The Premier League has asked its clubs to support phasing out gambling companies sponsoring shirts, the PA news agency understands.

Premier League chiefs are understood to have made the request in a bid to avert the threat of a Government-enforced ban.

English top-flight bosses are thought to have contacted clubs on Monday, proposing plans to usher out shirt sponsorship by betting firms within three years.

The Premier League sides have been asked for quick responses, with the agreement of 14 clubs required for the plans to be adopted straight away.

Betting firm sponsorship has become commonplace in the Premier League, with almost half of the 20 top-flight clubs benefiting from deals last season.

Premier League administrators are understood to believe that the UK Government still harbours plans to bring in legislation to ban betting companies sponsoring top-flight shirts.

And so Premier League chiefs hope to avoid Government intervention by handling the concern themselves.

The Government has said it will publish a White Paper on gambling reform in the coming weeks.