Campaigners have criticised the Premier League’s “cynical” front-of-shirt gambling sponsor ban as new research shows football fans continue to be bombarded with adverts.

Researchers from the University of Bristol recorded 15,571 gambling advertising messages during the Premier League’s opening weekend.

This is a 42 per cent rise since 2023 when footballing authorities first decided to bring in a ban on gambling logos on the front of matchday shirts. The voluntary agreement came into force for the 2026/27 season, after a three-year transition period.

Nick Harvey, spokesperson for the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), said that the figures showed that the front-of-shirt ban was a “cynical move” from the Premier League which ultimately was ineffective.

"I think it was a cynical move from the Premier League to voluntarily remove the gambling ads from the front of shirts because I think they knew that they could easily move them to the sleeves, to training kits and around stadiums, which is exactly what's happened,” he said.

“So the exposure from these ads hasn't been reduced by anywhere near as much as it could have been. I think the only way to do this properly is to end all gambling advertising in football, and that's something which the government can do."

Meanwhile, pitchside advertising continued to dominate, accounting for 72 per cent of all messages during live matches.

Dr Raffaello Rossi, a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bristol Business School and Co-Director of Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, said that the findings raised questions about the Premier League’s ability to self-regulate its relationship with the gambling industry.

He said: "The findings raise serious questions about the effectiveness of the Premier League’s front-of-shirt restriction and football’s voluntary Sponsorship Code of Conduct. The gambling and football industries have repeatedly promised to get a grip on the massive volume of gambling marketing surrounding the Premier League.”

Dr Rossi has been tracking the number of gambling messages for four years and said that they remained pervasive despite widespread recognition of the issue.

He said: “This cannot be presented as a success for self-regulation. Premier League broadcasts contained more gambling messages per game than every other jurisdiction in our comparison, including Germany, Canada and the United States. Gambling marketing remains an unavoidable part of watching Premier League football and the issue needs to be tackled more effectively.”

Mr Harvey called on the prime minister to root out gambling advertising in football.

“I believe Andy Burnham has the will and the ability to do that. Otherwise it's like squeezing a balloon; you squeeze it in one place, it'll just pop up somewhere else, and that's what's happened with gambling advertising in football.”

Dr Rossi is set to present the findings on Wednesday to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Gambling Reform in a session questioning if current regulations fall short and whether the government should do more to prevent gambling-related harms.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Co-Chair of the APPG for Gambling Reform, said the research was proof that the voluntary approach to gambling advertising in football wasn’t working.

“After repeated promises of reform, fans continue to be exposed to thousands of gambling messages during Premier League coverage. The front-of-shirt restriction has barely scratched the surface of the issue.

“We cannot continue to rely on the gambling and football industries to regulate themselves. That is why the APPG on Gambling Reform is calling on the Government for more stringent regulation of gambling advertising and to close the loopholes in the current system."

Around 1.3 million people in the UK are estimated to suffer from problem gambling, many of whom go on to suffer serious harm, according to the Gambling Commission.

Mr Harvey is set to present a petition to Downing Street on Thursday, signed by more than 27,000 people who want to see an end to gambling advertising in football.

A Premier League spokesperson said: “The Premier League and our clubs take their responsibilities around gambling sponsorship seriously and fully recognise the importance of protecting children and people at risk of gambling-related harm.

“From this season gambling sponsorships no longer appear on the front of matchday shirts, making the Premier League the first UK sports league to take this step voluntarily.

“This forms part of a broader approach that includes football’s Gambling Code of Conduct, annual monitoring of clubs’ compliance and specific protections for children. We will continue working constructively with government, other football bodies and wider sport."

A DCMS spokesperson said: “We welcome the Premier League’s move to voluntarily ban all gambling sponsorship from the front of shirts from this season, which complements the Codes of Conduct already in place to ensure gambling advertising and sponsorship in sport is socially responsible.

“However, we are concerned that unlicensed gambling operators can still sponsor some of our biggest football clubs in other ways.

“That is why we are now working on banning unlicensed operators from sponsorship deals in British sport.”