Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, took to Facebook on the 19th of August to clear up for his fans his association with online betting and wagering platforms. 

“It has come to my attention that there are online gambling casinos and Tyson Fury related apps […] being put out there with my name,” Fury said, “There is nothing related to gambling that I am connected to”.

The Morecambe resident then went into detail about his own personal relationship with gambling, outlining why he doesn’t agree with it and would therefore never promote anything gambling related. 

“I’ve been offered millions of dollars to do gambling stuff and I’ve never ever done it,” he said.

Fury closed out the video warning his fans not to download anything gambling related with his likeness or name attached to it, claiming they “will scam you”.

Ai-generated deepfake celebrity endorsements are nothing new with legislation to tackle this issue looking different depending on where you are.

In New Zealand, AI-generated deep-fake images used to promote content without the individual’s consent are banned, after a case involving unregistered operator Māori Game was accused of using deepfakes of filmmaker Taika Waititi and TV presenter Jenny-May Clarkson. 

The European Union also has the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act), which forces content made using AI-generated deepfakes to be clearly labeled as such. 

Of course though, offshore gambling operators outside of the EU face little enforcement on this…

The U.S doesn’t have any specific law regarding AI-generated deep-fake endorsements, but robust Federal Trade Commission Rules over fake endorsements and things like The Lanham Act, which allows celebrities to sue companies for false endorsements, give US based operators a stricter framework to adhere to.

Again, the effectiveness of these laws against off-shore operators is debated by industry analysts.

Watch the [full Tyson Fury video here].