JAKARTA - The English Premier League is partnering with French fantasy sports platform Sorare to sell non-fungible tokens (NFT). This is a sign that the world of sports continues to embrace digital assets despite the sluggish Crypto market.

"The deal gives Sorare a four-year license to sell digital sports cards to players from all 20 Premier League clubs," Sorare said in a statement on Monday, January 30, quoted by Reuters.

Meanwhile Sky News reported in October 2022 that the deal could be worth 30 million pounds (Rp 561 billion) per year. Sorare declined to comment on whether the figures cited by Sky News were accurate.

Cards in Sorare are bought and traded in the form of NFTs, a type of blockchain-based asset, using cryptocurrencies or traditional currencies.

Sorare yang berbasis di Paris mengumpulkan US$680 juta (Rp10,2 triliun) dengan penilaian US$4,3 miliar (Rp65 triliun) dalam putaran pendanaan tahun 2021 yang dipimpin oleh SoftBank.

Pengawas taruhan Inggris telah menyelidiki Sorare sejak 2021 untuk menilai apakah permainannya termasuk perjudian. CEO Sorare, Nicolas Julia, mengatakan pada konferensi pers pekan lalu bahwa penyelidikan masih berlangsung.

Di tempat lain, regulator perjudian Prancis memberi tahu perusahaan November lalu untuk melakukan perubahan pada game, termasuk memperluas opsi permainan bebasnya.

"Cara penggemar mengikuti tim dan pemain favorit mereka berkembang dan Liga Premier selalu mencari cara untuk terlibat dengan penggemar," kata Richard Masters, kepala eksekutif Liga Premier.

NFT GAMING

NFT melonjak pada tahun 2021, tetapi harga dan volume penjualan anjlok tahun lalu karena investor semakin berhati-hati dan industri crypto diguncang oleh serangkaian kehancuran profil tinggi.

Banyak tim sepak bola top dan bintang olahraga mempromosikan aset crypto - seperti NFT atau "token penggemar" - kepada penggemar selama booming. Pendukung mengatakan mereka dapat digunakan untuk meningkatkan keterlibatan penggemar, tetapi kritikus mengatakan mereka berisiko mendorong spekulasi keuangan.

Anggota Asosiasi Pendukung Sepak Bola (FSA), yang mewakili penggemar di Inggris dan Wales, "telah meningkatkan kekhawatiran tentang kemitraan keterlibatan berbasis kripto di klub mereka selama bertahun-tahun," kata seorang juru bicara, mengomentari keterlibatan sepak bola dengan kripto secara umum, sebelum Pengumuman Sore. "Keterlibatan pendukung tidak boleh dimonetisasi," kata PSA.

“Kurangnya pengawasan peraturan untuk cryptocurrency dan NFT jelas merupakan sesuatu yang harus diperhatikan oleh para pendukung,” tambah FSA.

According to blockchain tracker CryptoSlam, the average selling price of Sorare's NFTs has fallen to around $38 in December. This price is down from a peak price of USD 281 in March 2021, but Sorare's number of buyers and monthly transactions are near an all-time high.

Julia says the million company, which has more than 3 users, has "a very different trend from other companies" because its NFT has "utility value".

"We never market games as investments. These are collectibles that you can play in a game," added Julia.

Julia says 87% of users currently play the game without spending any money on the platform.

Sorare involves crypto-currency in the game, but Julia says she plans to modify it, calling it a "last swipe left" for players who want to avoid cryptocurrency volatility.


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