GGL reviews ADI Predictstreet’s World Cup ads over suspected unlicensed gambling marketing in Germany

Germany’s Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) has opened a formal review of Abu Dhabi-backed prediction market operator ADI Predictstreet after its branding appeared during FIFA World Cup broadcasts. For high-risk operators, the point is simple: a sports sponsorship can become a licensing problem the moment it reaches a market where you do not hold permission to operate or advertise.

1. According to German newspaper RND, the review focuses on ADI Predictstreet’s pitch-side branding during recent FIFA World Cup matches, despite the company not holding a local gambling licence in Germany. The regulator is examining whether that activity amounts to illegal gambling under German law and whether the advertising itself breaches Germany’s gambling advertising rules, which bar unlicensed operators from marketing in the region.
2. ADI Predictstreet received a betting intermediary licence in Gibraltar in April, which allowed it to offer a prediction market product through that licensing hub. Shortly afterwards, it was named FIFA’s official prediction market partner for the World Cup. That sequence matters: a licence in one jurisdiction does not automatically solve the advertising question in another.
3. The GGL also said its review will consider whether German residents can access and participate in ADI Predictstreet’s offering. If violations are confirmed, possible measures could include cease-and-desist orders not only against the operator, but also against connected service providers such as payment processors, web hosting companies, or telecom firms.
4. ADI Predictstreet denied wrongdoing, telling RND: “we operate no marketing or advertising activities targeted at Germany.” The company said any visibility during the World Cup came from “global sponsorship and media rights arrangements” and was not aimed specifically at German consumers.
5. Broadcasting control is part of the mess here. Thomas Hagedorn, spokesperson for German public broadcaster ZDF, told RND the network had no influence over pitch-side advertising because the visuals are supplied by the event’s host broadcaster. He said the displays complied with Germany’s broadcasting regulation, the Media State Treaty. RND also reported that ADI Predictstreet’s branding was visible during Germany’s opening game, which was streamed via the children’s channel KiKa.

The broader backdrop is that prediction markets are drawing more scrutiny in Europe. This week, nine gambling regulators across the continent launched a coordinated crackdown against the vertical, which is not yet formally regulated in any European market except Gibraltar.