TITLE: Portugal's Gaming Regulator Signs Joint Declaration with European Gaming Regulators
BODY:
On June 17, 2026, Portugal's Service for Gaming Regulation and Inspection (Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos, SRIJ) signed a joint declaration alongside gaming regulators from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. The declaration reinforces cooperation among European gaming authorities ahead of the FIFA 2026 Men's World Cup football tournament.
The joint declaration addresses concerns regarding prediction market platforms operating across European jurisdictions. These platforms allow users to bet on the outcomes of political, sporting, and geopolitical events. The regulators identified significant risks associated with unlicensed prediction market platforms, including addictive behaviours, fraud, illegal activity, and financial volatility. The declaration notes that unregulated platforms operate without adequate safeguards: they function 24 hours daily without betting limits beyond wagered amounts, lack temporal restrictions, and employ minimal identity verification controls to confirm users' legal age. The regulators emphasise that prediction market platforms present serious risks of illegality, fund blocking, fraud through insider information, and financial instability.
The signatory regulators committed to enhanced cooperation during the tournament period to ensure gaming operators comply with applicable regulatory requirements regarding advertising, betting integrity, and player protection. The declaration calls on sports sector participants—including sporting federations, leagues, and teams—to verify the legality of prediction market platforms in their respective jurisdictions before entering into partnerships. The regulators pledged to strengthen cross-border cooperation through information sharing, expertise exchange, and best practice dissemination. Most regulators will intensify social media activity during the competition to promote safe gaming practices and player protection.