have become a front-of-shirt football sponsor and who better to do that with than the Blues, a club that shares our long history and our passion in putting fans first.”
The Premier League may have blown the whistle on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship, but such deals are alive and well in the EFL. Midnite has signed with Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, and Wolverhampton Wanderers in addition to its training kit deal with Southampton, and BoyleSports continues its front-of-shirt sponsorship with West Ham United following their relegation.
In the Premier League, gambling companies have found alternatives. Betano has transitioned to sleeve sponsor and training kit sponsors for Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, while Stake, which lost its Gambling Commission licence last year, has shifted its sponsorship of Everton to the sleeve. Betway is reportedly negotiating with Manchester United.
Este conteúdo foi curado e adaptado a partir da publicação original de Focus Gaming News.