Waiting for new regulations to come into force, Sorare has reached an agreement with the French National Gaming Authority to offer an alternative gaming method to French players. How will this work
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Sorare offers a variant of its games to the French
In the summer of 2022, regulatory doubts arose over Sorare as far as French players were concerned. The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) issued a warning to the blockchain game on the grounds that its operating model could be similar to sports betting.
Sorare defended itself on the grounds that the platform offered free alternatives. In addition, players who buy cards have full possession of them and can resell them, and they are not lost after a Game Week, whereas a punter can lose his stake.
Following these discussions with the regulator, new regulations will be introduced to specifically adapt to Web3 games: the JONES framework: Games with exchangeable digital objects.
Pending the application of these new rules, Sorare has extended its free offer, by proposing an alternative to the French:
“Prior to the adoption of this new regime in France, we have agreed a temporary solution with [L’ANJ] that creates an alternative method of participating in tournaments, without blockchain cards, for users based in France only. “
How this new way of playing works
“Alternative game mode” also means “optional”. Players who have cards in the game will still be able to use them.
This variant will come into force as of Game Week starting on Friday. At the end of the period during which players can put together a team, those opting for this variant will have an extra 30 minutes.
During this time, players will be able to ask Sorare to put together a team for them to take part in the corresponding Game Week. The team will be made up at random from the players available on the licence. If the result is unsatisfactory, a new request can be made within the allotted time.
As an example, Sorare has unveiled an inventory from which the teams would have been composed last week on the fantasy football game. Using this model, a player would have had a 4.6% chance of having a Tier 0 Limited card in his team :
Sorare card inventory by rarity level and player ranking
Two conditions must be met to use this alternative mode:
- Be domiciled in France;
- Not to have proposed teams for this Game Week in the conventional way.
A Know Your Customer (KYC) check will be required to participate.
Although this mode of play may not be of interest to users who already have a good stock of cards, those who prefer the free version could give it a try. In any case, this innovation is encouraging, as it shows that in France, dialogue is possible with the regulator, so that everyone can find solutions that meet the needs of each party.
