With gambling sponsors set to disappear from Premier League shirts, clubs are turning to new partners, with CMC Markets reportedly in talks with Everton and Fulham.
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English Premier League clubs are accelerating efforts to secure replacements for lucrative front-of-shirt gambling sponsors ahead of the 2026/27 ban, with CMC Markets emerging as a potential early beneficiary.
Despite the looming ban, clubs continue to cash in on gambling partnerships for as long as regulations allow. That includes involving companies without U.K. licenses, as the government considers banning such partnerships.
A recent Sky News report said that CMC Markets, a London-listed financial services group, is in talks with Everton and Fulham over deals worth up to £50 million ($67 million) over three years. SportFive is reportedly acting as a broker.
Neither club has confirmed the discussions, and no contracts have been signed.
The Right Clubs at the Right Moment
CMC did not choose Everton and Fulham by accident. A football industry insider said the company believes the supporter demographics of both clubs align with its existing customer base. It performs especially well in London and the north west of England.
Sponsors typically carry out this level of targeting in detail. The market value of front-of-shirt advertising positions could drop by as much as 38% for clubs currently showcasing betting logos. That makes the search for replacements difficult.
One commercial director, speaking anonymously to industry publication The Sponsor, confirmed that the best offer they received from a non-gambling brand was less than half their current deal.
Everton and Fulham already hold deals with gambling operators. Everton features Stake.com on the front of the shirt, despite the operator exiting the U.K. market in March 2025.
Fulham carries SBOTOP, another online gambling brand. CMC has a market cap of around £975 million ($1.3 billion) and has built enough mainstream recognition to be a potentially strong fit.
A “Super App” Strategy for Mass Adoption
CMC has publicly outlined plans to create a “super app.” It would allow users to trade shares and derivatives, and access banking and payment products, all in one place. In its recent interim results statement, the company said this platform would cover “every asset class.”
A partnership with two Premier League clubs would expose the brand to millions of consumers who may not recognize it and could push them toward using an app they might otherwise overlook.
In the U.S., DraftKings has followed a similar strategy by combining its casino, poker, predictions, and sports betting products into a single super app. That way, it aims to retain users across multiple verticals.
For CMC, Premier League exposure offers a high-volume acquisition channel at a time when retail investor platforms are competing for attention in an increasingly crowded market.
Clubs would also benefit from placing a regulated, UK-licensed financial services company on their shirts. It would help them avoid the legal risks and reputational damage linked to unlicensed gambling brands.
A Certain Type of Customer
The shift also reflects a broader convergence between financial trading and betting products, particularly among younger, digitally native users.
Prediction markets in the U.S. have grown rapidly and blurred the line between financial trading and sports betting.
Regulators are now working to determine how best to approach platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which have attracted significant investment and user bases by presenting what is effectively a gambling product as a financial instrument.
CMC originally operated as a spread betting firm and has spent years trying to shed that image. It now positions itself as a broader financial services company. The super app it is building must feel engaging and accessible to a generation of retail investors who grew up using platforms like Robinhood.
Whether Everton and Fulham finalize these agreements remains uncertain, but the broader direction is becoming clearer.
As gambling brands prepare to exit front-of-shirt sponsorships, financial services firms may be among the most willing—and best positioned—to step in. That’s despite replacing the sector’s spending power remaining a challenge.
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Andrew has more than a decade of experience reporting on the wider gambling industry. He started his writing career in 2014 while completing an honors degree in Economics and Finance. After a short stint in the financial consulting world, he dived into full-time writing, covering a wide range of gambling-related topics.
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