Rovers are working to secure a front of shirt sponsor for next season and beyond – but have turned down approaches from gambling companies.

Totally Wicked stepped into the breach in January after the agreement with Recoverite Compression, which was due to run to this summer, was cut short.

That was the second successive sponsorship deal to have ended early, with 10Bet having exercised a clause in their three-year deal signed in 2018 to end their time as Rovers’ front of shirt sponsors in 2020.

Australian-based Recoverite Compression took over as principal sponsors, bringing an end to five years of gambling firms having adorned the front of the Rovers shirts following previous agreements with 10Bet and Dafabet.

Following the termination of their agreement, their logo was replaced in January by Totally Wicked, with the vaping company, who are also Rovers’ training wear sponsor, adding their branding to the matchday shirts of the first-team and Under-23s side as a short-term agreement was reached.

That is now coming to an end which leaves Rovers to find a new front of shirt sponsor.

While there have been approaches from gambling companies, and likely where the biggest amounts of money would come from, the club’s stance is to distance themselves from that market.

Totally Wicked could remain on the front of the shirts, but discussions are ongoing given their long-standing training wear agreement.

Back of shirt, and shorts, sponsors have been agreed and will be announced in due course.

The use of gambling companies on the front of football shirts, as well as their close relationship with the game, has been a talking point for some time.

The argument still rumbles on, despite suggestions that it would be outlawed, with last month 20 teams having signed a letter calling for a ban to be introduced.

However, this comes at the same time as the EFL’s title sponsor for their three division, Championship, League One and League Two, is with gambling firm Sky Bet. Their current agreement runs until 2023/24.

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