table of contents
As the Hundred League undergoes changes since the conclusion of last season, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has introduced new rules for sponsorship deals for all eight franchises of the league.
The ECB has barred franchises from making any deals with betting companies as the board wants to treat the upcoming edition of The Hundred League as a family show. The upcoming edition of the tournament is scheduled to begin on July 21 and the final match will take place on August 16.
Ahead of the opening day of the tournament, the ECB is in a unique position as three of the eight franchises are yet to secure their front-of-shirt sponsorship deals. One of the three teams that has not yet signed a deal for front-of-shirt sponsorship is expected to bring a deal on board, while the remaining two are relying on deals from betting firms.
Franchises are not allowed to sign any agreement with any betting company without the permission of the England and Wales Cricket Board. According to a Telegraph report, the ECB has been forced to break its own rules by allowing franchises to join hands with betting companies.
ECB allows gambling firms to make deals with The Hundred franchises
However, franchises that are going to bring in gambling companies as their sponsors will have to maintain a different guideline. As per ECB orders, franchisees are allowed to sign the agreement with the gambling firm for a period of one year only.
Early last year, the ECB sold stakes in eight teams in The Hundred, making the league a private tournament. Therefore, the National Cricket Board has no option but to set the criteria as per the situation. Some of the hundred franchises are now owned by Indian Premier League franchise owners.
One of the ECB’s spokespersons told Telegraph Sport that due to the transition phase of the tournament, franchises will have to decide whether to make a deal with the gambling company. If a deal is struck between a gambling company and The Hundred franchise before the upcoming season, the validity of the deal will be for only one year, the 2026 season.
An ECB spokesperson told the media house, “Ultimately it is a decision for the teams to make, and given the transitional nature of 2026, some teams may only want the option to pursue visible betting partners for this year’s competition. It was therefore agreed between the teams to allow on-kit betting partnerships in 2026, subject to a number of strict parameters.”
“These parameters allow teams to only sign one-year deals for 2026, with teams unanimously agreeing to ban on-kit betting advertising from 2027,” he said.
Franchises and gambling companies have to maintain certain rules
The spokesperson further noted that the partnership would have to adhere to a code of conduct on sponsorship agreements, which would prohibit gambling companies from printing their logos on fan edition kits. Players will also have the freedom to decide whether to wear a kit with a sponsorship logo or one without a sponsorship logo.
“‘In addition, any partnership must adhere to a code of conduct on sponsorship agreements with gambling companies, including kits being available for purchase to fans without sponsor logos, prohibiting any venue activations, and all players must be given the option to wear a playing kit that does not contain gambling branding. Additionally, a minimum commercial value threshold is in place,” it is informed.
