Why do so many betting companies sponsor the Premier League?

Sports betting is a huge business in England, and it is largely driven by the 92 teams in the English Football League pyramid. The Premier League sits at the top of that pyramid, with the EFL Championship sitting just below.

Of the 44 teams that make up the two top leagues in England, 59 percent of them (26 of 44) are sponsored by gambling companies. Nine of the 20 teams in the Premier League have a betting company as their main shirt sponsor (Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Huddersfield, Newcastle United, West Ham, Wolverhampton).
The prevalence of betting shops around each town, and inside of the various grounds, has ingrained betting into the fabric of the sport. Part of the match-going experience in England is hitting the chip shops and the pubs, putting a bet on the match, and then heading to the stadium to watch your team.

Also, with the rise in TV viewership around the world, the exposure the betting companies get from the matches is more targeted advertising to the people most likely to use their product. For example, the TV ratings in America for the Premier League continues to break records, just as sports betting is being legalized in more states. It may become more prevalent in the upcoming years, as teams find more ways to monetize new revenue streams.