Michael Owen Blasted for Backing Unlicensed Crypto On line casino, Deceptive NFT Scheme

Former England soccer star Michael Owen has been criticized for selling Punt On line casino, an unlicensed crypto on line casino, in violation of UK playing legal guidelines, The Athletic experiences.

Michael Owen, pictured, made the unlikely promise that his NFTs “couldn’t lose their authentic worth.” (Picture: Getty)
Individually, the ex-Liverpool and Actual Madrid striker has been ordered by the UK’s Promoting Requirements Authority (ASA) to stop selling an NFT (non-fungible token) idea that claimed to be “the first-ever (NFTs) that may’t lose their preliminary worth.”
Owen, who scored 40 objectives for England and gained the Ballon d’Or in 2001, was unveiled as Punt On line casino’s “international model ambassador” in February. The accompanying press launch mentioned he would seem in varied industrial and on-line advert campaigns for the on line casino and included by a quote attributed to Owen.
“I’m a powerful believer within the energy of crypto, so teaming up with an progressive platform like Punt On line casino appears like a pure match,” it learn.
Price a Punt?
Owen’s profile can be a pure match for the UK playing market, regardless of Punt On line casino’s lack of licensing in that jurisdiction. Its identify, “punt,” is a particularly British slang phrase for betting.
The Athletic mentioned it made “inquiries,” after which tweets by personal selling the on line casino had been deleted and its operations had been “geo-blocked” for UK customers.
Punt On line casino is a totally licensed Curacao on line casino working beneath the principles and laws related to that license,” a spokesperson informed The Athletic. “We don’t goal or promote our on line casino to clients of any nations and/or jurisdictions not allowed by such license.”
The assertion is rigorously worded. It’s not clear whether or not the phrases of Punt On line casino’s Curacao license allowed it to focus on the UK, though regulatory oversight within the tiny Caribbean island is notoriously lax.
‘Deceptive’ NFTs
Owen’s tweets in help of the NFT scheme have additionally been deleted after the ASA’s intervention. The ex-footballer claimed on Twitter final month that “Regardless of the critics, my NFTs would be the first ever that may’t lose their preliminary worth.”
NFTs are digital tokens that may characterize possession of an underlying digital merchandise. Every NFT is exclusive. As soon as minted, it exists as a everlasting and distinctive proof of title that can not be edited, deleted, or copied.

The market in NFTs soared all through 2021 however has plunged in latest months. The typical worth is now lower than half of its March 2021 peak.

The idea behind Owen’s NFTs is that every token incorporates code that ensures it can’t be offered for lower than the unique buy worth. However no asset is immune from market pressures, and if nobody desires to purchase a token on the authentic worth, it’s successfully price nothing.
The ASA mentioned the tweet was prone to mislead the general public.
The authority is at the moment conducting a wide-ranging evaluation of the problems surrounding NFT promoting.
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