The upcoming 2025/26 season is the last time we will see gambling sponsors featuring on the front of Premier League shirts. After this point, the collective agreement that bans gambling sponsorship on shirt fronts will come into force. There is, however, no ban on cryptocurrency companies, except those directly tied to gambling, for example, a crypto casino.
Does this mean we are set to see crypto companies fill the void that gambling sponsors will leave behind? As well as assessing this question, we will ask what it means for the Premier League should this happen. While gambling and crypto are not the same, the potential for addiction and limited regulation of the latter means it could be an unpopular alternative. But if it enriches clubs substantially, will fans care?
Crypto Sponsors in the 2024/25 Season
The table below shows the five Premier League clubs that had a crypto-related sponsor for the 2024/25 season.
| Club | Sponsor | Shirt/Sleeve | Sponsor Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | OKX | Sleeve | Cryptocurrency Exchange |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Kraken | Sleeve | Cryptocurrency Exchange |
| Everton | Stake | Front of Shirt | Crypto Sports Betting/Casino |
| Leicester City | BC Game | Front of Shirt | Crypto Sports Betting/Casino |
| Southampton | Rollbit | Front of Shirt | Crypto Sports Betting/Casino |
Stake, BC Game, Rollbit and other such gambling sites that may appear in the 2025/26 season can only take up the front-of-shirt sponsorship slot for another year. Despite the crypto element, they are gambling sites first and foremost. The only difference is that instead of gambling with FIAT money, users use cryptocurrency to play the crypto casino games betpanda offers.
Because of this gambling connection, they would fall under the impending sponsorship ban. So even if Leicester and Southampton had managed to stay up, these crypto gambling names would not have lasted much longer anyway.
This leaves OKX and Kraken as the only two sponsors that would survive the current ban. Given there are 40 “shirt sponsorship” slots available (20 clubs with one shirt sponsor plus one sleeve sponsor each) every Premier League season, the fact that only two were crypto exchanges does not indicate they are poised to dominate the division when gambling sponsors bid farewell from the front of shirts.
Crypto Sponsors in the 2025/26 Season
At the time of writing, it is too early to say how many crypto sponsors we will see in 2025/26. OKX should continue to be Man City’s sleeve sponsor, but the duration of Tottenham’s Kraken deal was not publicly confirmed. The expectation is that crypto firms will end up pumping even more money into the Premier League, whether it be through shirt sponsorships or other partnerships. So, do not be surprised to see more than two crypto firms feature on Premier League shirts next year.
The Rise of Crypto Partners
Crypto partnerships totalled around $170m in the 2024/25 Premier League season, and this figure could exceed $200m in 2025/26. We are not expecting most of this money to come via costly front-of-shirt deals but through other commercial deals. In 2024/25, 15 clubs had some sort of official commercial collaboration with a crypto firm, or at least a firm with a significant crypto element, such as Etoro.
Nottingham Forest, for example, penned a deal with Floki while Manchester United named Tezos as their official blockchain provider on a multi-year deal. Other examples include Wolverhampton, who named LAKE (LAK3) as their official cryptocurrency partner, and Arsenal, who teamed up with LABS Group – a blockchain-based platform that tokenises real estate.
In many cases, the 15 clubs that had some sort of crypto partner also had more than one. Socios is a brand that features across an increasing number of Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton and newly promoted Leeds United. Socios creates fan tokens for the clubs they are associated with on a blockchain-based fan engagement platform.
Are Crypto Sponsors a Risk for Premier League Clubs?
On the face of things, crypto companies are far from a safe bet for clubs, at least usually. It is a more volatile sector than most, with many companies caught up in their fair share of scandals. Added to this is that many crypto companies are relatively young, or loosely regulated, and they lack the stability of sponsors from other industries.
It is hard to see why this would be an issue for Premier League clubs, though, as they have spent much of the last decade penning deals with obscure betting companies. There have been cases of such companies going bust or running into major controversies, but clubs can mitigate the risk quite comfortably.
For one, they can ask for payment upfront, rather than instalments. Secondly, they could have terms in the contract that would allow them to split from a firm, should a relationship with them cause “significant reputational harm”. Judging from past examples, though, clubs do not seem too bothered about some unflattering reports about a sponsor, provided they still get the money.
How Will Fans React to Crypto Sponsors?
Many reasons that campaigners wanted gambling sponsors banned are likely to extend to crypto firms. With many traders using crypto platforms to score a quick profit, in a loosely regulated world, there is a considerable risk of addiction for people encouraged to invest. The Gambling Commission also found that “problem gamblers are much more likely to own cryptocurrencies than non-problem gamblers (38% vs 6%)”.
Due to this, most fans do not want to see their club forming close ties with crypto firms. Having an official cryptocurrency partner is one thing, but having a logo across the front of the shirt would cause much more outcry. Clubs rarely minded the backlash that betting sponsors attracted, though, so as before, these deals will likely just go to the highest bidder. Could this prove to be crypto firms as we wave goodbye to gambling companies? In some cases, yes, but expect them to forge other kinds of commercial deals with Premier League clubs rather than become widespread on shirt fronts.
