Irish gambling regulator considers High Court action against major prediction market operator

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) is weighing legal escalation against what it described as “one of the largest prediction market operators in the world” after warning letters failed to produce a takedown. For high-risk payment teams, the important bit is not the headline itself but the enforcement mechanism: if the operator stays live for Irish users, the regulator says it can seek blocking orders covering both site access and the funding flowing through it.

1. GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield said in an interview with RTÉ’s This Week that most international gambling and prediction platforms have pulled down their sites after receiving warning letters. In at least one case, though, the regulator says the matter may move on to Ireland’s High Court.
2. Caulfield said: “In the instance where they don’t do so, we can go to the High Court and get a blocking order for them, a blocking order for access to the site and also in relation to the funding involved.” That is the part payment providers should care about: the target is not only web access, but the payment rail supporting the activity.
3. The GRAI was established last year under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The new law introduced a licensing system for online iGaming in Ireland, and that system came into force this month.
4. Even with the reform in place, the GRAI cannot directly force internet service providers to block unlicensed sites. Its practical route is to issue warning letters first and, if those are ignored, pursue court orders that are described as costly and time-consuming.
5. The Irish move sits inside a broader European clampdown on prediction markets. Recent actions mentioned by the regulator include Polymarket being black-listed in Italy and the Czech Republic, a new block order in France after users reportedly kept betting despite geo-blocking imposed in 2024, and temporary blocking orders against both Polymarket and Kalshi in Spain in April.

Elsewhere in Europe, the German regulator GGL has opened an investigation into FIFA partner ADI Predictstreet, which received a gambling licence in Gibraltar earlier this year. Last month, nine European regulators also announced a joint initiative against prediction markets, citing player protection and market integrity risks. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has separately warned that some prediction products could fall under restricted financial instruments in the EU.