Gibraltar first in Europe to licence prediction markets firm
Gibraltar has licensed its first prediction markets operator, granting Predict Street Ltd a betting intermediary licence under the territory’s 2005 Gambling Act, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry Nigel Feetham confirmed this. The licence was issued, with the platform scheduled to launch on 9 April.
The approval marks the first time Gibraltar’s Gambling Division has authorised a prediction markets business, a vertical that has attracted regulatory attention across Europe but found few formal licensing homes.
A new vertical takes shape
Predict Street operates as a betting intermediary rather than a direct bookmaker, facilitating contracts between users on the outcome of real-world events. ADI Chain, a blockchain infrastructure provider, underpins the platform’s technical architecture. The combination of a regulated licence and distributed ledger settlement places the operator at the intersection of two areas regulators have struggled to categorise cleanly: prediction markets and crypto-adjacent wagering.
Feetham described the speed of the licensing process as a record for Gibraltar, citing it as evidence that the territory’s regulatory framework can accommodate emerging business models without lengthy procedural delays. The licence was granted under the Gambling Act 2005 because Gibraltar’s new Gambling Act 2025, passed last year, has not yet come into force. The division assessed and approved the application within the existing legislative structure, treating prediction markets as a form of betting intermediation the 2005 Act already covers.
Regulatory positioning
The decision carries weight beyond Gibraltar’s borders. Prediction markets have occupied an uneasy legal position across much of Europe, with regulators in several jurisdictions still debating whether they constitute gambling, financial derivatives, or something distinct from either. Malta has examined the category without issuing dedicated licensing rules. Germany and the Netherlands have both treated the activity cautiously within their existing frameworks.
By licensing Predict Street under an established gambling statute, Gibraltar has set a practical precedent: prediction markets can be brought within a conventional betting regulatory structure without waiting for bespoke legislation. The move places Gibraltar ahead of its European peers in formalising the sector.
The territory’s gambling industry supports between 3,400 and 3,500 jobs and contributes roughly one-third of government tax revenue through corporate tax, PAYE, and social insurance receipts. That economic dependence gives Gibraltar a structural incentive to remain attractive to operators in emerging verticals, and the Predict Street licence fits that pattern.
Platform details and industry claims
Predict Street has claimed to have a partnership with FIFA as part of their commercial offering, but this has not been independently verified. This platform will allow users to make bets on various event outcomes, with settlement being done through the ADI Chain.
The April launch date positions Predict Street among the first regulated prediction markets platforms to go live under a European gambling licence. The operator will be subject to the Gibraltar Gambling Division’s standard compliance and oversight requirements, including anti-money laundering obligations and consumer protection rules applicable to licensed betting intermediaries.
What comes next
The Gambling Act of 2025, upon enactment, will offer an improved legislative structure for all Gibraltar-licensed operators. The interim licensing of Predict Street will offer the division an operational base upon which the new regulations can be implemented.
Gibraltar’s Gambling Division confirmed the licence is active, with the operator now preparing for its April launch. In granting the approval, the territory has done what few European regulators have managed: placed prediction markets inside a formal licensing structure and given the sector a regulatory address it has long lacked.
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