Betting companies have been removed from Premier League jerseys. Enterprise software has taken their place.

      Premier League teams are competing this season without gambling brands on the front of their matchday shirts, leading to eight out of the 20 clubs needing to find new sponsors at the same time. Fulham has partnered with ClickHouse, an American data infrastructure company valued at $15 billion.

      The highly coveted advertising space in global sports has shifted ownership, with some of it now occupied by a database company. ClickHouse has taken over from the betting firm SBOTOP on Fulham’s shirt for the new season.

      This change is due to a regulation rather than a bidding competition. A voluntary restriction by the Premier League on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorship has come into effect this season, compelling eight of the league’s clubs to seek new sponsors concurrently.

      This timing altered the dynamics. “When more inventory is available at once, it creates a buyer's market,” explained Tanya Bragin, ClickHouse’s vice president of product and marketing.

      However, it did not come at a low cost. Bragin stated that the opportunities the company explored remained competitive, as the demand for the league, which is the most watched in the world, continues to be strong.

      Fulham was chosen intentionally rather than simply opting for the best available option. “Sponsoring top teams would obviously require a much larger investment from us,” Bragin noted. “Until we possibly become a public company, I felt that a mid-table team would be more ideal in terms of price range.”

      The buyer is not insignificant. ClickHouse achieved $250 million in annualized revenue as of May, approximately three times that of the previous year, and secured $400 million at a $15 billion valuation in January, during a funding climate dominated by major deals.

      The London location is just as important as the television audience. Bragin emphasizes the significance of hospitality, indicating that the shirt serves as a venue to engage enterprise clients.

      This reasoning applies to other teams as well. Everton has replaced Stake with CMC Markets, a financial services firm, while Brentford has switched from Hollywoodbets to the recruitment platform Indeed.

      What stands out is who is making these investments. Business software companies have long claimed that significant growth can occur without marketing, yet here is one purchasing the most sought-after advertising space in sports before going public.

      The presence of gambling money in the sport remains intact. Betting brands can still sponsor sleeves and training kits; for instance, Manchester United's training agreement with Betway is reportedly worth up to £20 million per year. Additionally, clubs in the four lower divisions are not subject to the same restrictions.

      As a result, the advertising has merely shifted rather than disappeared. The difference now is that European football audiences are seeing American data infrastructure brands in places where bookmakers once featured.