Premier League teams have been labeled greedy amidst the extraordinarily increased gambling sponsorships.

 The list keeps growing of clubs with betting sponsors on their jerseys, as Bournemouth joins.

With Bournemouth's announcement this week that it would put a gambling logo on the front of its shirts, renewed criticism has begun, bringing the number of Premier League clubs with these kinds of commercial sponsorships to an alarming level of 11. More than half of England's top-flight teams now display a betting company logo on their shirts-a big increase from previous seasons. Chelsea is the only Premier League club that has yet to announce a front-of-shirt sponsor after successful fan lobbying against an online casino deal. Football betting predictions on the Carabao Cup expert picks NZ will have tips on upcoming matches and betting options.

The Gambling Ban Still Two Years Away

Even though Premier League teams have agreed to prohibit gambling sponsorship deals, clubs have a window of two years to sign deals with betting companies, including crypto casinos and Asian betting firms, for which critics fear that the delay in netting bans in could create loopholes amid clubs' gambits since the regulations still allow betting brands to be promoted on shirt sleeves or in and around stadiums.

Critics Call for Action Against Gambling Harm

The Big Step charity, which desires to see an end to gambling advertising in football, was very vocal in its opposition. "The Premier League clubs need to grasp that gambling-related harms are a major public health issue affecting millions across the world. Still, for a few extra pounds, they are doing this desperate kind of deal," said a spokesperson. The charity pointed out other European nations—Spain, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands, to name a handful—that have already banned shirt-sponsorship deals with gambling companies, to plead with the UK government to do likewise and protect young fans from exposure to addictive products.

Clubs With Gambling Sponsors on Their Shirts

Currently, the clubs with gambling companies featured on their shirts include:

• Aston Villa
• Bournemouth
• Brentford
• Crystal Palace
• Everton
• Fulham
• Leicester
• Nottingham Forest
• Southampton
• West Ham
• Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves)

Despite the increasing awareness of harms associated with gambling, these deals continue to be offered. Bournemouth has signed a record-breaking deal with the betting firm bj88, a two-year agreement that replaces Dafabet, the sponsor they had for the last two seasons. It is believed that the deal is worth almost twice what their previous one was, which was already greater than offers made by non-betting sponsors.

Southampton have also struck a deal with one of the so-called "innovators in online gaming"—Rollbit, a "crypto and NFT casino," although not one major notice has been made to its gambling nature—since they were promoted to the Premier League. Besides, Crystal Palace and Wolves announced their new sponsorship collaboration with betting companies-Crystal Palace locks a deal with Net88, an Asian gambling operator, while Wolves partnered with DeBet, a Vietnamese company.

Luton Town's Stance Against Gambling Sponsorships

Luton Town, a club recently relegated to the Championship, remained a staunch supporter of The Big Step and had turned down any gambling sponsorship during their time in the Premier League, although this was estimated to cost them in the region of £3 million in revenue lost. Their stadium was the only one in the Premier League or EFL to be free of gambling advertising last season.

Other clubs like Tranmere, AFC Wimbledon, and Forest Green promised to help the initiative called The Big Step, while Swansea City also stopped short of any partnerships with gambling sponsors.

Brighton Owner Speaks Out Against Gambling Sponsorships

Although some owners such as Tony Bloom, whose wealth as a Briton was made in sports betting, understand the financial attractiveness of gambling sponsorship, he also has concerns about its effects. "I don't think it is good to have gambling sponsorship on shirts, but I understand the gambling companies pay best, so it would be a difficult decision for clubs to turn them down."

Rising Concern Over Gambling Addiction

With the Gambling Commission set to release new statistics on gambling addiction, previous figures suggested that as much as 2.5% of the adult British population could be suffering from problem gambling, amounting to approximately 1.3 million people.

Premier League's Defense and Future Plans

In light of the increasing criticism, the Premier League responded and defended its position by stating that it became the first sports league in the UK to voluntarily ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships. It also pointed out that it has worked with sports governing bodies to develop a new code for the responsible sponsorship of gambling going forward.

With the fervor of debate growing more intense, the Premier League, its clubs, and the future of football gambling are increasingly under the spotlight. Growing calls for greater responsibility and regulation gain momentum.