Sorare can breathe a sigh of relief. One of the biggest fundraisers in French tech ($680 million in 2021) will not be aligned with the same regime as online betting sites like Betclic or Winamax in France. "We have found a provisional solution with the French National Gambling Authority (ANJ) that satisfies both parties," says Nicolas Julia, co-founder of Sorare. The focus will be on strengthening the free offer, which already accounts for 90% of the game's usage. A mini-game dedicated to the World Cup has just been launched and is entirely free.

In order to avoid being likened to gambling (and therefore the financial sacrifice it implies), Sorare justifies itself by explaining that its game is not a gamble because players will never lose their cards, i.e. their NFTs. For the ANJ, this response is a "transitional but essential step" before "a permanent solution" is adopted. During this transitional period, the ANJ will set up an ad hoc control mechanism for Sorare's activity and will verify the proper implementation of the "free access" solution and, on the other hand, compliance with the objectives of preventing excessive gambling and protecting minors, integrity and transparency of gambling operations and the fight against fraud and money laundering.

"All of the stakeholders, i.e. the French regulator, Sorare, dozens of companies that are involved in Web3 gaming and the government, all agree that there is a need to build a long-term framework," emphasises Nicolas Julia. "We note that the regulator knows how to support innovation and recognises that legislation, some of which is decades old and not necessarily adapted to the uses of new technologies, needs to evolve," he says.

Despite the regulator's warning to Sorare at the end of July, the start-up immediately received the government's support in its fight. In an interview with The Big Whale, Digital Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared that "when it comes to certain uses such as Sorare, we must be agile". He also indicated that "this is fundamental if we do not want to restrict innovation. We, therefore, need to find ways of allowing innovation to develop while protecting users against certain risks, in particular addiction and money laundering".

‍