Kevin De Bruyne’s Deepfake video causes buzz
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11 Oct 2023 •
Reading time: 3 minutes On social media, a deepfake video promoting (online) gambling by Kevin De Bruyne recently surfaced. However, this is not an authentic advertisement featuring Kevin De Bruyne, but rather a deep fake video, a creation generated by artificial intelligence. In this video, the Belgian footballer claims that he enjoys online casino games and that he has won a jackpot of 100,000 euros.
Advertising ban on online casino games
Even if you don’t follow online gaming news in Belgium closely, you’ve probably heard about the advertising ban in force in our country since July 1 of this year. This ban includes a series of rules and conditions that online casinos must follow for their promotions and other forms of advertising.
One of these conditions concerns the use of models, particularly athletes or well-known personalities, in advertising. This measure mainly aims to reduce the temptation of vulnerable players and minors to indulge in online casino games in Belgium.
Overall, these new rules are well respected by legal online casinos. However, among illegal casinos we still find operators who try to make their advertisements more attractive by using famous personalities, both in Belgium and abroad. To do this, the celebrities in question don’t even have to be in the know or real, as evidenced by a recent video featuring footballer Kevin De Bruyne and even Virgil van Dijk. An unknown third party created a Deepfake video, a fake video, in which these public figures promote an illegal online casino.
Deepfake video of Kevin De Bruyne
A video recently emerged in which Manchester City player Kevin De Bruyne talks about online gaming. The video first appeared on Facebook and then was picked up by various media outlets, but the purpose of the video is clear: to deceive people through social media.
It is of course a Deepfake video (rigged video created with artificial intelligence), in which the animated image of De Bruyne, appearing very realistic, talks about his love for games of chance and online casinos, as well as a mobile application that he claims to use regularly to play.
“Not many people know this, but I like playing in online casinos,” says the fake De Bruyne, appearing in his Manchester City training kit. “And I recently won a jackpot of 100,000 euros.” This is of course a lie aimed at getting people to click on the link that appears at the bottom of the video.
As of today, the origin of the Deepfake video is unknown, it appears to be based on a real interview with Kevin De Bruyne broadcast earlier this year on Manchester City’s official YouTube channel.
An treacherous way to escape advertisement restrictions
The emergence of Deepfake videos in the world of online gambling advertising in Belgium raises alarming questions about the use of technology to mislead the public.
In a context where a ban on gambling advertising is in place, Deepfakes offer an insidious way to evade restrictions by using famous personalities to promote illegal operations. It is therefore essential that the online gambling industry in Belgium be vigilant to prevent future attempts to manipulate the public through Deepfakes, while preserving the integrity of the entire sector. Unfortunately the legal casino’s can’t counteract to this video due to the advertisement restrictions.