Regulations, scam alerts, blockchain tech, and token events
Derivatives-market figures aired sharply opposed positions at the first CFTC advisory committee conference on sports event contracts, while the rules are still being drafted.
Contracts that pay out when a speaker says particular words are drawing regulatory attention after reports of an investigation involving a White House staffer.
Serie A club SS Lazio and Polymarket ended their sponsorship early after new measures by the authorities affected the platform's availability in Italy.
The NFL objected to the CFTC's draft integrity provisions for sports event contracts while New York pursued $36bn in damages from Kalshi.
The South African Bookmakers Association called for prediction markets to be banned, citing the growth of unregulated platforms and sporting integrity risks.
A CFTC staff advisory said operators are self-certifying event contracts too broadly, bundling multiple contract variations into single template filings.
A US Senate hearing meant to address sports integrity turned into a debate over prediction markets, raising the question of what Congressional action follows.
French regulator ANJ ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket, citing unauthorised gambling and public safety risks after a two-year investigation.
The Czech Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to its list of unauthorised internet games, requiring ISPs to block the site within 15 days.
Gibraltar published a formal regulatory framework for prediction markets in its official gazette, having already granted two licences.
Dutch regulator KSA rejected an appeal from Polymarket's operator and upheld the sanction imposed for offering illegal gambling to Dutch users.
ESMA warned that prediction market contracts with binary outcomes and fixed payouts can qualify as restricted financial instruments under existing EU rules.
Opposition to prediction market exchanges and the CFTC widened to include a former CFTC chairman and a lawsuit from the largest US derivatives marketplace.
Regulators from nine European countries announced joint action against unlicensed prediction market platforms, timed to the start of the 2026 World Cup.
The CFTC issued its first notice of proposed rulemaking on prediction markets, setting a standard for event contracts and drawing sharply divided responses.
WagerWire's parent company received approval in principle from the Gibraltar regulator for its predictions market subsidiary, Wire Markets Ltd.
Spain's DGOJ ordered a temporary block on Polymarket and Kalshi and opened sanctioning proceedings, saying both operated without the required licences.
The Ninth Circuit heard arguments in Nevada's case against Kalshi and three parallel cases, weighing federal preemption over sports event contracts.
Singapore banned Polymarket in December 2024 with penalties of up to SG$10,000 or six months in jail, yet authorities have detected a surge in wagering.
The NFL urged the CFTC to keep officiating and injury markets off prediction platforms as manipulable, while the CFTC sued three states over event contracts.
Gibraltar issued its first prediction markets licence under previous legislation, in what the responsible minister called record timing for the jurisdiction.
A US Senate bill would bar CFTC-registered entities from listing event contracts resembling sports bets or casino games, sending sector stocks lower.
Kalshi's Brazilian launch via brokerage XP International split expert opinion on whether oversight belongs with gambling or financial regulators.
The UK Gambling Commission said its industry forum will examine whether cryptoassets could eventually become a regulated payment option for licensed gambling.
The Gambling Commission warned that rising crypto use among younger consumers is accelerating the policy challenge around legal gambling and digital assets.
