Betfred to End Super League Sponsorship After Tax Rises
Betfred will end its title sponsorships of the Super League, Challenge Cup and England Rugby League at the end of the 2026 season, RL Commercial confirmed, closing out one of rugby league's most significant commercial partnerships.
Betfred founder and chairman Fred Done, writing in the Sunday Times, said the decision followed a review of the leading betting site spending after tax rises and wage inflation forced it to announce the closure of 132 betting shops in July.
A Decade-Long Partnership Ends
"In July, a combination of wage inflation and tax rises forced us to announce the closure of 132 shops," Done wrote. "With those shops went 600 jobs, £17.8 million in taxes and £4.2 million a year in payments to horseracing.
"In an environment like this, you have to look at all your costs. As much as it breaks my heart, we have decided not to renew our sponsorship of Rugby League."
Betfred began sponsoring Super League in 2017 and gradually expanded its involvement to the Championship and League One the following year, the Women's Super League in 2019, the Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Super League in 2021, and the England national teams in 2022.
New Sponsors Being Sought
Rhodri Jones, interim RFL chief executive and RL Commercial managing director, thanked Done and Betfred for "their commitment, support and contribution to rugby league" over nearly a decade, and said RL Commercial was already working to secure new partners across Super League and the sport's other major assets.
The exit follows Betfred's broader retail pullback this year and comes as several UK bookmakers reassess sponsorship spending in response to last year's autumn budget, which raised remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% and introduced a new online sports betting duty due to apply from 2027.
