Sorare to appear in UK court on unlicensed gambling charges
Gambling Commission schedules hearing for 4 October after the Premier League-affiliated fantasy app was deemed to be operating in the UK without a valid licence
Sorare is set to appear in UK magistrates court after being charged by the Gambling Commission for providing unlicensed gambling facilities to UK customers.
The regulator has scheduled the hearing for 10am on 4 October at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
The France-based fantasy football platform was deemed by the Gambling Commission to have breached sections 33 and 36 of the Gambling Act 2005, which pertain to providing gambling facilities in the UK.
The penalties for the breaches range from fines to potential prison sentences if the cryptocurrency-based platform is found guilty.
As per the Gambling Act 2005, section 33 (4) notes that a person found guilty of an offence in illegally providing facilities for gambling could face imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks, an unlimited fine, or both.
In relation to section 36 (3, 3a), the Gambling Act 2005 notes that the provision of facilities for remote gambling with “at least one piece of remote gambling equipment used in the provision of the facilities is situated in Great Britain”.
A Gambling Commission statement said it would not be providing further comments on the case until a conclusion is reached.
The regulator also did not give any additional details on the specific alleged breaches relating to sections 33 and 36.
In response to the Gambling Commission’s claim, 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 underway.”
Sorare’s fantasy football platform allows users to collect and trade digital assets and NFTs with one another.
The Gambling Commission first launched its investigation into Sorare back in October 2021, looking into whether the platform actually required a licence and if its services equated to gambling.
At the time, the regulator issued a warning to players to exercise caution with the product via a consumer information notice.
Despite this, Sorare then signed a four-year contract with the Premier League in January 2023.
The £120m deal allowed the platform to mint and sell digital trading cards of Premier League players that could be used and traded in online fantasy football games.
The firm also struck an agreement with Premier League side Liverpool in 2021, which was extended further in September 2022.
Sorare has also partnered with major European football leagues including Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga in Spain and France’s Ligue 1.