Against a backdrop of rising apprehension surrounding gambling companies’ involvement in sport and wider advertising, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) recently announced a record-breaking title sponsorship deal with William Hill, one of the UK’s leading betting companies, reportedly worth over £10m over five years. This comes despite pressure from campaign groups and politicians, which saw English Premier League clubs agreeing to ban gambling sponsorships on the front of all matchday shirts, starting from the beginning of the 2026/27 season.

However, the ban is not comprehensive: Betting companies can still appear elsewhere, such as on the sleeves, while beyond the EPL, the English Football League (EFL) - representing the second-tier of professional clubs - and the SPFL have stood firm against further bans. The EFL’s main sponsor, Sky Bet, brings in £40m a year, a significant sum in a league where many smaller clubs are struggling financially.

For the SPFL, meanwhile, there are no plans in place for a league-wide proscription of such deals, with three Scottish Premiership clubs currently having front-of-shirt betting partners – Celtic with Dafabet, Rangers with 32Red and Unibet, as well as Dundee United with QuinnCasino. Moreover, these gambling sponsorships in Scotland tend to be more long-lasting than equivalent partnerships in England, lasting on average just under four years compared to just over two years in the EPL. 

Part of the reason Scottish fans are so appealing to gambling companies is due to their betting habits. Ampere’s Consumer data suggests that those who watch the Scottish Premiership tend to spend more money when placing sports bets than those watching the English Premier League: Of those who actively gamble, 51% of viewers watching the Scottish Premiership bet less than £20 per week, compared to 65% for Premier League viewers. But for larger bets, 5% gamble over £100 weekly in the Premier League, whereas this figure for the Scottish Premiership is around 12%.
 

By focusing on significant sponsorship assets, these gambling companies resonate with an audience which spends significantly on betting. This is causing concerns from anti-gambling lobbies and government, resulting in the partial ban in England. But given the financial importance of gambling companies to the SPFL and its clubs, it is unlikely we will see similar legislation in Scotland any time soon