Nine European regulators warn prediction markets face enforcement during the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Nine gambling regulators in Europe have put prediction markets on notice ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The message for PSPs, acquirers, and operators is simple: if the product is not licensed locally, cross-border scrutiny is coming, and it will not stop at the tournament whistle.

1. Regulators from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland issued a joint statement saying that prediction market platforms that do not comply with local regulations will face enforcement action during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
2. The statement says prediction markets have moved “from niche products into major platforms” and warned about the risks attached to them. In countries where these platforms are not licensed, regulators said they operate continuously without operator-imposed betting limits, time restrictions, or meaningful age verification.
3. The regulators said they will work closely together during the tournament to make sure operators comply with advertising, betting integrity, and player protection standards. They also warned sports federations, leagues, and teams to confirm the legal status of any prediction market platform before entering into partnerships.
4. The joint statement says prediction market platforms must operate in accordance with the licensing and regulatory requirements of each jurisdiction. It also flags “serious risks” including illegality, fund blocking, fraud through insider information, and financial volatility, adding that these platforms can create serious addiction problems because they are unregulated in most countries.
5. Germany’s federal gambling regulator, the GGL, has already warned against token-based social betting platforms and event contracts on prediction-based trading platforms such as Polymarket. It said those services are not permitted under the Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty of 2021 and are not licensed by the regulator.

For high-risk payment flows, the practical point is that prediction markets are now being treated less like a novelty and more like a regulated gambling issue with cross-border enforcement attached. That matters for merchant onboarding, advertising controls, chargeback exposure, and whether a platform can even be kept live in a given jurisdiction during a major event.