A gambling advertisement featuring Dutch national team captain Virgil van Dijk has been circulating on Instagram. In the ad, he appears to promote an illegal online casino. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the video is a so-called deepfake. Van Dijk is now the second star footballer from the Benelux region, after Kevin De Bruyne, to be falsely depicted endorsing illegal gambling platforms.
According to OnlineCasinosSpelen, an earlier interview Van Dijk gave to the American magazine GQ was misused and turned into a deepfake to promote the illegal online casino without Dutch license on social media. The manipulated footage was blended into what appeared to be a fabricated RTL Nieuws broadcast.
In this deceptive ad, RTL Nieuws presenter Anita Sara Nederlof seems to introduce a segment about Virgil van Dijk’s supposed casino app. In the fake broadcast, the Liverpool defender appears to endorse the illegal gambling platform, claiming that his app can help Dutch citizens make money.
These statements were never made by Virgil van Dijk. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), footage from an interview was manipulated to make it appear as though the Dutch national team captain is promoting an unlicensed online casino. This deepfake technology, which allows for the manipulation of both visuals and audio, is becoming increasingly prevalent.
B7 Casino Behind the Online Casino App
The deepfake featuring Virgil van Dijk is linked to the app Bath for Mermaid, which directs users to the illegal TipTopBet Casino or the equally unlawful crypto-casino B7 Casino. Based in Curaçao, B7 Casino is also behind the app Fruity Cubes, which has used deepfakes featuring Mr. Beast and the NOS in its advertisements.
Tip Top Bet told RTL Nieuws that it is not responsible for “advertisements created by third parties.” Meanwhile, B7 Casino has not responded to inquiries from the news outlet. Virgil van Dijk and his management are reportedly aware of the video and are currently considering potential legal action.
The gambling ad in question has since been removed by Meta, the parent company of Instagram.
Kevin De Bruyne Deepfake
A similar deepfake featuring Kevin De Bruyne surfaced on Facebook last week. In the manipulated video, the Belgian star midfielder appears to promote an illegal online casino.
In the ad, De Bruyne seemingly encourages people to keep gambling, claiming that persistence is needed to win on online slot machines. The video also falsely suggests that he recently won a €100,000 jackpot, further misleading viewers.
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