Unlike the English Premier League, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) will allow gambling sponsors on football shirts.

A restriction on wearing certain shirts on the front has just been passed and is set to be enforced at the conclusion of the 2025–26 football season.

"Sponsorship from gambling companies is a significant source of income for many SPFL clubs. It helps to support their business models and enables investment in many of the important community activities which clubs undertake," one SPFL spokesperson said.

"Every club handles its own sponsorship deals; there are no intentions to mandate such deals league-wide."

Dafabet is the jersey sponsor of Celtic, 32Red and Unibet of Rangers, and QuinnCasino of Dundee United, all of which are currently competing in the Scottish Premiership.

"I am disappointed at the SPFL’s response because it seems to be not tenable to argue that it’s a matter for the clubs when indeed, as an association, they look after the general interests of football," wrote Henry McLeish, a former First Minister.

Scotland is where I believe we're in a situation where, pardon the pun, it's a perfect fit.

"Just because the gambling industry is in desperate need of advertising and the SPFL is, to be honest, in dire need of funds."

A small percentage of Scots were found to have gambling problems, as indicated by data from the Scottish Health Survey.

Roughly 18,000 persons are included in this figure.

"If the game itself could be made more attractive to those particular sponsors, I cannot believe that there are not good sponsors willing to come into the game in Scotland and the United Kingdom," McLeish concluded.