Nine EU Regulators Unite Against Prediction Markets at FIFA 2026

With the FIFA 2026 Men's World Cup on the horizon, nine European gaming regulators have issued a coordinated warning that goes well beyond standard tournament advisories. The joint declaration signals a meaningful shift toward cross-border enforcement against prediction market platforms operating outside licensing frameworks — and puts sports federations, leagues, and clubs on notice.

Nine Jurisdictions, One Signal

The regulators of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland, joined by Portugal's Gambling Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ), have formalised their cooperation in a shared declaration covering the duration of the tournament and beyond. The breadth of signatories — spanning major Western European markets — reflects a deliberate attempt to close jurisdictional gaps that unlicensed operators routinely exploit.

Prediction Markets Under the Microscope

У таблиці нижче наведено перелік усіх дев'яти юрисдикцій, що підписали спільну декларацію, із зазначенням відповідного регуляторного органу там, де він названий у джерелі.

The declaration places particular emphasis on prediction market platforms, which the regulators describe as a relatively recent product category that has attracted growing popularity in recent years, especially among young adults. These platforms allow users to bet on the outcomes of political, sporting, or geopolitical events — a proposition that blurs the line between financial speculation and traditional gambling.

The regulators identify a specific set of structural risks associated with unlicensed prediction market operators:

• They operate 24 hours per day with no temporal restrictions
• They impose no betting limits on the amounts wagered
• They apply no time limits on activity
• They enforce minimal identity controls, making age verification largely ineffective

The declaration also flags risks of fund freezing, fraud through the use of insider information, and financial volatility inherent to unregulated prediction markets. The Belgian Gaming Commission has similarly reinforced gambling restrictions ahead of the tournament, underscoring how the World Cup is prompting a wave of coordinated regulatory action across the continent.

A Direct Warning to Sports Organisations

One of the more notable elements of the declaration is its direct address to sporting stakeholders — federations, leagues, and clubs. The regulators explicitly call on these entities to verify the legal status of prediction market platforms in their own jurisdiction before entering into significant partnerships with them. This is a clear signal that commercial relationships with unlicensed operators will attract regulatory scrutiny, not just the platforms themselves.

Cross-Border Enforcement and Social Media Campaigns

During and after the tournament, the signatories commit to intensifying cross-border cooperation through information sharing, specialist knowledge exchange, and dissemination of best practices. Most regulators also plan to increase their social media activity throughout the competition to promote safer gambling behaviours. Portugal's SRIJ, one of the declaration's signatories, has been active on responsible gambling outreach — the regulator recently brought responsible gaming education to Portuguese tourism schools as part of its broader prevention mandate.

Reading the Enforcement Landscape

For operators and affiliates active across multiple European markets, this declaration carries practical implications. A coordinated bloc of nine regulators sharing intelligence and enforcement priorities substantially raises the cost of regulatory arbitrage. Prediction market platforms that hold no licence in any of these jurisdictions should expect coordinated blocking actions rather than piecemeal national responses. The explicit inclusion of sports organisations in the declaration also suggests that commercial due diligence obligations are expanding — compliance teams at clubs and leagues now have a documented regulatory expectation to meet. The Dutch regulator's recent tightening of World Cup betting oversight illustrates how individual national enforcers are layering their own measures on top of this multi-jurisdictional framework.

This declaration was jointly issued by the gaming regulators of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and Portugal.

According to SRIJ.