Football legend Michael Owen accused of promoting unlicensed crypto casino in the UK

UK’s Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) has accused former professional footballer Michael Owen of promoting an unregistered crypto casino, as he allegedly posted two tweets advertising Punt Casino, violating existing laws regulating the gambling advertising sector.

Even though Punt Casino has an active license in the Caribbean Island of Curacao, the ASA insisted that it has no operating permit within the UK jurisdiction. Under the current laws, only licensed betting firms and casinos are allowed to advertise in the British market. Owen has recently become brand ambassador of Punt Casino. The Athletic reported last month that on May 16, he published two tweets advertising “Punt Casino”, which were then deleted and the Punt Casino website was “geo-blocked” for UK users.

It was stated by a spokesperson that 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 a country or jurisdiction not allowed by such license," the person said, as reported by The Bit Times.

The online gambling platform has been rapidly growing as of late, with its offerings reaching thousands of gaming enthusiasts, according to its statements. Punt describes itself as offering free casino games including poker, blackjack, roulette, slots and more. 

Punt Casino accepts payment in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bookmakers targeting UK customers do not tend to work with crypto because the gambling regulator says the practice carries significant risks of money laundering and illegal activity. 

According to the ASA, betting firms must have a license from the Gambling Commission to advertise to UK consumers. But this is not the first time the footballer has had problems with regulators over his sponsorship deals. Last month, Owen attracted a similar controversy after he promoted an NFT project that billed itself as "the first risk-free project that ensured investors they would not lose their initial value." 

In the meantime, the Advertising Standard Authority has instructed Michael Owen to delete the tweet from all his social media platforms, citing breaching advertising rules. As informed by Owen’s spokesperson, it was confirmed that they have successfully settled the case, according to The Bit Times.

After Yogonet first published this story on July 8, Punt Casino's media deparment contacted the publication and said that "Owen was contacted (but not investigated) by the ASA regarding his involvement and advertising of an NFT project, something that is independent and not in any capacity affiliated with Punt Casino. Mr Owen nor Punt Casino have never, at any point, been contacted by the ASA regarding an enquiry or investigation. Additionally, he was never asked to remove Tweets related to Punt Casino."