The quadrennial World Cup is just around the corner, and OKX has launched a prediction market event—but unfortunately, old controversies have resurfaced.

During the previous tournament in 2022, OKX ran an activity where users could stake ETH to mint team-specific NFTs.

Four years later, some users still have their principal trapped within the smart contract—completely unrecoverable.

One user, known as Sakamoto Answer, correctly predicted Morocco’s surprise run and saw his portfolio gain nearly 20,000 U.

Yet OKX promptly blacklisted his NFT on-chain—an outright betrayal that drew widespread outrage!

Both sides stand by their narratives.

Here's how the event worked: users staked 0.03 ETH per team, losing only gas fees for incorrect predictions, while correct picks earned 10U multiplied by odds.

Sakamoto bet on Morocco. The team advanced all the way to the semifinals, delivering the biggest upset of the tournament.

His unrealized profit approached 20,000 U.

Before he could even cash out, OKX deployed a piggy bank contract—a one-way lock mechanism—directly blacklisting his NFT on-chain.

OKX’s Chinese customer service responded: “We understand your frustration, and we sincerely apologize for the negative experience you endured.”

Then immediately added: “The rules explicitly prohibit multi-account participation; large-scale multiple accounts undermine platform integrity and harm legitimate users.”

They emphasized that NFT permissions and ETH redemption rights are separate—users can redeem their principal anytime, with no risk of fund withholding by the platform.

As for being labeled a “piggy bank contract,” they claimed: “Contract permissions serve to enforce activity rules and prevent abnormal participation—its core purpose is anti-abuse, not simply categorized as a piggy bank contract.”

In plain terms: you broke the rules—you’re not victims, it’s not our fault!

This isn’t just about Sakamoto. Many other users in the comments section are also struggling with the fallout.

It took 5,000 U in gas fees to retrieve the principal.

After being blacklisted, users couldn’t sell their NFTs or claim rewards.

Sakamoto had to pay gas fees transaction by transaction, slowly recovering his staked ETH. In total, he spent 5,000 U in gas fees.

Even more alarming: Onchain OS verified the contract address and confirmed its piggy bank functionality.

And after four years, the contract still holds 76.15 ETH unreturned to users—the blockchain data is fully transparent and auditable.

What does this mean? You're welcome to lose money—but if you make profits, too bad!

Old debts unresolved, new World Cup already upon us.

This issue might have quietly faded away—if not for the 2026 World Cup’s opening on June 11th, which reignited the controversy.

OKX’s community ambassador Mercy posted a joke: “Hi everyone, I’m Messi. This year, I support Portugal.”

The comment section exploded. Many users slammed OKX: “Those who were misled by you aren’t dead—they’re just holding grudges. How dare you flaunt it?”

To be honest, this incident is one of the most explosive in the entire exchange ecosystem.

Users followed official channels to stake ETH for activities—only to find themselves paying gas fees just to reclaim their own funds.

With the 2026 World Cup just 10 days away, whether OKX will launch another such event remains uncertain.

But given this precedent, it’s unlikely many users will fall for the same trap again.