Premier League partner Sorare to appear in court on gambling licence charges

A court hearing, which is being prosecuted by the Gambling Commission, will take place from October 4 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

France-based Sorare is charged with providing facilities for gambling without holding an operating licence.

This means that any activity on the site by consumers in Great Britain falls outside of gambling regulations that a licensed operator should comply with.

The Gambling Commission said it would not comment further on the case until its conclusion.

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.”

The Premier League announced a four-year licence with Sorare in January last year, allowing the global sports entertainment company to release digital cards of players from all 20 Premier League clubs as part of its online fantasy football game.

In a statement at the time, the Premier League said Sorare was one of the world’s most popular online sports games with more than three million users worldwide, and offered the Premier League another way to engage with its supporters.

Sorare has counted athletes Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Rio Ferdinand, Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Pique, Blake Griffin, and Rudy Gobert among its investors, ambassadors, and advisors.

The Gambling Commission opened an inquiry into Sorare in October 2021 after they launched a fantasy football game based around blockchain – a digital database used in cryptocurrency.

They launched it without obtaining a UK licence, leading the regulator to caution fans against using their products.

The commission said in a statement at the time: “This means any activity completed on the site is outside the gambling regulations that a licensed operator should comply with.

“Consumers are being advised to consider this information when deciding whether or not to interact with the site.”

The Premier League has been approached for comment.