Former professional footballer Michael Owen has infringed British laws relating to gambling advertising, as reported by The Athletic.
The former Liverpool forward used his Twitter account to promote an unlicensed crypto casino to the British public, and was instructed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to take down the promotion that violated the rules on advertising cryptocurrency products.
Last month, Owen published two tweets announcing Punt Casino, a company registered in Curaçao without a UK license. Under British law, only betting companies licensed by the UK Gambling Commission can legally advertise to the British public.
Michael Owen’s tweets have since been deleted, while the site has been blocked to UK users.
“Punt Casino is a fully licensed Curacao casino that operates under the rules and regulations associated with that license,” said a spokesperson for Punt Casino. “We do not target or promote our casino to customers in any country and/or jurisdiction not permitted by such license.”
Gambling advertising is an important aspect of football, particularly in the UK, with 10 of the 20 Premier League clubs currently having a betting brand on their jerseys. This is one of the main issues within the Government Review of the Gambling Act 2005.
Everton recently joined this list of clubs, after the Merseyside team reached a master partnership agreement with Stake.com, one of the biggest players in the international iGaming market.
The club will begin a multi-year partnership that represents the largest sponsorship in Everton’s history, with the cryptocurrency bookmaker‘s name being emblazoned on the men’s and women’s squad shirts, as well as appearing at the club’s stadium and training ground. .
