Kalshi's Messi-Fronted World Cup Push Meets a Nine-Nation European Warning

Nine European gambling regulators have pledged coordinated action against unlicensed prediction markets during the World Cup, warning sports bodies against partnerships just as Kalshi signs Argentina’s football federation and fronts Lionel Messi.

• Key Takeaways:
• • Nine European regulators pledged joint enforcement against unlicensed prediction markets during the World Cup.
• • The statement warns sports bodies to check legality before partnerships.
• • Kalshi and Polymarket were already blocked or under investigation across much of Europe, including Spain in May.

A Coordinated Line as the World Cup Drives Betting

The regulators of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland declared in a June 17 statement that the World Cup’s expected betting surge is being amplified by prediction markets and that they agreed to cooperate closely against platforms that fail to meet local licensing rules for the duration of the tournament.

The statement reflects the key concerns European regulators have with the platforms – round-the-clock access, no built-in stake or time limits, and weak age and identity checks. They pledged to share information across borders and to act against platforms that ignore local rules. The statement also reminded sports federations, leagues, and teams to confirm a platform’s legality before entering major partnerships.

The timing is no doubt intentional. On June 10, Kalshi became an official World Cup sponsor of the Argentine Football Association, gaining use of the national team’s crest and official match data through Genius Sports. Four days later, it activated the deal with a paid post on Lionel Messi’s Instagram account, which has more than 500 million followers, and it has since added the Croatian Football Federation with Luka Modrić as an ambassador.

Sector trading volume reached $8.6 billion in April, with Kalshi overtaking the crypto-native Polymarket. Both platforms have drawn fresh funding at multibillion-dollar valuations as investor interest builds. Meanwhile, Europe has been tightening for months. Spain’s gambling regulator, the DGOJ, ordered internet providers on May 26 to block both Kalshi and Polymarket while it investigates whether their products amount to unlicensed gambling. France, the Netherlands, and Portugal have taken similar steps.

Wednesday’s declaration turns that patchwork of national actions into a coordinated front for the tournament. Gibraltar-licensed ADI Predictstreet is the officially licensed prediction-market partner of the World Cup. Now, Germany’s gambling regulatory authority is already reviewing its advertising.