The National Crime Agency has frozen £10 million of Premier League money paid by crypto fantasy football company Sorare, The Sun reported on Tuesday. The case that will decide whether Sorare was operating legally is not listed for trial until June 2027.
The Gambling Commission charged the company with unlicensed gambling in September 2024, following an investigation it opened in October 2021. The trial has been adjourned three times since, and the four-year Premier League deal that produced the frozen payment has now run its term and expired.
Sorare’s trial is listed for June 7, 2027, at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, having been rescheduled from June 2026, while The Sun reported that £10,024,041.33 held in a Barclays account belonging to The Football Association Premier League Limited was frozen under a Proceeds of Crime Act order obtained in January 2025.
Three Counts Under the Gambling Act
The Gambling Commission charged the Paris-based company in September 2024 with providing facilities for gambling without holding an operating license, contrary to sections 33(1), 33(4), 36(3), and 36(3A) of the Gambling Act 2005.
Sorare faces three counts, each covering a different period between February 2022 and April 2024. The company entered three not-guilty pleas at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on October 4, 2024, appearing through solicitor Kwaku Awuku-Asabre rather than in person.
The regulator opened inquiries into whether Sorare required a license in October 2021. It rarely uses its prosecutorial powers, and the case is its first against a blockchain-based platform.
Sorare Says the Commission Misunderstood Its Business
Sorare has denied that its product constitutes gambling under UK law. A company spokesperson said it had instructed UK counsel to challenge the claims and that the Commission had misunderstood its business and wrongly determined that gambling laws apply.
The company’s position is that its game rewards skill rather than chance. Users buy NFT player cards on Ethereum, assemble teams of five, and earn rewards including further cards, ETH, kits, and match tickets based on the real-world performance of the footballers depicted.
The legal question is whether that structure meets the definition of gaming under the Act and whether the NFT rewards constitute prizes. The Gambling Commission has said it will not comment further until the case concludes.
The Sun Reports a £10m Freeze on Premier League Funds
The newspaper reported that an NCA spokesperson said the purpose of the order was to prevent dissipation of the funds while the agency investigates potential links between them and alleged third-party criminality, and that the sum represents the opening installment of the Sorare sponsorship. The freezing order, the account details, or the amount and reports are attributed to The Sun.
An account freezing order under the Proceeds of Crime Act runs for a defined period and requires renewal by the court. If the order dates from January 2025, it would have been in place for roughly twenty months.
The Deal Behind the Frozen Money Has Expired
The Premier League signed a four-year licensing partnership with Sorare in January 2023, covering official digital player cards for all 20 clubs. Sorare told The Sun that its Premier League contract had expired at the end of its term and that it could not comment on the freezing order. Neither the Premier League nor the NCA has issued a public statement beyond the comments reported by the newspaper.
Sorare raised $680 million at a $4.3 billion valuation in a 2021 round led by SoftBank. It has built its profile through sports partnerships and endorsements, including an investment and ambassador deal with Kylian Mbappé in 2022 and a global partnership with Liverpool FC.
France Ordered Changes in 2022
The UK is not the only jurisdiction to have examined the model. France’s gambling regulator told Sorare in November 2022 to make changes to the game, including expanding its free-to-play option.
A conviction in Britain could carry a fine or, in principle, imprisonment of company directors. With trial now set for June 2027, the question of whether an NFT fantasy game constitutes gambling under English law will remain unresolved for close to six years from the opening of the investigation.
The Crypto Times contacted the National Crime Agency for comment at 11:44 AM UTC and will update this report once it receives a response.
