The UK Gambling Commission has issued a warning over an unlicensed gambling operator and website after it launched in the United Kingdom.
Sorare.com launched in the UK earlier this year. The website offers SO5, a game that allows registered users to collect digital cards featuring professional football players with blockchain tokens and create a team. Players then compete against other users with their cards for prizes, with the results of tournaments based on the performance of each players’ card.
In a statement issued on the UKGC website, the regulator warned that although the website is available to consumers in the UK, it is not licensed by the Commission. “This means that any activity completed on the site by consumers in Great Britain is outside the gambling regulations that a licensed operator should comply with,” the organisation said.
It then suggested that consumers should consider the information before deciding whether or not to interact with the website. The Commission ended its statement by confirming that it will carry out enquiries into the company to establish whether it requires an operating license or whether its services do not constitute gambling.
Sorare published a response to the Commission’s warning on Medium, stating that it does not consider its service to be gambling. The statement reads: “At Sorare, fans can celebrate their passion for football in a unique way.
“By collecting rare NFT cards and playing our global fantasy football game, our community has unlocked a new way to connect with the players and clubs that they love. When a product with a nascent technology becomes successful, such as Sorare’s digital collectable cards and game, it is normal and expected to be regulatory questions.
“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.”
They added: “We will always engage and have an open dialogue with authorities who reach out to us to learn more about the game. We believe this is the responsible way to grow our game and community globally.”
Over the last few months, the UK Gambling Commission has come under fire for its regulation of the UK industry. Last month, the Parliamentary All Party Betting and Gaming Group (APBGG) launched an inquiry into the effectiveness and competence of the Commission after receiving several complaints about the regulator.
Meanwhile, gambling operator Betfred has extended its sponsorship of the rugby Super League Europe for an additional two years.
The extension marks Betfred as the longest-serving sponsor, having done so since 2017, and Betfred has announced plans to work on a responsible gambling campaign with the league that will be promoted during matches.
Betfred Chairman and former CEO Fred Done said in a statement on the sponsorship via FocusGN: “The passion and enthusiasm shown by the fans, media and everybody involved in the game of rugby league is, I believe, the essential reason this has proved such an enjoyable and rewarding sponsorship for Betfred and is why I had absolutely no hesitation in extending the Super League deal for at least a further two years.”
Rhodri Jones, the Super League Chief Commerical Officer, added: “It’s great to be extending our successful partnership with Betfred. During this difficult period, they’ve been outstanding headline partners, and we can’t thank Fred and his team enough for their continued support.”
As we reported last month, Betfred announced its sponsorship of The Game Day’s flagship NFL shows Take The Points and Ride With throughout the 2021-2022 NFL Season.
Betfred isn’t the only gambling operator that has announced a new partnership this week, as William Hill has struck a deal with Relax Gaming.
Under the partnership, Relax Gaming has provided its entire catalogue of games, along with all content under its Powered By Relax and Silver Bullet platforms, to William Hill. In addition to boosting William Hill’s game portfolio.
The agreement helps extend Relax Gaming’s reach across the UK and comes after the studio struck similar agreements with Ellmount Entertainment, LeoVegas, PokerStars, FavBet, Tivoli, CasinosHunter, Casino Horse, and other firms.
Some of the games to be made available with William Hill under the agreement include Money Train 2, King Of Kings, Iron Bank, Dead Mans Trail, Blackjack, Money Cart 2, Volatile Vikings, Helios Fury, Temple Tumble, and plenty more.
Andrew Crosby, the Director of Account Management at Relax Gaming, said of the partnership: “We continuously endeavour to offer the best solutions that enable our players to enjoy our market-leading content. Partnering with one of the leading UK operators gives us ample opportunity to do so even further.
“Our partnership with William Hill evidences the value that Relax brings to the table for both the operators and the studios we work with. Offering the industry’s most sought after selection of gaming experiences, we’re highly confident that we’ll enjoy many years of working together.”
Craig Staples, the Head of Gaming Content at William Hill, added: “We are delighted to partner with the leading supplier of game-changing content, and offer Relax’s award-winning games, as well as slots from its highly innovative partnership studios.
“With a wealth of innovative and engaging products, they have already proven to be a real UK favourite. Relax’s portfolio will provide our players with the high quality, sought-after variety of slots that we strive to give them.”
Also this week, game developer Nolimit City has announced its launch in Portugal after striking a partnership with gambling operator Betclic.
Under this partnership, Nolimit City has provided its entire selection of casino games to Betclic in Portugal. Some of the games now available on the website include Deadwood, Mental, San Quentin, xWays Hoarder xSplit, Fire In The Hole, East Coast Vs West Coast, Book Of Shadows, Das xBoot, and numerous other titles too.
Zoltan Rapp, the Casino Specialist at Betflic Group, said in a statement to CasinoBeats: “Driven by a customer-centric, mobile-first approach and the passion for entertaining our valued players, we share core values with Nolimit City, whose state of the art and innovative casino games portfolio will be an excellent addition to our offering in Portugal. The consistency and quality of their games predestine that they will be popular among our customers.”
Malcolm Mizzi, the CCO and Managing Director at Nolimit City: “Having achieved yet another regulated milestone in such a short span of time after announcing our games in Italy makes us extremely proud of our continued momentum. Betclic, an already astounding partner, has helped us achieve this goal in none other than in Portugal, one of the most coveted EU markets out there.”
The above news comes after Nolimit City celebrated its launch in Italy with Betflat.it and after the developer was granted a license for Romania, allowing it to launch its games in the region, continuing its expansion across Europe.
Finally, developer Pragmatic Play has signed an agreement with Supersport, boosting its presence in the Croatian gambling market.
Under the agreement, Pragmatic Play has launched a selection of its top-performing slots with Supersport.hr, including titles like Starlight Princess, Sweet Bonanza, the John Hunter series, Big Bass Bonanza, and the hugely popular title Wolf Gold.
Alongside gaining access to the above slots, Supersport will also be given access to the developer’s Enhance gamification suite, which features several tools designed to drive player engagement.
Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said in a statement: “Expanding in important European markets is a key point of focus for Pragmatic Play and as such, we’re very pleased to collaborate with another prominent operator. Supersport has an excellent reputation and we look forward to a long and rewarding partnership.”
Tugomil Cerovecki, the Head of Casino at Supersport.hr, commented: “Pragmatic Play’s slot offering is one of the leading portfolios in the iGaming industry and we’re delighted to roll it out on our online casino. With popular content and an impressive gamification toolkit, we’re very excited to join forces with Pragmatic Play.”
The above agreement is the latest to be announced by Pragmatic Play. The studio has been working hard to expand its presence worldwide by striking agreements with gambling firms such as El Inmejorable, Novibet, Heart Bingo, Apuesta Total, Trebalia, Planetwin365, Intelligent Gaming, Jackbet, and numerous others.
