Michael Owen, an ex-soccer star, promoted an unlicensed non-fungible token (NFT) product in Britain. The Athletic reported that the Advertising Standards Authority contacted the former sports professional and asked him to take his posts down.
Owen Promoted Punt Casino
Owen is a former striker for Liverpool. The retired athlete is a soccer expert who often shares sports insights on his personal social media. Recently, the ex-pro shared an advert that promotes a new non-fungible token scheme. However, Owen was not aware that the products he advertised were illegal in the United Kingdom.
The soccer star’s Tweets promoted the products of Punt Casino, a Curacao-based gambling company that is yet to hold a license in the United Kingdom. According to British law, only products licensed by the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission may be legally promoted.
Owen became Punt Casino’s brand ambassador a few weeks ago. His promotion was a part of his agreement with the Curacao company. Even so, Owen’s posts were in breach of his country’s advertising regulations.
Punt Casino Never Meant to Target the UK
The Advertising Standards Authority, Britain’s ads regulator, subsequently contacted Owen. The ASA reprimanded the former Liverpool striker and asked him to take his posts down. The retired sports pro obliged and deleted his tweets. Meanwhile, Punt Casino remains geo-blocked and is inaccessible by British punters, even by those who have seen Owen’s promotion.
Punt Casino later addressed the matter to clarify that it never targeted British citizens. A spokesperson emphasized that the casino is well-aware of what rules it should follow and does not seek to gain customers in markets where it lacks a license.
Punt Casino is a fully licensed Curacao casino operating under the rules and regulations associated with that license. We do not target or promote our casino to customers of any countries and/or jurisdictions not allowed by such license.
Punt Casino statement
People Call for Gambling Sponsorships in Soccer to End
Gambling has grown to be an inseparable part of British soccer, despite some people’s disgruntlement with the fact. Yesterday, Everton FC, one of the powerhouses in British soccer, inked key partnership with Stake.com, one of the leaders in online gambling.
At the same time, studies show that Britain has a problem with gambling harm, especially in its poorest regions. According to recent research, deprived areas provide a huge chunk of gambling operators’ profits. Because of this, there have been calls to impose further restrictions on the industry.
As the review of the UK’s Gambling Act 2005 continues, some hope on a gambling sponsorships ban in the famous British Premier League.