The English Premier League’s (EPL) official partner, Sorare, is facing legal action from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for allegedly “providing unlicensed gambling facilities.” A hearing will take place on October 4 in the Birmingham Magistrates Court relating to the case.

purchase the cards with cryptocurrency and compete with their peers for cash prizes

Sorare entered into a four-year agreement reportedly worth ￡30m ($40m) in January 2023 to provide non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of all EPL players for use in a free online fantasy soccer game. Users purchase the cards with cryptocurrency and compete with their peers for cash prizes, including tickets to games and autographed jerseys.

The UKGC has eyed up Sorare for a long time, first investigating the company in 2021 to see if it was offering unlicensed gambling products to consumers.

A spokesperson for Sorare said the Paris-based company intends to fight the allegations and denies that its products are categorizable as gambling under UK law, saying the regulator has “misunderstood” the business and “wrongly determined that gambling laws apply.”

In addition to its partnership with the EPL, Sorare also has relationships with La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, MLS, MLB, and the NBA.