UK Gambling Commission eyes Sorare, a digital soccer game

The explosion of the blockchain gaming industry brought Sorare, a digital soccer game wherein a person maintains a soccer team, buying, and trading players, in the eyes of the UK Gambling Commission. The UK watchdog is looking into the functioning of the game. 

The UK Gambling Commission is eyeing the fantasy football game to confirm if Sorare needs to own a gambling license to operate in the region. 

Sorare is played by a person who is the in-game manager of a team of around 5 football stars. The team of the person is ranked considering the actual performance of the players in the real world. The players are actually NFT-based cards that managers can buy, sell, and trade. 

UK Gambling Commission enquiring if the game is similar to gambling

The UK Gambling Commission is enquiring into the matter if Sorare involves some kind of gambling or if the platform requires people to stake something to reap benefits.

Since the player cards are NFTs that have monetary value, the Commission believes that Sorare will have to apply for a license to continue its services. 

Sorare denies that the game involves gambling

The official blog of the company said otherwise, 

“We are very confident Sorare does not offer any forms of regulated gambling. This has been confirmed by expert legal opinions at every stage since the company was founded, including during a number of fundraising rounds.”

The UK Gambling Commission stated in a recent notice that the platform is registered with the authority and that every user of the platform must interact wisely with the website of the game. 

Sorare further added in their defense that they are not shy of communicating with the authorities and that the game is just a form of entertainment, not gambling. 

As Sorare continues to expand its partnerships with football leagues, such claims by the UK Gambling Commission might hurt these partnerships and the company’s reputation overall.