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Read Full BioWest Ham United will feature BoyleSports on their shirts for the coming season after agreeing a £12 million ($16 million) deal with the betting company.
BoyleSports will replace the current betting sponsor, Betway, who has been on the front of the Hammers’ shirts since 2015.
The Daily Mail first broke the story, noting that the Premier League side is continuing to feature a betting company on their shirts despite player Lucas Paqueta’s ongoing legal case over allegations that he deliberately influenced betting markets.
Paqueta Faces Judgment Imminently
Paqueta was found guilty of deliberately picking up yellow cards in four matches between November 2022 and August 2023.
Betway raised the alarm about suspicious betting activity on the markets back in Paqueta’s native Brazil. Family members are accused of benefiting from insider information, placing bets ranging from $10 to $500.
The FA charged the Brazilian international in May 2024, but he is still awaiting punishment. A three-week hearing concluded last week, and the results are expected to be released within the next few weeks. The FA is seeking the maximum sentence of a lifetime ban.
West Ham told the Daily Mail that the end of Betway’s sponsorship is not related to Paqueta’s case.
The sports betting and casino operator initially paid the club £20 million for a three-and-a-half-year deal in February 2015. The partnership was renewed for a further six years in 2019 for a reported fee of £10 million ($13.5 million) per season.
Betway maintains partnerships with four other Premier League clubs: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Final Season for Premier League Sports Betting Sponsorship
Premier League clubs voted in favor of implementing a ban on betting sponsors on the front of shirts from the start of the 2026-27 season. As such, West Ham’s BoyleSports deal will be for one campaign only.
Currently, 11 of the 20 clubs in the Premier League have betting companies as their front-of-shirt sponsor. The deals are worth approximately $135 million.
TGP Europe brands currently sponsor six clubs, but the clubs have faced scrutiny after the company was fined by the UK Gambling Commission and ordered to exit the UK gambling market.
Clubs could face legal consequences after it emerged some of the companies continue to accept UK customers despite now being unlicensed.
Dundalk-based betting company BoyleSports is licensed in the UK and has featured on Championship clubs Birmingham City and Coventry City’s shirts in the past.
The appearance on West Ham’s strip marks the first time it will feature on the front of a Premier League side’s shirt. The company has previously had deals with Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The company has also been involved in controversy in Ireland, after providing corporate tickets to the GAA’s All Ireland Finals to bettors significantly in the red. This is despite the GAA’s anti-gambling stance and ban on betting advertisements.
Other Countries Consider a Ban on Betting Companies
A similar proposal to ban shirt sponsors from the front of Brazilian soccer clubs has been suggested by lawmakers, but clubs oppose the ban, citing the loss of essential income.
Italy and Spain implemented bans on front-of-shirt betting sponsors in 2018 and 2021, respectively; however, the Brazilian clubs noted that this led to financial struggles for many teams.
Belgium and the Netherlands are also introducing stricter rules around soccer teams advertising betting companies from the coming season.
