Michael Owen has been forced to delete two tweets after violating UK law and promoting an unregulated crypto casino. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Owen was forced to retreat
Former professional soccer player and analyst Michael Owen has been forced to delete tweets promoting online crypto-currency casino Punt Casino after violating UK laws on gambling ads.
He does not have a UK operating license
The casino is located in Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island, and does not have a UK operating license.
The former England, Liverpool and Real Madrid striker has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that he has broken regulations by promoting a controversial non-fungible token (NFT) scheme. As a result, he had to delete his Twitter posts, per athlete.
Cross the red line
National laws state that only UK approved gambling operators can advertise to the public. Owen, the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner, has over 3.7 million followers on Twitter, highlighting the abuse image.
The 42-year-old has since deleted the tweets, while regulators have also blocked UK customers from the main Punt Casino site through geolocation.
Curacao Casino is fully licensed and operates according to the rules.
Casino Punt responded to the order by issuing a statement. It reads: “Punt Casino is a fully licensed Curacao casino operating in accordance with the rules and regulations associated with it. We do not target or promote our casino to clients from any countries and/or jurisdictions not permitted by this license… Punt Casino assumes its responsibilities as a legitimate and licensed casino operator Seriously. “
source of confusion
Owen previously supported Punt and similar companies in previous statements. “I am a huge believer in the power of cryptocurrencies, so working as a team with an innovative platform like Punt Casino seems a natural fit,” the soccer star previously said.
Curacao Casino accepts crypto payments such as Bitcoin and Etherium, making it a next-generation online operator. Owen’s support for such an institution raised eyebrows because the United Kingdom had already designated it as a source of criminal activity, particularly in relation to money laundering.
In addition, the 10th top scorer in Premier League history mistakenly said that his NFT teams would be “the first player not to ever lose their initial value”. The media speculated that Owen mistakenly contained code through NFTs that could not diminish its value.
A spokesman for the Englishman said they considered the matter closed after the tweets were deleted.
