Source: Statista

If you’ve watched a Premier League game on TV in the UK over the last few years you will have undoubtedly been met with such phrases as ‘bet in play now’, ‘latest live odds’ or ‘£50 free bet’ during the half-time break. Gambling has of course always gone hand in hand with sport but the rise and development of modern betting culture in football has been particularly interesting to observe.

Even when the game is running, viewers are exposed to the advertising efforts of gambling firms looking to gain an edge in this fiercely competitive market. In recent years, one avenue exploited more and more has been shirt sponsorship. Behind only perhaps the renaming of a stadium, the centre of a teams jersey is prime advertising real estate. As the infographic below shows, in the current 2016/17 season, exactly half of the teams in the Premier League have a main shirt sponsor from the gambling industry – back in 2013/14, this stood at 15 percent, and in the previous year 25.

This chart shows the share of Premier League teams with a shirt sponsor from the gambling industry:

You will find more statistics at Statista