'No plans' for Scottish football ban on gambling sponsorship, SPFL says

Rangers and Celtic both have betting company sponsorship on the front of their shirts

There are "no plans" for Scotland to copy the decision by England's Premier League clubs to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts.

The Premier League ban will come into place by the end of the 2025-26 season.

But the Scottish Professional Football League has stressed to BBC Scotland that "individual sponsorships are a matter for each club".

"There are no plans for a league-wide proscription of such deals," it stated.

"For many SPFL clubs, sponsorship from gambling companies is a significant source of income which helps to support their business models and enables investment in many of the important community activities which clubs undertake."

Three Scottish Premiership clubs currently have front-of-shirt betting partners - Celtic with Dafabet, Rangers with 32Red and Unibet and Dundee United with QuinnCasino.

The Premier League announcement follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the government's ongoing review of current gambling legislation.

Eight English top-flight clubs currently have gambling companies on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60m per year.

However, campaigners for a ban say gambling sponsorship in football has normalised the industry and that tighter regulation is needed to protect children and other vulnerable groups.

Even after the Premier League ban, its clubs will still be able to continue featuring gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.

The Premier League is also working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship and a gambling white paper is expected to be published by the government after its review of gambling legislation.