The Hundred tournament will permit gambling logos on shirts this season after several franchises struggled to secure commercial sponsors.
The Hundred cricket tournament will permit gambling logos on team shirts this season after several franchises struggled to secure commercial sponsors, according to a The Telegraph exclusive.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had opposed betting sponsorship because the tournament was created for a family audience. That position has now been softened for a temporary period of one year under pressure from the eight teams.
Three teams remained without front-of-shirt sponsors less than two weeks before the competition begins. Another was close to an agreement, while two had no confirmed deal in place.
The Hundred Board has now approved betting partnerships for 2026, subject to restrictions. Gambling branding will then be prohibited from team kits from 2027.
Teams must treat betting companies as a last resort and meet a minimum commercial value. Only one-year agreements will be permitted.
Players may also request shirts without gambling logos for personal reasons, while under-18 players will receive unbranded shirts automatically.
Children’s replica kits will also exclude betting branding. Venue promotions will face additional limits under the sponsorship code.
Private investors and host counties now control stakes in all eight teams. Three franchises have adopted names connected to Indian Premier League investors and five have also changed their playing colours.
Commercial responsibility has moved from the ECB to individual teams. That includes shirt sponsorship, which was previously arranged centrally.
KP Snacks filled the main sponsorship space during the tournament’s first five seasons, under an agreement worth around £4m over that period. KP branding will continue in 2026, though in less prominent positions.
Only MI London, London Spirit and Birmingham Phoenix displayed front-of-shirt sponsors when the new kits appeared in June. Their partners were Sokin, Barclays and Skechers respectively, as reported by The Telegraph.
Two more teams have since reached agreements. Some deals involve businesses already connected to the franchises’ investors.
Premier League ban adds pressure to sponsorship market
The Hundred’s difficulties come as English football undergoes its own major sponsorship change.
Premier League clubs agreed to remove gambling brands from shirt fronts from the 2026-27 season, though betting companies can still appear on sleeves and elsewhere.
The transition has proved costly for clubs outside football’s commercial elite. Nine Premier League clubs were reportedly without front-of-shirt sponsors in April, while several replacement deals offered lower values.
The potential revenue gap across the league has been estimated at about £80m. Smaller clubs face the greatest exposure because betting firms often paid above competing sectors.
UK sports bodies have also tightened their wider gambling sponsorship rules. Football’s code covers protection, social responsibility, reinvestment and sporting integrity.
The government is separately considering restrictions on sponsorship by gambling businesses without British licences.
The Hundred’s compromise therefore runs against the broader direction of UK sport. For its teams, however, blank shirts would carry an immediate commercial cost.
Sponsors must be confirmed in time for shirts to be printed before the opening fixtures.