Premier League Partner Sorare Faces UK Trial for Unlicensed Gambling
A rare trial into alleged unlicensed gambling in the UK will be held after a Premier League partner denied it requires a licence for its operations.
Premier League partner Sorare is fighting against allegations over its practices. © KelvinStuttard, Pixabay
Premier League Partner Sorare Denies Providing Unlicensed Gambling
Sorare.com, a Premier League partner accused of providing unlicensed gambling activities in the UK, has confirmed it denies the charges at a hearing, with the case set to go to trial.
The Gambling Commission recently said its investigations found the French firm runs “a remote facility for gambling to consumers within Great Britain, without holding a licence”.
Sorare is an online fantasy football game that allows trading of NFTs.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court held an initial hearing into the claims late last week and Sorare entered a not guilty plea, which means a trial will be scheduled for next year.
A previous statement from a Sorare spokesman said:
“We are aware of the claims made by the Gambling Commission and have instructed our UK counsel to challenge them. We firmly deny any claims that Sorare is a gambling product under UK laws. The commission has misunderstood our business and wrongly determined that gambling laws apply to Sorare. We cannot comment further whilst legal proceedings are under way.” – Sorare spokesman
Which Stars Are Involved With Sorare?
One of the reasons the Sorare case has attracted so much interest is the fact it has lined up some of the biggest names from the world of sport as advisors and investors.
Among those to be linked with the company include the following household names:
- Tennis icon Serena Williams
- Football legends Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe
- Basketball stars Blake Griffin and Rudy Gobert
As well as the Premier League, Sorare – which was founded by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort in 2018 – has secured deals with a range of top European leagues.
Sorare has also partnered up with NBA, NBPA, MLB and MLBPA among other sporting bodies.
Sorare’s Premier League Package
Sorare’s partnership with the Premier League was first announced back in January 2023, with a four-year deal being confirmed.
As part of the agreement, Sorare was given the green light to release digital player cards representing all 20 Premier League clubs.
But the Gambling Commission believes Sorare’s activities in the UK count as unlicensed betting and has accused the company of three separate breaches of the Gambling Act 2005.
VIP tickets and signed jerseys are among the prizes that players who join Sorare can win. Sorare claims to have signed up more than three million users to date.
A trial is set for Birmingham Magistrates’ Court with the case likely to take a week to settle.
