Key points:
- Sorare pleads not guilty to three charges of providing unlicensed gambling activities in the UK
- The company maintains it does not require a gambling license for its operations in Britain
- A seven-day trial is scheduled for June 2025
Premier League partner Sorare has pleaded not guilty to three charges of providing unlicensed gambling activities to British consumers.
The case, brought forward by the Gambling Commission, will go to trial next summer in Birmingham Magistrates' Court.
The French-based company, represented by its barrister, entered formal not guilty pleas at a recent court hearing. Sorare maintains that it does not require a licence to operate in Britain, asserting that it does not provide gambling facilities to UK users.
The charges allege that Sorare offered "a remote facility for gambling to consumers within Great Britain, without holding a licence" over three separate periods between 7 February 2022 and 5 April 2024. These actions potentially violate the 2005 Gambling Act.
Good to know: In January 2023, the Premier League announced a four-year deal with Sorare, allowing the company to release digital cards of players from all 20 Premier League clubs
A spokesperson for Sorare denied the claims, stating that the Gambling Commission has misunderstood their business model, stating: “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 case has attracted attention due to Sorare's high-profile partnerships and investors. In January 2023, for example, the Premier League announced a four-year deal with Sorare, allowing the company to release digital cards of players from all 20 Premier League clubs as part of its online fantasy football game.
The company also holds partnerships with several major European football leagues, club teams and national teams.
The trial, scheduled to begin on 16 June 2025, is expected to last seven days and will be an important test case for industry standards going forward.
